This was… not my favorite Katherine Center book. I have loved all of her books I’ve read and this one just felt like a misstep. Katie felt.. too quirky? I’m not sure exactly how to describe her, but I felt annoyed by her sometimes. And I wish there had been more development between her and Hutch. But it was just “we’ve spent all the time together and now we’re in love”. I don’t know.. it just felt incomplete and like it was trying too hard to be quirky. The storyline was cute and had a good ending. But I wouldn’t read it again.

I’m very grateful to have received an ARC on Netgalley! I’m a huge fan of Katherine Center’s books and this one did not disappoint! Both Katie and Hutch had great character development, and it nice to see them helping each other work through their problems. I would’ve loved to have a bit more to read in the epilogue about Hutch and Katie’s relationship and where that ended up, but I did enjoy reading about the rest of the characters! Overall an awesome read with relatable characters and it helped me realize things could change in my life as well. The Love Haters will definitely be a re-read in the future!

I wish I had half-stars because I would give this book a 3.5 or 3.75. It's a cutesy rom-com that takes place in sunny Key West and had me SO excited to read! Overall, it was a good book, but I think some aspects fell a little flat for me, especially compared to other titles by this author. That being said, it's a great quick read to fill that rom-com hole in your heart.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

What I loved:
I actually really liked the transformation of Katie and her self-image. I found several sentences speaking to me as someone who has fought this battle and continues to fight it every day (as I'm sure most modern-age women do). Looking at self-love through the lens of the Gottmans was such a fun twist.

I adored George Bailey the dog and am so happy he was protected at all costs. That big toad loving boy has my heart from now until forever.

I really enjoyed Katie and Hutch's relationship. I think KC did a wonderful job of making their chemistry feel palpable. Their first kiss had me grinning ear-to-ear. I feel like their love story made sense to me on a time scale as well, which is not something every romance achieves. Hutch as an MMC was lovable and a great juxtaposition to Katie.

What I wished was different:
I wanted more Rue! Her vibrancy and wisdom peppered throughout the story was so refreshing as a side character. We needed more of her in this book. I would have loved to see her playing matchmaker a bit more and plotting with The Gals. I also wish we had gotten to know The Gals a bit more in their scenes, especially at the birthday party.

Cole was forgiven too easily and too readily. Quite frankly, he was an asshole and either needed some better comeuppance or needed more redeeming qualities. I understand why he acted the way he did, but to me it did not balance out all the lies and general behavior of entitlement. His treatment of Katie in the bar as if she were a plaything had me GRUMPY. That was a bigger deal than the lies and never was addressed truly.

I NEEDED MORE PAYOFF. Maybe I am ruined with all the romance I read, but there was an edge missing to Katie and Hutch. I needed a touch more of that classic KC banter and I needed more than three relatively chaste kisses. I was WAITING for a scene with Hutch's beauty list about Katie. For him to praise in the bedroom allllll the things he loved about her body and for her to see those parts in a new perspective. I feel like a couple of scenes after the truth comes out and before the hurricane would make Katie's hurricane experience hit harder. One of those NEEDED to be a spicy scene, IMO. It could even be a soft closed-door scene, but I was waiting for the payoff of Hutch and his worship and adoration of her body. As someone who has fought and continues to fight the self-love battle, I have found spicy scenes around men praising and worshipping an FMC's curvy and normal human body to be SO healing. This book would be elevated by that.

All in all, a solid airplane read. I love KC and will continue to keep reading her. She has a talent for making connections interesting and believable. I would gladly recommend this to a friend as a cute beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!

While there were elements of this book that were fun and moments of chemistry that I enjoyed, overall this one fell flat for me. I wanted more from the love story and the final third of the novel took a turn that didn't work for me.

I really struggled with the portrayal of body image issues and disordered eating for our main character. The level of issues needed a professional and more than just a 'get yourself together/love yourself more' attitude.

I would pick up The Bodyguard by Katherine Center instead of this one.

I had so much fun reading this book. Katie is such a relatable main character and I absolutely fell in love with Hutch. It was just a fun little read. It didn’t take itself too seriously and the romance was so sweet. I can definitely see this becoming a comfort book of mine.

Katherine Center is one of my absolute favorite authors, and Love Haters is a perfect example of why. I loved how she masterfully tackles hard topics like body image within a storyline you wouldn’t expect. Her approach is both thoughtful and refreshingly unexpected, blending humor with genuine insight.

Center’s characters are vibrant and real, and the dialogue sparkles with wit and sincerity. She not only entertains but also gently challenges the reader to think deeper about self-acceptance and resilience. This book is a heartwarming reminder that even the toughest topics can be explored with grace and levity.

If you’re looking for a novel that defies typical genre boundaries and speaks to the real-life struggles we all face, Love Haters is a must-read. I wholeheartedly give it 5 stars!

So so good! I couldn't put this book down - it was so lighthearted and deep at the same time. Another great novel from Katherine Center!

Not my favorite KC but still very enjoyable. Some of the side characters ended up being my favorites of the book. I also appreciated the typical KC positive self-love message embedded in the love story.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

A BIG thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinspress for allowing me to read this arc ebook in exchange for my honest review.


About the book: MC Katie Vaughn is still getting over the hurt from her very public breakup with her famous boyfriend. Aside from cheating on her, he also did quite the number on her self esteem.
On top of her self esteem issues, Katie is also trying very hard to keep her job as a video producer, especially after rumors that the big boss has been firing people all over the company.
Katie is desperate to keep her job, so she reluctantly agrees to take a career making “gig” profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in the Key West. But big problem! Katie can’t swim! And did I mention Cole and Hutch are brothers? I won’t get too much into their relationship here, but it’s a “messy” one.
While Katie is spending time with Hutch each day, she is forced to confront her biggest fears and insecurities, all while trying to keep her job.
As Katie gets to spend more and more time with Hutch, his awesome Aunt Rue, and his adorable Great Dane, George Bailey, she gets trapped in multiple lies.
Katie endures many challenges while in Key West including swimming lessons from Hutch, daring flights on helicopters, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and some stolen kisses…along with chances to tell the truth, face her own fears, and to truly be brave.


What I thought: I normally love Katherine Center books, and I really wanted to love this one as well, but I found it to be just ok. It’s a cute and easy read. A perfect summery beach read or pool side read for sure. It just wasn’t amazing or anything. None of the characters really stood out to me. The Great Dane, George Bailey is definitely my favorite character, because who doesn’t love a quarky dog character? I felt like the pace of the story was very quick, but not necessarily in a good way. I felt like it was rushed, especially the relationship between Katie and Hutch. Like, she arrives in Key West to start videoing his day in a life, she’s there for maybe a few days or so, and all of a sudden she’s in love with him. Honestly it’s like their sudden deep attraction for one another sort of comes out of no where. They definitely don’t have an amazing “meet cute” or anything. All in all I found this book charming and cute, so I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked the book and couldn't put it down. I really liked the character of Rue and the gals!! Everybody deserves to have gals like that and they're #BFFgoals ! I know Beanie was that for Katie, but I liked the gals more than Beanie. I feel like I didn't super connect with her. I liked how Hutch and Katie interacted with each other, and I thought it was a great message about learning to love yourself first. Also being a boy mom, I could feel the part where the gals had to just wait and let the boys fight it out.

My only thing is that I was so annoyed by Cole in so many ways. SPOILER ALERTS coming!

His disregard for others in not being forthcoming that he wouldn't show up or making stuff up. I know the intentions were mostly good, and it's showing how much we often do things without seeing from others' perspectives but man, it just felt like it happened over and over. I also didn't expect the Cole and Sully thing, it just felt kind of odd all of a sudden. But maybe the point is that you might find love where you least expect it? I also was kind of expecting some sort of Lucas wrap up but it was just kind of out there.

Overall, it was cute, but not something I'll be stewing over and re-reading on a routine basis.

"The Love Haters” by Katherine Center was a book that I had a lot of hope for. First - I have enjoyed a number of Ms. Center’s books in the past … and look at that cover, how it calls “summer read by the pool” to anyone! Oh boy, I had to push my way through this one … which was very disappointing. Our main character, Katie, has a really cool job - she is a video producer who also has a sideline passion project featuring heroes over a normal 24 hour period of their lives (it makes sense when Ms. Center explains it). Katie is in danger of losing her job, so her boss has an idea - go down to Key West and do a feature on the Coast Guard rescue swimmers - and, hopefully, do a sideline hero feature on the contact. Katie goes down to Key West and meets her boss’s aunt (oh my goodness how I loved Rue and her gal posse!) and the boss’s contact - who turns out to be the boss’s brother. What I wasn’t expecting was all of Katie’s internal negative rumination about her body - like I get some, but there was A LOT to the point where I was going “look, this is now tipping into the overboard category.” Then, Katie and the brother meet - and it was just odd - there’s meet cute, there’s meet horrible, and then there’s meet strange — this one was a meet strange. But where this book took a downturn for me was when “the conflict” arose and, I must admit, it was too silly for me to believe. However, I do think the romance is solid … and I’m a sucker for a dog who was rescued (and thinks it’s a small dog no matter its size) … and I did really enjoy reading more about the Coast Guard … and Ms. Center does have a pretty worthwhile Author’s Note. But, overall, this wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

The Love Haters is the perfect rom-com palette cleanser—light, fun, and exactly what I needed between heavier, world-building fantasy reads. It was such an engaging, quick read that I devoured it in a day.

I loved the romance between the FMC and MMC, but what really stood out was the bigger love story—the one between the FMC and her own body. The message about being kind to ourselves and not letting other people’s opinions define our worth really hit home. I might even steal the idea from the book and make my own “beauty list” of things I love about my body, even if I’m starting with something small like my ankles or fingers (just like in the book).

I already want to buy this for my nieces because it was such a fun, cute love story with a message that’s so important.

This one hurts! I love Katherine Center's writing but for some reason, this novel didn't quite land for me. Parts of the reason why it didn't quite work are related to the plot, so I don't want to spoil anything here.

What I did like is that Center's writing is just so darn readable. Anytime I sat down to read, I was sucked into the story. I also really appreciated her author's note where she talks about getting lost in stories. I think that comes through here for sure.

** I received an e-ARC form NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Katherine Center novel and sadly it may be my last. I didn’t enjoy the story, it was lacking romance, and the body dysmorphia wasn’t handled well. The entire story was just one ridiculous thing after another, and I also don’t find the title fits the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this arc in exchange for my honest review!
If Katherine Center has a million fans I’m one of them, if she has one fan I’m that fan, if she has zero fans I’m dead😂
Loved this book! Really could relate to a lot of the self esteem issues that Katie, and enjoyed being able to see her work through them.
Loved Katie and Hutch, but do wish we could have seen Hutches POV because I would have loved to know what was going on in his head especially in the last major scene ( no spoilers here!) also I really want my own Rue because she’s hilarious and I want her to dress me lol.

This was a great read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy!!

While I loved the characters, their growth, and the general plot, the pacing felt off. The beginning was really slow and then suddenly got really fast and then the ending felt abrupt. The epilogue didn’t feel like it wrapped it up enough for me. I enjoyed reading it though, it was a quick read.

In this phase of life l'm having the most success reading cute romance and The Love Haters fits the bill perfectly!

My favorite parts:
- Katie's self-love journey
- George Bailey the Great Dane
- Rue and The Gals

Read if you like:
- Florida Keys setting
- Lovable side characters
- Witty banter

Pub date May 20, 2025.

Thank you Erica from SMP for dropping this
ARC in my inbox!

Katie Vaughn is a video producer traveling to Key West to film a profile on iconic Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He's her coworker's brother and she gets wrapped up in their family drama. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue. This was a fun read with lighthearted romance, miscommunications galore, drama, and a giant dog. It was enjoyable and easy to read. Some of the miscommunications and family dramas were frustrating, but that's the genre and life sometimes. Katie had a lot of body issues and her self image was a major plot point in the book. Still worth reading and recommending to fans of Katherine Center.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

As a huge fan of Katherine Center, I knew I had to dive into this book the moment I got my hands on it—and it did not disappoint! I’m giving it a solid 4.75 stars for its heartfelt storytelling, compelling character growth, and deeply relatable themes.

The story follows Katie, whose journey of self-acceptance and personal growth resonated with me on so many levels. It brought back memories of my own struggles with body image as a teenager and young adult, serving as a powerful reminder of how much our perspective of ourselves shapes our experiences. Katie’s inner monologue about her body felt incredibly authentic—who hasn’t been through those thoughts at some point? Watching her evolve and learn to be kinder to herself was both inspiring and emotional.

Beyond the self-discovery aspect, the storytelling was fantastic! The romance was sweet (though I found myself wishing for just a bit more), and the plot was filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me hooked. Overall, this was a wonderful, thought-provoking read that beautifully balances heart, humor, and growth. Loved it!

3.7 stars

We’re here to be alive. To feel the sun on our skin. To breathe deep in the wind. We’re here to feel it all. To love and cry and love some more.

The scars of one’s beauty, is it going to be hurting, or will it ever be better?

I suffer from the body image thing ever since I was a kid. I was either too thin or too fat, always the shortest, with pimples popping up my face like a hot air balloon. I was called ugly, in face, by boys I thought I was good acquaintance with. To them, I was never easy to look at. It wasn’t until nowadays I started healing, to be honest, I felt . I knew what Katie felt when she felt insecure. That people often deceive you differently, however, you should just let it go.

I enjoyed the book overall. The message the author was trying to convey is clear: to find your true self and don’t live in others’ criticism.

The plot of the whole story is still a highlight to me. The meet cute and plot twists. I feel like it could be more elaborated. It felt rushed on some ends.

Note to self : I feel like this book doesn’t really have the typical Katherine vibe I was hoping for when I read this book, ( you know the ugly tears and big fluffy feelings, but the messages she tried to send throughout her book is still present so, I normally rated Katherine’s book five stars but this time I can only give a 3 and I’m hurting inside because of it) but the message it tries to address is worth a thousand stars.