A novel of fun and meaning with a story of working through your past to find your best self. This is an “enemies to more” story with the “hate” really being huge dislike at a non-meet cute. Brynn returns to her hometown on an apology tour and Sebastian is her “handler”. Their banter is quick and the emotional build-up starts out with touches and eye contact. The intimacy does not move beyond passionate kissing, while the flirty conversations become tongue-in-cheek. There were very small mentions of God and forgiveness, while the main focus is the romance and dealing with childhood hurts and aspects of journalism and fame. This is the first in three companion books featuring 30-somethings from the same town, who were part of the same friend group as Brynn. I plan to read the others. I listened to the released audiobook on Libby. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ALC.

My reviews and ratings are my own.

I enjoyed this audiobook so much! It was so cute, and fun. They went from enemies to lovers in the best way.
The banter between Brynn and Sebastian was so good! This is also one of those books that yes the ending wrapped up really nicely but I still want so much more. I don’t feel like their story is over.

I read the series backwards. I read Cole and Laila are just friends first. Loved the story and met Brynn and Sabastian. I had to go back to read their story. I love a good enemies to lovers trope, so I loved everything about this one. It also had some deeper, more emotional moments. I listened to the audiobook of this, and loved the narrator.

I loved the way these two grew together, opened up about their past and communicated. I really loved that there was no third act break up, and once they were together, they were cemented. If you are looking for a cute, quick read with lots of love, pick this up.

I received this book in audiobook format by NetGalley and Thomas Nelson to listen/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully listening to this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audiobook!

I really liked the premise of this book - I love a small town romance, and the grumpy/sunshine trope.

And this book did the small town setting so well! I loved meeting all the characters that made up the town - the way they were all up in each other’s business and the “ridiculous” town festival gave me Gilmore Girls vibes.

But this book isn’t a grumpy/sunshine book. It’s more like grumpy/grumpy. And I found Brynn to be such an unlikeable character! She was so entitled and annoying. I found it hard to root for her when she was being so awful to everyone around her. I think if we’d delved deeper into her past with her mother, and the reason she turned her back on her community a little more I’d have found it easier to understand her reasoning.

The romance was… fine. I think I was more than 60% in before they even had a nice interaction with one another and so the romance ends up feeling pretty rushed in the end.

Bethany Turner can do no wrong I’ve decided. I absolutely love every single book I’ve listened to from her.

Brynn and Sebastian were the perfect duo. I loved their relationship and banter from the beginning. Seeing their relationship grow and their trust in each other change was perfect. There was a lot of healing for both of them too which I really appreciated.

The narrator did an amazing job too! I really enjoyed her in Plot Twist too so I was thrilled to hear her again. She has the best infliction and voices. Really brings the story to life!

I enjoyed the premise of the book but had some issues with the pacing. It felt like Brynn and Sebastian were adversaries for too much and the change to “lovers” was too quick. I liked the dual point of view, but wished I saw more relationship development as well as the personal development.

2.5⭐️ Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other follows a morning talk show host on her journey to be liked again after an on air incident where she trashed her hometown. Brynn heads home to get back into their good graces and is stuck with a grumpy ex journalist tour guide named Sebastian.

We had a very slow start, like the main characters didn’t even really know the other existed for the first 20% of the book which is a bit too long for me but once things got going we had a good slow burn. I didn’t feel extremely connected to the two main characters (and honestly couldn’t stand Brynn for the first 70% of the book) but there were several side characters I thought were so fun. I also LOVED the epilogue, it was probably my favorite part of the book. It was honestly the only time in the entire book that I really loved Brynn which is unfortunate since she was a main character. Probably not a book I’d recommend to a friend but also not a bad choice if you’re looking for an easy read with a decent idea behind it.

Audiobook: I thought the narrator was great although I do wish it was duel narrated since it’s dual POV.

This one wasn’t my cup of tea, so I’m marking it as a DNF. I think other readers may connect with it more than I did. Thanks for the ARC!

3.5 stars
Brynn and Sebastian are literally enemies to lovers couple goals. Brynn comes back to the hometown she's been trying to forget about after publically trashing it and her reputation. Sebastian is an ex-reporter who, when finding out Brynn said all those horrible things about his new town, he resents being signed up to bring this stuck up reporter around town. As the two of them continue to spend time together, their hate turns into something different and they both don't know what to do, especially since Brynn isn't staying.
This book was so much fun to listen to. The banter was amazing, the storyline was laid out perfectly, and the characters really made me feel like I was going through everything with them. It's a great book to read and I 100% recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this audiobook and all opinions are my own.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is a dual point of view, contemporary romance. It takes place in a small town, enemies to lovers storyline and has the cozy feel of a Hallmark Movie.

Brynn’s character starts the book with the typical foot-in-mouth on-air reporter moment that leads to her having to go back to the small town she used to live in to seek forgiveness from the residents there for what she said about them. Brynn has worked so hard to leave behind her life in the small town she grew up in that having to go back there becomes a daunting task she wants done as quickly as possible. Brynn starts off being a difficult character to empathize with.

Sebastian is a news reporter who left his job to live a quiet and more secluded life after an incident in his life that made him retreat from the world of journalism indefinitely. Sebastian also just happens to live in the small town that Brynn is from and is not looking forward to having to deal with a fame hungry person like her.

When Brynn and Sebastian meet, it’s definitely hate at first sight. Brynn and Sebastian are forced to work with each other as Sebastian takes Brynn to meet with the residents of Adelaide Springs. With each person that Brynn meets with, her tough exterior is chipped away to reveal the real Brynn, and she realizes that not only does she need to seek forgiveness from those she hurt but also needs to heal from the hurts she had so long ago.

This story has an enemies to lovers storyline, small town setting, witty banter, dual point of view, and shows the power of forgiveness.

I listened to the audiobook of the story, and really enjoyed the narration. I would highly recommend it! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a fun lighthearted romance. I loved the narration and it was just such a fun book to listen to the narration was on point to bring this story to life. The story it's self was something that could happen in real life, and had that authentic feel to the story.

Actual rating: 3.5 ⭐

An interesting book—I liked it. But still, nothing particularly memorable that I couldn’t stop thinking about. That’s the only reason I chose 3.5 stars instead of 4.

Other than that, everything was really fine. The story was engaging, and I liked the characters. I enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, so that worked really well for me in this book. It also gave off a bit of a Hallmark movie vibe, which I really love. The writing style was good. There were a few moments where it didn’t quite hold my attention, but I think that had more to do with the audiobook format than the book itself. Still, it’s just not something I’ll be thinking much about now that I’ve finished it.

If you’re looking for a light audiobook to pass the time, this one might be worth a try.

Story: The end of chapter one had me SCREAMING and cringing, such a good start to hook readers! The FMC was insufferable until chapter 15, but that was intentional for growth. This was a fun story and I wasn’t sure what to expect with the end, but it couldn’t have been more fitting! Also, it left me with some great quotes and points to think on.

“There will always be consequences for your actions, but the sooner you own up to them, the sooner you can start healing.”

“You don’t refuse to take a chance on the people you love, just because there might be some pain involved.”

Audio: I enjoyed this narrator! I feel like her voice and inflection totally matched our FMC, Brynn. I always prefer a duet when there is a male and female POV, but the solo narrator did a great job creating voices for the characters. It was a great listen!

I found Brynn was complaining too much and too self centred. I found I wasn't interested in her, or her work life. I didn't like how she was so hung up on who people wanted her to be. I know viewers were important, but she was too judgmental about them too.

I found it very difficult to get into this audiobook. Her work colleagues were OK, but I didn't like Brynn's opinion of herself. Some of her backstory was good, and I wanted to find out what her hometown was like.

I couldn't get into Sebastian's story either.

The characters weren't developed enough, and the plot wasn't immersive for me.

I really wanted to like this book more. I really wanted to like this book more. It was way too wordy with information I wasn't interested in. I enjoy tourism and the idea of attracting people to a place, but the book wasn't atmospheric enough, and I didn't feel there was much of a small-town atmosphere.

Thanks to Bethany Turner and publisher for my audiobook in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

1 stars

2 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

the plot seemed so interesting and as a lover of the grumpy / sunshine trope i had high expectations for a misunderstood grumpy character but our fmc was honestly just unlikeable. our mmc was just okay.

the narrator talon david did a beautiful job of telling this story and she is probably the only reason why i stuck with it.

personally i would have dnf’ed but as this is an arc i felt like i owed reading all of it before giving my final judgement. i think my expectations were just too high for what this book was.

I love a good enemies to lovers story! The push and pull between Brynn and Sebastian is rocky right from the start. Throw in a little small town into the mix and you get all sorts of meddling fun! I enjoyed the narrator.

I received an audio ARC through Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, for this ARC
audiobook in exchange of a honest review.

Honestly not my favorite. I did enjoy listening to the book.

I found the FMC very aggravating throughout the book until chapter 25 when she finally opens up to Sebastian and him in return. it was an enemies to lovers but it wasn't the hot steamy type. overall I enjoyed the ending a lot

I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I liked it. I think because the FMC was a total B on air about her small hometown … it caught me off guard and I HAD to know how it was solved. Great character development. It’s a classic romcom but I gave it 3.75 stars because it got my attention pretty heavily at the beginning in a way few others have.

The narrator did a good job of voicing the different characters, including the men.

I can't say that I loved this, but I did like it enough. The FMC really annoyed me at the beginning, so I'm glad there was a redemption story as well. I did love that it was a clean, enemies-to-lovers romance.

i had a lot of fun listening to this book. the reason i gave it a 3 star is because it wasnt a book i will remember, nothing memorable really happenend. outside from that i did have a good time and i really like the characters and the side characters a lot. really loved the epoilogue of the book, found that really funny.