Rating: 3.75/5

Imagine you are working towards your dream job, when you are told that the company you work for is about to layoff half of their employees. What would you be willing to do to try to keep your job and your dream alive? That is the question posed to our protagonist, Katie. In Katie’s case, she’d be willing to lie about her ability to swim, so that she can film a profile of a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer, Hutch, and hopefully keep her job. One lie is the beginning of a slippery slope and our protagonist eventually finds herself navigating a web of lies of her own making and of others.

I will read everything that Katherine Center writes. I absolutely love her characters and the emotional journeys she crafts for them. I have read several of her published novels and I am constantly recommending her. “The Romcommers” was my go to gift for friends and family that read last year. My excitement and expectations for “The Love Haters” was so high, which is why I was disappointed that I did not enjoy it as much as previous books. I wish we got to see more of their relationship development and I also wish we got to see more of Katie’s own emotional/mental journey.

Overall, if you want an adorable enemies to lovers with a wide variety of dynamic characters and a lovable rescue Great Dane set in the gorgeous Key West. Then you should definitely give this book a chance, Center is incapable of writing a bad romance and I cannot wait to grab a physical copy of this and reread it on release day!


Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC and the chance to read and review this book early!

Goodreads review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7104496169

StoryGraph Review Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/435af5ff-7daf-4192-8724-4630213c98c9

I always know when I read a Katherine Center book I’m going to not only enjoy it, but carve out little pockets of time in my day to read. This is another hit. It’s got lovable and quirky characters, a plot that moves along nicely, and some drama, but not so much that you question the HEA. After all, it is a KC romance! She writes so the reader has something to enjoy; an escape. This accomplishes that in spades!

I need to preface my review with a bunch of words dedicated to the amazingness that is Katherine Center. I adore Katherine Center as much as much as you can adore a person you do not personally know or hang out with. Her books have been such a warm, beautiful place for me to get lost in. One of the great things about Katherine Center as a writer and as a human is how her love stories are not just love stories: they are stories embedded with profound lessons, lessons that not only transform her characters and give them a chance to experience insights that directly parallel with their own personal growth, but that also give us, her readers, a chance for the same thing. The depth of her narratives inspires personal reflection and growth, making her work resonate on a deeply meaningful level. I have read every single book she has ever published, and I have learned something about myself through all of them. Katherine Center will always be an auto-buy author for me. I will always pre-order her ebooks, hardcovers, audiobooks, etc. If this lady retires in my lifetime, I will be HEARTBROKEN. I am a lifelong fan and a forever supporter.

This is a great book. It really is. It is not, however, my favorite Katherine Center book. AGAIN, this does not mean it is not a great book. Emily Henry is a huge name out there. Funny Story was a GREAT book that she released last year, but it was not my favorite Emily Henry book. This is the same thing. These authors write huge, beautiful, life affirming, amazing love stories that I LOVE, but their newest are not always my favorite from everything they’ve written. My favorite for Katherine Center is still The Bodyguard, and my second favorite is still The Rom-Commers. (Putting The Rom-Commers in second place is probably incredibly unfair - it is SOCLOSE to being tied with The Bodyguard.)

I do not know many people out there who will find it difficult to identify with Katie. She is very insecure about her body, an insecurity that is flared when her boyfriend/fiance becomes famous and the internet starts tearing her apart. There is a perfect line Katherine Center writes to highlight Katie’s acceptance of this huge insecurity: “I really was fine now. Most of the time. As long as I could keep my clothes on.” LOL Samesies, Katie. Samesies. Katie is as quirky and hilarious as I know all of Katherine Center’s female characters to be. There were some moments that felt like they were overly quirky, if that makes sense. I still liked her very much. I won’t delve into the synopsis. I assume most people who read reviews already know what the book is about - they’re just gauging whether the book is worth their time. (This one is.) I will instead delve into the things I loved and didn’t love. (The didn’t love list is very, very short.)

*****I do not feel like what I share below are spoilers, but if you do not want to know any revealing details at all about the book, then please stop here.*****

Things I loved:

Hutch: Katherine Center has this amazing way of making all of her leading men sound incredibly handsome and dreamy. They have these elements of kindness that lean even more into their dreaminess. And I have to say: Hutch may have the DREAMIEST occupation that any of her leading men has had. He rescues people for a living, and accomplishes this by JUMPING out of helicopters! I know these moments can mean life and death and you must be INCREDIBLY well-trained to do this kind of job, so forgive me if I sound a bit airheaded when I say this….even knowing all of that….that job sounds sexy as hell. Hutch was a very quiet kind of dreamy. He wasn’t hilarious, but it was inferred heavily throughout the book that he preferred to keep to himself and limit conversation, so when he was open and conversational with Katie, it immediately made him feel like he was filled with more light just because Katie was around.

Rue: Rue is Cole and Hutch’s aunt. She is also the person Cole has connected Katie with to set up her housing while she is completing her documentary assignment on Hutch. I honestly can’t remember the backstory with Katie’s mother. She either died when she was young or bounced. But Katie did have a stepmother - one who helped give birth to her body image issues. The presence of Rue is in stark contrast of the women Katie grew up with, which I loved. It doesn’t matter how old we get - a person who enters our lives who can fill a gap that we have been missing from either childhood or adulthood is never unwanted or unneeded. I love that Rue fills a place for Katie that she needs. She has Beanie, a best friend who wants Katie to love and appreciate herself in the best way, but it’s different from the kind of figure that Rue can play for Katie.

Faux love triangle: I LOVE when a third person enters the picture and spurs moments of jealousy. I do not want to say too much because I do not want to unintentionally give any spoilers, but Hutch’s jealousy made me smile SO HARD. I loved how protective he was of Katie.

George Bailey: George Bailey is Hutch’s Great Dane. This dog loves to lovingly tackle Katie every time he sees her. I LOOOOVED how he knew that Katie and Hutch were each other’s meant to be before either of them knew.

The Gals: What a fun bunch of people! This group of women provided the perfect backdrop to Katie and Hutch's developing love story. Their presence added a rich layer of warmth, wisdom, and humor, creating a charming and poignant contrast to the couple’s blossoming romance. These women not only enriched the narrative but also served as a beautiful reminder of enduring love, support, and the lessons that come with age and experience. Especially when Sullivan, a woman VERY interested in Hutch, shows up, and they played interference on Katie’s behalf.

The hijinks! - Cole, Katie’s superior and Hutch’s brother, shows up and creates some hurdles for Katie and Hutch. I thought the reasoning for why Katie unwillingly goes along with Cole’s hijinks made sense, and it was an incredibly well thought out loop to throw out to keep her and Hutch apart….just for a little bit, anyway. :)

The hurricane: I grew up along the Gulf of Mexico (not the Gulf of America, for Pete’s sake). Hurricanes were a norm that I HATED. We had to board up our home and evacuate multiple times. We were always lucky, though; the hurricanes always veered off in another direction away from Corpus Christi. So I actually felt real fear for Katie when she found herself stuck in the middle of one. And the reason why she ended up stuck in the middle of a hurricane made me LOVE her. This was the moment when I became intensely loyal to this character.

The rescue: Just trust me on this. From the moment I realized she was going to need to be rescued, I knew the rescue was going to be such a HUGE moment in this book.

Things I loved less:

Luke - Katie’s famous cheating ex-fiance begins to publicly regret losing her. As in he writes a song literally titled, “Katie”. I really thought he was going to enter the story at some point. He not only never did, but there also wasn’t any attempt on his part to reach out to Katie. It seemed weird that he was so publicly depressed about losing her but didn’t even try to get her back, or at the very least, reach out to her to apologize for how their engagement ended.

The rescue: I KNOW. It was on my “loved” list. I desperately wanted this rescue to happen, so just the fact that it exists, makes me love it. But it was a bit underwhelming. I know that Hutch has to remain calm in his job, and he has immense experience with that, but I was hoping for something a bit bigger from him once the rescue part was complete, once he could let his professional guard down. He had to have been hectic with worry and alarm, but just stating this fact as simply as he did didn’t feel like enough for some reason.

That’s literally it. Those were the two and only things I didn’t love or that felt like a loose end that needed some tying.

The book is really great. The only reason it was not a 5 star read like the bulk of her other books is because I didn’t laugh or swoon as much as I did with those books so it didn’t yank at me in the same way.

If you read a Katherine Center novel, know that you will laugh, you will swoon, you will connect with yourself in the most positive of ways, and you will walk away a better version than you were before you started it. And I mean that wholeheartedly.

Such a fun and charming contemporary romance, with a strong beach read vibe! Katie, a videographer, travels to Key West to film a special project featuring Hutch, a hero in the Coast Guard. The only catch is his brother was supposed to be the one assigned to the job, and Hutch isn’t overly enthusiastic about the change. She spends time getting to know him better and building a relationship. Hutch’s “Aunt” Rue and her group of friends, The Gals add to the fun of the story! Katherine Center is a wonderful writer and introduces some beautiful themes of loving yourself as you are, overcoming fear, and learning to love again.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this entertaining, (mostly) warm-hearted story about video producer Katie Vaughan who travels to Key West to film a promotional video for the US Coast Guard, and ends up falling in love, not just with Hutch, the rescue swimmer she’s filming, but also with his aunt Rue, the lifestyle of Key West and most importantly, herself and her body. .

Katie works in Dallas at a mid-sized video company and is a last-minute substitute to handle the US Coast Guard project after her colleague/superior Cole Hutcheson decides he doesn’t want the project because of his longstanding issues with his brother, Tom aka Hutch, who is the subject. Despite the fact that Katie can’t swim and the assignment requires her to go on rescue missions on a helicopter over the ocean, she decides to accept it in the hopes that will help her retain her job as layoffs are rumored to be coming soon at her company.

Katie has had a love/hate relationship with her body that worsened after her ex-fiancée dumped her once he became a successful singer/songwriter. In response, she works hard to blend into the background, wearing only black clothing. Hutch is reluctant to be in the spotlight but agrees to be filmed since the video is to help USCG recruitment, and because he believes it will provide a chance for him to work with his brother. When Katie shows up instead of Cole, Hutch is not happy.

There's plenty of humor in the story as Katie learns to swim and to get comfortable with reintroducing color into her life—literally and figuratively. The set-up also provides interesting insight into the US Coast Guard, its rescue swimmers and what happens in a hurricane.

There were two aspects of the story that bothered me and seemed unusual for a Katherine Center story:
-- The body positivity message felt a bit “preachy” at times. Although there’s always a deeper message in Center’s books, it’s usually woven more subtly into the story.
-- The characterization of Karen Sullivan, Katie’s recently divorced boss, felt a somewhat harsh and atypically played into outdated stereotypes of women bosses misusing their professional positions to take out their anger at their ex.

The rest of the characters are fully developed, the pacing is lively, and the primary story about Katie and Hutch is lovely, as usual, in a KC book. The Love Haters is a great way to get away to Key West!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC!

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!
***Note: I include a few content warnings for this book at the end of my review. Skip these if you do not want potential spoilers***

This is my first Katherine Center read, and I really enjoyed this story. This is a sweet, closed-door romance that touches on some very difficult themes in a sensitive way. This book publishes on May 20, 2025, and definitely gives summer vibes, but it turned out to be an excellent new year read for me.
The story focuses on FMC Katie and MMC Hutch, whose past struggles and trauma continue to affect their lives. Both characters are likeable and had decent chemistry. The story kept me super engaged from the beginning. The message about being kind to yourself is one that I don’t mind reading over and over. For me, it is always a useful reminder. Plus, the friendships highlighted in the book between Katie and her cousin and “The Gals” were lovely.

The story got a bit silly for me around the 2/3 mark but then got back on track by the end. I will definitely read more books by this Katherine Center!

***Content warnings for this book: eating disorder, body dysmorphia, death of parent (past), death of partner (past), threats of drowning.***

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Katherine Center’s books feel like your softest robe and comfiest house shoes. You slip into this zone of anticipation, warmth and desire for happiness while following relatable characters in fun, exciting settings.

To manage readers expectations, I would compare The Love Haters to Happiness for Beginners in that the heroine’s storyline is more centered around personal growth and self-love. Romance is more of a sub-plot in this book compared to Center’s previous novels. Don’t get me wrong, there is a very handsome, fit man in most scenes to maintain the butterfly flutter in the reader’s chest, but this is definitely Katie Vaughn’s journey to finding and loving herself.

From the outset, Katie learns from her work colleague, Cole Hutcheson, that her job in video production is on the chopping block if she doesn’t step up her filming game. So when he asks her if she would like to spend a few weeks in Key West filming a video about a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer, her answer is of course, yes. Doesn’t matter that she can’t swim, or that she hasn’t worn a bathing suit in who knows how long, or that she knows nothing about the US Coast Guard. The answer is yes.

Besides working out, eating healthy and rescuing people from the ocean, Cole warns Katie that the rescue swimmer is serious all the time and never talks. He hasn’t dated in over a year and pretty much hates love. Oh and the rescue swimmer is his brother—Hutch.

Like Hutch, Katie also hasn’t dated in over a year. Not since she was jilted by Lucas, her fiancé and singer on the brink of stardom. Once Lucas got his breakthrough and Katie joined him for red carpet events, the internet began its critique of Katie. Needless to say, it wasn’t a glowing and uplifting review. Add photos of Lucas with his arms draped over another woman and it's no surprise Katie’s love meter is also running on low. But she wouldn’t classify herself as a love hater. Would she? Maybe someone who is in love recovery? Her struggles are very relatable, because who hasn’t been hurt by an ex? Who hasn’t experienced a negative/impactful encounter on social media? What female hasn’t had doubts and insecurities related to their body?

Once in Key West, Katie meets Aunt Rue, her friends dubbed The Gals, Hutch and his Great Dane rescue dog, George Bailey. The secondary characters really shine in this tale. Paradise proves messier than expected when Katie gets trapped in a lie. Or two. But between a beautiful setting, swim lessons, conga lines, drinking contests, helicopter flights and a hurricane, Key West does not disappoint in the excitement department.

The best part about reading a Katherine Center book is you know the focus is going to revolve around how to be happy and how to be grateful. We all experience personal struggles. That’s life. But overcoming adversity, even brought on by ourselves, is how we grow and continue to smile. The Love Haters is another charming Katherine Center adventure you don’t want to miss.

The Love Haters by @katherinecenter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Mark your calendars for May 20th because @stmartinspress is publishing this fun romcom, and you're going to want to get this book!

👙This is an immersive read. You will be poolside with The Gals, you will feel the humiliation and pain that Katie feels as she gets pummeled by George, you will be in the pool during the lessons and you'll feel hopelessness on the boat. Swipe for synopsis—>

🐕What I loved:

👫Characters:
The characters are very multi dimensional. I absolutely loved the amiable, sanguine Rue. She brought life and color to the other characters. And who would not love Hutch with all his muscles and benevolent nature? I really felt for chromogenic Katie and her self-loathing. The supporting characters, Beanie, George Bailey, and The Gals were excellent and equally important to the storyline. Everyone needs these supporting characters in their lives. 

🌴Setting: FloridaKeys

🚁Plot:
Fast-paced. I read this in one day and did not want to put it down. I was invested in the characters. I wanted to see what would happen with Katie and Hutch, and I have a much larger appreciation for the Coast Guard and the rescue swimmers after reading this book. This book has romance, humor, action, and underlying important themes. 

😍Troupe:
Enemies to Lovers: this is a one character troupe with Katie (and really Cole as well) learning to love themselves.

Close Proximity: but not in a cheesy, “there is only one, extremely small room left in the hotel and there are no other options in the whole world… not even sleeping in the hallway” kind of story. The close proximity of this story actually seems natural and legit. 

🪞Theme: Life is short. Love yourself. I know there are a lot of people out there who are unhappy with the way they look. Why are we so unkind to ourselves? We should treat ourselves like we are our own best friend.

Maybe it was the sunny setting and poolside reading, but this book made me so happy. Katherine Center doing what she does best - feel-good romance that also dives deeper (pun intended for this book) into more serious issues. In The Love Haters, Katie, a videographer sent to Key West to create a feature on Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Hutch, struggles with her body image while trying to hang onto her career.

I picked up and put down a few books, not knowing what I was in the mood for, but once I started reading The Love Haters, I was hooked. Exactly what I needed - a heartwarming romance that had more "meat" than a fluffy read. With colorful side characters - who wouldn't want to spent time with Katie, Aunt Rue, Hutch, and "the gals".

Put on your most colorful outfit, slip a flower into your hair, and enjoy the joy of a Katherine Center book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy of The Love Haters.

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martins press for a digital ARC of this book. Love Haters is an adventurous Rom-Com, that also touches on some interesting family dynamics, childhood trauma, as well as touching on the realness and vulnerability regarding body image and self confidence themes. Lots going on.
I am and will always be a fan of KC, but I feel more drawn to the authentic integrity of her earlier books.

Katherine Center, literally does it again! I have loved Katherine's previous books and this one I think is just as good, just a bit of different than her previous books! Set in Key West, Katie, the struggling MC takes on a new task for work to be able to keep her job as a videographer. Facing her fears, dealing with her own history, childhood trauma, and her self-discovery was wonderful. Intertwine Hutch and his chemistry, the importance of the Coast Guard, his own difficult past with grief all while intertwining chemistry between the two. The relationship between Katie and Hutch did feel authentic, intimate, and real. Intertwine drama and invested emotions and you're halfway there.

I also loved the support characters, George Bailey, I couldn't leave out sweet frog-loving George Bailey. Rue was wonderful as an auntie and spoiling Katie. Beanie is a frien that we all hope to have in our own lives and I am happy that Katie had her.

I really thought that this one is another great romance if you're looking for a quick paced read, unpacking hard heart issues, mindless entertainment, and investment with characters in a lighthearted manner, I believe that this will be for you.

All in all the message KC created was clear. The support to face your fears, do the hard things you're afraid of, love yourself and notice what matters. "Breathing, feeling the sun on our skin, breathe deep in the wind, we are here to feel it. To love and cry and love some more. We're here to rescue ourselves, and everyone else in every way that we can."

Thank you Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the advanced copy of "The Love Haters". I really enjoyed it and am excited to hear what others think of it come May 20, 2025!

Can there be a study done about how Katherine Center perfectly and seamlessly write a hilariously fun rom-com with such depth, in just over 300 pages? The Love Haters takes us on a journey of self-love, complicated familial relationships, and healing. Set to release in May 2025, it’ll be a perfect summer read.

Please note that this book does contain discussions about body image and disordered eating.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of The Love Haters in exchange for my honest review.

This is just the love story that I needed in my life! I figured it would be amazing, because every book that I have read of Katherine Center’s has been, but it surpassed my expectations! The love story between the two very unlikely main characters is sweet and romantic. I also really loved the found family aspect of the story and the way then main female character finds herself and a family when she goes to Key West for a work assignment. Center did her research because I learned a lot about Coast Guard and water rescue while reading the book, which was pretty neat to learn too. Read this and you won’t regret it. I only regret that it had to end and I am left pining for the next Katherine Center book!

Katie is a videographer in Dallas who has taken an assignment in hopes of saving her job. The trouble is, she has to follow around the unbelievably good-looking and good-natured Hutch, remain professional, and swim. She doesn’t even know how to swim. Once in Key West, Katie finds herself knee-deep in the lives of Hutch and his family and an adorable retiree crowd, while battling her own personal demons. Can a rescue swimmer can save her from herself?

Am I biased because I love her writing so much or is she just really good at her job? I think I say this every time, but Katherine Center can do no wrong. We are all here for the banter, right? And she delivers - witty, self-deprecating humor, dynamic evolutions of relationships for all the characters, insane situations that people find themselves in because they love to get in their own way, and humor. Lots of smirks and smiles and sweet times. I believe the stand-out crew in this novel may be The Gals (including Rue) because they just remind me of the Golden Girls sitting in the background, or perhaps those two muppets who comment on everything from the balcony. They’re adorable. The two main characters Katie and Hutch are perfect - she is struggling with her own mental hangups and he is grief-stricken and hot - and as soon as I saw they were end goal I was all for the slow burn evolution between these two. Although this is not my favorite novel by Center, it is still beautiful, moving, and insanely well-written, I read it in one day, and now I feel like I could teach a master class on rescue swimming and the Coast Guard. I will be recommending this to everyone I know (along with all her other novels). Thanks for doing your thing, K.C., and continuing to give us stand-out stories that make us feel good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

She does it again! Thank you for the ARC of The Love Haters! Katherine could write anything and I will want to devour it as quickly as possible! I read this whole book in a day! I love the way Katherine can write banter and characters that make me laugh while also tackling heavy topics like body image and grief. Many scenes had me laughing out loud, and some scenes had me actively crying. I enjoyed the inside look at the USCG and what they do. Who doesn’t love a hero in uniform? I want my life filled with Rues and Hutch and a never-ending friendship with Beanie. I would also really love to grow up to have a community of friends who got together and cooked dinner every night, took swim lessons, and went on road trips to escape hurricanes. The Coles of the world are not welcome and even with his moment reconciling with Hutch, he himself had no redeeming qualities and just made everything worse. I already have 2 very large dogs of my own, but I would happily take a George Bailey too. I also love the little moments between the characters. Rue buying Katie clothes to bring color and joy into her life. Hutch stealing the hibiscus. Hutch only wanting 1965 pennies and Katie saving them all in the end. George Bailey feeling safe with both Hutch and Katie during a storm. The women distancing Sully from messing with Katie and Cole and Hutch. I loved it all, I wanted to be part of it in real life. All the stars! Thank you again for the ARC of The Love Haters!

Katherine Center's books are always so wholesome!

The romance was cute, but I loved the body positivity message. Katie learning to love and appreciate herself was so sweet ❤️

Though her ex-boyfriend being a celebrity felt like a hilariously unnecessary detail, but it added to the charm of the story. And it did make Katie's body image issues more obvious, even if it wasn't necessarily relatable.

✨𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎✨
The Love Haters by @katherinecenter
COMING MAY 20, 2025 @stmartinspress
⭐️4/5

I was so excited to see The Love Haters was available on NetGalley, I ignored my never ending TBR list and jumped into this one right away 🎉

The Love Haters follows Katie, a film maker with a negative relationship with her body and self image and a fear of bathing suits and water, and Hutch, a rescuer with the coast guard with a heart of gold and his own emotional backstory.
It has laugh out loud moments plus many heartfelt scenes set in the beautiful Florida Keys and a cast of amazing side characters (especially Great Dane, George Bailey). It is a beautiful story of self love, friendship and found family. 🌺

Mark your calendars for May 20th and add this to your TBR, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to @katherinecenter and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this lovely story in exchange for an honest review.

One thing I can always count on when inhaling Katherine Center’s stories is that I will be so immersed in the characters that she creates that time will fly by, the ending coming sooner than I wanted. Living in Los Angeles, I need a distraction and this story hit the spot. It was fast paced with characters that I fell in love with (The Gals!), a will they won’t they love story between Katie and Hutch, but more importantly, I got caught up in their individual lives, feeling like I had a front row seat into their feelings. I sympathized with Katie. As a woman, how could you not relate, and I started creating my own list. This story held so much more than two “love haters”. It was about acceptance and self love and dealing with traumas head on in a healthy way. I loved it.

The list of contemporary romance authors I will not hesitate to pick up new releases for is very short, and Katherine Center is one of the authors on that list. However, I'm a little relieved that for this one, I ended up with an ARC rather than pre-ordering a copy. I liked The Love Haters just fine. I was charmed by the whole Florida Keys crew - The Gals, Rue, Hutch, and George Bailey. However, the intense attraction at first sight combined with an overly condensed time period leading up to the halfway mark of the book made the romance feel very underdeveloped.

Katherine Center doesn't shy away from bringing her characters together through bizarre circumstances, but The Love Haters didn't pull it off as well (except for the hurricane; that is the sort of outlandish thing I love!). Cole was too unlikeable, his reasoning too half-baked to believe Katie would really go along with it. The storyline about Lucas regretting his choices felt even less thought out and borderline unnecessary. The real relatability for the purpose of that line is present enough in the self-consciousness that Katie's stepmother put into her. This book does a fantastic job reminding the reader through Katie's journey that it's so important that we treat ourselves with care and love. That being said, it presents body issues through a lens I find toxic. Once you get to that point where you can accept and appreciate your body, you're still allowed to want to change things about the way you look. Starvation and self-loathing is a miserable and unsustainable path to weight loss. That doesn't mean that good ways to get there don't exist, and I had hoped that with Hutch's very physically demanding job, a more nuanced look at health might have taken place.

All that being said, this book was still very fun to read. I laughed out loud multiple times, I got teary-eyed over Katie's emotional trials more than once, and I was very much rooting for a happy ending for her, Hutch, and George Bailey. I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who just wants a quick, easy romance and needs a little encouragement to start appreciating themselves a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

When I saw that The Lover Haters by Katherine Center was available as an ARC I jumped on the chance to read it! I am a fan of her writing as she makes you feel like the characters are part of your life. Katie was struggling with self-doubt which you learn about pretty quickly and she learns that has to take a job assignment to keep her job which involves being around water and she cannot swim. Hutch is a rescue swimmer for the USCG and Katie is work with him to create a promo video, with his help he teaches her to swim and helps build her confidence. The characters make this story fun, have "heart and soul."

Thank you Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of The Lovers Haters.