The Love Haters tells the story of Katie, a film maker who has been dumped by her rock star boyfriend and struggles with body issues. Her company is laying off many of her coworkers. Her co-worker Cole, asks her to go to Key West to create a recruitment film for the Coast Guard which will feature his brother, Hutch, and he describes Hutch in very negative terms. There's more to it than this - way more- but no spoilers. Can two people who don't really get along become friends - or more than friends? This novel features very likable characters as well as supporting characters like Aunt Rue, George Bailey the dog, her bestie and cousin, Beanie, and The Gals, Aunt Rue's pals. I absolutely loved the Epilogue where Katie talks about the positive changes in her life and shares some of her own growth as a person. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center always knows how to make you feel good, in a swoony way, while also subtly telling you something you didn’t know about yourself. This was my first five-star fiction read of the year! While it’s a typical forced proximity romance, the circumstances and details truly set this apart from anything else I have ever read!

I adore Katie and Hutch. They both are great characters but are so much better together. However, Rue and Beanie stole the show! They are the two people in your life you want to keep forever. They both helped show Katie her true value and loved her every step along the way. This was a book I was sad to have finished.

The Love Haters by @katherinecenter is a 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star contemporary romance. 🥰 Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC! In this romance, Chloe, a video producer hates her body and past romances and is willing to do anything to at least move forward professionally. She goes to Key West to meet Hutch, a rescue swimmer to create a Coast Guard recruitment video. Everything seems to be going poorly, but they mesh so well. But, why does he seem to hate love? Suddenly, secrets of the past are revealed and lots of lies muddy the water for friendships, family and love. Do they both hate love or are they willing to move on and love each other and themselves as well? Finally, when an emergency arises, Katie must face her fears and trust Hutch with her future and her heart. This was a fun read and doesn’t have quite the depth that some of her other books have had in the past, but it was still very good. Check it out soon! #peachypages #bookstagram #bookreview #books #arc #stmartinspress #katherinecenter #lovehater #romance #lovetoread #booklover #bookworm #keywest #coastguard #readreadread

ATTENTION ALL ROMCOM LOVERS - mark your calendars for this upcoming release on May 20th, 2025! You don’t want to miss it. Trust me. This is the most wholesome book l've read in a long time. I really think I had a permanent smile on my face while reading this one!

It took me less than 24 hrs to devour this book. Just like every Katherine Center novel I’ve read so far, it’s filled with so much joy, love, & humor, but there’s also trauma & sadness hidden within the pages. So yes, while this may be a book about a videographer falling head over heels in love with a hot US Coast Guard rescue swimmer, there’s also a beautiful story of body positivity, self love, & lingering grief.

This book will genuinely make you reflect on your own life & really think about the love that you have for yourself.

I truly can't say enough good things about this novel, & I think it should be on everyone's must read list for 2025! I would also LOVE if this book was made into a film adaptation.

PS: This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

PPS: I think I'm a chromophobe.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! *The Love Haters* by Katherine Center is a witty and heartwarming exploration of love, rivalry, and personal growth. Center’s sharp humor and relatable characters make the story both fun and emotionally engaging. The romantic tension is palpable, yet the real charm of the book lies in its focus on self-discovery and healing through unexpected connections. This book is a perfect blend of humor, heart, and a touch of sass, making it an enjoyable read for fans of romantic comedies.

I always enjoy a good Katherine Center book, and with this story I appreciated how quickly a comfortable dynamic was established between the main character and her love interest without dragging us through a will they/won't they! I do wish the ending was a little more fleshed out for that relationship, but we still got our HEA.

Katherine Center is an auto-read author for me because I know I will always enjoy her wholesome stories and this book was no exception. I appreciated the struggles that Katie had and learned a lot from her experiences since they aren't exactly ones I've had. I also really liked seeing Hutch and Katie come together. The only thing knocking this book down from 5 stars to 4 stars for me was Cole. I couldn't stand the guy, his lying, his manipulating, and his putting Katie in between him and Hutch just all felt super immature and really angered me. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

I LOVED this book. I am always a fan of Katherine Center books, but this one held a special place in my heart. I adored Katie and all her insecurities and facing her fears. I adored Hutch and how he helped her to become the best version of herself. I have already pre-ordered a finished copy.

Unfortunately I was disappointed with this book. I love Katherine Center but this one didn’t land for me. I felt that the two love interests did not have enough chemistry. The male love interest had almost no personality. The situation was really contrived, and his brother “lying” and the main character going about it even though they are not close at all and are not friends was very weird.

I enjoyed the main character and her realistic body image issues but I felt that some of the plot, for example her ex writing a song about her and not reaching out, was an odd choice, the fact that she was unable to confront her ex as her new self was also a let down for the reader, what then is the point of this storyline? That she doesn’t care anymore? Great then please show that in the book!

. It was weird that the ex randomly wrote a song about loving her still but not reaching out, and it didn’t really do anything for the plot either.

This one was odd, definitely not my favourite. And I wish the characters were more nuanced. After caring so much about losing her job in the end she doesn’t actually care about it at all and changes her whole career?

I will not be posting this one on my socials. Personally I felt it lacking in characterization, and plot.

Let me start by saying that I'm a HUGE Katherine Center fan, and I was thrilled to get to read an ARC of this book. The plot line was right up my alley and I found myself laughing throughout, with some sheded tears here and there as well. 


Katie Vaughn is a video producer with dreams of making a living just producing what SHE wants. For now though, she is working at a company where layoffs are imminent. Her coworker tells her that she can save her job by going to do an interview on the "famous" Hutch Hutcheson. She'll need to follow him and his team around to get an interview, and a much needed day-in-the-life segment for her own channel if she's lucky. The catch? He's a coastguard rescue swimmer and Katie can't swim. On top of that, Hutch only wants to do the interview wtih his brother, Katie's coworkers, who Katie is obviously NOT. 


Katie and Hutch take us on an adventure about truth, fear, and love. Katie is SUCH a gem, but Hutch's Aunt Rue is my favorite character of all time. I absolutely love this book, and will be rereading for sure in the future.

Loved it! Very cute story about girl meets hot guy on a work project. Their trials and tribulations were comical and I loved the supporting characters.

Katherine Center, you are an absolute queen! This book was AMAZING! It is up there as one of my favorites and I have already thought about reading it again. The connection between the main characters was perfect. I loved the ending. I loved it all. The drama at the end with Cole and Hutch was perfect and Rue was an amazing character addition. Thank you THANK YOU for the copy of this, it was amazing!

Katherine Centers is always an immediate read for me. When I received an ARC of The Love Haters, I got started on the book right away. Katie is recovering from a broken engagement from a famous man when she is sent to the Keys for a filming job. This job can make or break her career, so what better way to start the job than filming super hot Mr. Perfect, Hutch? Katie must work through some serious self-esteem issues to love herself with the help of the coast guard she is filming, Hutch. I loved the growth we saw with Katie throughout the book as well as a HEA. Katherine Centers continues to be an immediate read for me!

Katherine Center does it again!! I read this in a single sitting and I wouldn't have it any other way!

First and foremost thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this ARC for an honest review. As soon as I started reading this, I smiled. Her books are consistently becoming like warm hugs to me. The FMC, Katie is quirky, yet very relatable. There were several laugh out loud moments and the book reads like a movie and I can see every scene playing out in my head. I have noticed this is a consistent vibe with Katherine Center’s books and I am here for it! In this book we follow Katie, on her journey as she has to film a promo video for the Coast Guard featuring Coast Guard golden boy, Hutch. There is sooo much going on and in the most wonderful way! This needs to be a movie!!!! …like yesterday. Hutch and Katie have great chemistry and I love how she transforms throughout the book, and he takes on his own beautiful transformation as well. This book releases on May 20th, walk, don’t run, preorder, do what you need to do but this is one to pick up this year! The vibes are immaculate and she has done it again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review

Katherine Center has a way of creating stories that feel like magic, and this book is no exception. Katie, the main character, is stuck in a job as a documentary videographer, paying the bills but far from following her true passion of showing life behind the scenes. When her boss promises her job security if she takes on a special project, Katie tells a little white lie and ends up leaving her life in Texas—including some painful social media embarrassment—to head to Key West.

From the moment Katie arrives, she feels completely out of place. Her all-black wardrobe stands out in the world of bright colors, sunshine, and her quirky, stylish landlord who insists on giving her a makeover. As Katie adjusts, she’s surrounded by a cast of lovable characters: a handsome and serious hero, a clumsy but lovable Great Dane, an uplifting cousin, and a group of supportive, matching making new friends “The Gals” who become her cheerleaders.

Through their help, Katie starts to break down her walls of self-doubt and discovers confidence in herself—her work, her body, her friendships, and even her love life. It’s an inspiring story about finding yourself, embracing change, and letting the unexpected lead you to happiness.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves stories about second chances, personal growth, and a touch of romance. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read in one sitting, and as always, I’m already waiting for Katherine Center’s next masterpiece! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this free advanced copy. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily

I'd consider this an average romance read- not my favorite Katherine Center book. The execution just did not live up to the premise for me.

Katherine Center is always a must-read author for me and I was so giddy to see that she was releasing a new title, I squealed. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main characters, Hutch and Katie, had really great, natural chemistry. There was a nice amount of tension between them that kept me wrapped up in their stories. I did find the Cole's lie and the 2/3rd act shenanigans to be a bit unearned, however. It felt like that was going to throw a major wrench into the employment conflict that loomed throughout the novel, but then seemed super easily resolved and kind of faded into the background. Maybe that what was Center intended! I did think that there were some really poignant and interesting moments between Katie and herself as she grappled with her body image. That's such a relatable topic for so many women and there were some really poignant realizations that made for sweet moments sprinkled throughout the book. I would highly recommend this title - it would be great for a summer book club read!

I've posted a review on GoodReads (see link). To be honest, I felt this was not up to Katherine Center's standards. Or maybe this is what her writing is like before an editor has access to her work? Either way, I feel disappointed in this one and unfortunately, could not find much that I liked about it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7190771004

In a desperate attempt to save her job as a video producer, Katie takes on a position she isn’t qualified for, leading to an unexpected entanglement with her coworker’s estranged brother.

This book kept me hooked and giggling throughout, and I found myself eager to reach the end. However, the love story felt underdeveloped and lacked believability. In some ways, this felt like an “enemies-to-lovers” story between Katie and her own body. Unfortunately, both that journey and the romance didn’t feel as fully fleshed out as they could have been.

While I enjoyed the book overall, it wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center novel. That said, it’s a fun read if you like the miscommunication trope, meddling families, hot coast guards (who doesn’t?), and a good laugh mixed with a touch of existential angst.

Content warning: eating disorders and body image issues.