"This is a title you've been invited to view." cue me screaming!!! Im so incredibly grateful that I got to read an early copy of Katherine Centers new book! I read this in less than 24 hours so, do with that what you will (pls go read this immediately!!!)
This was such a wonderful read. I was full on laughing and had tears streaming down my face in the next second because some scenes and topics hit a little too close to home. I loved Rue and the gals, absolutely adored Hutch and Katie OH and George Bailey stole my heart! Like all of her other books this was the perfect mix, its full of love, funny and heartbreaking moments and also had me on the edge of my seat while reading the end.
Katherine if you‘re reading this: please never stop writing! I will 100% read everything you‘ll publish and I‘m absolutely sure I will love it just as much as all your other books!
The absolute biggest thanks go out to netgalley, the publisher and everyone involved so that I got to read this arc!

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a masterclass in crafting a story that feels both heartfelt and empowering. With her signature blend of warmth and wit, Center introduces readers to a heroine whose resilience and growth are nothing short of inspiring. The narrative beautifully balances moments of laughter, love, and self-discovery, delivering a tale that’s as emotionally satisfying as it is entertaining. This is a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, embracing the chaos and charm of life with a refreshing sense of humor. A must-read for fans of contemporary romance, it reminds us of the courage it takes to rewrite our own stories while having fun along the way.

I absolutely love Katherine Center. She has never led me astray. I loved this book, but I'm going to say its not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I just know it.

Do not go into this read anticipating a serious vibe until the end. Its fun and ridiculous and I think that's why I loved it and was sooooo invested in the characters at the end.

I really enjoyed the summer vibes in this book! Our MC, Katie, was going through an acceptance stage in her life after a public breakup. What I enjoy most from a Katherine Center book are the messages and inspiration of self love, with a side of romance and funny situations. I think this definitely delivered a sweet, lighthearted beach read. The silliness and cute factor was really there and I was imagining myself in Key West on the beach reading this story. The relationship between Katie and Hutch, even though set up his brother, felt very organic and realistic. I had a good time overall with this read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the review copy, set to publish May 2025.

This was fun and the ending was WONDERFUL. I really loved the self love journey and Center’s humor was up to her usual standards!

Maybe my favorite one yet? I picked it up last night and barely put it down until I finished it. Loved it so much, loved Katie, adored Hutch. All so good.

I loved this book so much, but not quite a 5⭐️read for me, more of a 4.5. I wanted more! I wanted more of Rue and The Gals, every female needs a group of gals! I wanted more of Hutch and Cole and Katie and George Bailey, and even more of Sullivan!

This story was written in first person which made it fun to read and learn all about Katie’s insecurities. I loved how Beanie tried to show her that she is beautiful and needs to quit comparing herself to supermodels by using the “beauty list”. Also, why are so many super models not representative of the general population in regards to size?

Katherine Center always has a way to give you all the feels, while also having a small lesson interwoven in the pages. This one was to remind you to love yourself. My beauty list starts with my eyes. I love how brown they are, but sometimes look green.

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

Katherine Center is an auto read author for me, so I was excited to get an early copy of The Love Haters. Katie is a documentary filmographer who gets sent to Key West to follow the USCG, in a bid to save her job. Unbeknownst to her, she’s also walking into some family drama between her coworker Cole and his older brother, rescue swimmer Hutch. There is early chemistry between the two leads, although a series of miscommunications leads us wondering for a while if they’ll be able to untangle themselves from the lies that others around them have told.

The idyllic setting (Key West!), the secondary characters (Rue and her friends), the cute pup (George Bailey!), and the USCG’s mission (and learning about how rescue swimmers work) were icing on the cake.

The last quarter of the book really had me in suspense for a while, but I was glad that it gave Katie a chance to work some of her own issues out.

Overall, a great read and I’m already sad it’s over!

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for the ARC.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

I will always pick up a Katherine Center book and even though The Love Haters rates 3 stars from me, I'm still a huge Katherine Centers fan. I had a variety of problems with this story but I won't be listing them all since I'd end up revealing too much of the story if I did so. I'll just mention a few things that I did or didn't enjoy.

I adored the toad loving rescue Great Dane named George Bailey! What a sweetheart, I can't get enough of him.

Octogenarian Aunt Rue and friends show that you are never too old to have fun and/or take spur of the moment road trips.

The paradise Katie lands in sounds like a great place to spend time and I loved the low key feel to the place.

But, there seemed to be too much of things. Too much focus on body image. Actually the entire story is about body image and I felt uncomfortable with Katie's best friend's way of hounding Katie to deal with her body image difficulties. Aunt Rue had her own heavy handed way of coming at Katie's body image difficulties, too, and it bothered me that Katie couldn't be allowed to be herself, even if herself didn't meet up to other people's standards. This all sounds messed up, I just don't think people are this easy to "fix" and sometimes "fixing' isn't the answer. I do think acceptance is a good thing, I just felt like others needed to be more accepting of Katie's choices even if that means she gets to wear black if she wants to wear black.

On the other hand we have Hutch, an Adonis who has no idea he's good looking, attractive, that women might "want" him. Yeah, right, the guy isn't dumb in other parts of his life, I don't believe he'd be dumb about his looks and attractiveness. But I see the contrast, how could I not, Katie is worried about her "not attractive parts" and here we have this great looking guy who doesn't see things the way Katie does at all.

The whole job thing and Hutch's brother revolves around one lie after another. The lies get sillier and sillier and it's hard for me to even remember why they are lying and the reason they are having to lie. You have to be there to understand all the effort that goes into the lies. It doesn't help that Hutch's brother is a lying liar who lies.

Everything seems forced to me and I guess that's why the story lost me. This is my sixth Center book and my least favorite. Despite my misgivings, if you want a story that will leave you feeling happy for the characters, this is a good one for you.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

It took me some time to get to it because I didn’t like main character in the beginning, she was super insecure. But Katherine writing is great! Loved it in the end. Always fun heartwarming read.
4.25⭐️/5

Another amazing story, but the talented Katherine Center. Love Haters is a great romance/drama/action story told from the view of her strong female lead, but Katie doesn't start out strong in the beginning. Bordering on a bit pathetic, Katie starts this story with incredibly low self-esteem & body images. Through all the ups & downs of this story, Katie finds the much needed confidence she needs & plenty of support from a whole bunch of amazing characters along the way. Hutch, the male lead, also has his demons he must face with his family & their past. The chemistry between Katie & Hutch is palpable through the story, so add in the Coast Gaurd & an action-packed water rescue & you've got a fantastic story here.
Thank you, #NetGalley! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you enjoy romance, a little drama, some action, plenty of self reflection, & a little passion, then you'll enjoy Love Haters by Katherine Center.

A sweet enjoyable story. This book kept me wanting more. I always enjoy Katherine Center books.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

thank you so much to St Martin's Press for sending this eARC to me 💚

I'm a BIG Katherine Center fan. Is this her best book? Unfortunately, no. It was a bit to "telling and not showing" for me. Appart from that I really enjoyed my time reading this and if you're a fan of her, definitely pick this up, if you're not, definitely change your mind and pick this up 💚

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors. I have read many of her books and I have not been disappointed. I was very excited to get an Arc of her new book The Love Haters that will be out this summer. This is an easy read about Katie and Hutch. The book is primarily located in Florida near the water. I could not put this book down. I was rooting for Katie and Hutch throughout the book and followed their day to day activities. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading romance books. You can’t go wrong with a Katherine Center book.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Katherine Center’s books and this one might be my favorite. She just brings so much joy and love in her books. I laughed and cried reading this one. There are so many themes I think many of us can relate to as Katie and Hutch are both dealing with heavy insecurities from their past.

Katie and Hutch are the perfect couple and their personalities together are so funny, will they continue to be Love Haters? 👀♥️

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press for this gifted ARC of The Love Haters! 🌺

Katherine Center’s books are always a hit for me and I think this book will be a hit this summer especially with the hero being a rescue swimmer helping the heroine learn to swim to save her job.

Katie is a video producer and agrees to go do a profile on a colleague’s rescue swimmer brother but she failed to mention the fact that she can’t swim so she decides to fake it till you make it approach. Tom aka Hutch is nothing like the individual Katie was expecting based off her coworker’s description. Throw in a Great Dane, a colorful aunt and her gal pals and you get a mess in paradise especially when Katie feels things for Hutch that she thought she left behind years ago and old fears making themselves known front and center.

I liked Katie and liked that this wasn’t just a love story between her and Hutch but a love story between her and her body image. Trust me I get it and we are our own worst critics and it’s hard to turn off those voices especially after something like what Katie went through. Aunt Rue was a hoot and I love how she tucked Katie under her wing.


Thank you @stmartinspress @katherinecenter and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I really enjoyed this one! I love all the different relationships and love within them. Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorites!

I couldn’t put this one down! I loved everything about it. It immediately grabbed my attention and kept it all the way through. Loved the storyline, characters, romance of it all. Thanks so much!

Center's writing feels like a warm ocean breeze, and the characters are as colorful and lively as a Key West sunset! Key West, FL is my happy place, so I was thrilled that it was the background to Center's newest novel! I loved the humor and heart in this story about learning to love yourself and others, even when life gets messy. The witty banter and heartfelt moments had me both laughing out loud and reaching for tissues—sometimes on the same page! I also absolutely loved the character of Rue & of course George Bailey! Can this please be adapted into a movie??

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

The Love Haters was a sweet and wholesome read that had a unique enough topic that it wasn’t too entirely predictable as a rom-com.

I have felt conflicted about Center's newer releases (especially Hello Stranger), but I will always pick up and read a new Katherine Center!

Perhaps I enjoyed this one more because it hit so close to home with the mentions of body image and eating disorders. Maybe it was the grumpy MMC that stole my heart. Or, maybe, it was the giant goof of a dog named George Bailey.