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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok this book was so cute. I found myself telling my friends about it, which is not comment for a cis white person hetero romance, but something about the story just did it for me.
Brynn is a morning show host who's likable on screen, but pretty fake IRL. She has a live mic accident where she insults the small Colorado town where she grew up. She needs to go back home with a camera person to redeem herself. The town has all of the same people who she grew up with, except for one new member of the town counsel, who ends up reluctantly playing tour guide for her. I thought that this book was really sweet, I liked the male character's backstory, the charming town where it took place (do other books take place in this town?) and thought the narration was excellent. Overall, I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a homecoming story with a TV news spin.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for an Advance Listening Copy for an unbiased review.
Brynn is a morning show host who's likable on screen, but pretty fake IRL. She has a live mic accident where she insults the small Colorado town where she grew up. She needs to go back home with a camera person to redeem herself. The town has all of the same people who she grew up with, except for one new member of the town counsel, who ends up reluctantly playing tour guide for her. I thought that this book was really sweet, I liked the male character's backstory, the charming town where it took place (do other books take place in this town?) and thought the narration was excellent. Overall, I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a homecoming story with a TV news spin.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for an Advance Listening Copy for an unbiased review.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Narrator: @talondavidvoices Great performance! I believe this is the first is have listened of her, and she really brought the characters to life!
Great story! I felt so many things at once with this one. I am not sure I have ever wanted to hug and punch MCs in the face simultaneously so much in one book lol! This story is very much plot and character driven. No spicy scenes, just kissing and S*xual Tension.
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other
A big thanks to Bethany Turner,publishers Thomas Nelson, and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. All opinions are my own.
The book starts by giving us background on the main characters. Brynn Cornell is a 37 year old newscaster who is getting her big start on the morning new station when she mistakenly assumes the camera is off then proceeds to make some rude comments about her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Her only hope of saving her career and “America’s Sweetheart” persona is to fly to Colorado to make amends with the small town people she hurt. Brynn has an attitude from the beginning of the novel and I think it makes the reader’s dislike her character a little bit, which is perfect for a redemption arc storyline. She seems very self involved and self important, which will play nicely with the conflict in Adelaide Springs. Sebastian Sudworth is a man who will do just about anything the town needs and also serves as a member of the town council. He seems like a rugged mountain man, but his character has more depth as we learn about his background and family life. He is a man running away from some incident and it’s vague enough to leave the reader intrigued about what happened.
I really liked the setting of the book. Having grown up in Colorado (and currently residing there) I could totally imagine the tiny mountain town unlike Breckenridge, Telluride, or Beaver Creek. When I looked up Adelaide Springs because I had never heard of it, the only reference I found was Adelaide, the ghost town. I liked that the town wasn’t exactly an actual location because it made the story more believable than if it had been set in a town I already knew of and had visited. I imagined the town similar to Idaho Springs, Colorado but smaller and more quaint. Having lived in Colorado for my entire life, there is something quintessential simple about small mountain towns where only a few hundred residents live.
This book kept me guessing about the status of their relationship until the very end. I liked that there wasn’t a third act breakup and that I truly didn’t know how these two would work out the messy situations in their lives to end up with their happily ever after. As the book progresses you like the characters more and more and they become more human and real. The character arc for Brynn is well done and believable. Overall I’d give this book a 4 star rating because I liked many aspects of it but it didn’t quite hit the 5 stars mark.
A big thanks to Bethany Turner,publishers Thomas Nelson, and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other. All opinions are my own.
The book starts by giving us background on the main characters. Brynn Cornell is a 37 year old newscaster who is getting her big start on the morning new station when she mistakenly assumes the camera is off then proceeds to make some rude comments about her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado. Her only hope of saving her career and “America’s Sweetheart” persona is to fly to Colorado to make amends with the small town people she hurt. Brynn has an attitude from the beginning of the novel and I think it makes the reader’s dislike her character a little bit, which is perfect for a redemption arc storyline. She seems very self involved and self important, which will play nicely with the conflict in Adelaide Springs. Sebastian Sudworth is a man who will do just about anything the town needs and also serves as a member of the town council. He seems like a rugged mountain man, but his character has more depth as we learn about his background and family life. He is a man running away from some incident and it’s vague enough to leave the reader intrigued about what happened.
I really liked the setting of the book. Having grown up in Colorado (and currently residing there) I could totally imagine the tiny mountain town unlike Breckenridge, Telluride, or Beaver Creek. When I looked up Adelaide Springs because I had never heard of it, the only reference I found was Adelaide, the ghost town. I liked that the town wasn’t exactly an actual location because it made the story more believable than if it had been set in a town I already knew of and had visited. I imagined the town similar to Idaho Springs, Colorado but smaller and more quaint. Having lived in Colorado for my entire life, there is something quintessential simple about small mountain towns where only a few hundred residents live.
This book kept me guessing about the status of their relationship until the very end. I liked that there wasn’t a third act breakup and that I truly didn’t know how these two would work out the messy situations in their lives to end up with their happily ever after. As the book progresses you like the characters more and more and they become more human and real. The character arc for Brynn is well done and believable. Overall I’d give this book a 4 star rating because I liked many aspects of it but it didn’t quite hit the 5 stars mark.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When Brynn slips up at work she manages to turn an entire town against her.
Unfortunately this is also the town she grew up in, the town filled with her childhood friends, the town filled with the people who raised her and looked out for her, it is also home to newcomer Sebastian Sudworth.
Brynn must win over the town if she wants to fix her reputation and keep her job.
This book was a cute enough read, but not for me.
There was very little substance and I found myself bored and predicting the paragraphs as I read them.
The characters left much to be desired and the relationship between Brynn and Sebastian felt hallow and and boring.
Unfortunately this one was a miss for me.
Unfortunately this is also the town she grew up in, the town filled with her childhood friends, the town filled with the people who raised her and looked out for her, it is also home to newcomer Sebastian Sudworth.
Brynn must win over the town if she wants to fix her reputation and keep her job.
This book was a cute enough read, but not for me.
There was very little substance and I found myself bored and predicting the paragraphs as I read them.
The characters left much to be desired and the relationship between Brynn and Sebastian felt hallow and and boring.
Unfortunately this one was a miss for me.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner had an interesting setup and some fun banter, especially between the two main characters and the quirky small-town residents who added a nice touch of humor. I appreciated the light, easy feel of the story.
However, I found Brynn (the FMC) frustrating at times, and Sebastian (the MMC) could’ve used more depth. I wanted to connect more with both of them emotionally. Also, the romance felt a bit too slow for my taste—there’s no kiss until about 80% into the book, which made the romantic payoff feel a little late.
Overall, it had its sweet and funny moments, but I was hoping for a bit more development. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced listener copy!
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an easy read but left me wishing it would’ve gone a little deeper. I didn’t like the main character, Brynn, the first half of the book but was glad that she eventually started to made some progress on her redemption. After making a big mistake at work, she’s forced to retreat back to the hometown that she very publicly ridiculed to try and make up with the people she once knew. That’s where we meet Sebastian, who has his own past and escaped to the small mountain town to start over anonymously.
For both the plot and the characters, there were a few dark issues from these characters pasts but we really only heard quick notes about them and it didn’t feel like they were shaping the story like I wish they would have. I would’ve liked to see the characters show more of themselves and talk about these issues more than just a few brief mentions.
Overall, I thought the story ended well but it had the potential to be a little more! My favorite aspect was the descriptions of the little mountain town and its cozy vibes!
For both the plot and the characters, there were a few dark issues from these characters pasts but we really only heard quick notes about them and it didn’t feel like they were shaping the story like I wish they would have. I would’ve liked to see the characters show more of themselves and talk about these issues more than just a few brief mentions.
Overall, I thought the story ended well but it had the potential to be a little more! My favorite aspect was the descriptions of the little mountain town and its cozy vibes!
Loved it.
I requested this book on NetGalley after I read a few reviews and figured this would be the sort of book I'd like. I liked it even better than I thought.
Brynn ran away from her hometown and hasn't been back in twenty years. And even though the network has been marketing her as all-American small town girl, she has nothing nice to say about her hometown. Which she accidentally does live on television. There is nothing to it, she has to go back to Adelaide Springs and apologize to the people she inadvertently has insulted.
Sebastian is running away too, but he ended up in Adelaide Springs. Though he thinks it's a good idea that Brynn comes to town with a camera so the town can get some free advertising on national television, he certainly doesn't like being stuck with the woman for five days. He dislikes her from the moment she starts to speak to him.
Of course they'll warm up to each other, and I like the way that they did. And I liked the way Brynn got a renewed appreciation for the town and the people she had left behind.
It was a bit distracting that Brynn's chapters were told in first person and Sebastian's were told in third. It made it a bit hard to get close to Sebastian. But then, it was probably fitting for his character that you didn't get close to him.
I read an ARC through NetGalley.
I requested this book on NetGalley after I read a few reviews and figured this would be the sort of book I'd like. I liked it even better than I thought.
Brynn ran away from her hometown and hasn't been back in twenty years. And even though the network has been marketing her as all-American small town girl, she has nothing nice to say about her hometown. Which she accidentally does live on television. There is nothing to it, she has to go back to Adelaide Springs and apologize to the people she inadvertently has insulted.
Sebastian is running away too, but he ended up in Adelaide Springs. Though he thinks it's a good idea that Brynn comes to town with a camera so the town can get some free advertising on national television, he certainly doesn't like being stuck with the woman for five days. He dislikes her from the moment she starts to speak to him.
Of course they'll warm up to each other, and I like the way that they did. And I liked the way Brynn got a renewed appreciation for the town and the people she had left behind.
It was a bit distracting that Brynn's chapters were told in first person and Sebastian's were told in third. It made it a bit hard to get close to Sebastian. But then, it was probably fitting for his character that you didn't get close to him.
I read an ARC through NetGalley.
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other is a story packed with pop-culture references that begins with our heroine, Brynn, morning-show host, getting caught on air talking down about her audience and hometown, setting up the stage for her to need to go back home to get some good PR. Whilst in her hometown, she has to deal with Sebastian, a former journalist, who has a mysterious history and becomes the love interest in this dislike-to-lovers story. Sebastian has his moments and is somewhat likeable but although Brynn is painted as “sunny” in the blurb, my experience of the character felt quite different.
The premise was a classic rom-com one: success story goes back to hometown to find herself and runs into a sexy charming stranger, but where it lost me was that the main character Brynn is not just grumpy or prickly, but most of the time downright rude and unlikeable, both in her actions and internal thoughts. Brynn is insufferable through the novel, arguably even right to the very end, disingenuous and patronizing to almost everyone. She does start to go through a bit of a redemption as the story goes on, we get some insight into her past that is meant to soften her, but I was not enough to make me root for her or excuse her behaviour. Ordinarily I have no issues with an unlikable lead character, but in this case it felt like the author wanted us to like her eventually and root for her, but I found it really hard to get on board.
I liked this author’s writing style though and felt it was overall well written, so I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more of her work. In this instance, I listened to the audiobook and did enjoy the narrator, her diction and cadence fit the story and characters well. It was immersive and enjoyable to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of this audiobook. This was an honest review of my listen of this ARC.
The premise was a classic rom-com one: success story goes back to hometown to find herself and runs into a sexy charming stranger, but where it lost me was that the main character Brynn is not just grumpy or prickly, but most of the time downright rude and unlikeable, both in her actions and internal thoughts. Brynn is insufferable through the novel, arguably even right to the very end, disingenuous and patronizing to almost everyone. She does start to go through a bit of a redemption as the story goes on, we get some insight into her past that is meant to soften her, but I was not enough to make me root for her or excuse her behaviour. Ordinarily I have no issues with an unlikable lead character, but in this case it felt like the author wanted us to like her eventually and root for her, but I found it really hard to get on board.
I liked this author’s writing style though and felt it was overall well written, so I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more of her work. In this instance, I listened to the audiobook and did enjoy the narrator, her diction and cadence fit the story and characters well. It was immersive and enjoyable to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of this audiobook. This was an honest review of my listen of this ARC.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated