As with all of Center's novels, this struck a perfect balance of humor and depth that made it such a joy to read. The chemistry was palpable, but the stand-out element to me was the realistic and well-executed character arc that Katie has with herself throughout the story. I will say I wanted a *bit* more payoff from the Katie/Hutch dynamic in the conclusion, but it was still such a good read.

4.5 stars!!

First things first, I was given a copy of this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. A big thank-you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for allowing me to be an early reader.

This book is told in the perspective of Katie, a video producer. Layoffs are currently underway at the company she works at, so in order to save her career, she flies out to Key West to profile a “day in the life” of a US Coast Guard, Hutch.

While profiling Hutch, Katie becomes intertwined in the community of Key West.

This book is a combination of humour and romance in the best way possible.
There were so many moments in this book that made me laugh out loud! And the chemistry between Katie and Hutch was amazing.

If you’re looking for a lovely romance book to read, especially if you’ve loved other books by Katherine Center, then I highly recommend checking this out. Releasing in August of this year! x

This book was fun, and light, and deep. It felt like a breezy summer read while also digging deep into the female millennial issue of body image and figuring out how to love and accept yourself. The whole time I was reading I could see myself in Katie while simultaneously feeling like I was Beanie on the other end of the FaceTime call BEGGING her to see herself how the rest of the world does.

Thank you Net Galley for this eARC! I can’t wait to read more from Katherine Center!

Okay I actually really loved this one!! The beginning took me a minute.. and the body image stuff at the beginning was kind of extra at the beginning.. but man I flew through the rest and didn’t want to stop reading. It felt like it was real and I really enjoyed it!

I love reading KC books because they're always so humorous and heartwarming, and The Love Haters was nothing different. She always creates relatable characters, and I resonated with Katie in this book. Ugh, it was so good. Highly recommend!

This was fun! I was really worried going into this book as I have had mixed results from Katherine Center's books. After absolutely loving The Bodyguard, the following two releases were disappointing. So this was a pleasant surprise.

Katie Vaughn needs to save her job. So she agrees to her coworkers request that she travels out to the Key West to make a promo video for the Coast Guards by following Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson. Along the way Katie will fall in love, make new friends, and confront some of her greatest fears while learning to love herself and embrace who she is.

I really enjoyed Katie and Hutch - they both seemed like great characters and while I feel like the romance was a bit rushed, I enjoyed them together. I also loved Rue, Hutch’s amazing aunt, and George Bailey, the very lovable Great Dane that Hutch rescued. However, I found Beanie's support questionable at times and Cole was an idiot who just made me frustrated.

The handling of heavier themes, such as body image and grief, could have been better. These are very important topics and need to be handled with a certain level of care. And I believe that the light tone of the book overshadowed these moments - especially with the inclusion of some of the dramatic/over the top instances.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I love the author's writing (that is one of the reasons I keep coming back to Katherine Center) and I felt like the plot was fairly well developed (especially when I compare it to the author's last two releases). I look forward to seeing what else the author will release.

The first half of this book had me thinking this was gonna be a three star book for me, but the last half proved me wrong!

This PRECIOUS book was a sweet story about healing a growth, with an adorable love story mixed in. I loved how the author gave Katie opportunities to grow and find belonging and self-acceptance apart from Hutch!

I loved the FMC’s internal dialogue. As a fellow awkward woman, it made me laugh out loud several times! Well done, Katherine Center.

I ended up absolutely loving this book. The characters were so interesting and entertaining. I particularly loved Aunt Rue. Having just been to Key West I could just imagine her shop and her house. The tension between Katie and Hutch was great and I loved Hutch’s dog. This is probably now my favorite Katherine Center book and I’ve read most, if not all of them. I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook next!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

3.5 ⭐️ I really enjoy Katherine Center books. I like to suspend reality and gobble up her easy to read love stories. This one doesn’t miss the mark. Some cute banter, situational awkwardness, quirky but adorable FMC, unnaturally attractive and compassionate MMC, toss in some rom-com tropes and you have a recipe for a quick, enjoyable read. This one touched on some learning to love yourself via life experiences and I appreciated that. I know most women struggle with being too hard on themselves so it’s refreshing to see it represented on the page. Was some of the story cheesy and unreal? Heck yeah, much like an order of concession stand nachos. Doesn’t mean I won’t indulge in it. 🤣

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins and KC for the ARC ❤️❤️

3 stars 🌟

struggled getting into this. The first 25% was so negative on body image and I could not connect to the characters. The next 50% things started moving and eventually I felt like chemistry was flowing. The last 25% is what really hooked me, made me feel all the feels and like what I was reading.

I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a simple, easy, fast read!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love Katherine Center’s rom-coms. She has such a great voice and writing style. I always find myself laughing at unexpected mishaps and crying by the end of the book.

4.5/5

Set in the Florida Keys, this book was something I didn’t know I needed. It was funny, a quick read, and honestly just a really good time. I really enjoyed the message throughout about body positivity and embracing how you see yourself. It’s so nice to see so many books writing about that now as compared to a few years ago.

The main characters Katie and Hutch were so sweet! I loved how charismatic Hutch was. And he saves people for a living?? Katie was adorable and even though some of the reviews had people not liking her I for one loved her and her development throughout the book.

Definitely recommend!

#thelovehaters #katherinecenter #romance #book #review #arc #arcreview #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #netgalley

Katie is a normal woman with a normal job (video producer), normal fiancé (struggling artist), and normal insecurities (her favourite part of her body is her ankle). That’s until her life is thrown into chaos overnight when said fiancé becomes an overnight pop success, Katie is ruthlessly ripped in the media, and she is on the verge of being fired from her job. Her only hope is traveling to Key West to interview Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer who recently became the latest white boy of the month when he saved a dog from drowning, looking swoon-worthy while doing it. The only problem is Hutch doesn’t want the media attention, and Katie is pretending to be filming a documentary about the importance of the coast guard as a ruse to get to interview Hutch.

Katie is dry and passionate and so authentic; she’s trying to prove her worth in a world where she feels constantly judged and insecure. Hutch is serious and caring and loyal, and maybe if he was really really drunk he’d serenade Katie with “What Makes You Beautiful”.

As with all of Katherine Center’s books, the plot is full of lighthearted banter, a host of entertaining side characters, and a moment that hits you like a gut-punch (in this book there were a few…). I really liked the backstory w Rue, Cole and Hutch and the way that their complex family dynamic bled into the romance between Hutch and Katie. It never felt easy or predictable, but the chemistry was undeniable and so ultimately satisfying. I do wish we saw a little more of Hutch and Katie happy at the end, but the little snippets we did see were sweet and genuine. A novel full of heart and laughs as per!

Review based on ARC from NetGalley.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a heartwarming read that had me hooked from page one. Katie was such a relatable main character (especially since I spent over a decade in the TV production world myself!), and her journey toward self-love was inspiring. That being said, I did feel like the book lingered a bit too long on her self-conscious struggles before picking up the pace.

The setting was stunning, and had me wanting to go visit. If you love stories about personal growth, complicated sibling relationships, and a little bit of romance along the way, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

The Love Haters was an absolute delight! The sharp banter, sizzling chemistry, and emotional depth had me hooked from the very first page. The characters felt so real—flawed yet lovable—and their journey from reluctant allies to something more was incredibly satisfying. The tension and humor balanced perfectly, making this a romance I couldn’t put down. If you love enemies-to-lovers with heart and heat, this one’s a must-read!

This was a such a cute read! I read it about a day and really appreciated the pace. Also liked the anecdotes about the coast guard.

Katie is a video journalist in danger of losing her job when a colleague, Cole, asks her to go on assignment to Key West to film a Coast Guard biopic on his brother. Despite not being able to swim Katie agrees, hoping to save her job by creating something remarkable. Along the way she meets and falls in love with Hutch and Coke’s Aunt Rue and the girls, befriends a Great Dane with a penchant for knocking her over and gets caught in a lie told by Cole. Oh and then there is a hurricane and the undercurrent of past trauma needing to be overcome. Overall a sweet, quick read.

Wow this book was absolutely adorable. There were multiple times that I laughed out loud from either the banter between the characters or the way actions were described in the book. There were some really beautifully written conversations between the love interests. I enjoyed the last third of the book with the sudden events. Overall I would recommend this book to other readers.

Another solid, layered, and compulsive read from Katherine Center. The relationship between Katie and herself (brava for making believable and small steps toward self love and acceptance) takes equal stage with the romance, which was its own kind of sweet fall. Familial drama and twisted traps of untruths kept the leads in discord, using miscommunication in a new way, while keeping Katie and Hutch free from reader frustration. It was well done and created some animated scenarios.

It has a little bit of everything, including a massively lovable Great Dane. Awkward moments and a pushy Auntie bring the laughs but between the leads, a furtive brother, and a cougar-like boss, there are also a lot of emotionally healing characters to add depth to every chapter.

Did I occasionally want to slap someone? Yes. Did I physically squirm with wanting to help Katie find her strength? Also yes. But they were little moments throughout that didn’t take away from a fantastically charged ending. It all wrapped up so well.

Overall, it’s another winner!

CW: Eating Disorder (recovering), Body Shaming, Social Media Bullying

This just wasn't my cup of tea. Although cute, a lot of the dialog for me felt a bit clunky. I wasn't really connected img with the main characters, and this became a struggle for me to finish.