In the era of beach reads, The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain definitely scratched the itch. As a lover of everything romcoms (and especially Forgetting Sarah Marshall) this book fit was exactly what I was looking for.

While I did enjoy the book overall, I will say I didn't love Sybil as a character, she just wasn't my vibe unfortunately. Albeit she was a bit self-involved, she was also relatable and fun and she fit well with the narrative. I really enjoyed the setting as well, as a big Hawaii girly- I felt transported!

The plot itself was an intriguing concept, which is what led me to the book in the first place and even though it is a a romantic comedy, it did have an emotional centre that I wasn't super expecting.

As far as tropes go this one leaned heavy into the miscommunication, self discovery and second chance vibes.

So, I actually started this book by reading it, but after listening to the audiobook for a few minutes in the car I was hooked on the audio and completely switched over. The narrator totally changed the experience of the book for me. Her narration style was great and engaging and really easy to listen to. I very seldom prefer the audio to physically reading but I really enjoyed listening to this.

This was a fun summer, beach read! Thank you for the arc!

I love a messy, quirky FMC, as I live my rule following ways vicariously through Sybil! Loved the narrator as well.

Wow!! I am so impressed. I was nervous about this book because I did not love Mistakes We Never Made. I felt it had a great premise but fell flat. But this one ... Fantastic!! Such a great story and it was told beautifully. I loved our main character and how quirky she was. They vulnerability that she showed and the crazy situations she was in.

Pacing of this book was great. There was no lulls and kept me interested the entire book. Great writing and great story. I hope to read more that Hannah writes because this was a knock out of the park for me!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book! Such a cute love story with unexpected charm and delightful characters. I would love to see this duo of books turn into a four book series, so each of the Core Four could get their own story.
Sybil's journey is fun, emotional, and full circle in so many ways. The story is a forced proximity (in a way) plus a second chance love story, set in a tropical paradise with celestial influences.

3.5 stars

I didn't realize until finishing this book that it's a sequel to Mistakes We Never Made (which I don't remember anything about) but thankfully this works as a standalone too!

It follows Sybil Rain who has been engaged three times but never married. Sybil uses her soon to expire flight vouchers to go to Hawaii where her last honeymoon was supposed to be, and of course her ex-fiancé is at the same resort.

This was so much deeper than just a romance, with therapy rep, PCOS, trauma, fake dating and second chances.

Sybil felt very unrelatable early on in the book but as more of her past came out I really liked and understood her. The audiobook was well done and this was a quick and entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for an advance copy!

ARC and ALC review

Sybil's friends convince her to use the already paid vacation that was suppose to be her honeymoon.
What she doesn't expect is that Jamie, her ex fiancé, is there too.

Thank you Forever for the advance review copy and Hachette Audio for the ALC (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

What you can expect:
- second chance romance
- single POV/dual timeline
- fake dating
- romantic comedy
- PCOS representation

This book has the vibes of a rom-com, but it is more complex.
Sybil's character has a great development and the engagement rings have a deeper meaning.
She went through a toxic relationship that left her with trauma and insecurities.
This book is more about her journey of self discovery and I liked that there were flashbacks that explain why the previous relationships did not work.
The only thing that I did not like was the miscommunication.

The audiobook is narrated by Cherami Leigh, that did a very good job portraying Sybil, her personality and her feelings.
Her voice was nice and made imerse in the story.

Overall this was a good read and I would recomand the book.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain by Hannah Brown

This was a fun listen! Sybil Rain is a hot mess with lots of love to give. She flys to her honey moon solo only to run into her ex fiancé. The story follows her previous engagements. If you enjoy fake dating and second chance romance tropes you will enjoy this one


The narrator did such an amazing job at bringing this story to life
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain is like sipping a mai tai with a splash of chaos fun, dramatic, and just the right amount of ridiculous. Sybil is a hot mess in the best way, jetting off to Hawaii solo with unused honeymoon vouchers only to run straight into her ex fiancé Jamie… and then another ex… and then another. Yeah. It’s a full blown ex-fiancé reunion and I was living for the mess.

There’s fake dating, a tangerine bikini moment, and enough romantic tension to steam up those infinity pool scenes. Sybil juggling exes while trying to protect her ego is hilarious, but it also has heart especially when her mysterious first fiancé Liam is finally brought into the picture.

Sometimes the drama felt a little over the top, but that’s kind of the point. This is beach read energy with a side of emotional reckoning, and the balance mostly holds. Sybil’s growth and vulnerability by the end sealed the deal for me. If you’re in the mood for something breezy, chaotic, and full of second (and third and fourth) chances, this one delivers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Forever for the eARC (ALC). I both read and listened to this.
3.5/5. Sybil has been through it - multiple engagements & was hoping the third time was the charm but no such luck. When she ends up in Hawaii at the same resort as two of her ex-fiancés, she is able to revisit old feelings with fresh eyes, and a better perspective.

In the beginning I felt that I didn’t relate to Sybil much, until we learned more about her past and events that led to some of the decisions she made. Loved our MMC Jamie - he seemed like a stand up guy. And no offense but I would have broke off the wedding if I was him too !

I really enjoyed the dual timelines - of getting to know Sybil’s past and seeing where the journey takes her in the present! It was cheesy at time, but overall it worked! Would recommend for those looking for a cute beach read, second chance romance & who like dual timelines.

I thought the narrator did a wonderful job, and honestly a perfect interpretation of Sybil based on what we know of her personality !

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this. I enjoyed listening to this audio book. It’s a fun, summer read. Easy to listen to and went by quickly. A good second chance romance with some rom com thrown in. Would recommend.

This audiobook was a perfect beach read! The narration was spot on and easy to understand! The narrators voice was very engaging. Sybil is going on her would be anniversary trip in Hawaii after the wedding fell through. But, it appears her “would be”husband, Jamie, had the same idea. Sybil explores and comes to terms with her past 3 failed engagements, all while vacationing. At first, I had a difficult time relating to Sybil’s wild, carefree, spontaneous personality; but she definitely grew on me! This story was fun and beautiful; I would definitely recommend for anyone on a beachside vacation, or for those who are told they’re “too much”.

Fake dating, second chance romance. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audiobook!

This novel was such a wonderful surprise!

Sybil is a messy FMC in the best possible way and I love her dearly. Her past traumas and idiosyncrasies create a fully rounded realistic character and they never feel like a tool to check a box.

The humor hits just right. The YEARNING between the main couple is well earned and fully believable. The way I was rooting for them was unreal. I also appreciate that this novel that had an ex that was a great guy just not THE guy. You could see why they had been together and why they’ll never work like the main couple will.

This novel is a perfect blend of romance, hijinks and emotions. There are heavier topics, but they are used to enhance overall story and not simply for the sake of drama.

Cherami Leigh narrated the story to perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC!

I thought the overall story was intriguing and wanted to know what happened with Sybil's three failed engagements as well as the ending to the story. I laughed a few times, which I always appreciate in books. The audiobook narrator and production was very well done! The narrator did a great job with Sybil's voice (it's how I would expect her to sound) as well as the other characters, including a few accents from the side characters.

Would I recommend? Maybe, but I'd probably recommend other books to friends before this one
Would I read/listen to this again? No
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

What I liked:
The narrator/audiobook
Sebastian and Jamie
Sybil's development

⚠️ WARNING: Potential Spoilers Below ⚠️
What I didn't like:
I'm never a fan of miscommunication and was hoping this story would have something different. They never talked after the wedding day? How? A full year went by without them being honest with each other? Didn't love that.

Favorite quotes:
"Sybil, nothing about you is low drama. It's just one of the many things I love about you."

"When I'm with you, I feel like I've caught lightning in a bottle, you bring color to my world, you have the biggest heart, and you feel things more strongly than anyone I've ever known and its contagious.... Right now, all I know is you make me feel happier and more alive than I've felt in a long time and I never want to lose that. I never want to lose you."

Hmmm.... I have lots of thoughts on this book. The positives... I liked the narrator, even though I typically prefer a duet narration. I thought the idea was interesting and I think Sybil was an entertaining character with an interesting past. I thoroughly enjoy modern day issues (like PCOS) being incorporated into the characters.

The story, however, felt chaotic and largely based on a miscommunication, which I really do not enjoy. The bouncing around of the timeline was so distracting to me. I really liked Hannah Brown as The Bachelorette... I'm just not sure in a world with such amazing contemporary romance authors that I could recommend reading this book over one of theirs.

Ultimately, I'm not mad about the topic or the idea, but it needed a lot of editing or finesse to be a book I'd recommend.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was pretty impressed with this book. I have no idea what the authors background is in terms of writing, but I thought it was a respectable, solid novel. With that said, certain things that the main character did really irked me. It was like she Kept making the same mistake over again and justifying it differently maybe? She had several points in the book where I thought, “OK. She just had the moment where she realized XYNZ, and now she’s gonna be different.“ And then she just… Wasn’t. She doubted the same things over and over again. I wasn’t quite sure which time to believe until we reached to the end of the book. That said, I did really enjoy this book.
3.5/5.0

The narration for this book was STUNNING. I loved it. It had me invested and laughing. Well done! 4.5/5.0 for narration.

3.5⭐️ this audiobook was cute! a great book for the summertime. The book follows Sybil Rain, who has had 3 failed engagements. A year after her cancelled wedding, her friends convince her to go on a trip to the same place she was supposed to have her honeymoon. alone on this solo trip, she runs into the last person she wants to see- Jamie, ex-fiancé #3.

I thought the storyline and premise were cute, and I was so invested in this book! there was just SO much miscommunication; it went well with the story, but had me wanting to bang my head against a wall and yell at the two of them. I enjoyed this book more than Hannah’s first book, and liked the little dating show references in it! if you’re looking for a fun, summer audiobook, this one is for you! Thank you to netgalley and hachette audio for the arc!

4 ⭐️

After rating the first book a 3, I am happy I got this an as ARC to try. It was great! Super cute.

This story follows Sybil - a runaway bride from the first book. She runs into two of her ex fiancés while at a tropical resort. It had a fake dating trope, which had a different spin on it. It also had second chance romance, which I usually find a bit boring but was well done.

The audio on this was great. Super clear and great pace.

Thanks NetGalley for the ALC! I enjoyed the first book in this series, but wanted more of Sybil so I'm glad we got it! This was great to listen to and get more of Sybil's past to see how she got to her present self. Also loved the Hawaii setting, fake dating, & second chance romance!

I did not expect to love this audiobook so much! This is great for fans of Christina Lauren. Very cute and sweet and didn’t lean on using common tropes. I felt the narrator was well suited for the role and she sounded what I imagine Sybil would probably sound like if she were a real person.

Sybil is in Hawaii taking her honeymoon for the wedding that never happened. A year ago her heart was broken and her wedding canceled. And naturally her ex-fiancé is at the same resort! Did I say ex-finance? I mean TWO ex-fiancés. Not only is Jamie there, but also Sebastian. Sybil still has feelings for Jamie, and blurts out that she is there with her boyfriend. So Sebastian plays along. Then Jamie gets jealous.

Somewhere along the line there was Liam, her first boyfriend and ex-fiancé. So there is Jamie, Sebastian, and Liam. But what is the fourth ring in the title? More to come.

This is a miscommunication— second chance romance—fake dating- beach setting romance. Sybil is a likeable lead with good chemistry with Jamie. Her back story includes some heavier topics and need for therapy. I found the characters to be well rounded and the plot pacing was what I’d expect.

Although this is second in the series it definitely works as a stand alone. It is relatively lighthearted. It lacks the humor of a lot of beach romances but it is female centered and single POV. There are some spicy scenes in the 3rd act.

I was fortunately given an ALC of this audiobook from Hachette audio and NetGalley. I loved the audiobook narrator who had a great performance, particularly dramatic during Sybil’s breakdowns. Book to be published 6/24/25