3.5 stars. This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book, but I still enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick romance to read. . The book still had Katherine Center's signature writing style and entertaining dialogue. I loved Katie, Hutch and Rue and the Gals and could have done without Cole and Sullivan. I really loved the first half of the book which had me smiling and giggling, but I felt like it lost steam in the second half. I really didn't like the focus on Cole and thought that took away focus that should have been put on other plot points/issues. I also thought some issues were resolved a little too quickly at the end and really wished the book would have focused more on Katie and Hutch's romance in the last third of the book. Even though I didn't love this book, I'll still read anything Katherine Center puts out since I've loved a few of her other books!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

+*÷ 2.5
*possible spoilers ahead*
¿ "' have never in all my life looked into another person's eyes for so long. But I couldn't look away. And I didn't want to." 3
- despite my rating I actually did enjoy the writing and the story concept, but i just felt myself wanting to take breaks a lot during reading this.
this is my first katherine center book and so far I'm not super impressed??. I'll probably try again in the future but I overall just wasn't very interested in the story.
§ "You know that feeling when someone's about to kiss you? That tension? That palpable anticipation? How everything slows down and seems to matter in a whole new way? That was the feeling I had. And it pushed out all the others." 3
overall thoughts :
I probably would not recommend this but l'm curious about some of her other books so maybe I'll try to read them this year..
*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc* )
.....

3.5 stars but rounding up for george bailey

this was pretty enjoyable and had lots of good moments but it def wasn't close to perfect or the best katherine center book. i wish we got a little more at the end, it felt a little anticlimactic for me. i absolutely loved george bailey and the relationship between rue and katie. they were both the best part of everything! the romance was pretty good but again it left me wanting more, especially since everything happened too fast. i think there should have been a bit more book.

also cole literally ruined the book for me, every second of page time he got was absolutely unbearable. it takes a lot for one minor character to ruin so much of a book but he managed it. i wish he had been handled very differently or just not included at all. i also hated the name pup daddy, thankfully it wasn't used very often but its just so forced and cringe. not every mmc or fmc needs a cute name especially when it's just not a good fit.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this gifted arc!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7351032369

Traditional format (digital)
Publication Date: May 20, 2025

I have enjoyed several of Katherine Center's previous works. This book was on my radar and I was excited to receive an ARC to review. This was not my favorite book by her but it was overall an enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed the premise, setting and theme of the relationship between the two main characters (plus the dog). In addition, the supporting cast of characters were adorable and charming and the backstory also enjoyable.

There is a BUT: I didn't love the underlying theme of body image throughout the book. I don't really feel it added much to the development of the main character and it was a little over the top for me. It didn't really add a whole lot of value to the book and it was quite tiresome by the end. Yes we get it, the main character has body image issues - no need to beat a dead horse on this theme.

Despite that, it was a nice light and easy read for me. I would recommend this book to those who like light romances with no spice and interesting characters. I give this one a 4/5!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Love Haters is a fun, rom-com story I couldn’t put down. Katie, a videographer based in Dallas, TX, travels to Key West, FL, to create a recruiting video for the US Coast Guard in hopes it’ll save her from being laid off. The only catch - she can’t swim! Enter Hutch - Coast Guard rescue swimmer, eligible bachelor and unexpected new swim coach. As they navigate the next few weeks and learning to swim with a few twists, this “will they, won’t they” romance gave me all the butterflies and kept me up past my bedtime to finish it.

I found Sullivan’s storyline to be unnecessary to the core of the story, and felt it became a little ridiculous and detracting towards the end of the book.

If you are looking for an escape to Key West, a quick, easy read, or story that makes characters on their own self improvement journey, The Love Haters is for you!

This one is getting a three star for me. It was cute and I really liked the idea of it but I think this maybe should have been marketed more as a women’s fiction type book over a love story. I felt like Katie’s journey with herself was a much larger theme in this book over her relationship with Hutch who felt more like a side character than anything. I understood where the love story came in but it felt VERY insta-lovey after knowing each other for three weeks essentially as colleagues. And Hutch as a character is essentially a caricature of every book boyfriend ever. He’s essentially un-flawed (literally saves puppies in his free time) but we don’t actually know anything about him as a person. His experience with grief over his parents felt really untapped and an aside more than anything else to try and give him some more depth. I did really enjoy Katie’s journey of self love and I loved the additions of Rue and Beanie who brought some much needed color into the side characters since Cole was literally the worst.

Overall I enjoyed the read but unfortunately I think this is going to be a forgettable one for me. Bummer because I’ve LOVED Katherine Center’s last couple.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Love Haters by Katherine Center!

Katherine Center is an automatic yes author for me! I adore her adorably quirky characters and her signature clean romances that make you giggle, cry, and feel everything in between.

In her latest novel, we meet Katie and Hutch. Katie—a struggling videographer fresh off a breakup with her famous fiancé—is sent to film a promotional recruitment video for the Coast Guard, featuring Hutch. Our leading man is renowned for rescuing an A-list actress’s dog but just as infamous for his grumpy, love-hating demeanor.

This was a quick read with an equally fast-paced plot, packed with action from start to finish. While Center always masterfully weaves self-discovery and healing into her love stories, The Love Haters leans more heavily on personal growth than romance—hence the plural in the title.

For me, this was a solid 3.5 to 4 stars. The fast-moving plot made it a bit hard to keep up at times, but I can see why many will enjoy the high energy and emotional depth.

A perfect pick for a beach read!

An honest review: thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Center for a free ARC copy of The Love Haters.

4/5 stars
Katie is a gal who had a lot of her confidence taken away after a previous relationship. She works at a film company that’s many cuts and nothing seems to be going her way. She gets an opportunity to save her job at the recommendation of a coworker and travels to Florida to follow and film a coast guard rescuer for a recruitment video. This a sweet romance that was well organized and addressed the FMC’s body dysmorphia and evolution of self love throughout the book.

I thought this book had a great storyline and was written really well. I'm typically a *spicy* romance reader, so I definitely missed that with this book, but if you don't want spicy scenes in your romance, then this may be a good option for you. I do feel like some very heavy topics were met with a lot of humor, which can be great, but I wish things had felt a little more serious in some of the moments the main character was discussing the issues she was facing. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it's not something I would want to pick up again. **Thank you NetGalley for this free ARC!**

This story takes Katie to Key West to film promotional video for the Coast Guard starring the dreamy leading man, Hutch. The Love Haters was a quick read that had Katherine Center's signature charm and humor. This will be great to enjoy in the sun when it comes out on May 20, 2025!

Thank you St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC.

Enjoyed this book a lot, like most Katherine Center books. Couldn't quite connect with the ending, but overall a fun read!

Love love love this book! As always Katherine Center did an amazing job. This book made me laugh and cry and feel all the things! Also, she made Hutch into the perfect dreamboat hero!

Aspiring documentary filmmaker Katie, stuck in a boring job producing marketing videos, but with a great passion project on the side, is assigned to Key West to make a promo video for the US Coast Guard, featuring the brother of her supervisor. She’s given very little information to start, and knows that her job literally depends on how well she does - and perhaps whether she can persuade said brother to participate in her side project as well. When she shows up in Florida, she meets the brothers’ quirky aunt and her gang of single retiree girlfriends, and quickly becomes enmeshed in their group as she starts working on her assignment. There are several side stories here, including Katie’s past relationship with a musician and its impacts on her, her supervisor’s relationship with his brother, and her boss’ divorce and resulting manhunt (which was silly and really unnecessary).

I enjoy Katherine Center overall. I did not like a couple of her books, but I liked a couple others enough to keep me coming back to read more, and I was happy to get an ARC of this through NetGalley. It was fine. The characters are likeable and the story is cute. The topics of body shaming and self love are sort of addressed, and the backstories of the characters exist, but aren’t developed well enough to make this more than a sweet little rom-com that just touches on heavier subjects. But that is typical for this author, so if you are a fan of her books, you will likely enjoy this one, too!

IG: the_baking_bibliophile

Katherine Center delivers another heartwarming and witty romance in The Love Haters, a novel that blends humor, chemistry, and emotional depth in the best way possible.

The story follows Katie as she is sent through her job to shoot a promo for the Coast Guard. Center masterfully crafts a romance that feels both swoon-worthy and deeply meaningful, tackling themes of body issues and familial loss.

One of the standout aspects of The Love Haters is its take on the sibling relationships in face of a past hardship. The character relationships were a big standout for me in this book! Also any book with a lovable dog is a big I will read!

As always, Center infuses the novel with her signature warmth and humor, making it a joy to read. The pacing is engaging, and while some moments are predictable in the best rom-com way, the emotional payoffs feel earned. As someone who loves Katherine Center books, I was absolutely not disappointed!

Overall, The Love Haters is a delightful, feel-good read that will leave you smiling. Whether you’re a longtime Katherine Center fan or new to her books, this novel is a perfect mix of romance, wit, and heartfelt moments.

CW: this book deals with a detailed past eating disorder and ongoing body dysmorphia.

The Love Haters is a sweet story full of hijinks and humor. There are definitely elements that sparkle, but it didn’t always hit the mark. George Bailey, the world’s best dog is reason enough to enjoy this novel.

The story dips into serious topics, namely a past eating disorder and body dysmorphia. I know this is a romance and meant to be happy with everything resolved at the end, but in 2025 if you’re going to tackle a serious issue give it the respect it deserves. Body dysmorphia is not going to be solved over a couple of weeks and the validation of a hot man and to brush over it weakens the novel as a whole.

The FMC makes some wild choices in the third act I still don’t understand other than needing to further the plot. That said, the setting was a blast, the humor was present and overall it’s an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve recently gotten into romance books after almost exclusively avoiding them. This is my first Katherine Center book and she’s great. The characters were fun and interesting and the HEA is what I need sometimes!

DNF @30ish% there's way too much focus on body image for me to keep going with this. The FMC is incredibly annoying. The entire plot is body insecurity and the story feels extremely predictable.

The MMC will swoop in and make her realize she doesn't need to be insecure and I couldn't not care less.

The dog was super cute though.

I stayed up way to late finishing this with no regrets. I loved watching the main character try and learn to love herself. She gets a chance to break out of her shell and find love and comfort in her every day. Just enough drama to keep me on my toes and a little slow burn that I will never not want in every book I read.

Content warning - body image/dysmorphia

I liked it, but it didn’t quite hit the same level as some of her best books.
The setup is cute, the dialogue is sharp, and the chemistry is great, classic Katherine Center charm. But the main conflict? Totally unnecessary. A simple conversation could’ve solved everything, which made the drama feel frustrating.
Still, the romance is sweet, the side characters shine, and the ending is satisfying. Worth a read, just not my favorite. 3.5 stars overall.

This was my first time reading a book by Katherine Center, and overall, it was a light read.

I appreciated how it touched on themes of body positivity and self-acceptance. I appreciated how it touched on themes of body positivity and self-acceptance. The cozy setting was a highlight, and there were some genuinely funny moments that made me laugh.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to care much about the side characters since they weren’t given enough depth. The chemistry between the main characters also felt underwhelming. I liked their banter, but their emotional connection wasn’t developed enough, especially toward the end, which made their relationship feel flat. What frustrated me the most was the conflict. It could have been resolved so easily if they had just sat down and talked. And honestly, I couldn’t stand the part where Cole decided that the game winner would get to kiss his girlfriend. It was unnecessary and really irritating.

While I did enjoy certain aspects, especially the humor, I can’t say it fully delivered. It’s a quick read, but it left me wanting more.