This book was only ok for me. It was a good summer/beach read but I don’t feel it’s one I need to read again. I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. I liked the over all story but the parts I didn’t like were the mental health aspects. There were three or four times where she was upset and stuff was happening and then she was like totally ok 100% better which wasn’t realistic. I appreciate a good pep talk and I understood the point but things aren’t suddenly better like they are here. I would definitely read another book by this author though to try again. Thank you!

DNF@16%. I’m so tired of the self hate and body image issues already. In my fictional worlds females aren’t defined by their weight and their whole personalities aren’t about being thin.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center never misses when it comes to blending humor, heart, and hope — and The Love Haters is no exception. I absolutely loved this story! The plot was engaging from the first page, and I found myself quickly pulled into the world she created.

The characters were truly the highlight for me. They felt funny, authentic, and deeply relatable, like people I’d want to be friends with in real life. The dialogue was sharp, the emotional beats hit just right, and the chemistry was believable without being over-the-top. Center knows how to craft characters that feel real — flawed, lovable, and trying their best.

I gave it 4 stars only because there were a couple of moments where the pacing dipped just slightly, but honestly, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. The message at the heart of the story — about love, self-worth, and rewriting your own narrative — was exactly the kind of uplifting content I’ve come to expect and love from this author.

If you’re a fan of smart romantic fiction with humor, heart, and a heroine you can root for, The Love Haters should absolutely be on your list.

Once again, Katherine Center gives love and attention to difficult topics. Discussing them with humor and a level of seriousness that mirrors our every day lives without downplaying or overdramatizing these concepts. The way she tackles body image, self esteem, and other aspects of self-worth is fantastic and very very human. Oh, and the romance is cute too.

I’m hanging my head here, but this is my first Katherine Center book! Where have I been? I really enjoyed both the digital copy and the audiobook.

What a story. The journalist has to film a video of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Katie is fighting hard against being laid off, and her coworker Cole has asked her to film a video profile of “Hutch” Hutcherson in Key West, Florida. There’s just one problem - Katie can’t swim, and that’s a requirement for doing this. It the whole story is about much more than learning to swim! It’s about learning to love yourself, about opening up to the people in your “neighborhood “, about working through your fears of others actually getting to know you.

The narrator was good and I loved the way she kept us waiting at the end of the story to see how it all might turn out. But Katie and Hutch are the real stars, with a supporting cast of Aunt Rue (I’m really dying to shop in her store!), Hutch’s lovable Great Dane who has a really cute name, and all of Aunt Rue’s fun friends.

This one definitely earns four sparkly stars!

I received a copy of the digital ARC and also digital ALC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The main character spent more time learning to love her body than she did falling in love with the main male character. I was OK with it!

Complaint: the MMC was tooooo perfect. I kind of understand his resentful brother's POV on that issue, ha.

How can you not love Katherine Center. This book like all of here is light and loving. I was in love from the moment I found out she can’t swim. LO. Quick read, never disappoints.

I’m not sure Katherine Center has wrote a book I didn’t like. She writes complicated characters in a way that you still root for them. Real life is messy, and so are the people on her page, but never so messy in the books that it will stress you out like real life. I love that it takes you behind the scenes of life in the Coast Guard. It makes me want to move to the Florida Keyes. The love hater in question is so likeable, and the love triangle was unexpected and creative! I’m not sure where I’ve seen that done that way before. I love the twist and turns that this book took, even if I wanted to punch the brother at times. And I loved that it was also a love story about the FMC learning to fall in love with herself in addition to the usual romance tropes. It’s a quick read, it had me laughing out loud at points, and I read it twice because I enjoyed it so much. 5/5 stars. Thank you to Ms. Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. It was a fun trip

4.5 ⭐️

OMG THIS BOOK?!?! Literally obsessed! This is one of my fav books I’ve read all year so far. The romance? Chefs kiss, I loved it so much. I didn’t want it to end, I wanted to see even more of Katie and Hutch together cause I was obsessed. I loved the side characters in this book, George Bailey especially such a cutie and Rue, loved her and her group of friends! Can’t believe I pushed off reading this for so long, definitely going to be reading Katherine Center’s others books immediately.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for this ARC!

One of the very top of my list “anticipated releases” this year and Katherine Center 👏🏻 never 👏🏻 misses 👏🏻

Absolutely devoured this, I legitimately put it off a bit because I hate waiting for the next release and thought surely I could pace myself- what a lie I believed. The Love Haters has an insanely beautiful, quirky, hilarious cast of characters. From a troop of living large old ladies, a whole horse of a dog- George Bailey, feuding and competitive brothers, a kick-butt bff, and of course our leading lady: Katie.

Katie, the key definition of somehow confident yet not, sharp wit, passionate, creative. She’s real and relatable and the moments of learning to embrace her body after years of childhood diet culture pushing- ugh I just love her. Hutch might just be my favorite MMC of Katherine’s. His genuine drive to care for those surrounding him, the way he is set to do *anything* for his connection to his baby brother, his humor.

I don’t know how the ability to write such believable and real feeling love stories comes so naturally, but Katherine Center just does it. It’s such a balance of real life trauma and hard topics with lightness and laughter. The feel good reads I always know will be waiting within her books. Honestly I’d pay to see my own love story written because I know it’d be amazing and a peak comfort romance despite being a rather boring “Tinder success” story.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for this advance copy!

Katherine Center is a real favorite author and I've loved her last few books. The Love Haters is a lot of what I've loved about her: fun characters, good banter, a great HEA. Where The Love Haters differs for me is that I can't tell if I actually liked the female main character and I can't figure out why. I didn't find her annoying or unlikeable, I also wasn't completely sure she was actually in love with Hutch, the perfect mmc. And because we never get his POV, it was hard to know why he was in love with her, other than the fact that they are both beautiful people and she is "not perfect" and he is. The premise seemed slightly off?

But that being said, I enjoyed this! Cole, a secondary character, was a lying hoot and an actual chaos demon. The dog is amazing! Secondary characters were really all around fantastic. And I love a good rescue.

I'm going to keep reading Katherine Center because her books are fun.

I love a Katherine Center book and this felt a little reminiscent of her "older" books. A fun summer read.

I finished this one in a day! This is a romantic book about a videographer, Katie, who is assigned to make a Coast Guard training video starring stoic, unfriendly Hutch who also is her superior's brother.
The slow burn was fun and ultimately satisfying. And, the book was quite romantic. However, I also found this book to be unexpectedly touching. (I found myself reaching for the tissues while reading at work.)
Another unexpected aspect of the book was the focus on self-image and self-love. At times, I found myself wishing that Katie would have some self-confidence. But, I can certainly understand the struggles that she was going through.
Ultimately, this was a fun, steamy, satisfying summer read.

The Love Haters was my first dip into Katherine Center’s world, and I was surprised since I didn’t expect to enjoy it this much. What I found was a quirky, heartfelt, and emotionally layered story that blends classic romance tropes with genuine character growth and vulnerability.

Pretty sprayed edges and a misleading cover couldn't save this one. I honestly couldn't stand the main character and I hate the miscommunication trope so that with the abundance of lies in this book drove me crazy. I did read it in 2 days though so it had that going for it. Oh in the ending was the most ridiculous thing! 1.5

I have yet to read a Katherine center book that I didn't like. And The Love Haters was no different. I think that Katie and Hutch have the best banter of all of Katherine's characters. And it didnt' help that Hutch has loveable Great Dane. And I can't forget Aunt Rue and her senior friends. That group of friends reminded me a bit of the Golden Girls and the Miami setting of the book didn't hurt either.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

After reading The Bodyguard, Katherine Center became an automatic read for me. I loved Rom-Commers, The Bodyguard, and Hello Stranger, and the charming interactions Center creates. Unfortunately, The Love Haters missed the mark for me. I think this could have been a winner if Center focused more on the interactions between Katie and Hutch; however, there were too many other elements thrown in for my taste. I appreciated the side-plot about Katie's self-love journey, but Cole's storyline felt very unnecessary. In the end, everything came together, but the journey was not what I expected or would have preferred.

In order to keep her job Katie has to try to get an interview with a pretty population coast guard rescuer.
Stop making a girl insecure about herself a whole.book. I know its normal but its annoying to read it a whole book.

I either absolutely love Katherine Center books or I find them incredibly middling. This one was a LOVE. The characters felt rich and the romance was romanc-ing! Hutch felt unreal and I would love to see this onscreen!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

★★★★☆

The Love Haters is a charming, witty, and emotionally satisfying rom-com that delivers everything you’d expect from Katherine Center—with a little extra sparkle. The audiobook, narrated by the always delightful Patti Murin, brings the story to life with warmth and humor, making it a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

The banter between Katie and Tom is a highlight—sharp, funny, and full of that delicious slow-burn tension. Their chemistry crackles from the start, and watching their relationship evolve from reluctant co-conspirators to something deeper is incredibly satisfying.

And then there’s Aunt Rue—an absolute scene-stealer. Her wisdom, sass, and heart add so much depth to the story. She’s the kind of character you wish you had in your own life, and her role in nudging Katie toward love and self-discovery is both touching and hilarious.

Patti Murin’s narration is pitch-perfect. She captures Katie’s inner voice with just the right mix of vulnerability and strength, and her delivery of the dialogue—especially the banter—is spot-on.
If you’re a fan of smart, feel-good romance with strong female leads and a touch of family magic, The Love Haters is a must-listen.

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