This was a cute story that yes, you can go home again. A big city news anchor, Brynn makes a faux pas and heads home to an unknown welcome. Heartened ex filed reported is given the task to drive her around to better her name. Surprisingly the locals embrace her for the most part. The jury is still out for Sebastian. She is humbled by their willingness to take her back in the fold. Thrown together Sebastian can’t help but see the small town girl on the inside of the glam. I liked this book a lot. Although the was no spice I don’t think it was needed here for them to form their slow bond from dislike to slowly loving one another. I was fortunate enough to receive the advanced copy of the audio version of this book. I thought the narrator did an excellent job.

I am absolutely positive I adored this book! It was the perfect amount of seriousness with laugh out loud funny moments! I loved the writing and the characters were really amazing! Please read this book! You will love it too.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book! All opinions are my own!

This book was kind of eh. I wasn't really a fan of the main female character. She was a jerk in the beginning and she kind of got better but she still wasn't my favorite. I wasn't obsessed with Sebastian either which was kind of disappointing. Nothing really stood out for me.

I did enjoy the ending. It was really sweet and endearing. I also loved the small-town setting. The cover of this book really got me interested. Overall, it was a 2.5 out of 5 for me.

DNF

I tried more than once to get through this audiobook, I think I can safely say that there are plenty of good attributes to the story and the actors did a wonderful job with it. Unfortunately for me the pacing was just not working and I couldn’t for the life of me get invested.

The general plot follows Brynn, an up and coming newscaster looking to shake off her ‘small town girl’ image. She’s sick of being shoved into the typecast and says some not-so flattering things about her hometown that end up broadcasted and cause a scandal. Instead of being fired, she’s sent back home to help out around her hometown and garner positive PR. Sebastian was not born to the town but he’s chosen to make it his home and he’s, shall we say, not so impressed with Brynn’s attitude. Regardless the two have to work together to get tourism going and grow the “right kind” of attention for their community.

It really was all fine! I wasn’t offended by anything, I think the writing was pretty decent. The pacing was slow as heck though, and the characters and their chemistry were middle of the road. I think I could probably give this another shot at another point in time, in a different headspace but definitely for now: DNF at 60% I think people more into small town romances than I am would have a decent chance of really enjoying this, but I really couldn’t get into it.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was a fun enemies to...lovers (?) story that was the perfect light and fluffy read to transition into the colder weather months. Unfortunately, the romance felt off. The titular characters go from hating each other to something that may have been akin to love, but it just didn't feel like it. The build up from enemies to lovers needed more work in the in between. The decision to make Brynn's point of view first person and Sebastian's third made the chapters feel clunky and really removed me from the story. It would have benefitted much more for two first person POVs and a dual narration.

So, this was my first audio book as well as my first review of an audio book and I was very, very pleased. I loved the dual POV from both narrators as well as the voice acting that sucked you into the story. This book was not only was sweet, but heartfelt and funny.

This book tells the story of Brynn Cornell, an up-and-coming morning news anchor who got caught bad mouthing her hometown when she thought the cameras weren’t rolling. Brynn is desperate to redeem herself and regain the approval of the public and decides to return to her small town to make amends. Upon her arrival she meets Sebastian, a newbie to Adeline Springs and a member of the city council. Sebastian is tasked with babysitting Brynn which aggravates him because she insulted the town he loves so much, but also believes the exposure that Brynn will bring to the small town will help attract more visitors to the area. Sebastian starts warming to Brynn as her TV persona starts to shed when she becomes reacquainted with the people she grew up with in that practically raised her. Brynn also starts seeing Sebastian in new eyes as she realizes that he was a renowned journalist who left everything behind to live a quiet life in Adeline Springs. Their romance is fun to see flourish in the beautiful mountain landscapes that are described through the story. Some of the tropes that are found in this novel are: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, small town romance.

Overall, this book is a sweet and wholesome romantic comedy. I laughed out loud and got teary eyed in towards the end over the sweetness of it all. I really enjoyed the pop culture references peppered in throughout the book, it was a fun touch that immersed you in the story even more. The voice acting was great and I found myself rather loving the audio book format from my first exposure to the medium. I would certainly recommend this book for someone that wants a sweet small-town romance with heavy Hallmark Movie vibes.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio, for the audio book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Sebastian is not the only one who hates Brynn.

Brynn is rude, mean, self-absorbed, and completely unlikeable.

Thank you so much for this ARC. I wanted to love this book but I had to DNF at around 60%. Unfortunately, I just have to many books on my TBR to continue with one that I’m really not vibing with. That is not to say I think it’s a bad book, I just don’t think it was a good fit for me. I do love a small town romance, slow burns, and enemies to lovers is my favorite trope ever. I commend the author for trying to have a unique execution for these tropes, it wasn’t for me. There are certain beats and qualities that I personally need from a romance. For example, good pacing, likable characters (or at least ones that start to show growth sooner than the half way point), showing attraction and/or sexual tension between the characters much sooner. I need to see more chemistry much sooner in order to be emotionally involved.

I also am not a fan of Brynn at all still 60% through the book. This is too long for me to continue hating a character in a romance. This woman is so insufferable and stupid. I’m so many ways. 1) just google this dude that everyone keeps telling you is a big deal! 2) just stop and think before you just say stuff. 3) listen when people try to warn you to not do stupid things. Brynn is supposed to be a grown professional. Her personality reminds me of a whiny spoiled teenager.

Another thing I typically love is a dual POV, but I struggled with the way it was done in this book. It felt so choppy. The FMC POV is written in first person past tense and the MMC POV is written in third person past tense. Each chapter ends with someone laying out a truth bomb or an insult and then just cuts to the other person’s POV. I personally just would have liked to see an inner monologue reaction to those. Sometimes the writing did back track a little so that you can see that when the POV switched back but by then I had moved on from caring. The narrator was great but I think I would have liked it better if there was a male narrator for the male POVs

The FMC also talks about hating being forced to use language like “fam” when she’s on tv but then uses the phrase “I was this many days old when I learned that” later in the story all on her own which is probably the most cringey and overused Gen-Z phrase.

The pacing was just too slow. Even with an intended slow burn, at 55% I expect to start seeing some chemistry and attraction and I didn’t. Any attraction I did notice seemed completely forced between the 2 main characters and I still don’t like them. I feel like at over the half way point I should start to like the characters, see some growth, and start seeing the sparks fly and getting excited for them to get together. I’m not excited at all. I’m excited for it to be over unfortunately.

While I didn't absolutely love this book, I also didn't hate it. It was a pretty fast listen and I think the story was cute and liked Brynn and Sebastian together. Brynn just felt all over the place and immature for someone in their late 30s. It felt very uneventful but I did love the Colorado/small town setting. I liked the ending but it felt a tad too rushed for my liking. I enjoyed the narrator, she was very easy to listen to. I do prefer books that have multiple POVs to have different narrators, especially if they are of the opposite sex. I think it's a bit strange and hard to keep track when Sebastian sounds exactly the same as Brynn. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Quick thoughts-I enjoyed it! I read it in 24 hours!
Super easy read!! This was an enemies to lovers situation and no 3rd act break up!!! The audiobook was great! I recommend it! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

Sunny morning-show host Brynn Cornell's career plummets after a public snarky outburst. She returns to her hometown to salvage her image. Sebastian Sudworth, a once-celebrated reporter now living incognito, is assigned to chauffeur her. Despite their mutual disdain, Brynn strives to charm him while grappling with past pain. Sparks fly as they find themselves in an unexpected attraction.

.Enemies to lovers
.Grumpy/sunshine
.Small town
.Famous MCs
.Found family

I'd divide this book into two distinct halves. The first part unfolds at a sluggish pace, lacking even a hint of romance. Our heroine's unrelenting abrasiveness dominates as she continues to excuse her behaviour. Thankfully, the second half redeems the story, offering a more humanised and softer version of her character. Either way, I struggled to connect with her self-centred demeanour throughout.

On the flip side, our hero fares much better. He’s making a genuine effort to rebuild his life and is often the voice of reason in the story.

One aspect I appreciated was the age of the characters; both being in their late thirties. It's an age group that doesn’t get a lot of representation in romances.

The romance itself failed to move me. The transition from animosity to affection between the protagonists felt abrupt. Makes me question whether this book should be classified as romance at all, leaning more towards contemporary or women's fiction.

I listened to this audiobook, and though the narrator did a great job, I think the dual point of view in the story would have been better served with two narrators. A male voice for Sebastian's perspective would have added depth.

The epilogue was a really nice closure for the book, and the sprinkling of pop culture references adds a delightful touch.

This book is not inherently bad, it is very well written, it has endearing supporting characters and a beautiful backdrop, I just didn’t connect with it as much as I wanted to.

(A copy of this review will be shared shortly on Instagram @beco_books)

Thank you to the author 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳, publishers Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for a digital review copy. All views are mine.

This is a cute closed-door romance with a lot of miscommunication and a great deal of forgiveness and grace given. This isn't always a winning combination, but turns out to be here, despite my resistance. Please find below, my honest reactions as I read.

Three things I loved:

1. Third person from two perspectives. First of all, I like the third person style choice. Also, it works here with the alternating perspectives. Alternating first person gets confusing as the narrative voice is often difficult to distinguish.

2. I love the pacing of this romance! When a couple gets together too fast in a romance, it makes me apprehensive; too slow, I get bored. This was just write!

3. Mr. Fielding and his tree and what they say about growing up in small towns and going home again.

4. I loved the unlikeable Brynn! That gal's got some growing to do and she does it.

Three things I didn't love:

1. I did the audiobook this time and did not love the narrator at first. I thought her delivery was kind of jaunty and didn't always match what was happening, so it took me a while to connect to the story. However, it's great that there's only one narrator instead of a full cast of them. With alternating perspectives, it can get even more confusing when there's not just two perspectives but two different sets of voices for each character.

2. I did not love how many of the other characters seem oddly forgiving of the main character's selfish and sometimes harsh behaviors in the first half of the novel. Only the antagonist ever questions her honestly questionable motives. It's a little hard to believe. It probably wouldn't matter, but ultimately, this grace the town gives the protagonist helps move the plot into the second half.

3. I didn't love how this book talks about childhood trauma: "I'd spent twenty years trying to rid myself of Bren. Brenda Cornell wasn't bad or weak, but her life and her mind were chaos. She was full of regret and sadness. She was lonely. She's a fighter, but not the right kind of fighter to survive in the world I had chosen to inhabit." Ch15

Ratings:
Cover: 4 5
Concept: 3.8
Character Work: 4.2
Settings / World Work: 4.3
Narrative: 3.6
Pacing: 4.8
Plot / Logic: 3.7
Ending: 4.6
Steam: n/a
Style: 4.4
Overall Rating: 4.21 rounded up to 4.5

Star Rating: 4
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: August 12 2023

One thing about me, i’m a sucker for the grumpy sunshine trope. Really liked this book and the character development, however i do feel it was a little rushed and could’ve been longer.

If you're looking for a small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance, Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is the book for you. When Brynn finally gets her big reporter break but messes up when she says something she shouldn't on air, she is sent back to her hometown to tie up loose ends and gain the trust of those who raised her. Enter Sebastian, a retired journalist who gets by doing odd jobs. Upon getting the job to chauffer Brynn around during her visit, Sebastian is insistent he will not fall for the act she is sure to put on to impress the rest of the town.
While this book gives a lot of insight into Sebastian and his back story, I never really connected with Brynn on that level, which hindered this book. I enjoyed their banter and how they ended up coming together in the end.

Enemies to Lovers and grumpy sunshine are some of my favorite romance tropes, and I really wanted to love this book, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. While it’s obvious that both characters start out with more difficult personalities to set up character development that unfolds as they fall for each other, I had a difficult time warming up to Brynn. I found her personality challenging even toward the end of the book and felt her character had not changed enough during the story to redeem that. However, I did really enjoy Sebastian’s character and found him a lot more relatable. Their romance also seemed to start a little too abruptly to feel believable, but it was sweet nonetheless. and I ended up swooned by the cozy small town romance feel that became the second half of the story.

As for the audio itself, I thought the voices for each character were pleasant and that they had great cadence!

This was fine. It wasn’t life altering or anything. It was also grumpy and grumpy; I didn’t see any sunshine from either of them. It was a nice HEA, but I don’t know. I wish it wasn’t such a slog to get there.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Thomas Nelson for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, grumpy sunshine, small towns

I received this as an audiobook. I thought this was good. It was cute. I just ended up feeling like it was missing something. I didn't feel a connection with Brynn. She felt too whiny. I really liked Sebastian. I do recommend it.

// thank you to the publishers and netgalley for giving me an early audiobook in exchange for an honest review!!

i was actually surprised how much i ended up liking this one! initially, the main character comes across as quite unlikeable—or at least quite inaccessible—to the reader, and so i was worried about how invested i would become in her story. still, once we arrived in her hometown, it became clear that there was vulnerability hidden under her superficial, slightly hostile mask. some of my favourite parts were watching her reconnect with old friends and mentors, although I think that her decision to leave the town would have made more sense if we saw more scenes from her upbringing. it would have contextualised and exemplified a lot of the stories and emotions she expresses. the whole town setting was amazing.

the male main character had such an interesting backstory, and I loved hearing more and more of it as the story went on. i don't know if i liked the choice the author made with regards to the resolution of his journalistic passion, although the epilogue in part made up for that—I was so proud to see them both pursuing their passions.

the narrator was great, and i loved listening to this as an audiobook!

I really loved the premise of this one and enjoyed the premise. I'm also just a big fan of grumpy x sunshine. However, I had a really hard time connecting with Brynn here. She seemed very bratty, especially at the beginning. However, I did love Sebastian throughout the entire story. I also love the small town feel of the story, Bethany really captures the essence of the setting perfectly.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner

Brynn is a morning show host who left her tiny home town and never looked back, Sebastian is the newer arrival to the town where he’s found a safe place to build a new life. When Brynn is forced to come back for a story to save her career, Sebastian is the one assigned to help her. A perfect hallmark type romance with small town vibes and thoughtful back stories.

This one was a bit long winded, there were so many memories and trains of thought it felt a bit scattered. But what started out slow really grew into a memorable story for me. I ended up loving the side characters and the setting, and wasn’t quite ready for it to wrap up.

What’s your favourite setting for a romance? Vacation destination, small town, big city?

Thank you to @thomasnelson for the audio and ebook! This one came out on the 5th of September.