Devoured this book in a day! Its flows and I loved the story. My only critique is I would have loved one more chapter before the epilogue to wrap storyline up.

This book was adorable!! I love the inclusion of the The Gals and it was fun to watch the romance play out. I did feel overwhelmed with the amount of body positivity language in this book as someone who is easily triggered by that language

I am so very lucky to get ARCs from Katherine Center's team! George Bailey was the star of the show!!! KC romances always hit, so l devoured this quickly. Cole took me out of it for a minute there and I probably could have benefited from a trigger warning about negative body talk, but I would absolutely still recommend! I cried and laughed and felt all of the emotions!

Really liked this book. The concept was so interesting to begin with and I love Katherine's writing. I could feel like I knew these characters which was really nice. Overall a very good read.

Katie es productora de video y su compañero de trabajo descubre que está a punto de ser despedida, junto con la mitad de los empleados. Sin embargo, tiene una oportunidad que podría evitar su despido: grabar un video sobre la vida de Hutch, un miembro de la Guardia costera que se hizo famoso por salvar a una actriz. Pero hay un truco: debe ganarse su confianza, ya que él solo accedió a grabar un video sobre su trabajo, no sobre toda su vida. Ambos chocarán en un principio, pero deberán pasar tiempo juntos. Katie conocerá a su familia, se hará amiga de su perro y comenzarán a surgir chispas. Sin embargo, ella viene de una relación pública en la que fue duramente criticada y burlada por las fans de su ex, por lo que lo último que quiere es tener una relación con alguien famoso. Las burlas le dejaron muchas inseguridades y no está segura de poder soportar todo eso nuevamente.

~

Me encantó que no todo se centrara en el romance, sino en el crecimiento de Katie, pero en el epílogo sí esperaba que se enfocara más en ella y Hutch. Incluso esperaba que fuera desde la perspectiva de él.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katharine Center is a master of the romantic comedy. She can be counted on for interesting characters, funny and often unique situations, romantic tensions, sweet romance, and entertaining settings. The Love Haters is set in Key West and centers on Hutch Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, and Katie, a video producer who is set to film the diver for a promotional spot to create interest in Coast Guard careers. Katie needs to do a great job to impress her boss and save her job. Of course Hutch turns out to be a total hunk as well as a really REALLY nice guy, so how can Katie help being interested? But throw in Hutch’s charming aunt and her group of lovely older ladies with a Key West vibe, and then mix in a co-worker who happens to be Hutch’s estranged brother, a man-hungry boss, a huge dog with a sad story, Katie’s inability to swim even though it is required for the job, and of course, a hurricane, and the tension and entertainment flow. It was really almost too much for one book. But it is fun and a fast read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I liked this book as a whole, but it is not my favorite of Katherine Center's books. This book features body image issues (fat phobia, swimsuit phobia). While that isn't a topic I really enjoy reading about, this is probably the best book I've read dealing with rhetoric around that difficulty, and I loved how the FMC's journey towards self acceptance is front and center.

I laughed *so much* reading this book. I loved the overly friendly Great Dane who thinks he's a puppy and all the hilarious mishaps his shenanigans instigated. I loved the super supportive cousin who helped the FMC overcome her body related thought distortions. And I REALLY loved the Golden Girls style friend group. They were absolute gems.

The main characters both learn and grow together, and it's so beautiful.

Content: language, body image distortion, grief, lying and manipulation, fake dating, parental de*ths caused by drunk husband that resulted in de*th of person in another vehicle as well, marooned on a houseboat out to sea during a Category Two hurricane, dog paw injured during the storm

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.

It truly pains me to write this review as I love Katherine Center. She's in my top 5 fav romance authors and an auto-buy author, however, this book didn't hit the same as her other books. I was completely hooked in the beginning but the second half just didn't do it for me. KC's main and side characters are usually written so well but it was so poorly executed in this book,

The FMC, Katie, is recovering from an eating disorder. Some parts felt insensitive and got annoying quickly. I understand writing about topics such as this but it was sooooo much. The other thing I didn't like was the constant mention of her losing her job. It just got too annoying for me. Hutch was described as a grumpy love hater but the relationship w/ Katie felt very much insta-love. He also lacked characteristics. I didn't feel any connection when I read this book. Katherine Center's books usually make me see hearts on pages but found myself rolling my eyes instead. Cole was an asshole and Beanie was just plain TOXIC. The swimsuit scene got me tight. To use someone's insecurities against them to make them do something is just foul.

I loved Rue and would love to read a novella about her life.

Overall, this was just a miss for me. But KC will always be an auto-buy. She will not be going anywhere.

This is my 4th Katherine Center book that I have read and I am becoming a huge fan! This book was the perfect rom-com!! I loved the main characters, Katie and Hutch, and how the author brought them together. The way that Katie learned to love herself and gain so much self worth throughout the book was something we all can learn from.
Thank you Katherine, Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC!!

I am always a sucker for a Katherine Center novel, and this was no exception. I loved all of the main characters, the side characters, the setting. As always things seem to work out just a little *too* perfectly in the end, but that’s why I read them! ;)

I absolutely adored this book! I have nothing negative to say about it! It was an enjoyable and fast-paced read! If you're looking for a delightful romance novel, this is the perfect choice! You could easily complete it in just one day!

Well I pretty much loved everything about this book. The storyline took me a little while to get into but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I loved the relationships in the book, the displays of love, everything. Highly recommend if you like clean love stories with a little bit of tension, body positivity, tropical themes, and good pacing! Another great book by Katherine Center!

Wow wow wow another 5 star read for me by my favorite author I’m so grateful for you guys letting me read all her books before they come out each year. This story has me speechless I’m so buying this book when it comes out.

Ok where do I start… first I didn’t not like the book I just didn’t like it and I think there are a lot of problems with this book that is preventing it from reaching its full potential.

In the beginning of the book I was really confused. I think I might be stupid but I just never fully understood why she was staying there for so long… it just didn’t make sense to me

The main issue of the book for me was how the author wanted to make this a journey of self love for the fmc but that fell flat. This book is marketed as a romance and I wish it leaned more women’s fiction than it did.

She starts off my talking about the fmc’s insecurities with her body, but as the book progressed it was overshadowed by the “romance” aspect of the novel. The epilogue wrapped up this point of the book and while I did enjoy the epilogue, I wish we got to see more of how she overcame her insecurities instead of them almost magically disappearing.

The romance wasn’t particularly special either. It wasn’t strong and the connection between the characters didn’t grow beyond the 50% mark. In the end we just learned about his trauma and the relationship didn’t develop fully.

And Cole. Oh my god I am so embarrassed by this man, and the two grown men fighting? You cannot be serious I need to scrub my eyes of this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is my fourth Katherine Center book, and unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. This is a 3.5-star review.

Katie is healing after her now-famous ex cheated on her and broke up with her very publicly. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also at risk of losing her job due to a major layoff at work. But Cole, her manager, sees potential in her and sends her off to Key West to film a short commercial documentary about an almost-perfect lifeguard—who also happens to be his brother.

Although this wasn’t my favorite read, there’s one thing I loved about this book: Katie’s relationship with her cousin. We all need someone who helps us see through our insecurities in a positive and realistic way. This character did that for Katie in such a kind and supportive manner, which I really appreciated reading.

I also enjoyed seeing Katie learn how to talk to herself and appreciated how open the narrative was about the struggles we have with ourselves—how toxic we can be to ourselves. It’s not something that every romance book chooses to explore on such a deep level.

One thing I felt was missing from this book was a deeper dive into the romance. The author chose to simply state that the characters did certain things or that their relationship evolved, but I missed seeing those moments unfold. I wanted to read more about the small, everyday interactions that made their romance come alive. I think including those details would have made the romance feel more vivid.

That said, it was still an enjoyable read, and I absolutely loved the Rue, the Gals and George Bailey! They added so much fun to the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to review this one!

This is easily my favorite book by Katherine Center. At times I forgot I was reading within the romance genre thanks to the interesting details about the Coast Guard—I need to find myself a documentary. The themes of body positivity and recovery from disordered eating are thoughtfully woven into the story without feeling overwhelming. With plenty of tension and a few stolen kisses (but no spice), this book is a nice balance of depth and charm.

Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Center for this ARC e-read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read and I wasn't sure where it was going with the filmmaker heading to Key West for an assignment. I loved the interaction with tge aunt and her friends. Not too crazy about the younger brother and his lies that continued to mess with the plot.
Overall, it wasn't a bad storyline, but I'm too sure I would recommend it to a friend or not.

This book was so lighthearted and heartwarming — very much par for the course with my expectations for Katherine Center’s books. I adore that they not only have elements of both romance and comedy, but have an underlying lesson woven throughout and this one was about facing your fears and loving yourself as the unique human you are.

I have to admit that I wasn’t sure about the book after the first handful of chapters since there was a lot of groundwork laid to explain the situation, Katie’s assignment, and paint the picture of Hutch. As I got to know the characters though, it all started to meld and come together. I fell in love with Rue, “the girls” and George Bailey the most — and despised Cole with a vengeance.

My realist personality didn’t love the houseboat situation - and I felt that it was a bit too lighthearted for how insane the situation was, which turned me off slightly.

All-in-all it was adorable and fun but I wouldn’t say it was my favorite of Center’s books.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Romance
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am a huge Katherine Center fan! Her books always have me laughing and swooning. I was so excited when @stmartin had digital copies for their early readers! As always these characters were absolutely wonderful.

Katie is a video producer who is questioning whether she is going to have a job or not. They have started laying off in the office. When her coworker Cole comes to her with an opportunity to interview Tom Hutcheson, Coast Guard rescue swimmer, she says yes even though she can’t even swim. Katie learns that Tom is Cole’s brother, the love hater.
When Katie travels down to the beautiful beach to start her training with the coast guard, she’s surrounded by color! Katie’s life has been trying to hide from color after she was previously hurt. When she meets Aunt Rue, she starts opening her back up to the colorful world around her. She starts falling in love with her surroundings. And when she meets the handsome Tom “Hutch” she’s wondering what person Cole is talking about. Tom is sweet and hanging out with wonderful old grandmas. Katie starts to open up, face fears and learn more about herself.
This book was such a joy! I didn’t even get to the Great Dane George Bailey 😍 The characters were all so real and friendly. I wanted to join the girls for cocktails by the pool! Hutch is the most perfect book boyfriend. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good rom-com!

The Love Haters - Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

✨Book Review✨

Video producer Katie takes on a project from her coworker Cole that might help her save her job. The catch? It’s a video profile on a coast guard rescue swimmer who happens to be Coles brother Hutch.A handsome grumpy man who hates love. While they both hate love they find out they may hate love.. together.

I feel this book is a perfect beachy palette cleanser. It is a feel good & lighthearted pick!If your looking for a quirky romance comedy that’s relatable you’ll like this one!

This book is classic Katherine Center Style, romance with a dash of comedy and that touches upon deeper issues in a gentle and understandable way. I love the quirky supporting characters and the key west setting. Katie’s self esteem issues were so relatable and I love how the author approached it and how we worked through it with her character. Hutch was the ultimate grumpy cinnamon roll. I also loved how much their different personalities complimented each other.

While this book did not grab me the way her other books have I still enjoyed it and it kept me coming back for more.

Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for the digital Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Release date:5/20/25