Another 5 star book from Katherine Center! I will say, this one is different from her latest books, but I still loved it! I feel like she focuses more on the FMC's relationship with herself, and the relationship with the MMC is background. This is one still full of laughs, love, and quirky characters that I want to know in real life! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was another 5 star read from Katherine Center! She is one of my favorite authors and really delivers on the light hearted romance here.
This book really delved into self discovery and learning to love yourself with the main character. I feel like everyone goes through a period of learning to love themselves, lumps, bumps and all! Throw in a hunky coast guard main character, enthusiastic great dane, and quirky aunt.....it was such a fun read! While I received an ARC copy, I already have the audible version on pre order and can't wait to listen to it again!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the complementary advanced digital copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️ her books are usually a little too much “insta-love,” Hallmark for me. This one was heavier (maybe a little too much) on the self-love and body acceptance. The romance almost took a back seat and didn’t give me those giddy, butterfly feelings. And the “conflict” didn’t quite work for me, seemed strange.

I thought I would love this book, but I just liked it. She’s one of my favorite authors but I wasn’t blown away. I liked the story and ending. I think the main characters struggles with an eating disorder was a bit over dramatic. I’m not saying eating disorders aren’t, it just felt a little fake to me.

The Love Haters
By Katherine Center

To save her job, Katie agrees to take a job making a commercial for the Coast Guard in Key West. Cole, a fellow co-worker, suggests the job to help her. Cole doesn’t want to take the job, because his brother, Hutch, is the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer that they will be filming. The only issue is that Katie can’t swim. But that’s a problem for future Katie. Katie arrives in Key West and has to face her fears. Not just swimming but also self acceptance.

Love Hater deals with many deep issues. From eating disorders and grief. This is a hard hitting book. I love a Katherine Center book, and I have read most of her previous novels. Love Haters feels like one of her earlier novels, before The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger.

I rate this book a 3.75/5 Stars. There were a few pacing issues for me in this book. Many personal interactions happened behind the scenes and then were recalled later in the book and it made the book feel disjointed. There were so many different/difficult relationship dynamics, I wish it was honed in a little. There were so many issues with the brother, Cole, lying. Also with her previous Ex-Fiance making songs about her, but that storyline just fell off.

I did enjoy Hutch and Katie together. I am a huge George Bailey Fan. I am excited to see what Katherince Center writes next.


Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read Love Haters.

The Love Haters is a fun and entertaining romance. I love the characters and how they grow and develop through this book. I really enjoyed this book.

Katherine Center can write about the hard topics without making the whole story heavy. The main character, Katie, is very relatable. I love all the side characters in The Gals and Aunt Rue. The author's note is a must read as she explains herself in characters. Katherine Center books are auto reads for me so I was excited to get to read it early. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Katie is swept off to Key West to film a video for her job, well, to hopefully keep her job. Her arrival doesn't quite go as planned, cue some reader smiles. As her trip unfolds she has to learn how to overcome her lack of positive body image. Katie has an amazing support person, which we all should have!

Hutch is a hero, he doesn't know it. Will Katie be able to prove to him that he is with her video?

This story brought the smiles and the tears to the eyes. It was a quick read and 4.5* for me!

Make sure to read the authors note at the end.

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

Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE Katherine Center. This just wasn't her best book. I didn't really start to love the book until about 80% of the way through the book. The dialogue felt juvenile at times.

I'd still recommend it being read, but just know this wasn't her best. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this adorable romantic comedy ahead of its release date! In Love Haters, Katherine Center does a wonderful job of exploring self-love and self-worth as the main character, Katie, finds her way after getting cheated on by her famous fiancée. I adored her relationship with her best friend & cousin, Beanie, and I loved her journey of self-love throughout the entire story. Every woman can see themselves, in Katie, as she picks apart her body and focuses on her flaws. Ofcourse Center throws in the insanely handsome good guy, allowing the reader to cheer for them to end up together. Laugh out loud moments, and some teary eyes, this story was a 5 star for me!

If you haven’t already, check out the Rom-Commers also by Katherine Center!

I loved Katherine Center’s last book and was so excited for this one! I love her tone and her quirky characters, but unfortunately I didn’t love Katie and Hutch in her newest book, The Love Haters.

Katie is a video producer who really needs to do good on her latest assignment - a promo video for the US Coast Guard, following her boss’s hot but love avoidant brother, Hutch. While in Florida on assignment, Katie gets tangled up in a web involving some family drama, some secrets, and a lie involving her swimming abilities. Amidst all of this, she’s starting to develop feelings for Hutch, who is known to be the “love hater”.

A few things I couldn’t stand:
- the overly quirky nature of the book and characters. A little bit is fine, but this got a bit too “slapstick” for me.
- the villains. No spoilers, but it’s a bit much, especially towards the end. Not necessary at alllll.
- how Katie’s body issues were overshadowed. I think that her issues were an important topic, and relevant to the theme of the book, but it just didn’t work as well as I had hoped with everything else going on. It was almost too much.

I really wanted to love Katherine Center’s newest book as much as I have her other ones, but sadly this one wasn’t as good as the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katie risks being laid off for her job as a video producer when her coworker Cole proposes that she travel to Florida and make a career changing promo for Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch…who also happens to be Cole’s brother. Katie takes on the assignment because it’s a shot to save her job but also she has an up and coming side gig profiling hero’s on YouTube and Hutch is a dog rescuing hero…perfect to check all of the boxes. Except Hutch is uber private and has never granted any access following his big story. Undeterred, Katie goes to Florida and settles into the brothers’ aunt’s Airbnb slash retirement community - with a Congo line, and falls for Hutch. Did we mention that Katie can’t swim? That will be a significant piece of the puzzle as Hutch teaches her to swim in his aunt’s pool. The anticipation of a true rom com begins. Mid story Cole comes to Florida and claims Katie is his girlfriend as some sort of revenge on Hutch which throws the whole situation into a tailspin. I admit I got a little lost in the sauce of this complicated ruse, but it kept me entertained, if impatient, for Katie and Hutch to get back to their story. Predictably, like a rom com should be, the story refocuses with some exciting drama involving a storm and a lovable goof of a dog, George Bailey. It was a fun story and true to form, Katherine Center gives us likable characters to root for to figure it out. Another hit!

Another Katherine Center book that I thoroughly enjoyed! I loved the setting and really enjoyed the storyline tied in with Rue, and of course George Bailey. I liked that there was a bigger subtext to this book around body image and loving your own body and enjoyed the light-hearted way Center wove that throughout the story.

This book was such a ride! It felt like three books in one. Several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and they all kept me turning the pages. Love the main character and reading about her coming to terms with her own inner struggles. There were so many great other characters, too. Hutch, obviously, but also Rue and The Gals and Beanie and even George Bailey. Everyone was so endearing and relatable. This book is right up there with The Bodyguard as a favorite from this author. Loved it!

I really enjoyed this one! Very cute story and builds your self confidence. Katherine Center has beautiful covers as well.

First I have to disclose that I absolutely LOVE Katherine Center. I mean, the joy I feel when I see she has new book coming out is beyond description. So the bar is set pretty high for me just by having her name on the cover! And let me say....The Love Haters did not disappoint! This book is so funny and so cute and I was honestly sad when it was over! Katie has thoughts and conversations with herself that are laugh out loud funny--and so very relatable! The way Center describes some of the situations Katie finds herself in (like the clothing boutique filled with so many brightly colored outfits and her misadventures in the pool and with Hutch's dog) are so well written that you can just picture it in your head. The ending of this book might be my favorite ending of any of her books--and it makes me hope, wish and pray that this book becomes a movie! Loved this book so much and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who is a fan of contemporary women's fiction. Sooooo good!!!!!

Katherine Center never disappoints!

This was a prefect quick, easy and fun read. It hooked me in early on, had me laughing and even a little teary at one moment.

One thing I love most about this author is how she weaves in real life things in her stories. This story included a journey of self image issues that was so relatable, especially as a woman, and how the character navigated through that.

Let’s not forget George Bailey 🐶 a key player in this love story!

If you looking for that quick and light hearted read, I highly recommend this one!!

The Love Haters is my first Katherine Center book and oh boy - I absolutely stayed up way too late on a school night finishing because I just had to know what happened next and how Katie's (our FMC) story arc would go. If you're in the market for a rom-com about self-love and acceptance with a side of shitty boss and family drama - this is it.

Katie Vaughn is sent to Florida to do a story on her boss's brother, Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer who became famous after a daring rescue of a dog. Cole, Katie's boss, passes this off as an opportunity for Katie to make herself indispensable at her job where people are being laid off left and right. In the process, we are introduced to Aunt Rue, the property manager for a set of cottages (and shops) in the Keys where Katie stays, Katie's best friend Beanie, and The Girls, a group of older women who all stay at the cottages with Aunt Rue.

So much of the book is the love story between Katie and Hutch that survives miscommunications galore, lies from Cole, and a rescue at sea. But, one of the best bits is truly seeing Katie develop a better relationship with her body through her own hard work and the support of both Beanie and Aunt Rue.

For a heartwarming joyful read (and couldn't we all use one right now?) I can't recommend it more. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

Book Review
The Love Haters by Katherine

Thoughts
This book. This author. I highlighted and annotated everywhere.
Heroes. Journalism. Paradise. Social media. Body dysmorphia . Life. Illness. Aging. Trauma. Tornadoes. Death. And between it all- LOVE
Love for family ( found and by blood)
Love for your pets
Love for your friends
Love for your job
Love for your partner
Love for YOURSELF

Yes this is a love story, yes there is a happy ending at the end, but this book is soo much more than that.
Its a hug for your head and your heart.

Publishes May 20 2025
Thank you to the author and @stmartinspress for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own

I just finished this and I LOVED IT!

Katie & Hutch were just my fav. I’m still thinking about the way I felt reading this book! They were so uniquely themselves…love haters and all. But their backstories and how they just came together fit so well. I will not get over Hutch yelling at his brother about sending Katie and him not expecting him to fall for her? Swoon! Do not get me started on Rue. She was just a blast of color and warmth. I really enjoyed not as commonly used career choices for the FMC AND MMC. There was also so much depth to each character and hardship. Such a good read!

And to be honest, if Katherine writes it I’m reading it. PERIOD! Thanks for Katherine, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I ate it right up!