I am a devoted fan of Katherine Center, and I’ve never rated one of her books less than 5 stars—until now. I’m reluctantly lowering my rating of *The Love Haters* to 3.5 stars, and I can't bring myself to round up. This marks my first disappointment with her work, which made writing this review difficult.

Katie Vaughn, a video producer, takes an assignment from her boss, Cole, to interview his brother Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Katie doesn’t mention her inability to swim, and Cole conveniently omits their family tensions.

Arriving in Key West, Katie struggles with her body image and lacks a swimsuit but is grateful when Aunt Rue greets her and offers swim lessons. However, once Hutch becomes her instructor, the story loses its charm. The early focus on body image and the slapstick humor didn’t appeal to me.

Things worsen when Cole arrives in Key West with their boss, Sullivan, whose antics felt silly and out of place. While Katherine Center typically crafts engaging stories, this one didn’t quite resonate with me, though it has its moments, including a rescue Great Dane named George Bailey.

Katie’s journey has an interesting setup amid humor and a beautiful backdrop but lacks the emotional depth and chemistry I hoped for between her and Hutch. Supporting characters like Aunt Rue brought vibrancy, while Cole and Sullivan felt underdeveloped.

The handling of themes like body image and grief felt overshadowed by lighter moments, and the humor occasionally missed the mark. Still, the tropical setting and Katie’s personal growth offered some enjoyment.

Overall, *The Love Haters* is a quick read with hints of Katherine Center’s signature charm. While it didn’t meet my high expectations, it may appeal to others looking for a lighthearted rom-com centered on self-discovery. I will continue to look forward to her next release.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What an honor it was getting to listen to this beautiful story ahead of its publication. I had such a fantastic time listening to Katie and Hutch's love story unfold in The Love Haters by Katherine Center.

Full of heartfelt moments and confessions, dashed in with the most hilarious self-depreciating millennial humor only a truly talented writer can capture correctly, this book is such a delight to listen to. I was laughing, crying, and giddily smiling at myself as I listened.

Patti Murin does a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life in a way that so few narrators have the same talent for! I could easily follow along at a comfortable listening speed at 1.75x, up to 2x.

I love Katherine Center's novels! They're clean and realistic romances that have good character building and intriguing plots, and this one is so cute!

The Love Haters is a pleasant and fun read. The characters are well-drawn (though sometimes a bit of a caricature of particular character types), and largely likeable (with Cole and the boss as the obvious exceptions). The writing was good, and I was definitely interested in the story. The emotions largely rang true, though the romance was definitely tame, though about what I expect from Katherine Center. Perhaps the best aspects of the books were the side characters on Key West (the group of elderly women and adorable Great Dane - and trust me, I don't say that about Great Danes). What I probably liked least about the book was its lack of believability. I understand that this is a romance, so believability is not really critical, but this one really pushed the boundaries for me, both in terms of the unusual happenings (e.g., this particular hurricane survival) and the whole premise (e.g., would this amount of time/expense really be provided for a promo video?). All in all, a decent read that I'll recommend to readers who like light romance.

Body image issues are mentioned too frequently, accounting for 40% of the book. Women already face enough challenges without this theme being reiterated constantly. The protagonist questions everything she wears and eats, which becomes exhausting.

There are numerous tropes throughout the story, leaving you wondering about its direction.

That said, I do love Katherine Center's work.

I only got about 7% into this book before I decided to stop reading. The idea of the book sounds fun and entertaining, but there should have been some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for eating disorders. The story starts off fine, but then takes a sudden turn into the main character being dumped and decided to restrict food. As someone who has dealt with eating disorders this would have been nice to know upfront. I'm not sure if the book continues down that path since I chose to stop reading.

3.5 stars
~~~
The Love Haters is far from my favorite book written by Center, but I did still enjoy it! It’s a rom com and will make for a great summer beach read, especially if you are vacationing in the Florida Keys this year! I’ve never been to Key West, but now I would surely like to go!

We have Katie Vaughn who is at a crossroads jobwise: Take a job in Key West featuring a Coast Guard hero who saved Jennifer Aniston’s dog (Yes, that Jennifer Aniston!) or risk getting fired. The catch is: Katie can’t swim. Being this is a romcom, of course Katie takes the job. And chaos in many forms appears throughout the story! With chances of being fired still popping up throughout the novel

The Coast Guard hero Hutch is her boss’s brother and Katie’s type. Katie meets Aunt Rue and a Great Dane named George Bailey (Yes, that George Bailey!) Aunt Rue and George Bailey enhance the story and at times steal the show! And Aunt Rue has some friends, so it’s like The Golden Girls at times!

There is some seriousness to the novel: Katie has body image issues. Seemingly like all women, but Katie’s tends to be worse due to her stepmother and a previous relationship where the media was all over Katie. Over the course of the novel, we see Katie go through a transformation with her body issues.

Katie’s body issues did seem to overshadow at times, but we get some potential romance and coast guard training in as well! Hutch was a ‘bit dreamy’ too. You can tell the Center did some research on Coast Guard training. Did she go through training like Katie did???? I enjoyed the ending and this is a fun read.

Patti Murin is the narrator. She is one I will listen to and she delivers on her narration every time!

Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan Audio for granting me an alc to listen to and review! I enjoyed it!

I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait until I can read the next book by Katherine Center. Five out of five stars from me and would be more if I could.

I’ve had The Romcommers by Katherine Center on my radar for ages—so when I spotted The Love Haters on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. As a newbie to both NetGalley and the book community, I didn’t expect my request to be approved… but when it was, let’s just say happy dances were involved. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the early access!

The story follows Katie Vaughn, a video producer whose career is hanging by a thread. Her last shot at saving it? Heading to Key West to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer with movie-star looks and a grumpy heart. The assignment comes courtesy of her coworker Cole—who also happens to be Hutch’s estranged brother. No pressure.

There’s just one problem: Katie can’t swim. And she may have kind of pretended she could.

As Katie navigates swim lessons, helicopter rides, spontaneous conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and a fair share of stolen kisses, she finds herself entangled in more than just a couple of white lies. But amid the sun-soaked chaos, she also finds something deeper—herself.

The banter is sharp, the pacing electric, and I tore through the book in a single day. Unputdownable, in every sense. I especially adored Beanie—every woman needs a fierce, funny, ride-or-die cousin like her. And Aunt Rue? The vibrant soul of the story. She takes Katie under her wing and gently nudges her from a monochrome existence into a full-on technicolor life.

One of the things I loved most was how Katherine Center weaves self-love and body positivity into the narrative with grace and heart. Katie’s journey post-breakup is handled with warmth and humor, and the idea of listing ten things you love about your body? Pure brilliance. It’s refreshing to see self-acceptance celebrated in such a unique and empowering way.

There’s also a beautiful thread about grief and healing that sneaks up on you—quiet but powerful. And the moment when characters start gifting flowers to strangers? Utterly heartwarming. I found myself wanting to do the same. Sometimes, kindness really is the boldest act of all.

Final verdict? A strong 4/5 stars. And a special shoutout to the intuitive Great Dane who knew Katie belonged from the start—his joyful leaps were, in their own doggy way, a big slobbery stamp of approval.

If you're a fan of smart, swoony rom-coms with a big heart and even bigger laughs, The Love Haters is absolutely worth diving into—swimming skills optional.

This was so good! I enjoyed the story, the characters were great and the banter was hilarious. The most embarrassing and ridiculous things kept happening to the main character, in front of the Love Hater, it was too good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook of the Lover Haters. All opinions in this review are my own. Solid 4.5 star read / listen. Put it on your summer reading list!

Thank you for the audio arc to listen to this book early!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is another great novel in her line of books! Her writing is wholesome and I just love it!

This love story of Katie and Hutch is of course swoon worthy but the real prize love is Katie learning to love her whole self. It's easy to get into a cycle of comparison and lack of contentment but Katherine tackles the topic and writes about navigating loving your self and self image in a beautiful way. 📖✨

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Katherine Center, this one was no different! What a fun read!

Katie’s job is on the line, she’s offered a chance to do a documentary on a coast guard rescue swimmer. There’s only one problem, she can’t swim! Hutch was so dreamy, I loved him! Katie has issues with her body image, stemming from her step mother as well as her famous rock star ex boyfriend. Because of this, she wears mostly black and basic clothes. Seeing her come out of her shell, wearing more colors and becoming more accepting of her body was beautiful 🥹 I think we’ve all had moments like this, seeing that in a book made me feel seen. I also loved Rue, she was such a fun character. This book felt cozy, like a warm hug. I loved the characters and the writing, it felt so real and I loved every second of it!

Thank you Katherine Center, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I will read anything Katherine Center writes so it was a no brainer that I would be requesting The Love Haters. I did not enjoy her previous novel as The Rom-Commers as much as the other novels I have read so I was counting on The Love Haters to get me out of that mindset. Luckily, it did not disappoint.

I love Katherine Center because while there is a ton of steamy romance scenes in her novels, there is always a bigger topic/issue/hurtle present. You can tell that Katherine Center does so much research for her novels and I always learn something new while reading her books.

The banter between the two characters was great and I felt their connection, even though it might have been a little rushed. This one made me laugh out loud and there is a dog character that steals the show. I loved the premise and loved learning about the training the coast guard goes through. A female main character that you want to befriend and a male character that book boyfriends are made from.

A fun, light read with deeper underlying topics that is sure to please. To wrap it all up the narration by Patti Murin is on point and really brings the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy.

The Love Haters captured my attention with very relatable characters and a unique storyline. I appreciate the author’s decision to incorporate body image as a character trait, and the ongoing positive, and light-hearted discussions related to it. Narration was very well done, capturing the different personalities of each character perfectly.

Never have the words "sectoral heterochromia" been so romantic. This is my third read from Katherine Center, and I do not think she can miss. Each romance I read by this author is fun, something new, but also gives you the character depth you need to truly love the romance of your main characters.

The Love Haters is a heartfelt rom-com that delves into themes of self-discovery, body image, and the complexities of love. We follow Katie, a video producer striving to save her career by creating a documentary on Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Throughout the story, we both see the romance unfold, but we also get a deeper look into these characters through better understanding of Hutch and his family dynamics and watching Katie learn to love herself more. The book is a good balance of the fun rom-com experiences and these deeper moments of understanding.

Not only is the romance fun, but the small coastal town filled with friendly supporting characters and the appropriate setting add charm and depth to the story. We Katie falling in love with Hutch and herself, but also falling in love with the town.

Upcoming spoiler for the ending: The only thing I didn't love about the book was some of the stupidity at the ending like Katie not realizing that she was in an active storm and was not going to have anyone going to save her. Ridiculous when she also knows she cannot swim. All turned out fine, but for about 20 minutes, I was just extremely annoyed with our main character.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think the strongest thing it has going for it is the perfect blend of humor, romance, and introspection. It's a story that encourages readers to embrace their imperfections and find strength in vulnerability. Fans of Katherine Center's previous works and those seeking a rom-com with emotional depth will find much to appreciate in this novel.

I had so much fun with this book. Katherine Center's ability to write a lighthearted book dealing with serious and complex background issues is far too underrated. There is a bit of a trigger warning for those who have dealt with self-image and body dismorphia-related issues; however, Center treats these as real personal issues and does not minimize the effect that they can have on our everyday perspectives while still managing to give us an almost bubbly feeling rom-com that is PERFECT for a beach read.

Do we have a trademark super-relatable FMC? Yes. Do we have a swoony lead? Yes. Quirky background characters? Yes. BONUS super cute dog you just want to say “whose a good boi???” to? Yes, yes, yes!

I, for one, will absolutely be grabbing myself a copy of The Love Haters so I can reread it.

Audio-wise, I really enjoyed the narrator. I would absolutely recommend the audio version of this book so that you can listen SAFELY while going for a dip or any of your other summer activities, which Hutch, our resident Coast Guard rescue swimmer, would approve of.

The Love Haters is the twelfth novel by Katherine Center. Her stories are warm and humorous but they also touch on serious events and situations and are told with great care.

Videographer Katie Vaughn loves what she does. So much so, in fact, that she has her own YouTube site called a Day in the Life where she spends 24 hours filming the everyday life of her subjects while also interviewing them about their lives and livelihoods. The Dallas company Katie works for is in a state of flux and many are being laid off. She will do whatever it takes to remain on the job so when her immediate report Cole Hutcheson gives her an assignment to spend three weeks in Key West creating a recruitment video for the Coast Guard she, of course, says yes. . Her contact is Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, Cole’s older brother.

Hutch has already had some notoriety when he rescued Jennifer Anniston’s dog when it fell off a California cliff. Although he had no choice of being an object of interest at the time, Hutch has made it his business to stay out of the limelight since that experience. However, he has brought this project to Cole in hopes of spending time with his brother and mending the year long rift between them.

But Cole isn’t ready for such a reunion just yet but has a talented, eager underling that is anxious to save her job in the layoffs and this piece may just be the golden ticket. So Katie packs her wardrobe of black jeans and T-shirts and flies to Miami. After landing, Katie hurries to baggage claim just to be doused with another hurried passenger’s coffee and then to learn her baggage has been lost. Her only option seems to be to collect her rental car, head to the Stardust Inn in Key West, and hope her luggage follows suit. Luckily, Katie always carries her video equipment with her so she can still do her job.

Upon arriving in Key West, Katie meets Cole’s Auntie Rue, owner of the Inn, and the story takes off. From underwater survival training for a lady who doesn’t know how to swim, to hanging out the door of a helicopter to grab rescue footage, many encounters with a 160 pound Great Dane named George Bailey, witnessing hostilities between brothers, riding out a hurricane with said George Bailey this story is a wild ride. Along the way, Katie has many adventures but the greatest part of the journey is the people she meets along the way.

This is such a good story. While quite humorous, it also has many serious topics woven into the tale. The characters are dynamic, the setting tropical, and the storyline is a wild ride for the reader with a lovely conclusion. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

I was so excited to receive this as both an ARC and an ALC! Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors of all time, a national treasure. She is also a fellow Texan. Her books are always well researched and feel like a love letter to Texas, to human connections, to love stories. Her authors notes at the end of her books are one of the best parts, and getting to hear her speak on the ALC was so cool!

These books are sunshine. These are the kinds of books so good you forget to take notes because you are so involved in the story.

The body acceptance piece of this story was so powerful. I loved in the authors note where it says the relationship with the main characters body is an enemies to lovers trope!

George Bailey is the ultimate wing dog.

Katherine Center has done it again! I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. I’ve never really thought of the Coast Guard as being filled with swoony, heroic types—but let’s just say that’s changed now!

This story follows Katie, who’s still reeling from a messy public breakup with a famous musician and struggling with body image issues. Her journey toward self-acceptance is raw, emotional, and so incredibly relatable. I especially loved the bond she shares with Rue—such a beautiful friendship rooted in support, wisdom, and some seriously great advice (hello, time horizon!). Their connection added so much heart to the story and reminded me how important it is to have someone in your corner when life gets heavy.

And can we talk about Katie and Hutch?! The chemistry between them was off the charts! Their banter, their emotional support, and the way they just got each other—it was everything I wanted in a romance.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did such a great job bringing the characters to life. Everyone had a distinct voice, and the performance really pulled me into the story.

This is definitely going on my list of favorites this year—Katherine Center fans will not be disappointed!

First let me begin with how much I loved this. The lesson in loving and accepting yourself is something I definitely need to work on myself. Katherine Center knows how to slip in these important lessons in each of her book.

My only complaint is I wish there had been a dual POV. I feel like reading Hutch's point of view could've helped give us an insight to his thoughts and feelings.

Katherine Center is an amazing author and this was another amazing rom-com. I truly enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved the narration.