Katherine Center does it again with a rom-com I could not put down!
FMC Katie has body image issues, she dresses in all black, and doesn’t own a scale. This story line was handled beautifully by the author. And of course Katie learned to love herself and the way she looks.
Hutch is perfect, and he loves to be the hero. But this hero doesn’t like the attention of being a hero. I loved his character instantly. We all knew Hutch and Katie would end up together but the journey on how they got to that point was so much fun!
My favorite character was Rue! Loved her and her positivity. I loved how she also took ahold of Katie and helped Katie to come out of her shell. And who wouldn’t love George-Bailey???? But man, he needs to learn to not jump up and knock Katie over anymore.
Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC ebook. I will definitely be buying this book for my trophy shelf.

This has been the first book I’ve actually physically read in literally FOREVER. I’ve been an audiobook girly for almost a year now, and I’m glad that this was the book I read physically for the first time in a long time. This book probably had the most relatable FMC for me, I resonated with her story regarding her emotionally abusive stepmother so much. I resonated with her lack of confidence due to that abuse. It was SO incredibly relatable. Reading about everything she went through throughout the story felt as if I was reading a story about my own growth. Major props to Center for making this character so real, for so many people I’m sure. And can we talk about how hot Hutch sounded? I’d let him rescue me any day. The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me, is because there were just a lot of cringe “high school-ish” moments in my opinion. The age group of the characters felt more juvenile than what their ages actually were. But that’s just a personal pet peeve of mine in books and I genuinely think anyone who’s an avid romance reader would give this 5 stars in a heart beat. The overall message that Center conveyed throughout this story was just so uplifting and beautiful. The Love Haters releases on 5/20/2025, and I highly suggest you grab it, it could very well be your perfect read for summer!

The thing to know about KC is no matter what she writes about, it’s motivation is always going to be about joy! Katie and Hutch are Love Haters. Katie because she’s been burned in the past by a musician boyfriend who went big, cheated and left her behind. She’s also been subjected to bullying about her image, first from an impressionable young age having a stepmother tell her ‘suck in your stomach’ and online bullying from being with somebody famous. I thought Katie was a realistic woman struggling to love her body. I’m flabbergasted by many early reviews that didn’t like or understand her. Hutch has some baggage, and keeps to himself as a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. These two end up spending a lot of time together when Katie, a videographer, is sent to produce a promotional video for the Coast Guard. There is so much to love in this story, my only quibble keeping it from a full five stars, is the conflict around 65% that keeps these two from dating—so silly! Hutch’s rescue Great Dane, George Bailey, is the best! Narrated by the lovely, Patti Murin, thank you @macmillan.audio for the listen. Out 5/20 4.5 stars

I am a big fan of Katherine Center!! I love how she infuses her romances with humor and her characters - especially the fmc - are relatable. I've seen other feedback about how the body image insecurity storyline was too much. As someone who has dealt with body image insecurity, I wholeheartedly disagree. I think Katie was very well written and her issues were issues that so many of us face. I loved her!

The story was very sweet. Yes, Hutch might be considered a little too perfect. Who cares? Don't we all secretly pine for the perfect match? The ending might be considered a little over the top, but I was personally cheering for it to happen.

I loved everything about this book, even the contrived wrench in the romance that keeps them apart. The story was fun. I now want to retire to Key West and live in a bungalow with Rue and The Gals.

If you are a fan of Katherine's other books, you will love this one too. I'd rate it higher than 5 stars if I could.

Thank you to NetGalley for and ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic. If you want a feel good romcom, Katherine Center can’t miss. The chemistry between her characters is unmatched.

I was so excited to get an ARC of The Love Haters because I loved The Rom-Commers SO much. However, I was unable to finish reading this book because it dealt extensively with body image issues which was not mentioned in the description. This was very triggering for me at this time.

I enjoyed that this was an enemies-to-lovers love story first and foremost between Katie and her body. I’m a long time fan of this trope in romance and a Katherine Center enthusiast. Center tends to put a lot of care into crafting her characters, writing a lot of detail and backstory of their struggles and journeys. We got that in the Katie and Hutch characters and even felt empathy for another character (Cole) who was hard to like for a good part of the story.

The name of this book is fantastic. It’s such a good title. While this isn’t my favorite of Center’s novels, I appreciated that she explored and went deep on body image and negative perceptions that Katie held regarding her weight. This book also touches upon the ills of social media and cyber bullying behaviors which are relevant in our times and how that can affect self-image for the worse.

The slow build of the friendship to lovers trope between Hutch, a Coast Guard search and rescue expert and Katie, a videographer sent to do a recruitment video about the Coast Guard featuring him was a beautiful setup. I especially warmed to the additions of Rue, Hutch’s “aunt”, and her joie de vivre with the other lady friends who live together and George Bailey, Hutch’s rescue dog who has thunder phobia.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I love Katherine Center, but this one wasn't my favorite. It's still a fun read and it kept me good company, but I really miss the stronger female leads she's written in the past and felt she undercut her MC's intelligence here.

You'll find:
- Body positivity
- Fake dating
- Workplace romance

This was not my favorite KC 🫣 I didn't love how the body positivity was handled. I felt really hit over the head with it. And the conflicts were all caused by straight up lies. I did love the setting (Key West) and all the stuff about both main characters jobs - she is a video producer and he is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.

Katherine Center is the writer of some of my absolute favorites. And it pains me to write this review. This was just "meh" for me. I thought the romance was sweet at times but it just wasn't my favorite. I liked reading about the Coast Guard but felt like it was just not my favorite.

This romcom is full of heart. It has a coast guard rescuer who is hot, hot, hot plus a filmmaker who is sent to Key West to film him in action. I enjoyed the laughs and romance--other than a miscommunication midway through the story, this was an entertaining read.

Katie works for a company that makes corporate videos. She hears rumors there could be layoffs so when Cole, her superior, asks if she would film a promo for the Coast Guard in Key West, Florida, she jumps at the chance. The Coast Guard wants a recruiting video showing how exciting the job is. The only problem for Katie are the requirements. She needs to know how to swim plus she'll have to be strapped into a helicopter simulator and flipped upside down. When Cole asks if she is fine with it, she says yes and tells herself she can figure it out later.

The guy she will be profiling is Hutch and he’s a genuine hero. He rescued a golden retriever by being lowered down a cliff and then it turned out to be Jennifer Aniston’s dog. Hutch refused to do interviews until now. (He said he wasn’t a hero, just doing his job.) But he agreed to do it if Cole’s company films it. But Cole doesn’t want to go, it turns out he and Hutch don’t get along - they are brothers and Cole is holding a grudge about something in their past! He says Hutch is perfect, always serious and never has fun - just works out, drinks water, eats healthy and rescues people and hasn’t dated anyone in a year because he hates love!

Katie thinks she might hate love too! She found love exhausting and disappointing and she’s only twenty-six! She was jilted a year ago by her fiancé, Lucas, who is now a famous musician. Lucas became TikTok famous overnight and he went on tour. But Katie didn’t want to leave her job to be a roadie so she stayed behind. When she went to an award show with him, the internet attacked her for looking frumpy. So, she started a new diet and lost weight but she was cranky and hungry for a year. She and Lucas split up when she found out he cheated on her and she decided to scrap the diet and begin a journey of self-love and body positivity. Her overcoming her body issues are a big part of the story and my heart went out to her.

Cole arranges for Katie to stay with his Aunt Rue in Key West and Rue and her Gals add a lot of laughs to the story. She offers to find someone to teach Katie swim lessons and of course it turns out to be Hutch, who also brings along his big, loveable dog.

My main quibble with the story was the big miscommunication that kept them apart for a little too long. But I loved watching Katie and Hutch’s escapades together. We see them share a few hot kisses but this is a closed-door romance.

I loved all of the kindness and joy we see in this story with Katie, Hutch and their found family. I was inspired by Katie’s journey of overcoming body image issues and I think readers that enjoy this theme along with a romance in a beautiful beach town will find joy in The Love Haters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Katherine Center's books usually, but unfortunately it did not live up to her previous works. Do not get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book as I did enjoy the chemistry between the two main characters even though it was a little odd and off at times, but there was one big thing about the book that threw me off, Katie's insecurities.

I know that there is a good message that Katherine had behind Katie's body dysmorphia, Hutch's grief and that it is not so easy to just try to heal from and learn how to love and forgive yourself before you become involved with someone else on an intimate level. However, the overall tone of the story kind of detracted from it and did not seem to really enhance the importance of these topics.

The side characters were interesting throughout the book, especially Rue, who took over as a mother figure for both Hutch and Cole. Cole on the other hand just lacked depth and was more frustrating than anything, which I understand he's not supposed to be a likable character and jealous of his brother, I just wish there was a little more to him.

These are nit-picky thoughts, I know, but please still give the book a try as I still ultimately enjoyed it, but I just found it a little underwhelming from her previous work.

I just loved reading this book so much! I never wanted to put it down and it was definitely the right book at the right time for me. The Love Haters is Katherine Center’s newest release which follows Katie, who is working through a public breakup and trying to keep her job as her company is downsizing.

I love KC’s books because of the way she is able to cover deeper topics which characters who have their struggles, while also keeping things more on the lighthearted side and humourous. In this one Katie is struggling with body image and loving herself and in general, she just felt relatable in many ways. Other themes of loss, grief and friendship were sprinkled throughout the book. Katie and Hutch were great main characters, but I also loved the side characters as well — including George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane, Rue and The Gals. If I’m being picky, I think I maybe wanted a little more romance, particularly at the end it would have been nice to see a bit more Hutch and Katie.

Overall, I loved this one and rated it 4.5 to 5 stars! If you are looking for a forced proximity, workplace romance that has lots of depth and lots of humour, check out The Love Haters (out May 20!).

Another amazing Katherine Center book! I thought this story was so much fun. Katie and Hutch are both loveable characters and I loved their chemistry. It was especially exciting to know that the author did thorough research and went on a few adventures herself. The story was very realistic and romantic. I can’t wait to see what Katherine Center writes next!

I'm a big fan of Katherine Center books so I was excited to get the ARC of this! While I enjoyed this, it wasn't my favorite of her books. Katie Vaughn is a mid-level employee working at a video production company in Texas. Her boss is doing major layoffs, and the only way for Katie to save her career is to fly down to Key West to produce a promo video for the Coast Guard, featuring an officer named Hutch - who happens to be the brother of Katie's supervisor, Cole - who became internet famous when he saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. Cole describes Hutch as a private man and a "love hater", who very reluctantly agreed to be the subject of this video. Katie, who was burned by her ex-fiance (a famous singer), now suffers severe body images issues after being dragged by the press in the midst of their breakup, also considers herself a "love hater". She agrees to take on the job of filming this video, and hopes she can break through Hutch's hard exterior while simultaneously falling back in love with herself. This was funny and charming, but there were several heavier themes throughout that seemed a little out of place. It covers several relationships: Katie and her body, the romantic one between Katie and Hutch, and the family issues between Hutch and Cole. I loved the side characters of Rue (Hutch and Cole's aunt) and Beanie (Katie's cousin), and I loved the way we got to watch Katie blossom and find her confidence again. This is a fun read that should definitely go on your summer reading list!

Katie's boss is determined to clean house in order to "optimize profit", which means her job is on the line. The best way to keep it? Take her coworker Cole's place making a promotional video for the Coast Guard, starring a man known around the country as the mysterious "Dog Daddy". The only problems? Katie cannot swim, and it's a requirement for the job. Oh, and "Dog Daddy" happens to be Cole's brother Hutch, who is pissed Katie is there instead. Now Katie must conquer her fears to save her job, while figuring out why Cole called Hutch a "love hater."

Katherine Center, you never fail to amaze me with what you come up with. I absolutely <i>loved</i> Katie and Hutch's chemistry. I am a sucker for Grumpy/Sunshine and adding in "my dog never acts this way towards anyone but me"... I'm absolutely hooked. Devoured this in one sitting!
There definitely should be a trigger warning about eating disorders/body image issues, because it 100% smacks you in the face. However, I think the book does a decent job showing a journey back to self love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. Projected publishing date: May 20th, 2025

I have read 4 other Katherine Center books and absolutely loved them, but this one was a bit of a flop for me. I felt like it was very insta lovey and I didn't really feel like we got to actually see the connection between Katie and Hutch grow. I know she was following him everyday, but we didn't get much of a glimpse into that actually happening. I loved that Katie finally starting accepting herself, but it felt like that was also a bit rushed. And the ending... not even believable. Still a cute read, but not my favorite.

How i live Catherine Center. Meet your new book boyfriend. He is known for saving Jennerifer Aniston's dog from death, and saves people's lives daily. He is cranky and hates love. The female main character is relatable in so many ways and is on a journey to begin loving herself more. A funny meet cute a certain love. The only thing that I really disliked was the brother lieing to everyone and throwing a wrench in all the plans. That was annoying.

Every spring, I anxiously await to begin the new Katherine Center book. In this story, Katie works in videography, and is sent to Key West to film a story on military rescue swimmer Hutch.

Katie and Hutch were a great example of opposites attract and some grumpy sunshine vibes. Katie was quirky and hilarious, though she was suffering from extremely low self esteem, but she actively worked on it throughout the story. In addition to Katie and Hutch working together and developing a bond and chemistry, the supporting cast was fun and layered as well. I also loved the Key West setting as I grew up going there and I felt like I was back in my favorite place 🥰 the ending was a bit off the rails for me, but it all came together the way I wanted.

This is the first time Ive listened to a KC, and I didn’t love the narrator, but I couldn’t stop listening regardless.

I'm so sad that this one didn't hit in the right places for me. It seems that every other Katherine Center book ends up being either something I love or something that's not right for me (how's that for sparing the harsh criticism?). Unfortunately, this was one of those misses. Our main characters are too uneven in their opinions of themselves and it comes across as if our girl is so insecure and out guy is overly confident. I just don't really enjoy these types of imbalanced perceptions that the reader has to slog through pages and pages of her insecurities being thrust upon us so that we will champion her evolution. In my opinion, I don't need her to be overly confident but give her a measure of some self-confidence so the reader doesn't feel like she's pathetic.
Okay..... that's really all I can say about this book. I especially disliked Cole (Hutch's brother) who is a weasel and makes up horrible situations for Katie to have to figure herself out of. Just dumb and a plot point that I rolled my eyes repeatedly over. NOPE. Couldn't get through it and chalk this one up to not this time KC.