After having to travel to the Florida Keys for a job assignment, Katie has found herself head over fins for a rescue swimmer who is supposed to be the star of her show. Or recruitment video rather. A heartwarming story of self love and acceptance, The Love Haters is about finding love everywhere you look. Even yourself.

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The Love Haters by @katherinecenter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cocktail: Sangria- preferably poolside
Big thank you to @netgalley for the arc copy of this book!
I love Katherine Center's writing. Her characters are always fully dimensional, complicated, and funny people.

I love the attention given not just to her MC's but to all the characters, even the Great Dane.

Readers of this book deserve for every moment to be read as it happens so no spoilers.
But I will say, Katherine notes in her acknowledgements "In the best stories you're IN it. you're a part of it. It's happening all around you - and TO you. You're not just witnessing the characters you ARE the characters. " And that is so true to this book.

I was excited to be able to read this book. I have read previous works by Katherine Center and have enjoyed them. This was did not disappoint. In her usual style of combining romaine with humor, this story involves the main character, Katie, who works for a promotional video company, assigned to create a video for the Coast Guard focusing on a rescue swimmer, Hutch. I found the storyline interesting and I learned a bit about rescue swimmers and how dangerous the job is. I like to learn something new when I read a novel.

This novel also focused on a common issue impacting women, body image which I can relate to. I thought the storyline was good and kept my interest throughout the novel and had several poignant moments but enjoyed the humorous moments as well.

.The author does a nice job with the character development- especially Katie and Hutch and the close family bond with Hutch’ grandmother. There is some adventure in the book. I found it a very enjoyable read. One minor point is that we didn’t find out the name or sex of the main character until page 5. For some reason, from the beginning of the book I had assumed that the main character was a make so I had to go back to reread the first 5 pages. Again a minor point, but would be good to introduce the main character in the first page.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to preview this book!

Do the thing you are afraid of.

I cannot believe i had the pleasure of reading the ARC.
As someone with eating and body image issues this hit me right in the heart. The struggles I would go through, the periods of time when I focused on diet, how I don’t like wearing swimsuits . The FMC is so relatable.
I loved the personal growth, the found family, the slow burn romance. (Closed door) , i loved to see how people grief and handle trauma differently, the representation and growth in each character.

This is going to be the book of the summer

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

2 stars

I’ve read a few other books by this author and enjoyed some of them. However, I almost DNF’ed this one.

There were some parts of the story that were funny and caught me off guard. The romance storyline was cute. I loved Rue as a side character. It’s a quick and easy romance read with some good plot points that should have been entertaining, and others that unfortunately didn’t work for me.

This book includes mentions of body dysmorphia, but I felt like it wasn’t portrayed as well as it could’ve been, especially regarding recovery. The other side characters were forgettable. There were topics like rescue swimming that seemed so boring in the book that would otherwise be exciting in real life.

This book had some redeeming parts but I was also just glad to be done after reading and will not think of this one again.

Thank you to NetGallery and St Martin’s Press for the digital review copy.

Katie Vaughn is a video producer sent to Key West to film a recruitment video for the CoastGuard featuringg
one of their rescue swimmers,Tom Hutcheson who became famous on the internet after he rescued Jennifer
Aniston's dog that fell off a cliff. While Tom has avoided any requests for interviews, he has agreed to do
the video as a favor for his brother Cole, Katie's boss. Now all Katie needs to do is learn to swim and pass
the insurance simulator requirement of being fliipped upside down inside a helicopter and escaping .
Neither one is looking for a relationship, but Tom's Aunt Rue, her friends and Tom's Great Dane George Bailley
think otherwise Toss in a hurricane for added excitement. Quick and enjoyable read.
#TheLoveHaters #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

While The Love Haters did have some of the serious undertones I'm so fond of in Center's novels, it did feel like more of a rom-com than I usually expect from her. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this for what it was, and feel like the story would be well-suited for a big-screen adaptation. Zero spice, but four stars!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 stars. I will read anything with Katherin Centers name on it, because I know I'll cry but in a satisfying way. Loved both the FMC and MMC, though I would have loved it even more if we got a little more of their flirtatious interactions. It just felt a little rushed.

Katherine Center does it again! Characters who make you laugh and feel, a wonderful dog, and a plot that, while yes, a bit predictable, just makes you feel good. Highly recommended! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved this romantic novel about a woman who has to go to the Keys to interview a helicopter rescue worker and of course there is CHEMISTRY..

The Love Haters

This book had me blushing and swooning!! What an honor it is to read it early! Thank you, Katherine Center!

The story follows Katie as she takes on a job she hopes will save her career, though it might be beyond her skill set. She ends up crossing paths with a shy but kind man named Hutch. Together, they navigate this adventure of a story, bringing out their ability to love themself and maybe even each other. It's so sweet. The book is written as if it's Katie’s internal monologue, and I love watching her character grow and heal throughout the story. There are themes of eating disorders, so be aware if that’s a sensitive topic for you. I really appreciate how Katie and those around her help her grow, ultimately learning to love herself and feel more confident in her own skin. This book is sweet, endearing, and humorous—seriously, I found myself laughing out loud many times. Hutch is an iconic book boyfriend (where can I find a guy like him)!!!

This is one of those books that once you finish reading it you want to read it again! I loved reading this story and can’t wait to read more of Katherine's work :)

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC of Katherine Center’s upcoming release. This will be released on May 20th and it will certainly make Katherine Center fans very happy. This was a lot of fun to read. I especially liked Hutch and his Great Dane George Bailey. There is some self helpness to this book with the female main character learning to love herself. It was kind of hit you over the head but I think for me that was because I don’t think it is just so easy to turn away from years of beating yourself up to “oh my stomach is fabulous, my thighs are great…” This is my issue, not the book’s. But, this book has a lot more to it than trying to make us love ourselves. Again this was fun and perfect for those that love rom-coms but shy away from spice.

I always forget that Katherine Center can make me weep. Prepare yourself!

Katie is a filmmaker who is going to make a promo for the US Coast Guard. The subject of the film is a rescue swimmer named Hutch who had a bit of fame when he rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog from drowning. Turns out he is also the brother of her colleague who was supposed to be doing the film. Winds up falling for the swimmer, but along the way the colleague tells his brother that Katie is dating the colleague. It’s extremely messy, but also a bit goofy and outrageous…but it works.

We also have Hutch’s adorable great dane, George Bailey, who loves Katie and an adopted aunt of sorts and her crew of retired friends.

Even more emotional for me as a reader was Katie’s enemies-to-lovers plot with her own body. She has an eating disorder in her past and is still dealing with body dysmorphia. This is one Katherine center book that might need a trigger warning for someone who is dealing with similar issues.

This also might be the Katherine center book with the highest stakes. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but the are some very dark moments here and it is devastating. But in true Katherine Center fashion, our characters all land softly, and have their happily ever afters.

The Love Haters was a delightful read from beginning to end. It followed the FMC on a self-love journey (that may or may not have blossomed into actual love) and kept things fun throughout. This closed-door romance had all the tension and slow-burn moments that every romance reader craves, paired with an MMC who is truly the stuff of dreams. It made me want to visit Key West—and maybe even watch Top Gun? Don’t ask, just read it. All in all, I’d give it a solid 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed it, and if you are a fan of Katherine Center, you will too!

A big thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC and the opportunity to review the book!

Katherine Center has once again given us a great romance with a touch of learning. She has provided us with a couple that we want to figure things out while not making it all about sexual chemistry. Her stories are a warm hug with a touch of laughter and tears.

The Love Haters is the perfect summer romcom!

Katherine center always has such a witty way with words and fun storylines that make you believe in love and all while in an ideal summer setting? What could be better? Katie and Hutch have such a fun dynamic. He's so sweet and adoring of her and helps her find her self confidence and assures her and that is a man I need! A perfect sweet and adoring man. It's relatable, comforting, fun and sweet and a must read for any Katherine fans! You will love it and feel so warm and coz and soft inside after reading it. I loved it!

"Reading love stories isn't frivolous. it's profound."

The Love Haters was a great example of this fact that all romance readers know - hidden in between Katie and Hutch falling in love was a deep emotional journey that the reader accompanied Katie on in the best possible way. I loved the setting of this romance and the forced proximity of it all and the real, selfish choices the characters made along the way. I just know this'll be a huge hit when it comes out!

Huge thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a cute fast paced read, really got me in the mood for warm weather!!!! I loved all the characters in this book, I loved Katie and how she overcame such a life struggle to love herself, Rue was definitely the best though!! I recommend this for a quick summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the eARC!

Katie is a video producer on the cusp of losing her job. As a last ditch effort to save it, she travels to Key West to shoot a promotional video about the Coast Guard. Her main focus is Hutch, a rescue swimmer, who happens to be her coworker's estranged brother.
I have fallen in love with Katherine Center's books. I love how she weaves a story and it makes me invested in the characters very early on. The romance was cute and sweet. I loved the underlying story of found family and of finding love for yourself in the process.
The Love Haters will be released
May 20th.

In Katherine Center’s latest offering, as with all her work, you know you’re in for a feel-good, entertaining, and quick read. However, I’m giving this book three stars because I found it somewhat challenging to connect with the characters, and the chemistry felt a bit lacking. While it’s by no means a bad read, it doesn’t quite rise to the level of being truly memorable—it simply does what it needs to do in the moment, and honestly, that’s perfectly acceptable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!