I loved this book! Katie Vaughn has had a rough go at it lately with her rockstar turned ex-boyfriend cheating on her and her job being on the rocks. She's sent by her boss to Key West to record and promote the coast guard by recording Cole's heroic coast guard rescue swimmer brother Hutch. The only problem is that Katie can't swim. It was nice reading how Katie comes to terms with her self-image. Also, loved her relationship with Hutch.

I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge Katherine Center fan. I've read, and mostly loved, all of her books. Unfortunately, 'The Love Haters' is my least favorite read from Center.

The Love Haters was awkward and clunky from the start and nothing felt believable. The dynamics of Katie's workplace felt unrealistic and frankly off-putting, especially as someone who has worked in the creative/video production industry. To top that off, Cole and Hutch's drama is childish and petty, and the climax of the story is wildly out there.

This one just didn't hit for me and honestly, I'm sad about it!

Loved the combination of heart and humor. Who knew a dog would make such a comedic sidekick? I loved all of the supporting characters especially Rue and the Gals. I really enjoyed Katie’s journey to learn to love herself and thought it was written honestly and was very relatable. And who could not love a rescue swimmer with a heart of gold! I wish we could have seen Hutch and Katie more as a couple.

3.5 stars and I’m hurting my own feelings eating a Katherine Center novel anything less than 4 stars.
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First of all there are some “villainous” characters in this story that just weren’t at all necessary. It felt like KC had a very different story drafted and at some point in the editing process someone said “I dont know I think we need more drama and conflict” and then there was a rewrite that was never completely fleshed out.
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I also think that if the author’s note had been before the story and I’d have known which love story was supposed to be pulling focus (the relationship between Katie and her own body) then I wouldn’t have been so frustrated about not being fully invested in the relationship between Katie and Hutch. For the first 60% of this book there was so much between the two of them happening off page and I needed more showing and less telling. However, if I’d have known their relationship was secondary to Katie’s love for herself, it would have changed my reading experience. I love Katherine Center and she’s still one of my favorite authors, but this book would not be my first recommendation.
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I'm a big fan of Katherine Center and while this wasn't my favourite book by her, I still really enjoyed The Love Haters.

Katie is a videographer whose job is in peril and she takes a job making recruiting videos for the Coast Guard. The only problem with this is that she'll have to go out in the water and she doesn't know how to swim. She also some body image issues and now has to put on a bathing suit. Katie heads to Florida and signs up from swimming lessons. As it turns out, her swimming instructor is also a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard and brothers with the video project's boss. While Katie is trying to save her job and starts falling in love, a hurricane is coming and she needs to flee.

I really liked this until towards the end. I don't want to spoil anything but how Katie handled the hurricane really bothered me and ruined the reading experience for me. I could see some readers liking the book so I don't want to say it's a skip but there were some frustrating actions that Katie took and she frequently brought up her body image issues, which I could've done without.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one (even despite the lack of smut!) it was really cute. The main character reminded me of Liz from “Better than the Movies” if she didn’t end up with Wes. I love how everything came full circle. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This was definitely one of my favs 💖

She can LITERALLY do no wrong. Another amazing love story from Katherine Center that encompasses so many different kinds of love (friendly, romantic, familial) and almost as importantly as romantic is self-love.
Katie hides her body, her desires and her past away in her black clothing. She’s been burned in the past and finds it safer to stay neutral (and sometimes a little negative) if she can in her feeling about other people to feelings about herself. But this work trip she’s about to be sent on is going to change her up completely!
I have loved a lot of Center’s male characters (none will ever beat Owen from TYSIAF for me) and Hutch is a close second!
Honestly, read this wise, uplifting, optimistic and endearing love story - it is a true joy to be a part of

Katherine Center write a book that I don’t read in one sitting challenge………….

How could I not be obsessed. Hutch is a Coast Guard rescuer, a rescue-dog person, a protective and kind older brother, a certifiable hunk (I pictured Top Gun Glen Powell..) and prob my fav MMC that I’ve read in a long time. Katie is hurt from past relationships, scared of color, secretly optimistic and so so so relatable. I loved this story and I love all of the feels it gave me!!!

This is a story about learning to love, not just a partner or yourself, but your life. What a sweet sweet reminder to practice that a little every day!

A beautifully written story about love, relationships, and personal growth. The characters are so well-developed and relatable, making this a deeply touching and enjoyable read.

Everything Katherine Center writes is gold. She is a go-to author. I love how the characters are real, with real problems. Center does so much research to make these settings, characters, and conflicts believable. Another easy 5 star!

I really enjoyed this! I wasn't a huge fan of Katherine's last book but this one was more in line with what I love about the other titles I've read from her. I always enjoy that she sprinkles in some heavier topics - body acceptance and positivity for this particular one - while also giving so much good comedic relief to balance it all. Loved the banter between Katie and Hutch but could have used even more about their relationship. The ending just seemed a little abrupt and would have loved a bit more of the two of them at the end. Overall a really great read still!

Thank you for the early copy! This is my first one and it was so exciting to be able to read ahead of the release date!

I’m a huge fan of Katherine Center and this book was very much in the vein of her other novels. Loved the characters (minus Cole who was so frustrating), the setting and the story. I am giving this 4 stars o my because in the world of Katherine Center books this is not my top - but I would still absolutely recommend. I read this in less than 24 hours and would love to see more of the story - particularly “the Gals” and Rue. Some great messaging about learning to love yourself. I’ll be honest in that some parts of the books I thought it got a bit heavy in laying it on but I can absolutely see the importance of the message and this might be just what someone needs to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Katherine Center always has us coming back with the best humor, quirky characters, and banter that will have you laughing out loud!

✨ I loved the setting of this book, and getting to know more about rescue swimmers/the coast guard. I think that is what kept me most interested. Katie struggles with confidence in herself and trying to figure out that she is so much more than a number on the scale. I would say this leans more towards women fiction than romance! I loved how Rue really helped Katie get through her struggles.

✨ I struggled with character chemistry. I felt like there was no tension built up between Hutch and Katie as much as I’d like there to be. There was to much miscommunication and lies/omitting the truth that I didn’t feel like needed to be there, and it took away from the story. I felt like beginning of the book was a little bit slow but once I got a quarter of the way I was fully invested until the ending fell flat for me!

I would love to do a reread though when the book comes out to see if anything is written differently! Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for The Love Haters ARC!

I love KC and her stories! They’re always so heartwarming yet inspirational and educational. I appreciate the formula she puts into her books because I always know what I’m about to get. Safe to say, this is just as I expected in the best way.

Highly recommend if you’re a fan of her previous books or need a palate cleanser.

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy!

Katie needs to save her job and despite not knowing how to swim, accepts a project to profile Hutch, a coast guard and secretly her boss’s cousin. And of course, she absolutely needs to know how to swim for this role.

Even worse than not knowing how to swim? Well Katie also does NOT wear swimsuits because of her longstanding body image issues.

So it’s the perfect cocktail for disaster when she not only needs to wear a brightly coloured swim suit and take swimming lessons from her subject, Hutch.

Instant chemistry takes over, and Katie finds herself swooning in the company of Hutch and likewise.

Except shenanigans escalate when her boss comes to town and tells everyone that she’s his girlfriend. Even though she’s not.

Overall, this book was a romp. There are some hilarious scenes that made me laugh. The humour was evident and laced with some heavier themes such as infidelity, body image issues and family member death.

I recommend this to rom-com readers and fans of Katherine Center. Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Center for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy of The Love Haters in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center continues to be one of my favorite authors of all time and The Love Haters is the icing on the cake! When Katie gets assigned a videography project in Key West, she is a self proclaimed chromaphobe while on the heels of an unhealthy break-up. Hutch is the rescue-diver Katie has been assigned to film as both a Coast Guard promotional video and her own "Day in the Life" series. While Katie is insecure, Hutch is career driven to the point of emotionally unavailable. Until they meet. Told from Katie's POV, read the complicated emotions of personal growth, falling in love, overcoming fears, and survival. Another job well done!

I was really looking forward to this as I am normally a big Katherine center fan. However, this one fell a bit flat for me. It started off pretty good with a bit of the grumpy MMC who is “anti love”. Things took a bit of a turn when Cole showed up and the unnecessary lying took place. I personally am not one for miscommunication or lying and it really took me out of the book especially since it didn’t feel like it added anything to the story. I found it really hard to want to keep going after that. I ended up enjoying the book for the most part but this unfortunately is at the bottom of my list for Katherine Centers books.

Katie Vaughn was recently broken up with and in danger of losing her job to her company downsizing. To prove herself and keep her job, she goes to Key West to film a promo for the Coast Guard and America's sweetheart, Hutch. Hutch has been labeled a "love hater" and Katie has some serious self-love issues and lies about being able to swim to get this job. A perfect pair in paradise.

To start, I thought the beginning of this book was so strong. I loved how readers were introduced to each of the supporting characters and Hutch. My favorite parts of this book were the moments with Rue and the Gal Pals. They had me laughing and wanting to be a part of their shenanigans. Hutch is also swoon worthy. I love how straight-forward and sweet he is. I enjoyed how he helped Katie begin her journey to love herself and his dedicate to Rue.

My issues with this book mainly revolved around Cole and where he enters the story. There is a certain plot point I won't spoil but it was infuriating to read about and I really think it ruined the last third of the book for me. It felt forced and was just plain mean. I also didn't really like how this particular point resolved either (the very end of it was very sweet but everything leading up to it, not so much).

Overall, it is a fun romance with a vibrant setting. Despite my lower rating, I think a lot of people will enjoy this one and I still recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Love Haters follows Katie, a video producer as she ventures off to Key West to film a recruitment video for the US Coast Guard. Neither Katie, nor I, really knew what that entailed. This charming book was filled to the brim with lovable characters - The Gals, I mean come on! - and adventure. The love story was sweet, the dog was delightful. Just a fun read overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. If you're interested in reading The Love Haters, it is set for publication May 20, 2025.

This was a decent novel. Some of the characters and plot lines were underdeveloped, but a complusive read nonetheless.