I’ve loved all of Katherine Center’s books, but the personal love story of this main character is perhaps the most realistic self-growth of any character of hers. Thank you for writing Katie so well.

I love the two main characters but the body image issues are way too prominent for me and take up so much of the chapters where it takes me out of the story so I have to DNF. Things I LOVED: group of old ladies & MMC. I don’t share reviews on social media when they are DNFs or negative. I love Katherine’s books though, this one was just a miss for me.

This was a fun read. I loved all the characters. Everyone needs a best friend like Bea and an aunt like Rue. The main character Katie has some issues with body image and I appreciate how it was addressed and how she grew in this area. And of course I love that there is a large dog that causes lots of problems. Thanks Katherine Center for always bringing such Joy in your writing.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️
No spice/closed door/no mature language
Check CWs

The first 50% was pretty good. I enjoyed the romance brewing between the two MCs, the setting was fun and exciting, and there was some depth to the character’s stories that was interesting. They were growing and healing and all was good if not a little bit inconsistent at times.

But the last 40% lost me big time. The short-lived third act conflict/plot twist didn’t make sense to me. I started getting so annoyed with all of the characters, especially Katie. So many things got dropped or randomly came up. Though the ending had some heartfelt sweetness to it that redeemed the story for me a little.

I really think we tried to do the rom com thing and the deep-emotional-contemporary fiction thing and we really could have just picked one to really dive into and make the most of. None of the side characters felt fleshed out enough to be super connected to. I wish we had gotten more of Hutch and Katie together to make their love believable. I wish we gotten to dive more in their family relationships and trauma. I wish Katie’s big revelation at the end about loving herself and her body after all had come about a different way.

I also don’t really get why it’s called love haters aside from the brief mentions at the beginning and the end. Neither of them really had that personality at all.

There were funny moments and great lines that I did highlight. I loved the theme of learning to love yourself the way you are. But as a whole it wasn't my favourite Katherine Center.

When there’s a new Katherine Center book, you just know it’s gonna be good. Great premise, great characters, great message. It’s a 5/5 read for me!!

A few Omaha mentions (where I live), a Jonas Brothers reference, a giant dog, AND an absolutely adorable group of old ladies?!

What more could you want in a book?!

Oh yea, let's put the characters in the Keys and have our main male character be a hunky US Coast Guard member? Say less. I'm sold

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC copy to read. All opinions are my own.

Hutch and Katie both hate love. But their versions of love may be different than you typically think going into a romance book.

Katie's journey throughout this book is one I think so many women can relate to. I know I can. I can absolutely relate to being afraid of a bathing suit and the feeling of comfort in a pair of jeans. Beauty standards can really mess with someone. And when those opinions are coming from both people you are close to and complete strangers, it can make things worse. I am so proud of how much growth she did all on her own. While Hutch was there, he only spoke up in times when it was truly out of the blue and it never made me feel like her regaining her self-love came from his compliments.

The idea that Hutch was supposed to be one thing according to his brother and ended up being the complete opposite is a trope I love and never get sick of. And even his idea of "hating love" isn't what you'd think it would be.

"He noticed your pie piece, and he redefined the color of your eyes," Beanie said. "I don't think it's up for debate."

This book made me laugh and cry and just gush over how much I loved these two. I think they had great chemistry all around with each other and the other characters in the book. I adored how you could tell everyone was trying to push them together but none of it felt over-the-top cheesy. I audibly gasped when we hit the pivotal moment. I knew something had to come up, but I really wasn't expecting any of that. The side characters were exactly what I needed them to be for a rom-com like this. Just a little too extreme for the real world, but in the best way.

Overall, I feel like it has been a while since I've read such a fun rom-com and I will be bumping up the rest of her books to a much higher priority now!

This book was really cute and a delightful read that will be perfect for summer but I felt like it lacked some depth and parts of it were outlandish, even for the sake of being a romcom.

What a sweet adventure of a book! Katherine Center has such a talent for beautiful character development and she didn't disappoint with "The Love Haters."
Katie Vaughn embellishes the truth a bit in order to get a gig that will hopefully save her from losing her job. She gets sent to paradise to follow around Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson who is a viral rescue swimmer that doesn't want anything to do with the notoriety. What follows is laugh-out-loud moments, self-reflection, and a whole lot of adventure as these two "love haters" find that they really may not hate love after all.
While this book has all the lovely rom-com moments you would expect from Katherine Center, it also is full of information that will have you learning about rescue diving and helicopters along with kicking your feet.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC through @NetGalley!

Katherine Center is my go to author for a rom com novel. I throughly enjoyed this book. As you read The Love Haters, it is easy to see the story unfold on the screen. Katie, Hutch, Rue, and George Bailey come to life in vivid Technicolor and will leave you uplifted and loving love.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review

Loved Katie! Loved how she spoke to the reader. And her sense of humor was delightful!! Katie and her cousin’s friendship was so supportive and felt very realistic.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

This book just moved directly into the #1 spot for my favorite read of 2025.

Every woman needs to read this book.. especially those of us who grew up during the harsh 90's - early 2000s beauty standards.

I have never connected to a character as quickly and easily as I did with Katie. It broke my heart to read about her struggles, because those struggles .. are the same as mine. I'm not convinced that Katherine Center hasn't secretly met me and my sister and used us to develop these characters. Beanie and my sister might be the exact same person!

There were so many well developed side characters in this novel and all of them were so memorable in different ways. This isn't a book you move easily away from.. it's going to sink its claws in. The self-love journey is one I desperately needed in my life and only wish I could have read 10+ years ago.

As for Hutch: 😍😍😍. I think that covers that.

I can not wait to buy the physical copy of this book.

Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

So good!!! Katherine Center is the QUEEN of romcoms and I will die on that hill. This book was cute, funny, quirky, and so much fun to read. Katherine knows just how to capture my attention and I could not put this book down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

Katherine Center is always a must-read for me, and Love Haters is no exception. This character-driven story follows Katie as she creates a video about Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hutch—and along the way, sparks fly. I enjoyed the supporting characters just as much as the main ones (Aunt Rue and Hutch’s dog absolutely steal the show). It’s a quick, engaging read, with vivid setting details that enhance the story. With its heartfelt romance and strong sense of place, this is a solid choice for a summer read. I will be recommending to romance readers that enjoy more to their plot than just the love story.

Thank you for the early copy for review. I have always been a fan of Katherines books so I was excited to read this one. I will say it wasnt my favorite but still very enjoyable and a good rom-com if that's what you are searching for to read. Katie and Hutch's characters were fun but I didnt feel a big connection with them. I enjoyed the setting of the book too which I feel this book is def more for a spring summer vibe, esp with the cover. If your looking for a quick and fun rom com be sure to check this one out.

Katherine Center does it again with another heart warming romance.

Katie and Hutch's story was really cute. I enjoyed reading about Hutch's heroism and Katie's journey of self-acceptance. And we can't forget the lovable George Bailey! I loved Katie and Hutch together, even though Katie made SEVERAL decisions that had me SCREAMING at her. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you #Netgalley for the e-Arc!

I stumbled across Katherine Center's books a few years ago and they have become my favorite little comfort reads. They are always cute, funny, they deal with real issues more or less, and they make me feel good.

Now, I gave The Love Haters 3-3.5 stars. I needed and wanted more from it. Overall it was a really cute read but I also felt like the pacing was jarring and we didn't get enough of the relationship build up that I have come to expect from Katherine. There is nothing inherently wrong with this book! This is just a me problem. I wanted more tension and yearning and time with the characters together.

I do appreciate that Katherine likes to tackle real human issues in each of her books. But in this one, the issue with body image, felt very heavily pushed at the beginning and I am not sure why, but the messaging fell flat.

That said, I did read this book in 2 sittings. So if you are looking for a quick and cute read, this book is definitley for it.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is so special. First and foremost, it's as if that heartbreaking movie The Guardian was actually a romcom. And there's no way Hutch isn't 10,000 times hotter than Ashton Kutcher. These characters are so easy to fall in love with, and while reading I laughed, got teary, clutched my heart, and kicked my feet.

But I almost stopped reading after the first couple chapters. There was a moment where I was like "Okay Katherine, I get it. I should love my body. *dramatic eyeroll*. It actually took me a little bit to come back to it because I was afraid it would just be too preachy. And then I decided to pick it up yesterday, and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. This book is written with so much love and care. Katie falls in love with Hutch, but she also falls in love with herself and it's so dang beautiful. In the Author's Note, Katherine Center calls this an enemies-to-lovers of Katie and her body and I kind of love that description. I felt so full of warmth and hope after closing this book.

Books are magical, and this was just an incredible story of bravery, family healing, self-love, and of course some rom-com joy to top it all off.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Katherine Center’s books are consistently sparkly and charming, and this one is no exception.

That said, The Love Haters was a bit uneven for me—I liked the second half significantly more than the first (in large part due to the body image/calorie-restriction descriptions in the early pages that took me out of the story and back to the worst of diet culture days). I wish the author’s note on body image issues had been at the beginning so I could have gone into the story expecting the topic and with her context in mind.

Now for the things I loved:
📚 Rue and the Gals and their entire resort/retirement home setup. I absolutely need a whole book on them, please! By far my favorite part of the book.
📚 Hutch
📚 Some really great quotes on life and love
📚 The conversation with Beanie on the boat
📚 Hutch telling Cole about his mom’s last moments (love a book that makes me cry)

I absolutely loved this book! Everything Katherine Center puts out is amazing but I think this might be my favorite. This book had me laughing out loud and also feeling all the feels. It's about love and healing one's self and mending broken relationships.

I really enjoyed the two main characters in the book. The chemistry between Hutch and Katie was perfect. George Bailey was such a great component to this story and I wish we had gotten more of an explanation on why he did some of the things he did. The character development of Hutch and Katie was so great. They were both complex individuals who really gave the reader multiple ways to connect with the story. I wish we got a closer look at the relationship between Hutch and his brother Cole because it was such a huge part of the plot. Rue and her group of friends was a fun addition to the story and I would love to read more about them.

Key West was the perfect setting for this story and it made me want to take a trip down there and wear all the beautiful colors.

I think the ending seemed a little rushed and I wish it had gone a more realistic direction but overall this was a solid read for me!

i absolutely adored the rom-commers, so i was very excited to get the arc of the love haters, and it didn’t disappoint!!!! although this was not my favorite katherine center book, i had a great time reading it!!!! i found both katie and hutch to be enjoyable mc’s and i love them together!!! my favorite part was the body positivity and body image issue representation!!!!! and i loved the florida keys setting, it made the book so fun and summery!!! thank you so much for the opportunity to read!