Katherine Center, you've done it again! You sucked me in, and I fell in love...with the plot, with THREE of the characters, and with the depth of the message. I absolutely loved Katie, Hutch, and Katie's best friend Beanie. Beanie is the epitome of best friend. She challenges Katie to see herself in a different light. They discuss body image throughout the book, and for me, it all comes together in chapter 25 (no, I won't spoil it!).

I also ADORED Rue, "the gals," and the beloved great dane George Bailey. Katherine wrote a super cringy side character that I loved to hate (Cole), and all of this came together to create a beautiful message about self-love and found family. The language was relatively mild (a few curse words); there were references to sex, but the scenes were closed door. This was primarily a swoony, lovely romance with so much depth as Katherine does so masterfully.

I had the absolute honor of receiving both the print and audio ARCs of "The Love Haters." If you choose the audio, the narrator is phenomenal and so accomplished at navigating multiple characters. It was easy to determine POV, and she brought the characters to life! Don't skip the author's note at the end, read by none other than Katherine Center herself!!!

Release date: May 20, 2025

I am so grateful to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with both the print and audio ARCs in exchange for my honest opinion.

4⭐️ - I have yet to read a book by this author that I didn’t like/love! This was no exception. I absolutely adore the way she weaves humor, romance, and deep topics together in this beautiful stories.

I loved the lessons the FMC, Katie, learns in this story about loving yourself. What she went through with her ex and his fame, I would have probably ended up the same way she did. That would be so awful to deal with!

The MMC, Hutch, was a classic swoony character who sees his girl for who she is on the inside and loves everything about her on the outside. He was so sweet to her.

Overall, this was a cute, swoony, funny romcom perfect for the summer or the beach!

Katherine Center’s bright and sparkly authorial voice captured me right away, as it always seems to. Her heroines, who narrate their stories, are instantly relatable and likable. I also am a sucker for “direct address”, where the narrator speaks right to me, the reader, as if she expects me to answer. The humor was present and accounted for. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Katie, who narrates her story, started to get on my nerves and I got very impatient with her.

The agenda in this book (and I don’t mean that in a bad or critical way) is to encourage body positivity. When Katie’s former fiancé became a big music star, she was exposed to the cruelty of social media commenting on how fat and ugly she was, when of course she was just a normal nice looking girl. If I remember correctly she starved herself and got really thin. Then, her fiancé cheated on her and dumped her, and she started putting on the pounds until she became a little plump. Katherine Center is pretty vague about the weight loss and weight gain, and I understand why.

Katie makes corporate videos and posts mini-biographies of “Heroes” on her own YouTube channel. She agrees to go to Key West to interview and film her boss’s brother who is a hero in the Coast Guard, having famously rescued Jennifer Anniston’s dog who fell off a cliff. To do her job though, she has to get in a bathing suit and learn to swim. She is used to wearing black inconspicuous clothes that do nothing for her, so this prospect of what she has to do to do her job and get material for her personal YouTube channel fills her with horror. For me, her inner struggles with bathing suits and learning to swim got very tedious very quickly. And since her luggage got lost on the plane, she is “forced” to borrow from her boss’s and his brother’s beloved Aunt’s store which are all brightly covered and very loud. Again, this is torture for her, as she is afraid of being seen and judged. Her fixation on her body came across as silly and shallow. Oh, the humanity!
I didn't get what the heroic, beautiful, kind, and smart hero (literally) saw in her. She was kind of a cute nonentity. She was naive and she didn't seem to be too bright either. On almost the first page she states to the reader that she couldn’t locate Key West on a map or know what the Coast Guard or a rescue swimmer was. Was she trying to be funny? I don’t think so. Because later in the book she speaks of forming an “allegiance” with someone when she meant “alliance”.

Shortly before midway in the book she has a revelation which mitigated some of my impatience with her. But no sooner than one irritation goes away, another one pops up.
It’s all a tempest in a teapot until a real tempest descends on Key West and Katie is blown out to sea in Hutch’s houseboat trying to rescue his beloved dog, George Bailey.

This was well-written (of course) and perfectly enjoyable. It seemed lighter and fluffier than the four other books I’ve read by her. There really isn’t anything really serious at stake, as with her other books. But sometimes that is just what one is in the mood for. Since I’ve been reading Katherine Center I’ve enjoyed each book more or at least equal to the previous one. This one is a slight step back. But still 3 ½ stars.

I am fairly new to Katherine Centre, only having read 2 books so far - both of which I loved, which is why I requested to read and review this one and I loved it just as much.
This one started out nice - I found it enjoyable, entertaining, sweet, funny and then things happened & information was revealed that pushed this book to absolutely love for me.

The book:
Katie has been burned by love (and in a pretty public way) and is now having to save her job, so, when her co-worker (Cole) asks her to travel to Key West (a beautiful, fun setting) to do a video on a Coast Guard rescue swimmer (who happens to be Cole's brother, Hutch) she agrees - even though she doesn't know how to swim... But that's a problem for another day.

Like Katie, Hutch is a love hater, but this being a rom-com, sparks fly and both Katie and Hutch have obstacles to overcome - both personally & in their budding romance.

My thoughts:
As stated above, I loved it.
I loved the setting in Key West, Hutch's Great Dane (George Bailey, who has a special interest in Katie) & the scenes with the rescue swimmers & learning more about this world.
I loved Katie's cousin/best-friend, Beanie, and how Beanie really helps Katie overcome her personal traumas and Katie's personal growth.
I loved the story about Cole, Hutch, and Rue. I adore stories with wise, feisty, older characters and Rue captured my heart. If the world had more Rue's, what a wonderful world it would be.

I love Katherine Centers writing! Her style is sweet and wholesome and I absolutely adore reading her romance stories. Hutch simply was misunderstood and just needed the right woman to bring him out of his shell. It was a little slow in the beginning but once we get to that half point and we get to the scene where she runs away after reading that article, he is there for her and helps her regain her confidence and to love herself once more!

This was really charming.

The romance part of this was truly the least important part. Katie's personal growth was lovely, I don't care what anyone says. Cole sucked, but Hutch and Cole reconnecting and getting to the root of their problems was special. Rue was such a fun character, love her and her little Key West real estate empire. Katie's friendship with Beanie was also so comfortable, that's my favorite kind of friendship (<3 u kim)

Were the plot points dramatic and unlikely? yes, absolutely. I don't care. I ate it up.

Anyone complaining about Hutch being an "alpha man with a savior complex" needs to step back. He's a rescue swimmer for the US Coast Guard during hurricane season..... that's literally his job to be like that. He never tried to fix her or use his savior complex on Katie, so let him be grumpy and imposing at work.

George Bailey is a king

4 stars for THE LOVE HATERS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I first want to say thank you to Net Galley for the e-ARC of Katherine Center’s May 2025 release of THE LOVE HATERS. I feel so honored to be able to read and review her newest book before it’s being released to the general public.

With that being said, I have to be super honest and say I didn’t enjoy this as much as some other KC books (like THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE, HOW TO WALK AWAY, WHAT YOU WISH FOR, THE ROM-COMMERS), but it was still a fun (and funny) read!

I am a KC girlie and love that she can put some good life lessons in a book that also makes you laugh, and even sometimes puts you on the edge of your seat — THE LOVE HATERS did all of that.

This did feel a little different than some of her other books and I’m not 100% sure why.

I do feel like the body image trope dragged on a bit at the beginning, but the character growth that Katie underwent during her time in Key West was 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼

Speaking of Katie — if that girl didn’t have bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all. I know it was a fictional rom-com but sometimes I felt like she just couldn’t catch a break.

The banter between Katie and Hutch had me chuckling — so much so that my husband asked multiple times what was so funny.

I also love the whole rescue aspects that KC brings into her books. This one actually made me a little anxious, I won’t lie. (I, like Katie, am not a strong swimmer and do not feel confident in/around water.) I mean I knew the ending because — DUH — it’s Katherine Center + a rom com, but I still felt a little nervous about how it would all play out. And in true KC fashion, it was sweet and silly and wrapped up in a cute bow.

I loved getting to know Hutch and seeing Katie break through his tough outer shell. I loved Rue and her ability to read right through the BS and also bring Katie out of her own thoughts and insecurities. George Bailey made me laugh, but also needed a trainer. IYKYK 😂

Definitely worth checking out when it’s released in May. I think this is one of Katherine’s more fun reads and will definitely be good for summer.

4 stars for THE LOVE HATERS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a great story. I heard Katherine Center talk about this book when I went to her book signing for The Rom-Commers and I have been looking foward to it ever since. I was so very excited to receive an ARC copy from NetGalley and I was not disappointed. This is a beautiful story about romantic love, love for family members, love for friends and loving yourself. Hutch and Katie are each wonderful characters on his or her own, but together they are off the charts. Katherine's books always make me believe in the romance and the couple. Not all books do. Some seem to have the main characters fall madly in love almost immediately. I can buy that attraction can be immediate, but not love. In Katherine's books we get the immediate attraction and then we get to watch the characters fall in love and that is the main reason I read romance in the first place.

From the very beginning of this book, I laughed out loud and then I swooned. There is one particular quote that had me laughing harder than I have ever laughed at a book before. I really hope it is still in the final book. I also really enjoyed Katie's inner monologue which along with her conversations with the wonderful support characters Beanie and Rue really made me think. Not only did the story make me think about what it meant to love yourself, it also taught me a great deal about Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Who knew rescue swimmers could be so sexy? Katherine, that's who.

My only disappointment with this book is that I finished it in a 24 hour period and now I have to wait months for her next one. I'll be at the book signing for this one, too. I already have my ticket. Katherine is one of my favorite authors and I will read anything that she writes.

Katherine Center is easily in my top favorite authors. I typically eat up her stories and can’t put the books down. The Love Haters didn’t grab me the same way. The story was nice and kept me until the end, but it wasn’t her typical work where I am excited to pick it back up to find out what happens. Overall a cute story and well written.

The Love Haters was a perfect Spring Break read! It was a book about overcoming the past, learning to love yourself, and accepting the hope that good things are all around you if you will let yourself see them. The characters jumped off the pages and I was sad for the book to end.

I absolutely loved this book! It was an easy read that felt lighthearted and constantly kept me engaged! I’ve loved all of Katherine Center’s books and this one didn’t disappoint!

3.5 stars (rounding up)

Summary:
Katie is trying not to get fired. When there is lay offs coming to her production company, she takes a job she isn’t qualified for filming a promo video for the Coast Guard.... because she can’t swim.

She is picked so her superior Cole can avoid seeing his brother Hutch (who got him the gig) after a fight between the brothers.

Katie has been really hard on herself and her body since her ex-fiance hit it big and the trolls came out when he started his rise to fame.

But when Hutch’s attentions turn to her, she just might have to accept that she is far more desiriable than she is giving herself credit for.

Thoughts:
This is a potato chip book.
It is an easy read and quick.

The FMC Katie, has a very skewed self-concept and previous eating disordered behaviour that takes on a central theme to the story. It came across at times off-putting? or forced?

The conflict with the ex-fiance felt like it was leading to something and then it just didn’t.

Some of the reasons for the conflict with Hutch and Katie fell really flat to me and the ending was fine.

Did I also finish it in one sitting? YES
Potato chip book

This was a very cute and fun and easy read! I read it in a day so that’s a 5 from me. I do have some critiques but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I had such a good time reading it anyway. Hutch was very much a flat character to me. And also none of these people really hated love, I think the title could be improved. Insta-love with little chemistry was definitely peculiar. I feel like the real love story was Katie with her body. The hurricane scene was absolutely THRILLING! If I didn’t have so much fun reading and was more critical, this would probably get a 3-4. But I simply had a good time.

I always look forward to reading a new Katherine Center book and while this one wasn’t a favorite it did not disappoint. It’s a very sweet book about loss, friendship and learning to love yourself. I loved George Bailey, the giant goofy Great Dane. and I wish I were friends with “The Gals”. There are tons of LOL moments and a few tear jerkers.

Read if you like:
-grumpy/sunshine
- fun side characters
-romcoms with heart
-goofy dogs

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 STARS⭐

The Love Haters is a charming read that has it all—friends to lovers, a touch of suspense, and characters that will stay with you long after you finish. The chemistry between the Katie and Hutch is electric, making their journey both heartwarming and captivating. With its well-developed characters, each with their own complexities, the story pulls you in right from the start It's impossible not to cheer for these two. The romance is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of tension to keep you hooked. Ideal for a vacation read by the pool, The Love Haters is the kind of book you won’t want to put down!

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming story! The idyllic town setting and detailed descriptions were enchanting. As the story progressed, the characters became increasingly endearing. The narrative was filled with the author’s wonderful humor, and the romance between the MCs was lovely. Overall it was a delightful read.

I usually love Katherine Center's books, but this one felt off. I had trouble connecting with the main character, and the plot mainly focused on her body image and disordered eating. The constant complaints from Katie became repetitive, and the way Hutch swooped in to immediately make her feel beautiful felt awkward, which made me dislike their relationship. Even though this book didn’t work for me, Katherine Center is still an author I’ll continue to buy.

The Love Haters follows Katie, a girl with severe body image issues after from her childhood and ex-related past. Katie finds herself fighting for her job and winds up working on a project following the coast guard in their swim rescues. Only issue, she can’t swim. But the man she’s following, the love hater, not only doesn’t expose her secret, he takes her under his wing. The two of them work together and do their best not to fall for each other. They are love haters, after all.

I loved this story so much. Katie’s body dysmorphia and image issues were really difficult for me at first, but as it went on, I not only continued to relate to it, but I also had a new found respect for my own body. I laughed, I cried, and genuinely was hooked on this. I also loved the epilogue which is rare for me

I looooooved The Love Haters! Katie, a videographer at a floundering media company, is sent on assignment to Key West to profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer and hero extraordinaire Hutch. He's acerbic and she can't swim, so what could possibly go wrong? This had such a fun premise, and I absolutely love the way Katherine Center develops a story - her characters and plot are top notch! I usually prefer a dual POV romance, but this one was so well done, I didn't even mind not having the male POV. The Love Haters is going to be a total slam dunk summer beach read. I highly recommend this book and anything else by the author!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Katherine Center does it again with her newest rom com that has a lot of heart! Katie works as a video producer, and - in order to not get laid off - takes a gig in Key West profiling her coworker Cole’s brother “Hutch” as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He’s saved Jennifer Aniston’s dog, so this is a big deal. ;)

Once she gets to Key West, Katie has to confront two big fears: her body image issues (wearing a bathing suit) and not being able to swim as she makes a documentary about a swimmer. Hutch is swoon-worthy, but will he be able to help Katie confront these fears in a way that supports her?

There’s a fun cast of peripheral characters in this novel, like Aunt Rue and Hutch’s dog George Bailey. The story is fun and light with some heart - a delightful combination. The only part I wasn’t a fan of is when Cole came to check on them, and it sent in motion the part of the novel that separated Katie and Hutch. It felt a little too forced (but yet unique) although I get that rom coms always have this separation.

I really liked the audiobook narrator Patti Murin. She was a great choice to narrate Katie. It was easy to empathize with her, and she had a perfect balance of emotion without being too over-the-top.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for an Advance Reader and Listener Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It publishes May 20, 2025.