3.5 stars rounded up to four. I would give it a 4 for the writing and a 3 for my own personal issues with the plot. Katherine center can deliver a great rom com while still managing to kick you in the kidneys with emotion. In this latest offering we have our FMC Katie, who struggles with self love and body image issues, being thrust into an uncomfortable position in order to save her job. Essentially if she doesn't take this project she is on the chopping block for a wave of downsizing. Of course the catch of this is that she lies about being able to swim in order to take the job. Of course our MMC, Hutch, the sexy dog saving coast guard, teaches her to swim. Lots of chaos ensues revolving around lies, loving yourself, and forgiveness, all taking place in front of essentially the Golden Girls of Key West.

Overall, I found this book to be heartwarming and sweet, while still being extremely goofy. I loved the Aunt and her friends, honestly wish there was more of them in the book because the interactions were just very fun. The romance between Katie and Hutch I really enjoyed, obviously there were some stalled communication bits but I don't really blame either of them for it so it didn't set off my "miscommunication trope" alarms. I still have a few gripes. Katherine Center gets rid of more moms than Disney, this latest one at least isn't dead, instead she runs away with her dentist leaving Katie with a body shaming step-mom. This sets her up for years of lacking any self love and ultimately leads up to extremely unhealthy body habits. I feel like the book tip-toes around the idea of her having an ED but never strictly said she had an ED. I wish they would have been a little more blatant about it though since it made it seem like that while her body image issues still hung around, as soon as her ex cheated on her she magically started eating again. I just don't find that super realistic that she went from only eating 1000 calories a day and obsessing over it to just being fine with food again. I love the themes of her learning to love her body, I think that's great, I just feel its a little iffy, but that's my own personal gripe not a hole in the story.

Katherine Center's The Love Haters delivers her signature blend of warmth and wit in a sunny Key West setting, though some plot elements kept me from fully loving it. The story follows video producer Katie Vaughn as she takes on a career-saving assignment profiling Hutch, a swoon-worthy Coast Guard rescue swimmer - a gig complicated by her inability to swim, her coworker Cole's shady motivations, and an approaching hurricane.

What worked best were the charming elements Center does so well: Hutch makes for an endearing, heroic love interest; his aunt Rue and her lively friend group add humor and heart; and the rescue dog George Bailey nearly steals the whole book. The tropical setting comes alive with vivid detail that will make readers crave beachside cocktails. However, Cole's constant lies grew frustrating rather than funny, Katie's indecision sometimes slowed the pacing, and the hurricane subplot stretched believability too far for my taste.

While this has all the ingredients of a perfect beach read - romance, humor, and personal growth - some of the story choices kept me from connecting as deeply as I have with Center's other novels. It's an enjoyable escape with plenty of charm, but not her strongest work. Recommended for fans looking for a light, summery romance with emotional moments, especially if you're a sucker for rescue dogs and picturesque settings. A solid 3-star read that's pleasant but not particularly memorable.

HIT ME IN THE FEELS.

The body image content and themes in this book found their way to the depths of my soul. It was hard to read at times but gosh I loved the truths explored and the conversations that were had. This felt like more than a romance and truly impacted the way I think about myself.

But don’t worry, I was obsessed with the romance too. And the fact that this is about the Coast Guard?? Give me more stories with them!!! I loved Hutch’s demeanor and quirks. The goodness radiated from him and it was just the sweetest romance.

And I loved the quirky nature of Katie. She’s spunky and lacking in some self-awareness and I loved her journey. Her quips made me laugh out loud multiple times and she was an easy character to love and support. There were man y side characters that earned my love and strong friendships that I appreciated seeing too.

If you’re curious about my 1/2 star deduction. I think Hutch’s storyline with his brother took over a bit too much in the second half (with some specific moments that had me flustered). The closing scenes and moments were great though and I had a good time listening to this book today.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: mild
Content warnings: themes surrounding body image (with mentions of disordered eating), loss of loved ones (recounted)

What worked for me here: Hutch's character was really likeable. He was a great male MC! I also loved the relationship he had with Rue, and her group of lady friends. They added humor and sweetness to the story.
What really didn't work was all the body positivity content. I wanted less of that and more romance. I understand the importance of that message, but it was overkill.

This was another sweet and hilarious rom-com by Katherine Center!

The story follows our FMC trying to save her job and taking an assignment to follow her co-worker's brother who is a real life hero aka rescue diver. One problem, she can't swim.

She tackles the task while falling for our hero. There are some laugh out loud moments and just sweet chemistry!

Love Haters is a quick and easy cute rom-com. The leading lady Katie travels to Florida to try and save her job by getting an interview with Hutch. Hutch, the all American perfect man, is not interested in having anything to do with her. This story is not just about romantic love - it also is the love of friends, family and ultimately yourself.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun, quick read with a lot of enjoyable moments. I love Katherine Center’s writing, and was quickly immersed in Katie’s world.

I will say that I found the depth of her internalized fat phobia to be a little much to read. While I liked her as a character overall, I did think Katie veered a little too self-deprecating and came off a bit “pick me.” I found myself struggling to sympathize with her at times.

I absolutely loved Hutch though. 10/10 book boyfriend, no notes. His quiet protectiveness was perfect. I also loved the side characters, especially Rue and of course, our gentle giant George Bailey.

All in all, this will make for a great summer read! Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for the advanced reader copy.

It honestly hurts me to be giving a Katherine Center book less than 5 stars but this one just didn’t do it for me. The writing was good and I enjoyed the characters enough but the relentless harping about Katie’s body image issues and the frequent self help talk made it feel preachy in a way that took me right out of the story. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it but I also don’t see myself going out of my way to recommend it.

The Love Haters was a fun and engaging read with plenty of charm. Katherine Center’s signature warmth shines through, and I especially loved Aunt Rue—she was hands-down my favorite character with her sharp wit and heart of gold.

The romance leaned a bit into the insta-love territory for me, which made it feel rushed at times. I also found the self-body shaming themes difficult to read. While they clearly aimed to add emotional depth, they occasionally overtook the storyline and pulled focus from the romance itself.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt, breezy read with some weighty undertones. Not perfect, but definitely enjoyable.

3.5⭐️ stars but I’m rounding up of course!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC.

This was such a fun, summery romance book! Before I get into what I liked about the book, I want to mention that body image and eating disorders are a HUGE part of this story, so beware. There are also discussions of grief. There are heavy topics in this one so it does little women’s fiction, which I always love. It makes the characters for multidimensional and real! I was so happy to see how Katie learned to accept her body and love herself.

Katherine Center’s voice is so witty and fun. No matter what characters she is writing about, I can always appreciate how she makes a scene come to life. It’s so easy to be immersed in the story and fly through the book. I also really appreciated the setting in this story. We are constantly near water whether it’s on a boat or swimming at the pool. Rue is a huge part of why the setting had so much charm. Her store and the description of the clothes brought so much color to the setting. I also really liked the gals and their funny comments.

I really liked Katie and Hutch! I was rooting for them the whole time even when Hutch was a bit standoffish. The conclusion of the story was nice but for some reason I was left wanting just a little bit more. I wanted more scenes between the two main characters. I think that more could have been included of them spending time together in the first half of the story. There were some points where we knew they were spending all their time together, but we never really got to see the small moments between them where their feelings blossomed. I would’ve loved to see a little bit more conversation between the two of them at the end as well. It was kind of just the love proclamation but nothing of them talking things out and deciding how their relationship would work. The epilogue told us, but it didn’t show us.

For those reasons, I really did like the story! It’s just not one of my favorites from Katherine Center. I will be here patiently waiting for the next story she blesses us with.

It's hard to go wrong with a Katherine Center book in my opinion. This one is no exception. There was a part that were so heavy in lack of communication that it was tough to overlook but the rest was fun and un-put-down-able. I can see this being a great beach read over the summer. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Katie & Hutch. She’s a videographer and he’s a US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. She doesn’t know how to swim but is hired to document his life as a rescue swimmer, so to save her job she takes on the challenge. This book is heavy on body positivity in the best way! Katie is struggling with the impact of the internet, social media, and the twenty first century has on women and their body image. Hutch has never experienced and insecure day in his life and ends up being a great teacher to Katie in how to swim and love oneself. Key west is very much a character in itself in this book and Katherine Center did an amazing job at making me feel like I was there, which makes this book great for a beach/summer/island vibes read!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC, it was an AMAZING read!

I was obsessed with the concept of this book from the first chapter!

I also knew nothing about coast guard before reading this book and really loved the amount of shenanigans the female main character got into.

Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite romance writers. Her newest book Love Haters was not a disappointment! This love story takes place in beautiful Key West, Florida. Videographer Katie Vaughn, receives an assignment to follow grumpy self proclaimed love hater, Hutch. Hutch is an all business Coast Guard rescue diver. Katie is self depricating and still recovering from a past failed relationship. These two are slyly pushed together by Hutch’s loveable aunt Rue and very particular Great Dane, George Bailey. I absolutely loved George Bailey. His fear of thunderstorms made him so endearing and provided several cometic moments to the story. There were times I was frustrated with Katie’s character, but I think it was needed for her overall end growth. I couldn’t stand Cole. He irritated me in more ways than one. This book focuses pretty heavily on body image and there are elements of grief that are touched on.

3.5 rounded to a 4. I have feelings about this one. Mixed emotions and I went back and forth with my rating.

I had a hard time connecting with the female MC. I really struggled with her body image issues and the constant need for reassurance. She grew on me during the blast scene and hurricane, IYKYK.

Hutch (male MC) was touch and go for me to. Sweet guy but I don’t know a wee bit of savior complex.

I get it, it’s fiction and not real, but it wasn’t as swoony as some of KC’s other writings.

The last 25% kept me at a 3.5. Rue was the real MVP and I adored her. Beanie also had her moments.

It’s a cute romcom but felt a little different than KC’s usual writings.

Trigger warnings: Death of a parent, grief, body dysmorphia

Thank you MacMillian Audio & NetGalley for this advanced ALC & eARC.

I throughly enjoyed The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger, but The Rom-Commers was a huge letdown, yet I decided to give Katherine Center another try in the hopes of it just being a one time thing. But nope, right from the get go I was getting the same feeling as I did with The Rom-Commers. I know Katherine Center is a very experienced and accomplished writer, but the writing in this just felt very immature to me (again). I felt no connection to these characters whatsoever, and felt like the body image issues were seriously mishandled. This book was not funny, and not lighthearted. It felt forced and honestly just confusing. It’s the second time I try to read this, the first time I had to shelf it @ 20% after trying for 2 weeks because I kept falling asleep and not even remembering what was happening the next day.

I have a feeling this might be it for me. I can see why people enjoy KC’s books but they aren’t for me anymore.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy through NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

Katie Vaughn's career is in jeopardy. She either gets laid off from her job as a video producer, or takes an assignment that could boost her career by profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There could be worse places to spend her days than in Key West but the catch is, she can't actually swim, so she needs to keep that from her boss. And there will be water involved, lots of it. To complicate matters, Hutch and her boss Cole are brothers and there's a reason Cole won't go and do the job himself but he won't tell Katie.

The blurb on this one gives a bit away and I would strongly suggest going in blind. If you have read any of the authors novels previously then you already know you are in for such a treat. Admittedly, this wasn't quite what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised as the story went along. The Joy. The Love. The Hope. This was SO much fun and while it dealt with body image, the author did this with care and the whole novel was just magical. Possibly my favourite by the author so far. 4.5*

4.75/5⭐️ rounded up

This was a typical Katherine book but better? It had everything I expected in her books and more. It had heart and humor on every page. I simply adored Katie, hutch and George Bailey. That beautiful big dog. This story was so much more than I was expecting. She has such a way of taking big topics and handling it so gently.

I will be honest and say that I struggled with Cole’s storyline. I understand the need to tell little white lies here and there but this man was extreme and some of his lies were so outrageous I was annoyed.

- Very cute romcom between Katie, a young filmmaker, & Hutch, rescue diver for the Coast Guard and subject of Katie's most recent project, a Coast Guard recruiting video
- Set in Key West
- Amazing cast of side charachters
- Lots of things happen for romance reasons, and it's an absolute DELIGHT. There's also a cute rescue Great Dane
🌶️: no, all fade to black

This really pains me because Center is one of my favorite authors. The self loathing and body image issues took up 40% of the book and I didn’t like how it was handled with Hutch. I also did not enjoy Cole or Beanie. Rue and The Gals were amazing! I will continue to read Center because, duh, she’s Center, but this was a miss for me.