So I loved the overall concept for this book. Rescue swimmers are incredible people, I love Key West, and it had all the right ingredients. But I struggled with the FMC’s body issues. Sometimes it was the sole focus, other times it was in the background. I didn’t see any trigger warnings about it either, though they may be in the final published copy. All in all, I enjoyed the story - but not one of my favorites from this author.

Another solid read from Katherine Center! I didn't love this one as much as her others. There wasn't enough build up to the first kiss, so it felt a little out of left field, but the chemistry eventually came together. Also, I wasn't a fan of the major conflict; Cole's behavior was believable, but I think Katie would have shut him down. The reasoning wasn't strong enough, especially knowing Rue and Hutch so well. All in all, though, it was a fun read and I can't wait for her next one!

Ok- in true Katherine Center fashion, this was a sweet, fun romance with a lot of heartwarming moments!

Katie Vaughn, a videographer & documentary film maker, gets a career-changing opportunity to profile a Coast Guard swimmer named Hutch. The catch? She can’t swim and isn’t qualified for the job, but she decides to fake it. It’s clear from the start that a romance is bound to happen between Katie and the swoonworthy, “perfect” hero Hutch.

From the upbeat, quirky old Aunt Rue and her friends who love swimming & sangrias, to the sloppy and loveable Great Dane George Bailey, to a caring best friend, you know we’ve got a cast of unforgettable characters!

While I really enjoyed the setting in Key West and the behind-the-scenes look at documentary filmmaking, the focus on Katie’s body image and eating disorder struggles felt a bit too heavy and wasn’t essential to the plot. I appreciated Katherine Centre’s explanation in the end, about why she writes her stories & characters the way she does, and I felt it did bring a “why” to why this topic was explored so heavily. It’s something to be aware of for readers who may be sensitive to these topics.

For fans of:
💙Fake Dating
💙Miscommunication
💙Forced Proximity
💙Tropical Setting
💙Quirky, loveable supporting characters

Be sure to add this one to your Katherine Center collection - it arrives May 20!

Thank you to the author & publisher for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version early!

Katherine Center has done it again—and this time, she's completely stolen my heart. The Love Haters is a radiant, slow-burn delight that had me grinning like a fool, crying at 2 a.m., and hugging the book to my chest with that breathless, butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of joy. This isn’t just a five-star read—this is the Katherine Center book for me. My favorite yet. No contest.

From page one, I was swept into a world that felt warm, witty, and wonderfully real. The heroine? Smart, stubborn, and someone I wanted to be best friends with immediately. The love interest? Let’s just say if loving him is wrong, I don’t want to be right. The banter is chef’s kiss, the tension is deliciously drawn out, and the payoff? Oh, honey. I was living for it.

But what really makes Center shine is the way she weaves joy and heartbreak, vulnerability and strength, all with that signature charm and wisdom we fans know and love. The Love Haters is about learning to let love in, even when life’s tried to teach you otherwise. It’s about choosing to believe in happy endings—even when you have every reason not to.

If you're a romantic at heart, if you believe in second chances, or if you simply want to fall head-over-heels into a story that makes you feel everything—The Love Haters is waiting for you. And trust me, you’ll be glad you gave in.

The Love Haters is a delightful, heartfelt romance from Katherine Center. Center has become an auto-read author for me at this point. I’ve come to really look forward to reading her new novel for the past few years now, and The Love Haters lived up to my expectations.

Katie receives a unique job assignment to film a rescue swimmer from the U.S. Coast Guard, which may determine whether she keeps her job or not. Katie travels to Key West, where she meets love-hater/rescue swimmer, Hutch. The Love Haters is filled with memorable characters and an overarching theme of self-acceptance and love that kept me reading past my bedtime.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center (out May 20, 2025)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this free e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Katherine Center does it again with a cozy sweet romcom full of fun characters, an exciting setting, and a swoony love story.

Videographer Katie might lose her job in a downsizing if she doesn’t impress her boss fast. Thankfully her coworker Cole has a job for her — fly to dreamy Key West and film a Coast Guard promo featuring his perfect older brother Hutch. There are just some small issues — mostly that Katie can’t swim, and she needs to film around, well, a lot of water.

I enjoyed following Katie on her journey to face her fears of swimming (and bathing suits) as she grows into her self confidence after a devastating break up and subsequent eating disorder. I will say I think the ED storyline was a bit rosy. Although Katie struggles with body image, her recovery was very neat and tidy, which may rub those with ED experiences the wrong way.

I enjoyed the climactic natural disaster scene towards the end of the book, and KC always delivers the perfect HEA. This wasn’t my favorite of hers (THE ROM-COMMERS forever!) but I still had a great time reading it, and honestly was very reminded of my own novel I’ve been working on, which was great since KC is one of my comp authors. 😏

Rom-com chaos meets coastal charm!

She can’t swim—but took a job profiling a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.
Katie fakes it for a shot at saving her career... and gets tangled in sun, secrets, sibling drama, and seriously hot Hutch.

This was the perfect ARC for me to save for vacation. It was a fun one! I found myself wanting to live at The Starlight Cottages in the Keys and hang out with The Gals all day.

Read if you love:

Outstanding side characters
A loveable dog
Body positivity
LOL moments

Perfect to read when chilling by the pool!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The Love Haters is published and available for purchase on May 20, 2025.

Katherine Center is back with another sweet story. Katie works as a videographer and when her boss starts making cuts, she panics. Hope isn’t lost though when her manager Cole sends her on a shoot in Key West to film a promo video for the US Coast Guard. Katie takes the chance with both hands, not realizing how adventurous and out of her comfort zone this gig really is. When she shows up in Key West, the subject of the promo video is none other than Cole’s perfect brother and rescue swimmer Hutch. Katie was given some prerequisite ideas of who Hutch is and yet she finds herself pleasantly surprised at how fun, kind and charming he is. I found this book to be adorable and I loved the tropical setting of Key West. Rue, Hutch’s aunt was lovely. George Bailey, Hutch’s dog, was cute at first and then became a bit of a nuisance. I think where this one lost me was with how shallow the characters and chemistry felt. I don’t think Katie and Hutch were fully developed which left me uninvested in them. Katie’s body image issues were certainly relatable and I loved how she overcame those at the end. The romance felt very lacklustre and their connection was told rather than shown. I didn’t get to see any connection building or chemistry and I think the characters spent all of a week together. I feel like not much happened in this book? It was still a sweet, easy read and would be great for summer. Overall, not my favourite from Katherine! 3.5 stars.

First off, a HUGE thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this amazing book! It truly touched my heart in so many ways

I always love Katherine’s books, and I was so excited to read this one. I love the backdrop of the Florida Keys. The way Katherine describes it honestly made me feel like I was there. It was also very clear that she did her research about the Coast Guard! Every detail she put in there about Hutch and his training as a rescue swimmer was so specific and detailed. I love that she honored that branch of the military.

This story was well paced and moved and flowed so well. There were some truly hilarious moments! Especially Katie and Hutch’s meet cute! I mean who wouldn’t fall in love with someone after they pulled splinters out of your butt. All the side characters were fantastic, except for maybe Cole, he drove me bonkers! Rue and the Gals were AMAZING! I love how they adopted Katie and brought her out of her shell and helped her love herself. George Bailey was my favorite though!! I love when the animals are just as big of characters as the humans.

The heart of this story is a love story. Not just between Katie & Hutch (which I loved) but between Katie and herself. As someone who has struggled with body image issues for most of my adolescent and adult life, I felt for Katie. I have been where she is, I have felt what she has felt. Katie’s journey of learning to love herself, and falling in love with Hutch in the process, was truly beautiful. Hutch was the perfect partner for her. I LOVE when the MMC falls first, and Hutch falls HARD! He saw all these amazing things in Katie that she couldn’t, he really helped her love herself as much as he loved her. It was really beautiful.

Again, thank you to everyone for the opportunity to read this book. It was such a wonderful story and I loved it so much.

I was so looking forward to this book but I really didn't like it. I struggled to like any of the characters or even care about what they did. There was just something about this that I couldn't get into.

Katie is struggling with her body image after years of emotional negativity from her stepmother and from internet trolls. Katie takes on a new job to produce a documentary on a rescue swimmer except she doesn't know how to swim. When she arrives in Florida, she is set up in a quaint cottage and begins swimming lessons with Hutch, the rescue swimmer. I related to Katie is so many ways, which is what made this book a five star read for me. Also, the cast of characters was great and dynamic, but the best of all was George Bailey, Hutch's huge dog. The people Katie meets in Key West are all welcoming and friendly, which is exactly what she needed at that time. Overall, an amazing book everyone should read!

First line: It was quitting time on a Friday, but Cole Hutcheson didn’t care.

Summary: Katie Vaughn has had a turbulent love life recently and her career may be the next thing to implode. Her supervisor has recommended her for a promotional video about the Coast Guard starring none other than Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, who also happens to be her boss’s brother. Rather than expose the fact that she cannot swim she takes the job and decides she will tackle that speedbump when she arrives in Key West. However, upon her arrival in paradise things become messier than expected as Hutch happens to be the best looking man she’s ever seen and the chaos around the job brings them closer together.

My Thoughts: Katherine Center is definitely becoming one of my highly anticipated new release authors. This is my third book by her and I have enjoyed all of them. Her writing is witty but also it gives the characters flaws which makes them endearing. In her newest story, Katie struggles with image and self-worth issues that I believe many readers, especially women, will identify with. It can be a difficult topic to discuss but she did a great job with it. I really enjoyed seeing Katie grow through the story and accept herself for who she is.

In addition to Katie there are many other characters to love but I definitely was a huge fan of the Great Dane, George Bailey. He barrels into the book, literally, and steals the reader’s heart. I can easily picture this lovable dog who just doesn’t understand how big he truly is. I also loved Rue, Hutch’s aunt and Katie’s landlord in Key West. She is larger than life and has a personality that brings Katie out of her shell and adds some color to her life. In all I found the book to be an enjoyable read and perfect for summer and a cold drink by the pool or on the beach.

4.5 Stars!

This book was great in so many ways, and was just what I needed to read after a streak of psychological thrillers.

This book is a good clean romance novel with a meaningful and powerful message and relatable characters in a dreamy setting. I appreciate a romance that I can unabashedly recommend to anyone who comes into my library: from teens to grandparents and everyone in between.

This is a love story about falling in love with yourself as well as a classic girl-meets-boy. The book takes place in the Florida Keys amongst a group of colorful retirees who are always cheering on our MCs.

I loved the side story of body positivity and learning to be your own biggest fan. All-around feel-good happy ending love story with plenty of tension, excitement and uncertainty to keep you flipping those pages!

I flipped back and forth between the audio book and ebook, and enjoyed the book in both formats. Great narration. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ironically, I easily fell in love with “The Love Haters.” When Katie’s team lead at work, Cole, warns her that her job is at risk, she must travel to Florida to video Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. She must face her fear of swimming and her self view of her body image. While this book did address some real internal insecurities and family situations, the story was still filled with lots of fun and humor. Hutch was a nearly perfect love interest - I loved seeing these two fall in love! Katherine Center has a beautiful way of reflecting on real life through the love stories she writes. She also included a heart-warming Author’s Note at the end.

For those who enjoy:
🛟Videographer + Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer
🛟Forced Proximity
🛟Coastal Florida Setting
🛟Navigating Family Dynamics
🛟Workplaces Intersecting
🛟Improving Body Image Insecurities

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Katie's life is in crisis: Her recent break up with a now famous singer has caused her to doubt herself. She is on the cusp of being laid off from her job when her supervisor offers her an assignment that could secure her place.- interview the latest hero sensation Hutch, a rescue swimmer. Cole sweetens the deal with the hope that she could also interview him for her Day in the Life video series. Katie would love to get away and spend time in Key West, but she has one problem...she can't swim. Cole talks her into going anyway. What is the worst that could happen? A quick and enjoyable read with a few bumps that didn't take too much from the story.

This one had all the ingredients for a charming rom-com, sunny Key West setting, cinnamon roll hero, and a heroine on a journey of self-discovery, but it never quite found its footing for me. Katie pretending to be able to swim so she can profile rescue swimmer Hutch? Funny setup. And Hutch? Total sweetheart. But the story lacked the spark and emotional depth I was expecting.

There were some nice moments - themes of body confidence and learning to believe in yourself - but they were buried under a plot that felt more awkward than impactful. And then we have Cole, who honestly brought down the whole vibe. The lies he told, the manipulation, and the way he just steamrolled Katie into going along with his nonsense? So frustrating. And worse, Katie barely pushed back. It felt like she lost her agency, which made it hard to root for her the way I wanted to.

And the ending? Completely underwhelming. For a story that hinted at growth and empowerment, it wrapped up without much of an emotional payoff or real resolution. I was expecting something more - more closure, more fire, more anything.

In the end, The Love Haters was more of a gentle, surface-level read. If you’re looking for something light and low-stakes, it might work, but for me, it lacked the punch, personality, and payoff to really stand out.

What a great story! I’ll be honest — the story started a little slow for me… but maybe that’s because I was still crawling out of a reading slump. That said, once this book hit its stride, I could not put it down. Seriously! Pages were turning themselves.

This one feels a bit different than Center’s past novels — not just a rom-com, there are moments that hit hard emotionally — especially surrounding a devastating personal situation that our protagonist is dealing with. It brings a depth that made me fall for the characters even harder.

The story also includes wonderful body positive messaging. Center celebrates real, imperfect, beautiful people — and it is fantastic.

And now, can we talk about that kiss?? You know how Katherine Center usually builds up to one epic kiss? Well this one comes early. I thought, “Wait, is this the climax already??” But nope. There’s so much more to come and it’s so worth it.

Would I recommend this? 100% yes! If you love rom-coms with heart, humor, and healing, this one hits the spot.

Thank you to @katherinecenter, @stmartinspress, and @netgalley for the ARC — and for maybe (just maybe!) getting me out of my reading rut. I needed this book.

Rating: 5⭐️/5

Such a perfect, meet-cute, rom com. I loved Katie as a main character and her internal dialogue was relatable and refreshing. Not the perfect “it girl” but a wonderful character arc with Katie finding her confidence with a little encouragement from Hutch and a wonderful cast of support characters including some older gals, especially Rue.

The Love Haters had me laughing, crying and feeling warm inside. A little mix of military man, he saves her, brotherly dynamics and the FMC overcoming her internal battles, The Love Haters is a fabulous new romance.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This fell flat for me. The beginning was fun and intriguing and I was genuinely excited to read the story. But I felt like there wasn’t any development. The emotions and descriptions and happenings were very surface level. I didn’t care for the MCs and didn’t really feel a connection from them for each other. I can appreciate a romance handling heavier topics, in this case body image, but it was very messily shoved in there and fully distracted from the plot. I kept going and kept wanting to read less and less.

I’ve read almost everything Katherine Center has written and this is easily one of favorites.

Katie is just now putting her life back together after a brutal breakup. She’s working as a video producer but finds out she’s at risk of a layoff. Her coworker, Cole, offers her an opportunity filming a rescue swimmer in Key West. This film has all the potential to build her career because the rescue swimmer, Hutch, has already gone viral for saving Jennifer Anniston’s dog. The only problem is Katie can’t swim. And Cole and Hutch are actually brothers and some family drama is about to unveil itself.

I loved the relationship between Katie and Hutch. I also really loved the secondary characters, particularly Hutch’s Aunt Rue who brings so much color to the story and made it so fun. I also loved George Bailey, Hutch’s giant and lovable rescue dog. This book is funny and bold, and encourages bravery and loving yourself for who you are.

This little releases on May 20, 2025.

5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.