I enjoyed this book and I liked the chemistry that Katie had with Hutch. I did find the body issues a bit much, but can understand how some may be able to relate to those issues. I loved the ending and how we got to see the journey that Katie and Hutch went through.

Round up to 3.5 stars

I am a Katherine Center Stan. If she writes it, I will read it! Most of her books are 4-5 stars for me! This one fell a little short. Still a cute summer romance book but just never reached the level I needed. I wasn’t a huge fan of the side characters (minus Aunt Rue). I didn’t connect with it as much as her previous books, but still an enjoyable read.

I really loved this book. I flew through it in one day while on a beach vacation. It’s perfect for a beach read and such a cute story. I enjoyed getting to watch Katie’s personal growth and change as her relationship with Hutch grew and changed, too.

What a great, easy to read book! Katherine Center is such a fantastic author. I’d read anything she writes. The Love Haters is an excellent novel about self-acceptance, learning how to love yourself, and finding family to love along the way. This would be a perfect beach read!

[SPOILERS BELOW]
With the above being true, I did struggle with the major conflict towards the end of the book. I wanted to reach through the pages and shake Katie’s shoulders to get her to snap out of it and not go along with Cole’s lies. I think the plot could’ve carried a lot of the other elements through even if she did shut down his lies right away.

Nevertheless, this book is great and I absolutely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Overall, this book was enjoyable. The tropical setting was SO fun and kind of participated as a character in the story. I adored all of the characters in this story (minus Cole). Katie Vaughn, the videographer on the brink of losing her job. Hutch, the closed-off US Coast Guard rescue swimmer and so-called “love hater.” Rue, the sweet aunt-figure to Hutch and Cole, and new friend to Katie. The Gals were HILARIOUS and I loved every minute of them, the ultimate matchmakers.

The writing was great, but hitting straight away with in-depth descriptions of Katie’s eating disorder in chapter 1 was very jarring. I personally am not triggered by this, but it felt like it was too much. I liked the journey Katie had with body acceptance, but coming out with the calorie tracking journal at the beginning was a bit much.

The second issue I had…this book should have been 50 to 100 pages longer. The good chunk of the WEEKS Katie and Hutch spend together while she gathers footage for her video were encompassed by less than 10 pages. I feel like I needed more details of those weeks and how their relationship developed. The same thing happened with two of the three days where Katie and Cole had to….keep up their act. They were skipped right over and we went to the end of day #2 leading into day #3. I wanted these moments fleshed out more, they were important to the story for me and felt like something was missing.

The last 1/4 of the book really redeemed it for me. Katie’s journey coming to a head on the houseboat was fleshed out in great detail and I loved every minute of it. It felt true to her character and it was beautifully written.

This was my first Katherine Center book and while it didn’t completely hit the mark for me, I did still enjoy it and had fun reading it. I’m excited to read her other works!

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

I absolutely LOVED this book. It was a super sweet rom-com with the daily body image insecurities that so many struggle with. The writing and pace of the book kept me completely wanting more, and the character development and connections were ones we all either crave or have. A definite recommendation for a cute book.

3.5 stars! I read this in one sitting because as usual Katherine Center wrote an engaging fun easy rom com perfect for a summer beach read. One thing I can say with confidence, Katherine Center never fails to research before she writes and her books are always filled with such unique topics. I can definitely say I've never read a book quite like this one before. I will never skip a Katherine Center release!

Katie is a videographer/producer who accepts a job filming a recruitment video for the Coast Guard.... the only problem is the poor girl can't swim. But guess who's gonna teach her!? A hot rescue swimmer!! (who happens to be the brother of her "superior" at work).

This would've been a 4 star read but it felt rushed so -0.5 for that. I felt the conflict when Cole showed up was resolved so quickly and then all the sudden we're on the house boat situation. I think it should've been one or the other or a longer book only because both situations felt really rushed.

Katie: I've been seeing a lot of reviews complaining about the FMCs body image issues and to that I say, there are so many people who live with those exact thoughts and fears everyday and I think Katherine Center portrayed that so well. I disagree that the story revolved around it and even if it did, Katie is the narrator, so of course we are going to hear her thoughts and fears. Just because you don't have the same fears doesn't make hers any less valid. Loved Kate. I thought this was a beautiful story of self acceptance.
Hutch: Hehe I love him. He is everything. He's like a teddy bear but a teddy bear who respects women and will defend them to his dying day. My second favorite Katherine Center man <3. The only disappointing part is I was hoping for a better wrap up in the epilogue, like a scene of Katie and Hutch together. Quite literally just walking the dog, watching tv, anything at all rather than just her summary.
Rue and the Gals: I want to be besties with all of these women

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this as a rom com and as a love letter to women's bodies. I believed in Katie's struggles, and I rooted for her to end with Hutch. I liked the Cole storyline the least, but saw how it was important to give Hitch depth.

this book was such a flop i'm so sorry. i didn't fall for the romance or the personal growth aspect. i feel like katherine center's book are either a hit or a miss for me and unfortunately this one was a miss

I love Katherine Center books, and this one did not disappoint! I enjoyed the journey of the main characters, Katie and Hutch working through grief and body image issues. I also really enjoyed the side characters, Hutch's Aunt Rue and her friends, as well as Katie's cousin, Beanie. It's set in Key West, which was fun and made me want to visit! Highly recommend this fun rom com.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a rom-com set in Key West, Florida.
Katie is a videographer on a job to make a promo video for the U.S. Coast Guard featuring Hutch, one of their rescue swimmers who became a bit famous when a video of him rescuing Jennifer Aniston’s dog went viral. Cole works with Katie and is the one that gave her this job to do, because he didn’t want it. Why? Hutch is his estranged brother. More to that story for sure.
Katie moves into the motor court run by the flamboyant Rue, hangs out with Rue’s pack of friends “The Gals,” and obviously falls in love with Hutch while there filming. No spoilers here- we all know what we are getting into when we read a rom-com. Of course it’s predictable. Unbelievable. It all comes together too quick. Some will say they don’t like the stereotypical “man rescues the woman”type story, but I think there’s a lot more to it than that. Sure, there is some rescuing, but Katie learns how to rescue herself in ways too.
The surprises are these characters. They are all so unique and funny and were a delight to spend an afternoon with. Katie has really low self esteem, and readers get to watch her grow and overcome, Hutch has grief and guilt in his past to tend with, Cole is angry and resentful, and Rue has it all figured out. She is the wise owl of this story and makes me want to head on down to Key West to see if I can find her. And last but not least, George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane who is afraid of thunderstorms. Any dog lover will appreciate his character and smile with his shenanigans.
Beyond the obvious love story, this lightly touches on heavier themes, and I think it can be thought provoking and inspiring for readers going through similar trials. I appreciated the “G rating” and I think this could be appropriate for teens to read too.
The author’s note at the end is so smart and interesting so I highly recommend taking the few extra minutes to read.
From the author’s note: “Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life.” ❤️
Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

A sweet story that may be a little bit predictable by I loved the characters and want to move in with them..

We are here to rescue ourselves - and everybody else - in every way that we can."

Hutch works for the Coast Guard in Key West and rescues people on the water. Katie is going to Key West to shoot a promotional video using Hutch as the target. She emerses herself into his world to shoot the video and gains an understanding about him. At the same time, her ex-boyfriend writes a song about her over their breakup and the tolls on the Internet tear her apart. She is juggling her life and starts to have feelings for Hutch and his adorable Great Dane. The characters in this book are what make it loveable. A group of widowed women who live in the cottages and make for so much humor in this book. Aunt Rue, the person who runs the cottages, decides to help Katie find color in her life. I loved Aunt Rue. The both have history and they have to navigate that to move forward. Thank you the #NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have just downloaded another Katherine Center book because I loved this one so much.

I enjoyed this book. I liked how Katherine addressed some phobias. I think anyone reading this book could see some of the challenges that Katie faced in their own life. I also really appreciated the author’s note at the back. As always the book was full of witty banter and great character growth.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC. I Loved this book! I loved the back stories of all of the characters, and how relatable they were. I loved Rue and her community of “The Gals” and how Katie and Hutch got to know each other and became comfortable with each other. It was also great to see Katie and some of the other characters’ personal growth throughout this story. I’m not sure how realistic the ending was, but I did enjoy his the epilogue tied up some loose ends (even ends I had forgotten about). Overall, I would highly recommend this book!.

Literally finished this book in under 24hrs. Would have finished it faster had I not had to do real life things like eat and sleep and work.

OMG, I loved this story. From Hutch to Beanie to Katie’s self-help journey! And who could forget Rue and The Gals, or George Bailey and Lucky!? I loved all of them, loved the story, from how Katie learned to love herself to how she and Hutch fell in love. I kinda wanted to strangle Cole, but gah! His reasons? K!ll me now. Soooo heart wrenching!

I want to move to the Keys and be best friends with Katie and Hutch and Rue. Such an amazing book. One hundred stars!

This book was fun and silly, fast paced, and light, yet thoughtful and layered at times. I had a lot of fun. Katherine Center always pack a little extra punch in her romance book (everything in its time and place! I love more mindless entertainment as much as the next gal) but if your looking for a little bit more substantive of a read in the genre, this is a great place to start.
Also, Rescue Great Dane gang stand uppp!

Katie has just taken on an assignment that just may save her career. Her job is on the chopping block, but her supervisor, Cole is throwing her a bone. A job filming a profile of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Katie should be thrilled, but what she doesn’t tell Cole? She can’t swim. Additionally, Katie learns that the Coast Guard rescue swimmer is “Hutch,” Cole’s brother and they do not get along. As Katie starts her journey in the Keys, she not only learns about the Coast Guard but about loving herself. As she gets to know “Hutch” and his Aunt Rue, she learns to embrace her body, accept her heroic side and choose love.

No one does Rom-Com’s quite like Katherine Center! She has an incredible ability to write about vulnerable topics with respect, dignity and humor. This author is always a must read for me! I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center's newest book may be her best yet! You will find yourself thinking about these characters long after. you put the book down. Highly recommend!!

This is an easy beach read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and story line, however the Cole character really frustrated me. Katie is assigned to make a video promo for one of the Coast Guard rescue swimmers (Hutch). She is pretty much coerced into the job by her boss Cole is Hutch's brother and Hutch was highly reticent in making this video but only agreed to it so that Cole could film it. He is surprised and upset when Katie shows up. Katie does not know how to swim, so Hutch being the handsome good guy agrees to teach her how to swim. The story progresses from there. Katie ends up staying at Hutch's aunt's apartment and becoming good friends with her and the other older ladies. It's a good story development, although I did get highly bothered by Cole pretty much anyone he was on the scene.

This could be a good pool or beach read if you would like a stereotypical chick lit. I rate it 3 stars. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a 3.5 /4 star cute summer read! I've read several Katherine Center books this year, and I'd probably rank this 3rd in a ranking of her books- after the Bodyguard and Hello Stranger.

Center is the queen of making her characters go through the most hilarious scenarios without making them feel unrealistic. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book, and I felt a deep attachment to characters- especially the dog & Rue (lol)

I have really just one thing that made me not love it as much as I could have- the main character, Katie, really struggles with body image, and it is a big part of the storyline. As someone who also struggles with this, I found myself tearing up when I first started the book at just how much I related to her inner monologue. However, it simply became exhausting. While it was probably a realistic amount for someone with body image issues to have negative self-talk, it was not fun to read and could be a little triggering to some readers.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!