Sadly this latest release from a beloved author was a miss for me

I am not trying to be too dramatic and it PAINS me to say this but I did not love this story. I love and respect KC but this book is not it.

It was not romantic. It was not funny. It took me weeks to read this book. There were a lot of eyerolls. There is no chemistry between the characters. I cannot tell you how they fell in love.

There is no point on dragging this review but I will have to say one more thing: as a person struggling with self image, I don't think Katie's issues were handled well. If this was supposed to be about a self depreciating woman finding her own voice, I didn't think the message was delivered well.

I know this book will find its right audience and I can see many people enjoying it.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center - 4 stars

This was such a lovely, fun, and quick read! While it is a romance, I felt the heart of the story was more about Katie (the FMC) and her journey of self-discovery. Through her various relationships we get to see her grow in meaningful ways.
There were plenty of moments that had me genuinely giggling throughout. Katie’s relationship with her cousin was my favorite aspect of the book, and the growth that stemmed from that connection was heartwarming to witness.
I do wish we had seen more of her relationship with Hutch (the MMC) develop earlier on. At times, it felt like we were being told about their connection rather than shown, which made parts of the first half feel a bit stilted. Despite this, the story remained engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that I’ve already recommended to friends. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are so many things about this book that made me love it so much. First off, how hot is a rescue swimmer??? Omg. Hutch was hotter than hot. Add in his hilarious great dane, and you have a perfect leading man. Being in Katie's head was so much fun. Her inner dialogue had me cackling throughout the whole book. This book was sweet, romantic, funny, intense at times, and so much more. Another win in my book by Katherine Center.

2.5 stars! A cute read, would be fun for the summer! I enjoy Katherine’s dialogue and banter with her characters, always. Although I personally did struggle connecting with the body image issues. It did not land. And the miscommunication trope isn’t a favorite of mine. I did enjoy learning about the lifestyle of our MMC, Hutch. I wished I could have connected better to the other side characters (Beanie) but didn’t feel like I was led that way. I will continue to read her books and support her but this one was not a top for me.
Thanks NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the arc

Sadly had to DNF this book. Did not connect with the characters and did not enjoy the reason for the conflict between the two.

The Love Haters is the next book from Katherine Center, one of my favorite authors 😀

Katie works as a videographer whose company is downsizing. When she’s given the opportunity to spend a few weeks filming a promo for the coast guard in Key West, she jumps at it. Even though she doesn’t know how to swim. And hasn’t been in a swimsuit since middle school. And will be interviewing Hutch, a man who is by all reports a love hater and does not do interviews. But she does recognize him! He’s the handsome man who rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog off of a cliff and went viral for a bit.

Thank you to @netgalley, @katherinecenter and @stmartinspress for this book in exchange for a review! This was a 4/5 for me! It hits shelves on May 20th.

#bookstagram #bookreview #readersofinstagram #stlbookstagram #netgalley #paperhearts #thelovehater #katherinecenter

The Love Haters is a fun book and will be a perfect summer beachy read. Katie Vaughn is at a crossroads in love and life. She has two choices get laid off from her video producing job or do a profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer on Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson. Katie heads to Key West and doesn't know how to swim. Hijinx ensue with these tropes - one bed, cute rescue dog, fake dating, a hurricane super fun side characters and body positivity.

Katherine Center is an incredible story teller. This book in specific really feels true to KC and at times i felt like i could just hear her telling me this story. The ending message of the book really got me into my feelings!!!! Just when think it will be a cute romance (which it is) she really hits you with the important life message and key take away..... man it felt like a warm hug from a loved one.

For me, it was really hard to get over the second person point of view. I hate when the character is talking directly to me like that, it just takes away the fictional story aspect for me. And a lot of the times i felt super frustrated with Katie as a character. I hated that she went along with so many lies in the plot, i felt like she had a lot of power to change the story and didn't until the very end. However, i think that was another point that KC was trying to make in her character development.

Overall, this is an incredibly sweet and hilarious book. I really took a lot away from this in the sense of loving my self, what is important in life and where my priorities lay. Katherine Center has an ability to totally engage you in a story like no other with her humor and wit, the character development and the entire plot it self is super fun. I will read anything she writes.

Fans of Katherine Center’s The Rom-Commers will enjoy this novel, but they may also feel that her last few romances have been too similar. But the Love Haters is an enjoyable beach read, especially with its sympathetic handling of many women’s problems with body image and swim suits. Set in the Florida Keys, The Love Haters is the story of two adults who have responded to family trauma and public betrayals by cutting themselves off from romance. There are a few cringey moments (such as a drinking contest set up by men to win a kiss from a woman who hasn’t given consent – ugh), but these are counterbalanced by the novel’s humor and every scene with the sweet dog named George Bailey. Not Center’s best novel, but good enough to pass time by the pool.

I had high hopes for Catherine Center’s latest novel, The Love Haters, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While I’ve enjoyed some of her previous books like Hello Stranger and The Things You Save in a Fire, The Love Haters was not nearly as good.

The premise is promising— Katie Vaughn agrees to do a videography job in Key West, knowing her subject is Hutch, a handsome rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard and the brother of her colleague Cole, who leaves off a few details regarding why he isn't taking the job himself.

Katie called off her engagement a year earlier, and Hutch has his own reasons for being a cynic about love.

We've also got Katie's body image issues, Hutch's grief, Cole's anger, a loveable rescued great dane, a gaggle of widowed elderly ladies, and the vibrancy of Key West. So much to work with, yet the characters felt one-dimensional, the plot twists were predictable, and the romantic arc was pretty meh.

It felt like this novel was a lot more superficial than some of Center's other works. Maybe that's what she was going for- the world is pretty heavy right now - but for me, it was a disappointing read.

Maybe it just wasn’t the right book for me at the moment. Some may enjoy it, but this was a miss for me.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC thru NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this one. I keep thinking about the main character and her journey to love her own body and be grateful for it. We only have this one body to live in.

I’m so sad to say that this book was somewhat of a letdown for me. I had high hopes because I’m a huge Katherine Center fan. I couldn’t get into the storyline and the main character was much too self deprecating. I didn’t believe in their relationship. Not a bad read, but definitely not my fave!

One of the best romance books I have read in a while. Katherine makes you feel as if you are living the story. Bonus points for a sweet dog character too.

I love Katherine Center books and this one didn’t disappoint. Katie is a video producer sent to the Florida Keys to interview Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. These two unlikely love birds develop an attraction and of course there is help from a meddling group of geriatrics ( I loved them!) All seems to be going well until a massive hurricane makes its way to the Keys.
Sexy but not spicy, great beach read!

The Gist: Katie is sent to Florida to film a promo video for the Coast Guard. He’s a real-life hero, and—hellooo—he’s hot. She also really needs this to go well to save her job.

Things I Loved: Katherine Center is a master at writing smut-free, feel-good love stories. ❤️

Other Thoughts: Katherine’s author notes are always my favorite! That said, I honestly feel like there could have been so much more between Katie and Hutch.

Read if You Like:
✔️ Wholesome love stories
✔️ Smut-free romance
✔️ Florida settings

This was my first book by Katherine Center, and she had me laughing from the very first page! I absolutely adored the chemistry and connection between Katie and Hutch—it was so sweet. While some parts of the plot were predictable, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

The side characters truly stole my heart. Rue and the Gals were so heartfelt, and George Bailey’s antics added both humor and charm to the story. That said, there was a stronger focus on body image than I personally preferred, likely because of my own insecurities. I also found myself feeling quite anxious during the hurricane portion of the book.

Overall, this was such an entertaining read, and I can’t wait to explore more of Katherine Center’s work!

I loved Katie's self growth, that journey was so beautiful to read! I also oddly really enjoyed Hutch and Cole's brotherly relationship and how they found a resolution.

3.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I absolutely love Katherine Center's books and was so excited to get into this one. It has all of the pieces from her books that I love--relatable characters, an interesting rom-com set-up, and so many funny bits. However, parts of the plot felt disjointed and unnecessary, as if different rom-com tropes were being forced together without reason. These moments were confusing, especially when there seemed to be other ways to achieve similar results by working with plot points that were already in the main story.

The underlying theme of self love and body positivity was refreshing and I loved watching Katie come to love herself and realize she doesn't need to change herself for others. Rue and George Bailey were standout characters for me and, despite the unnecessary fake-dating scheme, I enjoyed watching everything come together.

Such a cute and unique premise for a romance. The self hatred and body image issues felt so relevant to any woman who grew up in the 90s but also felt like a bit much. Definitely could have used a trigger warning at the beginning of the book for that. I also think I would have rated it higher if the issues with the brother weren't so messy. All thay aside the setting, the action, and the dog were all so fun. A fast and entertaining summer read.

When Katherine Center is writing, I am reading. 'The Love Haters' is the 4th book of hers that I've read and yes, it is now my favorite. IT WAS SOOOO GOOD! I would truly give it 4.5 stars, but I am rounding up to 5. It's about Katie, a video producer on the verge of losing her job, and Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West who Katie is tasked with following around to film his heroic profession. As one could potentially guess, all of this close contact does bring some ~feelings~ into play. Reading this book, you're signing yourself up for a slow burn, tropical destination, and a whole lot of self-growth. Katie has severe self-esteem and body image issues, which is talked about a lot in the first half of the book (I think a tiny bit too much). It was sweet to see her grow and change her way of thinking with the help of Hutch, Katie's personal hype-woman, Rue, and her best friend, Beanie. Rue is Hutch's aunt, is sorta of Katie's landlord while she's there, and is overall just such a great character. She sees herself in Katie and is so great to kindly push Katie into new things (even if it is just clothes). Beanie is the long-distance friend who we only meet over the phone, but she's a great friend to Katie. She's the kind of friend you want- one who doesn't let you wallow in self-pity but is also always there to listen. And then there's Hutch.... Hutch is such a dream. He's hot, has a cute rescue dog named George Bailey, saves people's lives for a living, and is genuinely a good person. He does so much to help Katie grow as a person, and it's so sweet to see how Katie brings fun out of him. If I need to move to Key West to find myself a Hutch, I will do it. Mark my words. What's holding me back from giving this a 5th star, is the slightly too long of focus on Katie's body image issues at the beginning and the epilogue. The epilogue unfortunately left much to be desired for me. Why are there like 2 pages each on Rue, Cole (I'll say it- he's the world's worst brother), and George Bailey but like half a page on Katie and Hutch?! I needed more. All that to say, I still absolutely loved it and I stayed up wayyyy too late to finish it. I highly highly recommend that fans of Katherine Center and romance books read 'The Love Haters' when it comes out this summer! Side note: Katherine you better be writing something new right now because I am ready for another.... ;)