Thank you to NetGallery for the opportunity to have early access to this Arc and the ability to write an honest review.

Now, let’s get into it. Overall, this was a cute read with some relatable themes such as body dysmorphia, family trauma, and the bonds of friendship.

While the book was an easy read, it wasn’t up to the same level of charm and heart I am used to reading from Katherine Center. It just felt like it was missing…something. The introduction and exposition felt a bit rushed and the main character, Katie, just unleashed all of her inner self before I even got started in the book. Maybe it was on purpose, but because of that, the quality of writing didn’t feel as on brand or elevated as previous Center novels. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, but it just didn’t feel or read the same as other Katherine Center books. It felt like a completely different author.

Besides that, I thought Katie and Hutch were adorable, despite the miscommunication trope. And George Bailey, forever one of my favorite canine characters to ever grace the literary world. And they Gals, what a tribe of women I hope one day to become!

A couple notes for the publisher, you may want your editor to go through the book one more time before publishing as I found some grammatical errors such as lack of commas, extra spaces, and typos.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! The writing style made it feel like I was in the story. The character growth is SO good! All the characters had a distinct personality and had depth. “The gals” cracked me up the entire time and are actually life goals! I think the heavier topics in this book were handled really well and was written to empower readers that could also be struggling with the same things. The plot was super interesting the entire time and had some fun plot twists that had me gasping! The only thing that i didn’t love was it did feel insta lovey. I thought by the title and first couple chapters that this was gonna be a slow burn but i still think it was a cute love story. This is the perfect beachy summer read!

‼️be aware before reading that the FMC is struggling with body image and an ED‼️

Katie, down on her luck, who agrees to take on a video project at her coworker’s request and Hutch, US Coast Guard member, subject of the video and brother of the coworker have chemistry right from their embarrassing meet cute. Entertaining side characters, with the exception of Katie’s coworker/Hutch’s brother who is quite cringy, help Katie grow to accept her body and love herself through the story. Overall, an enjoyable read with a happy ending.

Cute rom-com! Hutch was definitely written by a woman as he’s basically perfect.

I love Katie’s journey and all the growth she makes throughout the book. The writing really made me reflect on my own life and put perspective on some things. Katie’s character was quite relatable in almost all aspects. I strive to be one of “the gals” one day, what a fun way to retire!

Thank you Net Galley and Katherine Center for the ARC!

AMAZING! I will never regret reading a Katherine Cebter book. This one is a perfect summer romcom. I can’t wait to meet her in San Antonio soon! Full review to be posted on goodreads soon. Thank you, NetGalley.

I will read whatever KC writes!! This book was fabulous and everyone should add it to their summer tbr

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.

Katherine Center is quickly becoming by go to for rom coms.
This was funny and inspiring with a little self discovery along the way.

Katie would do anything to save her job as a videographer, including filming a video on coast guard rescue swimmers, without knowing how to swim.
Hutch is a reluctant hero and seemingly perfect.

The more time they spend together, the more a flirtatious friendship arises.
That is until Hutch's brother, and Katie's 'boss', comes to town.

While I didn't love the miscommunication/misunderstanding and the focus (almost to the point of distraction) on Katie's body issues, I enjoyed the writing, the banter, and the story was fast paced and easy to read.

I would have liked to have seen more of their actual relationship develop- I definitely felt the lust and longing, but was not totally sold on the love part of this. I felt like something was missing to add to story relationship part of this story. This story wasn't so much a traditional romance, as it was a book about self-acceptance and being kinder to ourselves.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. I especially loved the dog, George Bailey, and his heroic journey.

There is a reason I love Katherine Center’s books. She always manages to get me to laugh out loud. And that was certainly true with her latest book, The Love Haters. (‘I don’t have time to debate, anyway,’ I said. ‘I’m late to go drown in a helicopter-crash simulation.’) Besides the humor, her characters are always complex and lovable. And Katie and Hutch are nothing if not lovable.

Katie has issues. Body images issues thanks to her stepmother, relationship/trust issues thanks to her ex-fiance, and job security issues thanks her company’s director deciding to go on a firing spree. Which may have contributed to her lying to boss in order to get an assignment about the Coast Guard. What did she lie about? Oh, nothing special, just the fact that she can’t swim…and yet in order to cover the assignment she’ll be having to swim, even survive a simulated helicopter crash in the water. Oh and the man she is supposed to be cover just happens to be her boss’s brother, Hutch. She’s informed that Hutch is a love hater and that his favorite hobby is frowning. Of course Hutch is nothing like she expected, and not only is a complex and caring man, he has a lovable Great Dane who instantly takes a overly friendly liking to Kate. But in order to keep her job, she’ll need to find a way not only to learn to swim but also get Hutch to agree to do a personal ‘day in the life’ documentary for her.

As I said, I liked our leading characters quite a bit, but not only did I like them but the entire supporting cast. The pool ladies were a hoot. (Did I really just use the word woot?) The story is fun, filled with plenty of humor, not to mention a fair amount of heart. While The Rom-Commers remains my favorite of Center’s books, I still enjoyed the heck out of this one. Not only did I have the pleasure of reading an eARC of the book at the start of the year. I also got a chance to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version, and Patti Murin does a spectacular job with the narration. And I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. 4.5 stars (rounding up to 5) Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the eARC and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to listen the audio version as well.

3.5, very cute romcom about a videographer who had a complicated relationship with her body and goes to Florida to film a video on coast guard rescue swimmers in hopes to save her job. A romcom equally about falling in love with someone else, and learning to love yourself at the same time. I had a fun time reading this, and read it in about two sittings. Not my favorite book by this author, but it’s a cute beach read with some likable (and extremely dislikable, iykyk) characters.

Thanks NetGalley, St Martin Press, and Katherine Center for an eArc in exchange for my honest review!

unfortunately not one of my favorites from katherine center— as many other reviews say, a LOT of the book was spent on katie’s insecurities. which is valid. i think that the author was trying to discuss societal pressures on women but it just ended up not working.
aside from that, i’m a sucker for a love story! it’s cute and i like center’s writing!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)

Quick Notes:
*Videographer
*Coast Guard
*Body Image Issues
*Past Trauma
*Women's Fiction
*George Bailey

My Thoughts:
This book feels like a bit of a conundrum. I binged the majority of it in one day, but I almost felt like I should have hated it. I'm sure that doesn't make sense, so let's just get into it. Hutch is perfect. Like, the nicest person ever and a perfect specimen physically. Katie, our FMC, has been through some stuff. I mean, I felt bad for her, but I could see how she might rub people the wrong way. I cringed real hard in the second half of the book when she was sucked into a really bad situation by Cole, Hutch's brother. But, at the same time, I sort of understood Katie's decisions. I felt like I was watching a train wreck but couldn't look away. I . WAS. INVESTED. Now, going back to Cole- this guy was the WORST. Literally, the villain of this story. I hated him so much, and, again, I can see how some people would hate this book because of him. Beanie, Katie's friend, was also a bit unlikable in the beginning, but whatever. Rue- second best character in the book. I loved this woman and her gale pals. I want to got to The Starlite and visit her for real. And then there's George Bailey, the greatest dog ever. He was such a great addition to the story. So, to sum it up, this story definitely has its flaws, but did I enjoy it? Absolutely! Katherine Center has win me over once again.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I gotta say.... I'm a bit disappointed with this book. I LOVE Katherine Center and think she comes across as such a sweet person and her writing is phenomenal and I can really tell that she loves love stories. But this one missed the mark for me.
It was a bit jarring going into a book with a pretty heavy focus on our FMC Katie's eating disorder right at the beginning with no trigger warning. I personally think this needed a TW because a detailed journal entry of her calorie counting is present and she explicitly mentions starving herself and states the exact calorie number she restricted herself to. There's also mentions of a scale being her best friend. She details this along with how she hated her body because of internet trolls, and how she is now on a journey to learn to love herself. The author's note also did not mention anything about eating disorders or give any resources if anyone is struggling, and I think in this case it should have. The author's note only stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that this was a book about learning to love yourself. Interpret that how you will.
Aside from that, this book did have some swoon-worthy moments, and I liked Hutch as a MMC. There was just something missing. I did not feel connected to these characters. A spark was missing between Hutch and Katie, I think. It felt more lust than love at times.
Some parts of this book also seemed disjointed and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The part about Katie's coworker and boss showing up in Key West seemed very far fetched.
I think it goes without saying that my favorite character in this book was the dog, George Bailey. He was such a sweetheart.
Overall, not horrible but missing an important TW imo and not as big of a focus on the love story as I wish there was. If you enjoy Katherine Center's previous works, you may be disappointed with this one or you may love it. Find out for yourself when it publishes in May!

Unfortunately this book isn’t for me, over 25% in and I just cannot get into it. I look forward to reading whatever Center writes next!

Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. Katie's video production office is having layoffs and to save her job, her boss sends her to do a video about a hero. Hutch, the hero, is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer that happens to be her boss' brother who he doesn't get along with. Wanting to stay employed, she jumps at the chance to go down to Key West for a couple of weeks. The problem? Katie can't swim and hoping she can hide that secret from Hutch. Nothing but surprises unfold.

If I am gonna read RomCom, it will always be Katherine Center. This story had me laughing out loud and rooting for Katie who has serious body image issues. Loved it! #TheLoveHaters #KaterineCenter #StMartinsPress #May2025

I almost can't find the words to express how much I loved this book. The witty banter, Katie's inner monologues, Hutch's kindness, the information about rescue swimmers, George Bailey (and Lucky), and Katherine's note at the end that brought me to tears. It's fun, it's a little crazy, it's a big nod to the power of being kind, and it made my heart smile. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Patti Murin and she is just amazing. This book is a new favorite and I can't get enough.

The Love Haters is new Romance from Katherine Center.

"Katie's marketing firm is talking about reducing headcount (aka layoffs) She has two choices - wait to get laid off or head to Key West to shoot a recruitment video for the Coast Guard ... with a rescue swimmer named Hutch ... who happens to be Cole's (her boss) estranged brother ... and once saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. Katie can't swim but she says yes anyway.
Katie gets entangled with Hutch and his rescue dog - a Great Dane named George Bailey - Aunt Rue, swim lessons, helicopter rides, a hurricane and stolen kisses. And a chance to be truly brave."

I love KC's characters - regular people with some quirks and insecurities and easy to relate to.

There are always hilarious moments in a KC story. There are several here but especially when Katie meets George Bailey for the first time. I love how Katie and Hutch both change and grow.The ending may not be what you expect - KC gets kind of wild with the weather - but
I like where KAtie ends up.

Fabulous, entertaining story from Katherine Story.

Katherine Center hit it out of the park with "The Love Haters," and I'm already talking about it with our library patron. The banter between Katie and Hutch is fantastic, and I really connected with the characters (as always). "The Love Haters" holds a secure spot at the top of my rom-com favorites list.

I have liked Katherine Center's other books, but from the very begining of this one, the immediate refrences to disordered eating and body image were very triggering for me and I will not be finishing it at this time.

TW: disordered eating

The setting of Key West made this feel like the perfect summer rom-com. Maybe I felt like I was escaping on a tropical vacation on my Spring Break instead of my reality of folding laundry 😂

I didn't find Katie to be the most likeable main character (whyyy did she put up with Cole?!) but she did have a lot of personal growth by the end. Hutch was the best, even if he didn't come across as an actual "love hater".

Thank you for the ARC!

I loved basically everything about this book. It was a beautiful romance with intense chemistry (though surprisingly little/no steam). There was a wonderful undercurrent of how to love your body/self. The side characters were charming. The banter spot on. And I learned a ton about rescue swimmers. I also liked how Katie handled her ex and Cole- very mature main character who still had room to grow. The only criticism was there were two plot devices that felt manufactured but I didn’t care, I was laughing and loving too hard. (Sadly no queer rep)

Short summary: while everyone around her is being fired, Katie is offered a dream job filming a hunky rescue swimmer- the only catch? She has to know how to swim, and he’s reportedly broody and private, but none of that’s relevant until she shows up in black to technicolor Florida.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.