Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copies!

4.5 Stars!!

I liked this story so much more than I was anticipated liking it!

Katie has been burned by love and had challenging family relationships. When her job is threatened she accepts an assignment to interview and film a coast guard rescuer. The premise is to use the video as a Coast Guard recruiting video. Still, the rescue swimmer being interviewed was also in a viral video rescuing Jennifer Anniston's dog a while back.

Military, seal team, and Coast Guard books are my top love, so the behind-the-scenes of Coast Guard rescues spoke to my heart! It also doesn't hurt that Hutch is top-tier book boy!

The small community in the Florida Keys where Katie goes for her assignment opens their hearts up to Katie, building the best found family!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job! Her performance enhanced the story!

Romance content: Just kissing!
TW: She had some body image trauma she had to work through.

I was so excited for this one, but it was just okay.

'The Love Haters' is about Katie, a woman who travels to Key West for a big interview at her coworker's behest to avoid getting laid off. The man she's interviewing, Hutch, only agreed to the interview on the condition that his brother (her coworker) do it, so when she turns up, they make make the best of things.

I really enjoyed the second half of this book. It was cute and fun with adorable side characters and felt like the perfect summer romcom.
Unfortunately, the first half of the book was just a vehicle for her body image issues. It was constant. It was actually to the point that I cared about her issues less than I would have otherwise.

That narration is really what carried this book for me. The voice acting was well done and made me stay interested, when I would have put a physical book down.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to MacMillan audio for the ARC of The Love Haters by Katherine Center.

Patti Murin does an excellent job narrating the story -- I honestly had trouble pressing pause because I was enjoying her narration so much. I listened to the whole book in one day.

As for the book itself -- this is my first Katherine Center novel and I was really excited because I've seen her name all over the best seller lists the past few years but hadn't given one of her books a go yet. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, after listening, I'm not sure her style is for me.

I LOVED the first 50% or so of the novel. I thought we were seeing great personal growth for Katie, even if her feelings about her body seemed to take up way more of the story than the actual plot while she simultaneously just ogled Hutch while decrying that same pressure on herself. I thought it was so cute how he was teaching her to swim and while they liked each other it didn't fall into instalove and graphic sex -- there are two kisses the whole book. It seemed like they were having a nice steady progression to something real while Katie got her life together. and she and Hutch got to know each other. But, after the 50% mark, it felt like the story was more about drama than about a blossoming relationship, and the worst part was that none of the drama needed to happen. All Hutch needed to do was say "My brother called and said this..." and Katie could have responded with the truth and the story could have continued as it had been while still including the wild Coast Guard adventures and a familial reconciliation. Unfortunately, Center seemed to lean way too hard in the opposite direction.

I honestly almost DNF'ed this book at 73% - 83%. Like I wanted to fast forward and throw my phone against the wall. Everything related to the Cole plotline was the worst, which I will leave in the notes to the publisher to avoid spoilers. Seriously, one conversation and the book could have gone in an entirely different more positive rom-com-esque direction and instead it went with all this unnecessary character drama that added nothing to the story except to make me dislike the main characters. To make the section worse, at one point in this section Hutch is drunk - like very drunk - Katie thinks about kissing him with knowing he's not in his best frame of mind - she doesn't, but she doesn't even consider his consent, just that he might reject her. and this is after we've had to read multiple attempts of another character violating her personal space without consequence. Like, honestly, everything happening in this section made me really, really dislike the story.

After this weird fever dream of a section the book does recover even if it does go a bit off the wall extreme, which is actually the original direction I thought it was angling for and was expecting (though it was WAY more extreme than I imagined it would be). And, again, I listened to it all in one day and was invested in what happened. It's just...god, that 10% of the book was so appalling for no reason, and I wanted the characters to be smarter than that given both of their past traumas and their dramatic honesty with each other prior to that moment. It really soured me on the rest of the story.

2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Love Haters on May 20, 2025.

As a Katherine Center fan, I expected to fall in love with this book and these characters like I have her other books. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. While I loved the premise (work trip to Key West and shenanigans as she attempts to film sexy Coast Guard and "Love Hater" Hutch), the execution fell really flat for me.

From the get-go, we get a feeling for Katie's predicament at work and her reasoning for needing to go to Key West. But we're also hit unexpectedly with avid descriptions of Katie's struggles with an eating disorder and continued body dysmorphia. These issues are in NO WAY clued in or indicated in any of the marketing for this book. There's no content warning at the beginning for readers who may be sensitive to Katie's situation. And not only does it play a role in Katie's backstory, but it continues to DRIVE the plot and her character development for the majority of the book.

I'm not saying the inclusion of important issues like ED and BD is bad or wrong. I can't speak to whether this was a good or bad representation of the situation. But the rest of the book was VERY over-the-top, campy, and quirky, and the tone just didn't fit with the serious matters being discussed at times (including brief mentions of suicidal thoughts).

Like interspersing body dysmorphic thoughts while he's pulling splinters out of her butt was a no for me.

Aside from that, I was initially drawn into the story and romance between Hutch and Katie. I appreciated the direction Center was trying to go with Katie learning to love herself and be more open to adventure. But the third act break-up?? Conflict?? With Hutch's brother came out of NOWHERE and completely took me out of the story.

And don't even get me started on the rescue at the end.

In all honesty, I found Center's author's note at the end to be the best-written part of the whole book. She talked about her continued love for writing romance novels and how reading these novels is akin to falling in love with pieces of yourself, and I found glimpses of the author I loved who wrote The Rom-Commers. But The Love Haters was all over the place, disjointed, not humorous or fun in tone, and definitely not marketed correctly.

The Love Haters was unfortunately a miss for me. I disliked the main characters and felt completely disconnected from the romance. I did enjoy Patti Murin's narration and found the book easy to read/listen to.

I received and ARC and ALC from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Katie, video producer, is pushed by her coworker Cole to interview Hutch, an USCG, to tell about his life as a "hero. In Key West.

Plot twist: part of the assignment is to wear a bathing suit & be in a helicopter upside down in the water. One problem with that : Katie can't swim & she has self love issues with her body.

Along comes Rue, Cole's & Hutch's aunt to save the day w
By befriending Katie & giving her a little fashion advice.

Rue invite Katie to her swimming lessons and the instructor is none other than Hutch.

In this book, Katie is taught she is perfect just the way she is.

The ending was so explosive firework rom-com moment I just swooned.

George Bailey, Hutch's dog, was pretty cute too.

I loved this book and definitely will be buying for my shelf. Thank you to NG for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. Let's talk about the narrator first. She was amazing!!!! I normally prefer my romance books to be dual narration BUT this narrator was fabulous and I didn't even notice there wasn't a second male narrator.

Now for the Story. I loved the body positivity that was throughout this book. Our FMC grew so much and I loved watching her journey. Now Hutch is definitely my next book boyfriend, who doesn't love a protective hero! This was my first Katherine Center book but I will now be a loyal reader for life.

I highly recommend this book, get ready for a lot of smiling and kicking your feet while reading.

Loved the setting!! (Key West) This was a solid and fun read! I enjoyed almost all the characters. Grief and body image both factor into this one. While this is a romance I suppose there wasn’t a ton of romance featured. This book focuses on a Videographer trying to save her job and a Coast Guard Rescue swimmer along with a gentle giant of a dog named George Bailey. ❤️ Was it my favorite KC book? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes!

The Love Haters is a funny, easy ready. I really enjoy Katherine Center as an author. Her stories usually have good characters with an interesting plot and a good conflict, allowing the characters to grow throughout the book. While I was entertained by this book, I wasn't blown away by it. I listened to the audiobook version and it was great. I love Patti Murin, she is a fabulous narrator.

~~What I liked~~
-The story was interesting. I could tell the author spent time doing her research to present an authentic plot based around the Coast Guard.
-The story was easy to listen to and was a pretty quick read.
-There were some funny parts and I was entertained for the whole book.
-Generally, the characters were good.

~~What I didn't like~~
-The conflict was a bit anticlimactic, if a bit unexpected. I was hoping for a bit more.
-I didn't see much romance between the two MC. Sure, they liked each other, but I didn't see that being developed over the course of the book.
-What happened to the ex-boyfriend?
-While I did see that Katie grew as a character, I didn't see that in Hutch.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book. It was pretty low romance/relationship building, but the story itself was decent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy!

I've loved a lot of Katherine Center's books, and this one did not disappoint! I loved the relationships in the story, both the romance and friendships. Katie's inner struggle with her self-esteem was also well done and very relatable. It was overall a fun and lighthearted read but also touched on a lot of important and thoughtful topics. If you're looking for an fun and entertaining read with great relationships and some deep concepts, this is a great read.

How do I start? I relate to Katie so much. The anxiety she has, and all. This book made me feel seen. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy while reading a book. This put my heart back together. I can’t wait for this to actually release so I can have it on my shelf! The way Katie faces her fears is so aspiring. I love the way you tell this story!! She knew how to make me laugh.
A lot of topics in this book are very real. Hutch is a total sweetheart.
I was laughing pretty much this whole story. I will never think of splitters the same again.
I can’t wait to explore more of her books! Thank you NetGalley & publishers!!

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

This book is a 10 star read for me! I always love KC books but this one just sucked me in and fed my soul. I loved everything from the location, to the found family, all the dog shenanigans, the FMC working through her body image issues, the brother’s relationship dynamics and of course all the drama and adventure. I think the only thing I didn’t like about this book is that it ended. I didn’t want to give up these characters that became apart of me. It was such an amazing read.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Katie is facing a layoff and she has two choices lie and keep her job or tell the truth and loose it. That is how her coworker convinced her to take this videography assignment with the Coast Guard in Key West. So she’s now driving the 7mile highway over water when she can’t even swim!

Hutch was expecting his brother but instead Katie showed up replacing him on this assignment. He quickly gets dragged into the chaos when his Great Dane tackles her and he finds out she can’t swim. He also realizes she’s a beautiful woman that he wants to help.

Hutch and Katie will be forced together basically every moment of the day for the next month while they work together. They will get to know each other very well. But Katie gets trapped in Cole ( Hutch’s brother) lies and disaster strikes.

Check out Katie & Hutch’s story when it Releases
May 20th, 2025.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I’m saying that when I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you. And waiting to see you again. And we’ve spent all day, every day together for weeks now—and it already feels like it’ll never be enough.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Video Producer FMC
* Hero Coastguard Swimmer MMC
* This Job is to Save Her From Layoffs
* She’s Doing a Promo Video For the Coast Guard But She Cant Swim
* Her Co-Worker is the Brother of “Puppy Love” and They Are in a Beef
* She Struggles with Body Image - Working on Body Positivity
* Found Family & Overly Friendly Great Dane
* Key West, Florida

🚁🌊🌴🐾🐸 🚁🌊🌴🐾🐸

don't have the willpower to finish this .i'm bored listening to this dnf at 33% i ust cant be brother to finish it.

thank i got the audio arc

I normally LOVE Katherine Center's books, but this one missed the mark. Almost as it it were written by someone else. The characters just weren't there for me. The dynamic was lacking as well. The narration was also meh.

THANK YOU to Macmillan Audio for the early copy of one of my most-anticipated books by one of my most-loved authors.

One thing about me is that I LOVE a Katherine Center book. I think I've read all but one and I have never not enjoyed them. This one was no different, her writing ultimately just makes me happy. She shouts her goal creating the perfect HEA (happily ever after) from the rooftops and I truly think everything she touches turns to happiness. I've had the absolute honor of meeting her and she is a truly wonderful person.

Right off the bat, I was sold by the adorable cover and the title. The Love Haters? Sign. Me. Up.

I already knew that if these are Katherine Center characters that think they hate love, they won't be hating it for long! As is typical with KC books, there were quirky characters, deeper-than-the-surface themes, complicated character pasts, and an ending that made me smile.

If I had to be picky with this one, the one complaint I'd have was that there was SO much going on. Usually this is something I love about her books, because they're never boring, but I always want details and trauma of the past to be fleshed out and to serve a purpose in the story other than dramatic effect. While an argument could be made for most things, some of it just felt too over-the-top for me personally. Some will struggle with the lack of believability in this story, but I'm not one typically bothered with that since I'm reading for enjoyment solely and am more than happy to turn off my brain for a rom-com.

Overall, a fun and short read you'll be able to fly through in a day!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me a chance to listen this book

Spice-0

This book was absolutely amazing and I had so much fun listening t it. There are some laugh out loud embarrassing moments and of course a lot of drama. The drama was very fun and created just a little bit of tension but not too much to cause any angst. More just frustration.

It is a really quick story.

But grab your flippers...sorry fins. Head to Key West and enjoy the ride

As for the narrator. She was good! Much better than others I have listened to in the past

First I want to thank both Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the early listener copy of this audiobook.

This is the perfect summer rom-com. Katherine Center has hit it out of the park again. This was fun and a quick listen. I consumed it in one day.

I am giving it 4 stars rounded up to a 4.5. It would of been a 5 star, but I wasn't a fan of the way the body positivity was presented. I almost felt like she was too in her head about her looks and weight. As someone who has delt with weight issues most of her adult life it bothered me. That being said make sure to pick this up as quick beach read this summer.

Expected release date 5/20/2025

Katie is sent to film a piece on the Coast Guard, where she meets a vibrant and entertaining cast of characters—including Hutch. Throughout the story, we watch Katie work through her negative body image, slowly reframing her mindset and learning to love herself as she is. Hutch, meanwhile, is a quiet and steady force, dedicated to his job and spending his free time teaching his elderly aunt and her friends water exercises at the pool. He’s also the proud owner of George Bailey, a rescue dog who spent the first few years of his life in a puppy mill.

This book was adorable. The banter between Katie and Hutch? Absolutely top-tier. Their conversations had me giggling and kicking my feet. And Aunt Rue? A queen. We should all be so lucky to have an Aunt Rue in our lives.

The only character I didn’t love was Hutch’s brother, Cole—he was kind of a douche. But, to be fair, once he explains his behavior, it does make sense in context.

I laughed. I even cried (okay, just two tears, but for someone who never cries, that’s a big deal). Overall, I had an amazing time with this book.

If you’ve never read Katherine Center before, let this be your sign to start with The Love Haters. And if you’re already a fan? Do yourself a favor and pick this one up—easily my favorite book of hers yet.

✨Book Review✨

The Love Haters - Katherine Center

📖 Katie has been give two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcherson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West… except she’s not exactly qualified because she can’t swim, but she omits that fact and if on her way to Key West. What could go wrong when Hutch doesn’t want her there? Katie finds herself trapped in lies and will have to figure out how to tell the truth and face old fears.

📚 Katie is a lovable main female character who has body image issues that she needs to work through. She’s got a best friend/ cousin-basically-sister named Beanie who is the girl champion we all want on the other end of our FaceTimes. Katherine Center did a great job breaking down the vastness of the Coast Guard to make it accessible to the reader. This was a sweet story that had swim lessons, helicopter flights, congo lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses. Overall a fast and fun read!

🌟 If you enjoy closed door romances with humor that also have a bit of seriousness to them then you’re going to want to pick this one up! It hits shelves May 20th!

Shoutout to Katherine Center and @NetGalley for the advanced reader and listener options! I loved having the chance to review this before it was officially published.

#BookReview #KatherineCenter #NetGalley #TheLoveHaters

The Love Haters
Katherine Center
Pub: 5/20/25
4.5☆

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Reading a KC book always feels like the perfect, much needed hug and the Love Haters was no different. I adored the heck out of it.

Katie and Hutch’s story was grumpy x sunshine perfection. They had me laughing, swooning, and rooting for that sweet KC HEA we all know and love. I loved George, the Gals, and every single other side character but the ways in which I was fond of Rue… OMG she had my whole heart.

It was part romance, part adventure, and an abundance of beautiful growth. Absolutely would recommend.

What I loved;
💖 Grumpy x Sunshine
💖 Forced Proximity
💖 LOL Humor
💖 The Gals
💖 Body Positivity Message
💖 George Bailey
💖 That KC HEA!

“I just love all of my… everything… because it’s mine’”

I read this with both my eyes and ears, mostly listening because I just absolutely adore Patti Murin’s narration. Listening to hear voice read KC’s words just makes my heart and ears so happy.

A huge thank Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy and for allowing me to be an early listener..