Katherine Center's new book, The Love Haters, is a a rom-com--a little light on the romance part. Katie is a video producer who faces a possible layoff if she doesn't prove herself, so she agrees to take on a special project in Key West featuring "Hutch" Hutchinson, a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard. Her lead producer turned down the assignment himself because the subject is his brother, and they have a very strained relationship.

Katie and Hutch are not really "love haters," but both have reasons for being reluctant to open themselves up to a romantic relationship. Katie has suffered from nasty online comments about her appearance after her musician boyfriend (now her ex) became a media phenomenon. She keeps attention away from herself by shunning bright colors and being her own worst critic. And she doesn't even swim, which may cause problems with the assignment. Hutch doesn't like attention either, although he is handsome (of course) and super-athletic, and often makes heroic rescues.

The setup feels pretty contrived, some plot elements are silly, and there is not much of a romantic payoff, but the main characters are easy to like. Supporting characters such as Hutch's aunt (and the brothers' foster parent after their parents died in an accident), Katie's encouraging best friend, and a humongous Great Dane named George Bailey are charming. It's not my favorite Katherine Center book, but it gave me a few hours of pleasant reading.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I've been following along and reading all of Katherine Center's books - this latest one felt like a fever dream with no real depth. Hutch felt like a husk of a man who was fully represented by the fact that he was a Coast Guard leader boy - and not much else going on in him. Katie's inner monologue was certainly the center of the book - and though they never directly speak about body dysmorphia or eating disorders, that is certainly a thorough line in this book. I can tell the author tried to handle it with care; and yet, this book ended up treading the line between making the reader uncomfy without getting any real emotional payoff or feeling like we seriously considered and talked about it - (spoiler alert, the "solve" for this main body image crisis involves a natural disaster and a newfound appreciation for our body....which really contributed to that fever dream. All in all, I think both of our main characters fell flat for me; the contrived plot (which is not something I usually mind) ended up feeling incredibly silly. It honestly felt like a shallow version of Just for the Summer.

But, I did finish this book during a reading slump and so I will certainly, definitely give it that.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
Love love love this book! What is there to not love about a Katherine Center book?
She has a way of writing that makes all of her characters come to life. They just seem so real and some are relatable. Great character development. Loved Lucky and George Bailey.
Will recommend and have recommended!

“The Love Haters” by Katherine Center is a delightful read set in a tropical paradise, making it a perfect addition to your summer beach reads. Fans of Center’s work will appreciate this humorous and romantic story about self-discovery and empowerment. While some of the characters' situations are a bit over-the-top, the laugh-out-loud moments more than make up for it. The book strikes a balance with its heartfelt moments, all while maintaining a lighthearted tone. If you love rom-coms, this is a must for your TBR. I’m confident it will be a Bookstagram favorite this summer!
Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for giving me the chance to read this new book by Katherine Center! I wasn't sure how it was going to go - felt like a unique start....almost like the first few chapters weren't written by her.
But - as usual - I loved the characters. I laughed and cried and cheered for alllll the characters.
This was a great plane read, and I'm so happy I saved it for a long flight. Thank you, thank you for continuing to write love stories

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a delightful romantic comedy that effortlessly combines humor with heart. It centers on the story of two people who couldn’t be more different, yet find themselves drawn to one another in the most unexpected way. Center, known for her knack for crafting relatable characters and engaging plots, delivers another winner with this novel.

The Love Haters offers a satisfying romance but it doesn't shy away from the complexities that come with love, misunderstandings, and personal growth. It strikes a nice balance between lighthearted fun and emotional exploration, making it a great pick for anyone in need of an uplifting, yet thought-provoking read.

The Love Haters is a charming, feel-good novel perfect for fans of romantic comedies with substance. Katherine Center once again proves that she’s a master at creating memorable characters and stories that leave you both smiling and thinking long after you’ve turned the last page.

really enjoyed this book!! It has a little action and suspense, romance, and lots of personal growth for the FMC. I love how Katherine Center’s books almost feel like an autobiography, like her main character is telling her future kids about her life. It’s a really fun and unique style! This book has some insta-love which I personally don’t mind! I do wish the FMC and the MMC’s relationship was a little more in depth and explored a little more. To me the focus was mainly on her journey of self love which is great and important! Just maybe go in with that expectation! :)

I highly enjoyed this read, it was well paced and kept me interested from the beginning. I want to move to Key West and befriend the Gals. I loved the focus on loving yourself/your body and appreciating it for simply being yours.

This is my first Katherine Center and I really enjoyed it.

The romance with Hutch and Katie is adorable, I love his dog “George Bailey” and all the silliness that ensued.

The first thing that stood out was Hutch immediately notching Katies “pie slice” eye color, that her ex of years never did. Someone really “seeing” you can make all the difference.

I absolutely cracked up over the bathing suit fiasco, so many of my highlights came from that part of the book. Hutch being so flustered, Katie being confused, the ripped bottoms, the “diaper” I cackled and kicked my feet.

I loved the best friend, Rue, the Gals, all the side characters… BUT the relationship Katie has with her body and the transformation of how she sees herself was definitely the best part.

Like the way her perspective kept changing was so great and one of the most beautiful things about this book.

Definitely convinced me to go back and read more of Katherine’s books.

This is my second favorite Katherine Center book ever. I loved it ... all except the epilogue. The end of the last chapter is cute, but then we get very little of her and Hutch together. Come on! Another kiss or something. We got no romance between Katie and Hutch to end the book. When I finished the last page, I was left disappointed instead of with a happy heart. The story felt unfinished. So yes, I loved the book all the way up to the epilogue.

Katie Vaughn is recovering from a break-up. Not only is her ex famous, but the media spotlight is harsh with many comments on her image and body mentally breaking her down. To make things worse, her job is currently laying people off and her job is at risk. The only thing saving her is a profile on a coast guard hero named Hutch, and he happens to be her bosses only brother.
Katherine Center has a way with her writing. Feel good, funny, romance. this is a gem.
I loved the evolution of self-discovery and growth BEFORE love and romance.
The depth in this story was beyond enjoyable and I cannot wait for more Katherine Center in the future.
Bravo!

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

This was a fun, cute and charming summer read! It was a lot of telling instead of showing but still enjoyable,

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Wowwww I really love all the themes and messages of this book. It talks about confidence, body image and it really made me relate to all the conflict going on in the story.

This was my first Katherine center book and I absolutely loved it!’

It’s a mix of humor and high stakes and I’m all here for it!!

All the love for this book. The Love Haters was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump. Not only a laugh out loud love story but also a love story to ourselves and our beautifully imperfect bodies. A love story to found families and strong female friendships. A love story to working out problems with siblings.
I’m here for books where locations are also a character. I want to go stay at the Starlite with The Gals!! Please take me there now. I want to know Rue, Ginger and the rest of The Gals and be welcomed and loved by them. I want to do the Conga with them and drink sangria with them.
Chemistry between Hutch and Katie was so good and so easy. Their banter and conversations were so good. And let’s not forget George Bailey!! What a giant love bug.
Go read this book!

I got my hands on an advance digital copy of my favorite author’s book that will be coming out on May 20th, and it’s officially my newest favorite KC book! Can’t wait for my pre-ordered hard copy to arrive!

Wow, wow, wow! Every time I think @katherinecenter can’t out-do herself, she does it again. The way she tells stories that I related to so much it feels like she’s talking about me, just slays me every single time. The Love Haters made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel second-hand embarrassment & grief, made me highlight so many nuggets, and made me feel good and reflect on my own experiences big time!

Things I loved most about this book:
BOTH main characters
Rue + the Gals
The glimpse into the Coast Guard
Overcoming fears
A few well-placed double negatives 😍
Witty banter
Clean romance that made me swoon
Beanie’s wisdom
The complicated relationship with her body
The Joys of Grief
The processing of grief in needful and beautiful ways
The author’s note at the end 🤟🏻

The portions about being seen were especially meaningful to me as my own love story (with my body and my husband) is crazily similar. I know about the fear of being seen AND the freedom + validation that come from finally being seen, known, and loved by someone it’s okay to feel safe with.

And mostly, the depth. In a could-simply-be rom-com, Katherine always, always, ALWAYS makes me feel so deeply. My heart opens up and the messages included amid & throughout the ROM and the COM sink deeply into my heart and being.

I am changed.

And I am always better for having read her books.

So while this is kind of starting to sound like an ode to Katherine (who totally deserves it), it’s really more of a nudge to pre-order this book and pick up one of her others in the meantime. If you need my order of favorites, I’ve got you!

THE LOVE HATERS

Katie is faced with a tough decision: either wait to be laid off from her job as a video producer or, at the request of her coworker Cole, take on a potentially career-defining assignment profiling Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie can’t swim.

I can always rely on KC’s books for a comforting escape. This one had all the charm of a classic rom-com with an added layer of self-acceptance. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and a sweet, wholesome romance, I couldn’t help but root for the main characters.

That said, I had more mixed feelings about Katie’s struggles with self-love and body dysmorphia, at least in the beginning. While many women will find this relatable (me included), I felt the author could have approached this with more sensitivity, but as the story progressed, I really grew to appreciate Katie’s self-discovery and Hutch’s supportive role in her healing journey.

The plot is a bit silly, but I still had a lot of fun with it. And I can’t forget George Bailey, the Great Dane—he absolutely stole the show.

The Love Haters is a fun, charming rom-com that takes readers on a whirlwind adventure from the corporate grind to the sunny chaos of Key West. Katie Vaughn, burned by love and disillusioned with her career, is given the chance of a lifetime: to profile the ruggedly handsome, slightly jaded Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch Hutcheson. The catch? She can’t swim, and she has a complicated history with Hutch’s brother, Cole. The chemistry between Katie and Hutch is electric, though marred by Hutch’s "love hater" attitude and Katie’s growing guilt over her lies. Their relationship, filled with stolen kisses, hilarious mishaps, and growing emotional tension, is at the heart of the story, offering both humor and warmth as they navigate their complicated feelings.

What sets The Love Haters apart is the delightful mix of humor and heart. Katie’s misadventures—fake swimming lessons, helicopter flights, and even hurricanes—provide a steady stream of laughs, while her emotional growth adds depth to the story. Hutch, with his tough exterior and vulnerability, is the perfect foil to Katie’s more guarded persona. The supporting characters, especially Aunt Rue and the adorable rescue Great Dane, add to the quirky charm of the story. As Katie faces her fears and comes to terms with her past, the novel beautifully balances romance, self-discovery, and the messy, unpredictable nature of life and love. It’s an entertaining, feel-good read with a generous dose of heart and humor that will leave readers cheering for Katie and Hutch’s happily ever after.

Katherine Center’s writing style is so easy to read. I felt so many of the emotions Katie went through in this book. Katie had a supportive and encouraging best friend that you instantly love and want as your own. I really went on this whole journey of discovering love and her own self discovery. Loved it so much

I love Katherine Center’s writing. All of her books are great and this is no exception. I love the closeness to Katie’s cousin and the humor of doing anything to keep her job

“That’s what no one ever tells you. You can look around with your own eyes. You can find your own details. Notice for yourself what matters—and decide what it means”

4.5 Stars

Katherine Center whisks us away to the Florida Keys where we (and our FMC) are given a crash course in the Coast Guard and water rescues.

Katie Vaughn, a budding videographer trying to keep her job, jumps at the chance to take on her boss, Cole’s Coast Guard project without bothering to mention she can’t exactly swim. Upon arrival in the Keys, she meets her subject, Cole’s brother Hutch, who despite the sadness in his eyes and the perpetually frown on his face, is quite the handsome catch. Over the course of her time in Florida, Katie and Hutch grow closer as they spend most work days filming and most off-days learning how to swim. She falls in love with his Great Dane - George Bailey, colorful Aunt Rue and The Gals who all live nearby.

But things get messy in paradise when Cole appears. Antics ensue between drinking contests, wrestling fights, hurricanes, and many, many white lies.

I loved what felt like a dual love story wrapped into one delicious rom com package. Watching Katie learn to love herself over the course of 300 pages was almost as gratifying as watching her relationship with Hutch unfold.

Learning to be brave, vulnerable, and honest were the main themes that stuck with me, even after the final page. I enjoyed the full cast of characters, especially George Bailey and his lucky toad.

The story was entertaining, engaging, and well written. Another winner for Katherine Center!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.