Review: 4.5 Stars

After a very public break-up, Katie no longer trusted her instincts when it comes to love. After she is talked into taking an assignment she is not quite qualified for, Katie meets Hutch, the love hater, who may not actually be the person his brother has made me out to be, as Katie quickly discovers.

When I pick up a Katherine Center book, I expect humor, warmth, and quirky characters I can root for. Though The Love Haters is a bit different from Center's last few books, it still had all her signature charm and delivered laughs with lots of warm-fuzzies.

This was definitely a love story, but not just in the traditional sense. Katie and Hutch had chemistry galore, and it was a delight watching the sparks fly between them as they slowly chipped away at each other's armor, but there was also a strong focus on Katie's personal journey.

Her previous romance was kind of high profile and being in the spotlight left her open to a lot of public scrutiny. That coupled with the break up and a hyper-critical step mother battered Katie's self-esteem and body image. She slowly worked her way back to feeling comfortable in her skin, and it was because she had people who appreciated the whole-Katie package. She discovered how strong her body was and began to appreciate it, one part at a time. It was an encouraging process, to see Katie fall in love with herself as she fell in love with Hutch.

I can admit that there was one subplot I could have done without, but you know how romance books have to have some sort of conflict. I could forgive it because of Rue, the Gals, Hutch, and George Bailey were so fabulous. I adored them all, and they injected so much color, joy, and humor into this tale.

Overall, I had a great time in Key West as me and The Gals rooted for the love haters, Katie and Hutch, to make a love connection.

I am a Katherine Center fangirl. I love all of her books, I think she does a great job at writing a romance, making it fun and flirty, and even just dipping in to dirty. She manages to make even her closed door romances feel steamy, but this one felt off to me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, and I really had to push myself to finish it. I still love her and will continue to read her work, this just wasn't her best. Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

I loved this book!

I knew I would enjoy this story because Katherine Center really does character development well. This book is no exception. The people in this book feel real and the relationships are complex.

The pacing and plotting were perfect. I love the way she handled the conflict/misunderstanding without a breakup. The Aunt Rue character was absolute gold! I literally couldn’t put this book down for the last 30% and I lost some sleep over it.

I was fortunate to receive an eARC and an eAudio copy from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio. There were a few notable changes between them but both were excellent! (These variations may not exist in the final versions and many people would probably consider them minor, anyway.)

The audio performance was perfect—I actually had to look to see if there were two narrators but it was only one! Patti Murin did a variety of men and women’s voices and they were distinct—such an excellent performance!

Center has a way of exploring characters, families, and relationships that is eminently readable and I’m 100% here for it every time—she has hit it out of the park again with this one!

Does Katie know how to swim? No. Does she tell her boss Cole when sends her down to create a documentary on his Coast guard hero brother Hutch where swimming is a requirement? No. Living in Key West with Hutch and Cole’s colorful aunt Rue, Katie quickly integrates into the world in which Hutch lives - including with the ladies who hang around the hotel that Rue runs and Hutch’s Great Dane. While Hutch seems cold at first, after realizing she cannot swim, he spends time teaching her and even though Katie has been burned by love, she feels a spark between them. Hutch seems to pull back every time Katie feels they are moving forward - is he the love hater that Cole painted him to be?

I love Katherine Center and I loved this book - it was like my Xanax when we had travel issues (which turned into a 24 hour travel day) - I kept listening to the audiobook while my husband got us new flights and rerouted. I ended up reading the second half on our first flight and I really enjoyed the story and the characters. The Greek chorus of the women helping Katie and observing was one of the best parts of the book. I know some people didn’t love the body image aspect of the book but, honestly it spoke to me and I fully related with it. My biggest issue with the book is that I have to wait a while to read a new Katherine Center since this one isn’t even out yet.

Thank you to St Martins and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I love Katherine Center. She’s an auto purchase for me, even without reading the synopsis. This book is right on par with her style, witty banter, amazing scenes, and superb writing. Love. Her. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!’

Giving this review for Katherine Center’s newest novel The Love Hater is so not how I thought it was going to go when started the book.

The bones of the story is great. A videographer is tasked with creating a video highlighting the Coast Guard to help with recruitment and in it will feature a guy who was known as saving Jennifer Aniston dog and wants nothing to do with love or fame.

The setting is in Key West with a group of older gals that are super cute. And a dog, always great with a dog in the story.

The parts that made me give it the 3 stars. I get not a fan of your body and trying to find things you like and hating getting in a swim suit. There was however 6 pages of how much she didn’t want to wear a swim suit. The author could have gotten this point across better.

Next was at around the 65% mark and the scene in the bar. I despised everything about that and was making her so beyond weak and just don’t see her going along with it and just hated it.

The ending was fine and I might have thought better if wasn’t for that whole 3rd act thing but it put such a bad taste in my mouth.
I will still read the authors other works but will have to tamp down my expectations to not get so let down.

Thank you to Net Galley, Katherine Center and St. Martins Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: negative body image, death of parents, mention of accident, water rescue in a hurricane

+ Katie needs to keep her job so she agrees to go on an assignment she is only half qualified for. But she’ll do anything, even take swim lessons in a bathing suit even though she has major body issues. She meets Hutch, who is her supervisor’s brother, and is the person she needs to make a documentary about. Katie is pushed beyond her comfort zones but it helps her grow a lot.

+ What makes this book so charming and probably are my favorite parts of this bookis the Gals (the bunch of elderly women at the place she is staying at) who is trying to hook her up with Hutch in subtle ways. And then there is George Bailey the sweetest Great Dane ever! He’s scared of thunder (just like my dog!) and loves to hold toads in his mouth – I loved him so much! Also Katie’s best-friend Beanie was a lot of fun, plus their phone calls are very relatable if you have a best-friend like that.

+ I feel like Katie’s body image issues are so relatable. There were so many times she said something and I was like yeah, I’ve thought that of my body before. It’s crazy and sad to know how mean we can be to our own selves. But you could tell Katie’s issues were painful for her and she’s been working on herself.

+ The romance was a very slow burn, there is no spice, there are a few kisses and that’s it. I think I wanted a little more flirting on Hutch’s part though but I think that’s just his personality. I thought the two of them had a nice friendship and banter going throughout the story.

~ Really wanted a little more chemistry between Katie and Hutch but like I said, I think that’s just both their personalities and it worked for them at least. They are both “love haters”.

~ Pacing wise, I think there was a little lull in the middle, probably because Hutch wasn’t the best at flirting haha, and then there was lots of action at the end which I enjoyed.

Final Thoughts:

Katie and Hutch really complimented each other – they had fun banter and he really helped her with accepting herself but she also helped bring his family closer in a way. I did want more chemistry and flirting but that’s just personal preference. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read especially with George Bailey, the Gals and Beanie bringing in the charm and the laughs. Definitely a fun read for the summer!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A cute and funny read… but sadly not my favorite. The story itself was quite interesting and I loved the setting. I enjoyed somewhat reading about the FMC personal growth with body dysmorphia but it did kind of get repetitive through out the book and honestly my favorite character was Rue. I didn’t love the romance in this book because they just felt like they didn’t have a connection whatsoever. I believe I was just expecting more every time I would read the next page. I really wanted to enjoy this book because again it sounded like such fun, adventurous, and cute read but unfortunately I feel like I was skimming through most of the book just to get to the end.

Thank you, NetGalley for this Arc!

I picked up The Love Haters hoping for a summer romance (judging by the cover art), but it didn't quite deliver on that front. While the writing is solid and the characters are likable enough, the story leaned more into self-discovery and life lessons than actual romantic tension or chemistry. There were moments that hinted at something deeper between the leads, but it never really took off the way I hoped. Not bad, just not what I was looking for.

NetGalley Read

3.5 Stars - Rounded Up for Goodreads

I generally find Center's romcoms to be fun, easy reads. This one had some heavier themes around things like body image and disordered eating underpinning the story. I appreciate these details because they make the characters feel a little more real to me. It was sometimes a bit overwhelming to be in Katie's head as she focused on her flaws. We're introduced to this as one of the key defining characteristics of what our MC has lived through, but the rest of the story emphasizes that this is, in fact, not a defining characteristic of who Katie really is.

The pacing is a bit off on this one for me - nothing happened for a good 1/3 of the book before it really started to pick up. Once the story picked up - and our MC started to make her way out of the thought spirals a bit more - I found myself enjoying this one. There were a number of places where it really beggared belief and/or were unnecessary drama that didn't need to happen, but that is kind of the fun of a light romcom, and I was ok with it. Katie was overwhelming and made some questionable choices that didn't make sense to me. Aunt Rue, the dog, and Katie's cousin rounded out this story for me.

Overall, not my absolute favorite Center romcom, but it was an enjoyable read and would be fun for a Summer beach read pick. This was great on audio, and I highly recommend the audiobook version.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Well I’m typically a huge fan of Kathrine Center, and fake dating but this one did not hit for me. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like the MMC Hutch. He made me cringe by being the self proclaimed “love hater”. I loved that Kathrine tried to include body positivity and insecurity that many women face while I feel it was not 100% a hit. The comedy in the com part of rom com made me laugh. I also think that there could be more of a plot other than Katie being upset about herself and then hutch instantly falling for her and trying to make her feel better about herself.

* I will re-read as I’ve been in a big book slump*

Thank you to Kathrine Center and the publishers/net galley for giving me the electronic arc of this book. All comments are my own thought and opinions.

Dare I say this is my favorite Katherine Center book to date? I really thought I was just reading a silly romcom. But, this book made me tear up, gasp, and exclaim aloud. The premise of the plot twist felt silly/fun, but the way that Katherine executed it in her writing ended up giving the story an extra meaningful component. I read this book in a day. Devoured. Loved. Ate it up!

I love Katherine Center but this was a huge miss for me. I ended up abandoning it about halfway in because I did not feel compelled to keep reading.

I did enjoy the discussions surrounding body dysmorphia and eating disorders as someone who has experienced body image issues myself. I thought the topic was handled with care and realism. It also had Katherine's signature wit and humor.

However, I was so bored by the romance. There was so much telling instead of showing when it came to our leads' connection and at the end of the day, I didn't even feel a connection between them. There wasn't any chemistry.

Though this didn't work for me, I'm still a Katherine fan and will continue to read her books.

I thought this was an overall fun read, but it took a while for the main character to grow on me. She had a lot of insecurities to the point of having disordered eating for a period of time. I think most of us can relate to feeling insecure about things, particularly our bodies, at some point in time, but it was a lot be in her head. She does grow through the story and fortunately she has an amazing friend to help her find her way, but she definitely struggled. She also makes some pretty dumb decisions. Her saving grace is that she was a good person and she tried to do right by the people around her. I was rooting for her to do better, particularly for herself.

I loved the Key West setting, the Gal Pals, and the dog. They all made the story more enjoyable. It was fun to see the interactions between the characters. Aunt Rue was just great and so entertaining.

I love Katherine Center's writing. This wasn't my favorite book by her due to the MC, but it was still one that I really enjoyed reading. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

I love Katherine Center's books. I received Hello Stranger as an ARC and then went back and read her entire bibliography, so I was very excited to see this one. It definitely wasn't my favorite and falls in the middle of the road, but it wasn't bad.

I feel like there was too much body shaming/self body-shaming of the main character. I know part of it is that she's learning to love herself and that I'm guilty of this myself, but it just made reading this love story a downer. I also have a personal hate of the dating brothers trope. (I know she didn't actually, but still). It's just icky for me.

Coming from a major Katherine Center fan, This is my first book that I didn’t love, or really even like.
There was a lot of telling instead of showing. All of a sudden a week went by and I wanted to know what happened in that week!
At about 65% , everything went downhill. There was a lot of immaturity with the adults and certain event that took up way too much of the ending.
I was fully unprepared for the body image topic. Because of the nature of the struggle, I tempered my expectations to think this would be more women’s fiction. And then it fell flat there too. Very shallow for the topic and needed more depth with her issues.

I started this book months ago but I never finished it. I enjoy Katherine Center books but I had a hard time with this one.

Cinematographer Katie is sent to the Florida Keys to make a promotional video of the Coast Guard, starring her co-worker's brother, Hutch. She and Hutch become friends, and he teaches her how to swim while she films footage of him at work while staying with his vibrant aunt Rue. Feelings start to come up between Katie and Hutch until his brother Cole comes to town- and them their boss Sullivan and then a hurricane.

I really liked the first 60% of this book. I really enjoyed hearing about both of their jobs- camera operator and direction and Coast Guard rescue diver- and I could have used more of that. Then it took a completely unrealistic, sharp turn into crazy. I did not see any necessity for Cole, Sullivan, lying, or being rescued during a hurricane. I found those storylines ridiculous, and they pretty much killed the book for me. Katie was also constantly down on her own appearance and one of her main focuses in life was to improve her own self-image. I liked what Center was trying to do but it was so constant and took over. This was just too much forced drama in too short a period of time and too many tidy consciences for me.

I still liked that this as a sunny and mostly upbeat book, which is what I was looking for.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This was a fun summer read! I would suggest checking trigger warnings since there was a lot of body image / ED talk that would definitely trigger some people. I wish we would have gotten a little more of their story, because it felt like the romance came out of nowhere and all of a sudden they were in love...I'm more of a slow burn + tension lover and I feel like this book lacked that a bit. I just wish this book had slightly more depth and I felt more connected to the characters, but I'm still going to read more of Katherine Center's books because I enjoy how she writes fluffy romances and keeps them closed door!

Well, this is a difficult review to write and I had so high hopes for this book! I absolutely loved The Rom-Commers last year and it made my favourites of 2024 list. Hence, I was very much looking forward to this one here and unfortunately it wasn’t as great as the last one. It ends up being a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

First, what I liked: Hutch as a character and Rue, Katie’s host in Key West. The setting was nice and also Hutch being a Coast Guard added to the atmosphere. I liked the one on one interactions Hutch and Katie have and how they treated each other.

What I did not appreciate as much was that the characters seemed to be acting immaturely in quite a few instances and the lying they did to each other did not fit the bill for a somewhat romantic story premise. Katie and Hutch as such were actually a great couple that had potential to be amazing, but that got way too little spotlight. I think the book needs a page on trigger warnings, as there are a few very sensitive topics in this book I can imagine to be triggering to people.

The main characters were Katie, Hutch, Cole and Rue. Katie I had my difficulties with. I found her thought processes and her way of dealing with her body image and eating disorder not very appropriate for the situations she was in. If I put these topics aside and solely look at the chapters she and Hutch interacted she actually was a nice character and had so much potential. Hutch is by far my favourite character in this book. He has his values and he sticks to them. He definitely is the good guy here. Cole, his brother, is not a nice person. He lies, he is selfish and he is brooding a lot. Rue, Katie’s host, is awesome. I loved her and her girlfriends (‘The Gals’) when they appeared in the story.

All in all, I will definitely read on with Katherine’s books, as this book seems to be slightly out of the norm and all her other books as very much beloved in the book community.