While this light-hearted, breezy summer romance had a cute premise, Katherine Center's books are starting to feel a little Sophie Kinsella-esque to me. There’s always a quirky main heroine who finds herself in over-the-top, “slapstick” situations that are meant to be amusing. But the pages spent describing these misadventures felt forced, and became a distraction from the developing romance between the two main characters. I loved the interactions between Katie and Hutch after they were introduced, but all of the sub plots just turned their romance into a convoluted mess to the point where it felt almost non-existent. But other readers seem to love this book, so maybe this type of romance just isn’t for me anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

⭐3.75
I loved this book!

It was really intriguing to see a character who kinda thinks they are healed but in reality they have a long way to go, because it is so accurate to how healing is non linear.
I Thought the romance was cute.

Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders

DNF at 20%. I really liked the writing and the narrator but I don't want to read a book set in a red state right now with the way the world is.

I love Katherine Center and have read many of her books so I was excited to get a early copy of Love Haters. A hot rescue swimmer who does not want fame for a save and always seems grumpy, is the opitamiey of "grumpy" in a grumpy meets sunshine love troup. While Hutch fits the bill Katie missed the sunshine in the troup. While I understand it's not always a perfect match in the troup world I felt like she was a but of a downer. Negativity around her body and her life seemed forced at times, and while relatable a bit much. Overall Hutch and the older women carry the book for me. Keep it up Mrs .Center I will read all you write and so will my patronts!

Another Katherine Center win!! The love haters is an adorable rom-com with some heavy topics mixed in. Katie takes a job in Key West where she will be doing a promo for the Coast Guard, only problem is she lies about knowing how to swim. Hutch is known for being a love hater so she goes in thinking he will be just that! Katie also struggles with body image due to a past relationship and it is handled so well throughout the book. Aunt Rue is amazing. she is a bit over the top but has the absolute best intentions!! I loved the story and banter between Hutch and Katie so much and George Bailey was a true star here!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

First of all, I really enjoyed this book. I rarely do audiobooks because I’ll admit I’m not a great listener. This book really captured my attention though. I couldn’t get enough. I love Katie, Hutch, and Rue and the girls (and OF COURSE George Bailey!). Cole sucks and most of his role was just annoying in my opinion.
I have mixed feelings about Beanie.
She brings up Lucas constantly then tells her he’s not her problem any more when she reacts 🙄
Beanie sending that link to her from the gossip site KNOWING what it’d do to her really rubbed me the wrong way.

The bullying really got to me at points. The cyber bullying felt so real.

I hated the way Katie talked about herself but I relate to it well. I know how common it is for women to pick themselves apart and I’m glad she finally came to reason with it.

Then, deliberately, slowly, so no mistake could happen…. He nodded😂 killed me

the writing indicating she’s a bigger girl when the cover has a perfect tiny hourglass figure rubs me the wrong way. I can see that she had body image issues and was probably tiny and just perceived herself as larger, but it’s really a slap in the face to have your body size depicted as a nightmare and terrible and too large in a book.

Rue you queen😭 I love her so much and wish I knew her in real life. She brings out the best in everyone, and makes sure all are taken care of. She’s vibrant and beautiful and encompasses everything I hope to be as I age.

I did not see the hurricane coming but gosh what a roller coaster that was!

Despite that I have some qualms with this, it’s one of the better books I’ve read this year. It’s not just a fun romance, I felt it dealt with some tougher topics as well and I appreciate that so much, even if I don’t necessarily love how it was accomplished. There’s not a cut and dry right or wrong to everything and that’s ok, and makes this book more intriguing.

I love that in the end she doesn’t forget a single detail that needed to be followed up on, right down to the frog!

I’ll definitely be reading more Katherine Center!

[Really liked it]

This was a fun read with great characters. I especially enjoyed aunt Rue 🥰 The love storyline was just okay for me but the surrounding stories and characters made it more enjoyable. The narration of the audiobook was really good. It was easy to get into the story and made me want to keep listening. I recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished listening to this audiobook. I loved it so much! The characters are very well developed. You instantly want to root for them.
I didn't feel like this was your typical romance story. It wasn't just a love story between Katie and Hutch, but a self-love story. I really enjoyed Katie's character. Her body insecurities are very relatable, and it was great to follow along with her discovery into learning to love herself and her body.
I have an Instagram post scheduled for May 1st, a little closer to the publication date.
I will update with a link once it's posted.
Thank you for letting me listen to this book. This is my 2nd Katherine Canter book and I am quickly becoming her #1 fan.

I really enjoyed reading this, but I was left a bit disappointed with the love story aspect. I also felt like it was pretty self-deprecating in a bad way for Katie. Though she ends the story with a much more positive self image, I feel like a trigger warning should be issued for body image/dysmorphia issues as well as car accidents and substance abuse. Overall a solid 3.5 stars - thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I love A Katherine Center book. The audio is great. Very well done, very entertainiNo. Great book for summer.

I think the first 25-30% of this book was a bit drawn out and slow, then all of a sudden it was classic Katherine Center and hit on every level, every emotion and everything I love about her books.

This story was so well done! From finding love, but finding out how to love yourself...I absolutely loved this entire thing. I loved the sweet doggo, Rue, and Hutch oh dreamy mcswoony Hutch!

This is KC at her finest!

Thank you to Macmilan Audio for letting enjoy this ARC of The Love Haters. This was my first book by Katherine Center.
This story follows Katie and Hutch. I enjoyed the end progress of their story but I felt the beginning was very slow. I almost stopped listening around 40%. It was a great romance story, but there wasn't anything special about it.
The supporting characters were there but I wish there was a bit more of them. We got a bit extra of Rue, but I would've loved more Beanie and WAY less of Cole.
The beginning was difficult with how much negative self talk there is. I appreciate where the author was taking the idea, and where it ended up, but it just felt like a bit much at once. I know that self love can be a touchy subject.

This was a quick listen and again I did enjoy it.

I was so lucky to get an advanced audiobook copy of The Love Haters.

This was my second book by Katherine Center and I really enjoyed this one. This book is about Katie whose job as a video producer is on the line and Cole send her to do a promo video for the US Coast Guards. The only thing is she can’t swim and the guy she is following is Cole’s brother Hutch, who is not only a hero but is also a total catch. Katie also experiences issue with her body. I felt it was so relatable as a woman who also at times has experienced some type of issue with my body, I loved that she has her best friend and cousin Beanie to really help her see herself in a different light and really love herself.

I really did love the relationship between Katie & Hutch and honestly I would have given the book 5 stars but I was being greedy and wanted more of there relationship. I wanted to see more of those cute moments together and watch them fall in love more.

I also really enjoyed the narrator of the book, Patti Murin. Her narration kept me engaged for the entire book.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & Katherine Center for the advance copy of this book.

This one had so much potential! I will say if you enjoy full trajectory romance with back stories, big character development, insecurities, etc you will enjoy this! For me, I like my romance books with some comedy, more unserious, a bit spicy and I love a confident woman!!! That is why this one was only a three star read for me but I overall enjoyed, apart from all the fluff in the book (especially the beginning — get to the romance!!!)

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the narration was fantastic and I think listening to this definitely made me enjoy it more than if I had just read it.

Thank you for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this title via NetGalley.

To no one's surprise, and like all of Katherine Center's books, I absolutely loved this one. It had so much heart and warmth, and I lovedthe setting and all the side characters. Fantastic in audiobook format.

A note for the author and publisher: Even though they're not triggers for me, I really do think there needs to be content warnings for death of parents (off page) and the discussions throughout the book regarding body image and eating disorders.

This wasn’t just a cute romcom journey but a journey of self love. Katie is recovering from a public breakup when she finds out her job is on the line. In attempt to save it she is sent on location to make a recruitment video for the coast guards. Her trip involves an enthusiastic Great Dane, a colour loving Auntie Rue, a group of meddling ladies and rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson 🔥.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑
🏝️ beach town
👙Body positivity/self love
🐶 dog is the real star
👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏽found family and friends

"Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life." -- Katherine Center

It boils down to this: Katherine Center is a phenomenal author. I have yet to read something that I haven't enjoyed! I feel like her characters are very easy to connect with; there always seems to be something that is relatable and "real life".

Katie Vaughn doesn't know where Key West is on the map, she doesn't know how to swim, and she knows next to nothing about the US Coast Guard. When her work colleague, Cole, presents her with a career opportunity that involves all of these things and might save her from getting laid off from her current job, those will just have to be minor details for the time being. The other small problem is that the job is to film rescue swimmer, "Hutch", who just happens to be Cole's brother, who is expecting Cole to come do this project and has no idea that someone else, who can't swim and doesn't know what his job entails, will be taking his place.

Sound like fun? IT IS! Full of found family, love of animals, grump + sunshine, witty comments that will have you snickering out loud, great side characters (Beanie, Rue) and of course, your much-loved HEA.

When you meet George Bailey, you'll realize why he's my favorite character!

"Yeah. It's like, I know what a supermodel is...and I know that I don't look like that. But I just love all of my... everything... because it's mine."

Katie does have some body image issues that she will be working through, and this may be triggering for some. I think this is the portion of the book that is very relatable. Romance is wonderful and beautiful but it's not perfect. Yes, Katherine gives us some of those "perfect" scenes, but she also gives some reality. Many women struggle with body image, and I think it was worked into this story very appropriately.

Thank you, Katherine Center, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC (kindle and audio) in return for my honest opinion!

Synopsis: Katie Vaughn travels to Key West to film a profile of Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson for the U.S. Coast Guard. There just happen to be a couple of issues - Hutch turns out to be her boss’s brother. And Katie can’t exactly swim. Though their attraction to each other is undeniable, there may be too many roadblocks to overcome for their happily ever after.

Thoughts: Okay you guys, I really really love Katherine Center, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. I ended up giving it four stars because her writing is phenomenal, and there are definitely aspects that I enjoyed. Hutch is a really great MMC, and his Aunt Rue is fabulous - their whole backstory is really intriguing. And of course George Bailey the dog is a real standout character. The tropical setting is also well done. What didn’t work for me was the intense focus on Katie’s body image and eating disorder. While I love to see this representation, it was dealt with a little heavy handedly. That being said, this is not a bad romance at all and I still recommend checking it out! A note on the audio: I read the physical book for this one mostly, but I did want to check out the audio so I could let you guys know how it was - and it’s great! Patti Murin never misses!

Read this if you like:
🛟 workplace romance
🛟 forced proximity
🛟 found family
🛟 self-image
🛟 adventure
🛟 dogs

Ok- in true Katherine Center fashion, this was a sweet, fun romance with a lot of heartwarming moments!

Katie Vaughn, a videographer & documentary film maker, gets a career-changing opportunity to profile a Coast Guard swimmer named Hutch. The catch? She can’t swim and isn’t qualified for the job, but she decides to fake it. It’s clear from the start that a romance is bound to happen between Katie and the swoonworthy, “perfect” hero Hutch.

From the upbeat, quirky old Aunt Rue and her friends who love swimming & sangrias, to the sloppy and loveable Great Dane George Bailey, to a caring best friend, you know we’ve got a cast of unforgettable characters!

While I really enjoyed the setting in Key West and the behind-the-scenes look at documentary filmmaking, the focus on Katie’s body image and eating disorder struggles felt a bit too heavy and wasn’t essential to the plot. I appreciated Katherine Centre’s explanation in the end, about why she writes her stories & characters the way she does, and I felt it did bring a “why” to why this topic was explored so heavily. It’s something to be aware of for readers who may be sensitive to these topics.

For fans of:
💙Fake Dating
💙Miscommunication
💙Forced Proximity
💙Tropical Setting
💙Quirky, loveable supporting characters

Be sure to add this one to your Katherine Center collection - it arrives May 20!

Thank you to the author & publisher for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version early!

This book was just SO sweet 🥰💛 I can totally see why everyone’s been raving about this author, and I was so excited when I got approved on NetGalley for this upcoming release on audiobook 🎧📚

It was light and fun 🌴😄—but it also had just enough drama to keep me fully engaged 🌀👀. I loved how naturally everything unfolded… nothing felt forced, and the pacing was perfect! 🕰️✨

Katie’s self-confidence struggles were so relatable 😔💬 and made me want all the good things for her. Watching her find and love herself was so fun. 💘🛟 Hutch was the perfect MMC... just like I like 'em -- grumpy, guarded, but totally soft underneath 🥵🧊🔥 Their chemistry was just the right mix of tension + sweetness 💋🫶

This book also reminded me how much I love it when people who don’t start out as your people slowly become your people. ❤️🏡 This was my first from this author, but it definitely won’t be my last!! 😍👏

#bookstagram #thelovehaters #audiobook #ARC #netgalley #romance #grumpysunshine #foundfamily #selflove #upcomingrelease #comingsoon #booklover