I discovered my love for Katherine Center books last year and I was so excited to get mg hands on her newest book. Thank you to @netgalley for the gifted book to read and review.

Katie has been burned in love from her now famous ex and working as a video producer in the midst of company wide layoffs. When her coworker proposes she takes on a high profile piece for his brother in his place, she accepts not knowing the backstory but desperate to save her job. Hutch is a rescue swimmer who is not looking for fame and is a love hater. As she becomes entwined with Hutch, his endearing Aunt Rue and all of her gals and has some hilarious run ins with dog, George Bailey, she is also going on a journey of self acceptance and self love. Her fears and insecurities, and body image issues are a big part of this book and I loved seeing the journey she goes on with the help of her best friend and her new group of friends. This is a romantic book without a lot of romance but a lot of heart and healing. This lacked a bit of the magic in some of her other books for me but overall still a wonderful read.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Katherine Center does it again with The Love Haters! This rom-com follows Katie, a video producer who takes on a high-stakes assignment she’s wildly unqualified for in a desperate attempt to save her job. The twist? She has to interview her coworker’s brooding (and, of course, incredibly attractive) brother, Hutch, who just so happens to be a hater of love (according to big bro)

From the moment Katie meets Hutch, there’s an undeniable chemistry that makes their interactions both electric and hilarious. But what really stood out to me was Katie’s struggle with body dysmorphia and self-esteem issues. Her inner battles added so much depth to her character and made her incredibly relatable.

The mix of banter, charm, and heartfelt moments is everything I want in a rom-com.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC. I enjoy Katherine Centers books. Loved Hutch and George Bailey. Cole was annoying for a while, but ended up ok. Rue and the ladies were fun. Could totally picture them hanging around, drinking, and enjoying watching the young “kids”.

This is my first Katherine Center book even though I had a hardback version of “The Bodyguard” on my shelf for ages. However this fell flat for me. This felt more like a women’s fiction book opposed to a romance. Katie and Hutch are a sloowwwww burn that I felt their romance took a backseat to Katie’s body image issues. There are some cute moments in the little romance we do get. And I love a book with a dog, especially a big one like a Great Dane. I think if you are already a fan of Katherine Center that you’ll enjoy this.

Centers books that I’ve read have been so good, this one did not disappoint. It did take me about 20% of the book to get into it, so a slow burn start but once she hooked me I couldn’t put it down. Loved the setting in key west, loved his aunt and her cottages, gosh could you even not love hutch’s big scared of thunder dog?! I really liked how they brought some deeper topics into the story and center wrote them well, I really loved how she wrote the dedication at the end wrapping up the struggle some have with body image. I found some things that would be off on actual coast guard protocol in a real life scenario when they were saving Katie and the dog but most wouldn’t catch it or question. But overall it was a great book and already have told many friends about Centers new book! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the early read in turn for my honest review! 4.75 stars if I could give it!

4.5 stars

it started off very similar to the basis of the rom-commers plot: needing a job/ job on the line, strings polled for an amazing opportunity just for it to be a twist of words and the main subject not being aware.

BUT despite that, i love the way they portrayed Katie’s body image issues and coming to terms with herself and her body, her amazing built in cousin/ friend/ neighbor bff Beanie not taking any crap from her and being super positivity driven and making that self doubt turn into positive self love/ talk.

and omg don’t even get me started on Hutch. he was perfect for her, their own lil crushes, slowly falling for each other before they even realized. him saving her fallen hibiscus clip 😭 and sweet auntie Rue meddling with outfits to get them more visually acquainted together ;)

i loved their dynamic together. a film maker and US coast guard- supposedly serious, frowny, no games guy but turns out to be a flirty hands on guy for Katie

Oh man. It kills me to say this, but I did not like this one. I am a huge fan of Katherine Center but this one was just not it. It was corny. So predictable. And I just did not connect to these characters at all I found myself rushing through it just to finish it. If you’re a Katherine Center fan I’d say give it a whirl. Maybe you’ll like it more than I did.

This book is a slow burn in so many ways, but it has REALLY stuck with me since finishing. The cast of characters is incredible (Rue is my dream) but the creme de la crème is the last act. It is bananas and incredible and I’ll be rereading very soon. All the stars!

The Love Haters was a genuinely great time. Katie and Hutch’s relationship was cemented from the start.



Will update with a more in depth review for pub day

Absolutely loved this gem by Katherine Center. The Love Haters has witty humor having me rolling in my seat, a grumpy but oh-so-swoonworthy heroic rescue swimmer MMC, and woven through it all, the real love story here - the difficulty journey toward love for self. With a little help of a best friend and the Gals, of course.

This was my first time reading a book by Katherine Center and I can say I am a fan! The first half kept my attention but did get a little dull in the middle. The ending was great and pulled my ranking from a 3 to a 4! A little bit of action with the romance to keep things exciting! Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for this ARC!

After reading this book it made me want to be kinder to my body. As someone who suffers greatly from insecurity, I did really view the concept of “this is my only body” with almost dread, but this really makes you pause and think, “wow! This is my only body and I love her.” It seems superficial or cliché, but that is truthfully how I felt. No it didn’t solve all of my insecurities, but the way this book is written in a way that just feels so ~real~ that it gave me that push to try to be more deliberate in self love. I absolutely adored the main character, and I love this isn’t something where people are like “oh my gosh but you’re so skinny!” Or “oh my gosh you lost a lot of weight and look great!” In fact, the author keeps all of these details about her intentionally vague. Rather, the emphasis is that she’s beautiful as she is, and this is not because of anything to do with her body type. Moving on to more light hearted aspects, the MMC is the absolute most amazing golden retriever I’ve read. Just something about his quiet, sweet personality while being misunderstood makes me just swoon. I loved their dynamic and I loved the way he would be there for her and just bring so much joy. Seeing his sunny personality peak out from his quiet demeanor was just so much fun. Anyways, I loved this book and I would definitely read this cozy, sweet, emotional book again.

This is going to be a great summer read! Katie is truly such a relatable character. She is a on a self-love journey (aren't we all) and she has stretched the truth just a little bit to get a job (haven't we all). The Love Haters is such a heartwarming read, and it will definitely have you giggling and kicking your feet this summer.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

3 ⭐️!! this one leaned way more to women’s fiction than romance to me. if you are okay with lots of miscommunication and illogical character decisions, you’ll like this one more than me! 🫶🏼 i was going to rate it 2 stars but the authors note bumped it up. that said, the authors note should be at the beginning!!! i wish i read that first, the book would have made a little more sense to me.

💌what i liked:
-quick and easy read!! kept me invested
-i love the quirky humor of katherine center. she creates just pure, hilarious, laugh out loud scenes!
-loved the setting and learning more about rescue swimmers/the coast guard!!
-loved loved rue!! she was fantastic!

🤷🏼‍♀️what i struggled with:
-the miscommunication was just too much for me. the lies/omitting of truth was odd and just felt icky. katie acted so illogically sometimes! like just tell hutch how you feel! ugh!
-hutch seems so loving and caring but after reading i don’t know much about him/connect with him at all? i feel like the romance/his character took a big backseat in this book.
-beanie was an interesting character… i could have gone the whole book without her. she’s supposed to be supportive but she never validates katie’s emotions and pops up too randomly to really make a difference. i would have like rue to take more of her scenes.

🤍 overall, if you’re a big katherine center fan, you’ll find her typical great writing here, this one just missed the mark for me!

-content warnings: 🌶️ spice rating of 1/5 (only kissing) and language rating of 2/5 (1 f word) ⚠️ trigger warning of body dysmorphia/ body image struggles

BIG thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers for this e-arc copy.

This is the cutest love story that I've read in a while. In this book, we meet Katie, Cole, and Hutch. Katie and Cole work together and need to get footage of a famous hero who doesn't want to be famous, Hutch. Katie is sent to Florida to get Hutch to film but in the process she finds out why Hutch is America's hero. Not only is he a good person but he's handsome and his body is also not to be forgotten. Katie must film with Hutch and learn from him how to survive a rescue mission over water, the only catch is...she doesn't know how to swim. Good thing she can get lessons from Hutch. It's the perfect set up for romance, or is it? A story of love, lies, deceit, competition, and compassion-The Love Haters was one to remember. I highly recommend this book!

I loved this book! It was so much more than just a romance book. I laughed and I cried. In addition to the love story it also deals with family, forgiveness and self acceptance. I fell in love with all of the characters in this story. I want to be one of The Gals when I get older! I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Unfortunately, this one was just not for me :(

First, I could not get behind the relationship between the fmc and mmc. There were some moments that had sparks, but it fell flat from there. They didn't seem to have any real chemistry, and there wasn't anything there for me to believe that they were truly meant to be together. It was really insta-lovey and their relationship lacked depth.

I also did not like how the author handled body dysmorphia. I think that I could see the overall message she was trying to put out, but the delivery was just not good and did not sit well with me. This issue seemed huge for Katie throughout the book, but her journey felt more short lived and convenient than anything. Also, Beanie, who was supposed to be supportive of Katie, read very toxic at times. And trigger warnings would be very helpful to add in the beginning of the book!

This did have some actual laugh out loud moments. It read like a literal rom com movie (sometimes good, and sometimes like a cringey hallmark movie unfortunately). There was also so much miscommunication and unrealistic scenarios that just took me out of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC :)

🎥 Fake it till you make it? Katie Vaughn is about to test that theory in the most hilariously messy way possible. Katherine Center’s latest rom-com will have you laughing, swooning, and questioning your own love-hate relationships.

🏝 Welcome to Key West! Katie’s got two choices:
1️ Wait for her job to fizzle out.
2️ Take on the challenge of profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a swoon-worthy Coast Guard rescue swimmer.

The catch?
• Katie can’t swim (oops).
• Hutch is her coworker Cole’s estranged brother.
• Oh, and Hutch is a self-proclaimed love hater.

🐾 Add a charming Great Dane, a feisty Aunt Rue, and a series of increasingly chaotic adventures, including:
• Swim lessons
• Helicopter flights
• Conga lines
• Hurricanes
• Stolen kisses 😘

🌪 Can Katie navigate the thin line between love and love-hating while untangling the web of lies she’s trapped herself in? Or will her big career move sink before it swims?

✨ Why You’ll Love It:
• Laugh-out-loud humor 🤣
• Sizzling romance 🔥
• Quirky side characters 🐕
• Heartwarming themes of bravery, truth, and taking chances.

📖 Perfect for fans of Katherine Center’s signature mix of heartfelt storytelling and hilarious charm!

#TheLoveHaters #KatherineCenter #RomComReads #LaughOutLoudRomance #CoastGuardRomance #EnemiesToLovers #KeyWestAdventures #GreatDaneGoals #BookstagramLove

This book was so cute and fun. I love how Katie & Hutch found their way to each other. It was absolutely meant to be. This hot amazing guy who has a giant grate Dane who keeps knocking Katie over, I know it’s becausex George Bailey knew Katie was perfect for his Daddy. What an amazing person Rue turned out to be after she explains how she met the kids. This book is filled with all the feels.

Such an amazing love story not only about two people, but also learning to love yourself. The love story between Katie and Hutch is a slow burn love story. The love story between Katie and her self, is an enemy to lovers story and I enjoyed that love story the most.