Read if you like:
♥️ Romances
😬 Enemies to Lovers
⛅️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🔥 Slow Burn Romances
🧼 Closed Door/ Clean Romances

This one is a small town romance that feels a bit like a hallmark movie and I really enjoyed the grumpy sunshine trope and the way it was done in this one.

It is a slow burn with only closed door scenes so if you are looking for that this one is for you!

This one also features found family and a well done redemption storyline.

The narration was well done and enjoyable and really helped with my enjoyment of this one as it brought the story to life even more than I expected it would!

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced listening copy in exchange for my review.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner is a clean rom-com about Brynn Cornell, a world-famous morning show cohost who ruins her career in a span of 30 seconds by bad-mouthing her hometown of Adelaide Springs, a tiny mountain town. I’m order to try to save her career, Brynn travels to Adelaide Springs to film her apologizing making amends with the townsfolk. Little did she realize she was in for more than she expected when she meets her chauffeur for the week, Sebastian Sebworth, who happens to relate more to her than either of them initially realize.

My initial impressions were that Adelaide Springs, CO reminded me a bit of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. It’s a small town with quirky characters but there’s a lot of love and pride for their community. At first I did not like the Brynn but she has a redemption arc that makes her more likable. I listened to the audiobook version of this. The narrator was Talon David (@talondavidvoices) and she did a nice job portraying the various characters.

Thank you to NetGalley (@netgalley), the publisher (@thomasnelson) and the author (@seebethanywrite) for granting me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is expected to come out in September 2023.

Oh my goodness, I loved this story so much!!! I listened to the audiobook through NetGalley and can I even say how grateful I am for the new audiobook option??? I LOVE THEM!!! The narrator for Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other, Talon David, is one of the best Rom-Com narrators I've heard to date. She really brings Turner's characters alive in this story. That's not to say that Turner doesn't write superb, authentic, and fun characters, because she most absolutely does!

Bethany has this way about writing a story, that literally just allows it play out in your mind as if you're sitting on your couch with a bowl of popcorn and watching the movie. The imagery Turner creates is fantastic. Brynn Cornell is such a relatable character, in regards to her current station in life, career, and even from her past.

Side note: I love any book set in Colorado, with snow.

Sebastian's character really surprised me in a few different ways. This I was so grateful for, and it gave the rom-com portion a bit more depth. I just love when a strong man, puts a prissy girl in her place! I really enjoyed this enemy to lovers trope (It's a favorite trope) set in digital media and in a town full of people that have it out for our main heroine.

Man this story was so fun to listen to! I highly recommend this, and all of Bethany's books!!!

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

After reading other books by this author, I was excited to dive into this one. But unfortunately, I'm going to DNF at 25%. I am appalled by Brynn's behavior and I know her story will end happy, I'm really not interested in seeing what happens. Sadly, I'm not eager or curious enough to keep listening. Despite this not being the book for me, I am excited to read other books by this author as well as more of her backlist.

The quality of the audio was good, as was the narrator. She did a good job bringing Brynn and Sebastian to life.

Happy Sigh. How perfect is this book! Brynn Cornell is a national morning show host who bashes her hometown on a hot mic, whoops! To make up for the potentially career killing faux pas, she returns to her hometown and runs smack into Sebastian Sudworth. Cue cold shoulders, head butting, a lot of really horrible memories (I cried for Brynn) and copious cathartic moments. I loved the town and the people in it (Cole and Laila, anyone?). I loved Brynn and Sebastian (I SO loved Sebastian!). I loved sledding and karaoke and B roll footage. There’s not much about this book that I didn’t love. But read it for yourself. The audiobook is great, but I caught some mistakes that were pretty noticeable. It didn’t keep me from finishing, though, and I highly recommend. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review.

What an absolutely adorable book!!

I assumed there would be an HEA - happily-ever-after because of the title, genre, and years of reading, but wow, the ending put such a huge smile on my face.

I so enjoyed all the banter between Brynn and Sebastian.

Brynn is a frustrated news reporter in New York. During a period when she assumes the cameras are not rolling, she makes some snide remarks about her hometown. Unfortunately, the backlash is real, and she is forced to visit her hometown to make amends. She must face her past and mend relationships in the process.

When Brynn arrives in Adelaide, Colorado, she starts off with a bang, almost immediately putting her foot in her mouth.

Sebastian, a former news reporter, turned city councilman, is set to be Brynn’s tour-guide/chauffeur/babysitter during her stay.

Unfortunately, Brynn’s constant verbal diarrhea has Sebastian on edge. As Sebastian deals with his own past, Brynn realizes quite literally that she needs him.

The banter is on point, right up to the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other in exchange for my honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.

This book was just okay. It started off like most quirky rom coms but I just couldn’t stay connected to the story or characters. Both characters had likable qualities and there were moments of the book that I did enjoy.

Overall, it was a decent book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bethany Turner, and Thomas Nelson for an advance copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick and fun listen enemies to lovers story. We meet Brynn & Sebastian when Sebastian is tasked with driving Brynn around town. Brynn is a reporter for a news outlet and is well loved by her viewers, yet Sebastian CANNOT stand her. We watch them banter throughout the story between different topics and we slowly see them falling for each other. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters and the storyline to life. You can pick this one up on September 5th!

3.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads.

So glad the author moved me from wanting to ring Brynn's neck regardless of WHY she acted how she did to really rooting for her. Definitely loved Sebastian! Also enjoyed the dual POV because for me it just adds to the depth of the story. Cute, fast paced read.

📚 Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner 📚
🎙Narrated by: Talon David🎙

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3)
Spice: 🌶 (1)
Scroll vortex: ꩜꩜꩜ (3)
Jaw-clench: 😬 (1)
Format read: 🎧 (audio - 1.5x)
Days read: 🗓🗓🗓 (3)

Summary: Brynn has made a life for herself as a host of the nation's most popular morning show, Sun Up. But when a foot-in-mouth moment on-air causes outrage about her negative attitude toward her hometown, Brynn must return to Adelaide Springs, CO to smooth things over. There, she meets Sebastian, a former reporter who has settled into a comfortable life in the quiet town. Brynn and Sebastian have a hard time co-existing in the small town because, well, Brynn and Sebastian hate each other.

👍 Thumbs up: This was a fun listen! I enjoyed the narrator immensely. My favorite scenes the author wrote were the reconciliation scenes between Brynn and her old town. I appreciated that this novel had representation of panic disorders/PTSD with Sebastian. Also, who doesn't love a service-dog sidekick? Several times throughout the book Brynn said she just "walked through the open door" when referencing taking an opportunity. This really resonated with me and I am going to start viewing parts of life through that lens. Lastly, the epilogue was super cute, fun and my favorite scene between Brynn and Sebastian in the whole book.

👎 Thumbs down: Some parts of this book that were harder for me to get on board with were the lack of diversity in the characters, some of Brynn's "damsel in distress" moments, and Brynn's job decision at the end of the book. I felt like the whole book painted Sun Up in a bad light and I felt like there's additional resolution needed for her career.

✍ Note to the author: Bethany Turner - thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book on NetGalley. I enjoyed the story and it made for a great lighthearted experience between some heavier reads.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was entertaining enough. I think if I didn’t listen to it, I would not have liked it as much. Our MC Brynn was not very likeable at all, but we got to see her grow a bit to someone tolerable. What was not buyable for me was the timeline. This all was over 1 week. I would have liked the story more if it was a more spread out timeline. As for the narration, I liked it a lot. My only qualm was that I didn’t really like when the narrator went into the “man” voices. They sounded kinda silly and that took me out of it some. Overall, not a bad read, but I didn’t LOVE it

For a book that essentially takes place over a one week time period, this didn’t have the instalove trope that I really don’t like in books. It was enemies to lovers (as the title suggests) as much as that trope can be present in a contemporary and the romance built in a believable way. Brynn had a lot of growing to do and I liked the theme of how coming home can help you find yourself. I love small town settings and this had all those great vibes similar to Sweet Home Alabama and Runaway Bride. I also liked that at the end of the week, there wasn’t a grand “I love you” statement but rather “I like you a lot and want to see where we go from here”. The finale was a really great scene and I enjoyed the book.

Content Notes: Emotionally-distant/absent parent, anxiety, kisses only

We have Brynn who escaped the life of her home town and became an entertainment journalist TV anchor personality. She has spent the past decade plus making a name for herself working from the bottom up. She finally has a big break and she makes a mess of it live on air by making fun of her hometown. This causes a big backlash and she travels back to the small town to make amends. She bumps into Sebastian who has his own baggage but is assigned to baby sit Brynn while she is in town since he moved there after she left. Brynn goes to her home town looking to repair her career but winds up repairing what she didn't realize was actually broken.

I found the story so sweet, do I think everyone will like it? No, but I was entertained, though I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. I would have liked the love story to be more drawn out, but Brynn was only in town for a week. Brynn and Sebastian start off on the wrong foot and keep spiralling downwards. Brynn is not a generally nice person, but a lot of that seems to be because she had to fight her way to the top in her career and doesn't know how to act in a normal situation. Sebastian and Brynn aren't quite insta-love, but we are pretty darn close. That there takes a little away from the story for me. I also think the relationships she has with her childhood friends could have been explored even more as Brynn learns to love herself and the town she grew up in. Brynn cries most of the time, but there are so many sweet interactions that I can't help but enjoy the ride.

The narrator did a great job with all of the voice and helping create the personalities of each of the characters in the story. Overall, this is a sweet romance that is a quick read and worth any of the cheese that is presented in the story.

If you like pop culture references, small towns, Hallmark vibes, small town girl makes big but comes home, big town boy finds small town lifestyle, great kisses, beautiful locations, finding your happiness, and a slow burn romance, check this one out!

I got an audio arc from netgalley and the narrator is 👌👌

This story is about Brynn and Sebastian. Brynn is a new anchor who insults her tiny hometown of Adelaide Springs and their inhabitants whilst unknowingly on the air. She then goes back to her hometown to “make nice” with the people from there. That’s where she meets Sebastian, a ex reporter who somehow ended up in Adelaide Springs, and he is to be her guide during her visit. This was a hard miss for me. I found Brynn to be really annoying, and there was no chemistry between her and Sebastian.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute enemies to lovers romance book. I enjoyed the career choices for the characters a lot! Brynn is a news reporter for a morning talk show and Sebastian is a former world news reporter. The rest of the book was cute but didn't blow me away. It was cute and easy but don't go out of your way to read this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brynn was on a roll being the cohost of the popular morning show, Sunup. She was America's ray of sunshine, positive and poised. But after a huge on-air mistake, exposes her snarky side and the world was not on board, crumbling her public persona. She decides to go back to her hometown as a last-ditch effort to convince viewers she's not a mean girl hiding behind the mask of a nice girl.

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other was a fast and entertaining read. I received this as an audiobook ARC and I was able to listen to it in one sitting. The narrator did a fantastic job making this story come to life. Although I didn't fall in love with the characters, I wanted to know what happened throughout the book. I think deep down Brynn might actually be a mean girl or maybe she's just a misunderstood sassy girl... either way she didn't redeem herself in my eyes but it didn't help that she was a little... annoying. I must say, I did enjoy the second half more than I did the first. If you're looking for a fast and entertaining read for a genre break, you might want to consider this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC and the chance to listen and review it honestly.

Happy reading

i think i’m getting tired of the grumpy sunshine trope because most of the time the guy is just an a*hole but since he’s ✨grumpy✨ it’s fine? hell no. here brynn, our FMC supposed to be the sunshine, wasn’t so sunshiny and annoyed me, whereas sebastian, the MMC, was simply bland and uninteresting. their romance was too insta-love for my liking, i love a good slow burn since it gives the author room to develop the characters as people as well as their relationship. here, neither stood out to me and they both felt pretty 2d rather than actual people. sebastian kinda grew on me in the second half of the story but not enough for me to actually enjoy this book and give it more than a 2⭐️

At first I didn't like Brynn very much, so I understood how Sebastian felt, but I didn't think all the hatred between them was necessary.
But moments after Brynn's arrival at her hometown and as the book developed, I began to warm to the characters and understood Brynn's reasons to be.

We are discovering the characters and seeing that the book focuses on Brynn's growth and realizations, and also on showing what reporters go through, I found this side very important, but it also leaves room for romance. Which I found very sweet and innocent.
The book also reveals a lot about the city we are in, giving us the feeling of being there. I loved the descriptions and the environment created.
And I have to mention, it's a book without unnecessary drama, which makes it perfect for a calm listening, relaxing and letting yourself be carried away by the story.

I enjoyed so much the book that it flew by me, and reached the end without me noticing. I really liked the narrator, who reads from both perspectives, but it is perfectly understood which one you are in, and if there are problems with that, the writing helps, because Brynn is written in the first person and Sebastian in the third. I thought it was a genius touch by the writer to give more of a sense of change between the two characters.

I thought it was a shame that we didn't see Brynn having her first reconnection with the people of the place, we only have one perspective on that, which is her friend's, so I'd like to see how the other characters reacted to her arrival and not just the thought that having her there again, and how did she feel about it.

Still I really enjoyed listening to this book, and I recommended.

This is probably my favorite romcom read of the year! It has the perfect amount of comedy to romance that I have been looking for recently. Also, and book that makes me actually laugh out loud to where people look at me like I’m crazy is a good book to me.

I haven’t read any other Bethany Turner books, but I plan on buying a few of her other books. I need more of her writing.

Spoilery section

While I immensely enjoyed this book, there was one problem I had with it. I did not like Brynn till 3/4 through they book. However, I do believe that is intentional. Brynn goes through the character development of letting go of her sunshine persona, if her resentment of her mother, and the pressures she places on her self to be liked by everyone, to letting go an accepting that she isn’t going to impress everyone or be liked by everyone and that’s okay. She stops trying to be what other people want her to be and starts being herself. So while Brynn was slightly annoying and constantly self sabotaging herself, I didn’t like her. But once she stopped changing herself to be what others wanted from her at any given time, I liked her.

I also understand her a bit. I’m from a small town in Texas, and while it’s not as small as Adelaide Springs, I knew all 160 people I graduated high school with and had started kindergarten with probably 60% of them. I also wanted to escape from it all. And while I would not feel bad for saying bad comments about it, I also wouldn’t want to loose my job over those said comments. Now, do I think I would be reformed from my opinion by a hot guy. No, because my problems don’t stem from my relationship with my mother, but half the people in the town.