I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️
There’s not a single Katherine Center book I don’t like. They are just so heartwarming and fun and sweet and everything I love about a rom-com AND no spice! Hutch was definitely one of my favorite characters and I loved Katie as a narrator. I can’t forget about Rue - what a joy!

I breezed right through this book in 2 days! I love Katherine Center’s feel good writing and this delivered just that. I was smiling, laughing, and near tears all in one book. I thought the way she handles the body image issues of the main character were tasteful and honestly very real. I love the self development and self love that the main character has to work through, and the underlying theme of loving yourself first. I think those that were disappointed in the “lack of a love story” didn’t see the whole point- there were so many love stories going on, between the friends, between “the Gals”, family, Katie and Hutch, and most of all with Katie and herself! Center uses the quote during the book that “love is what happens when you’re living your life” and I think that is an essential quote to this story. When Katie started really living her life for her, she found not just her romantic love, but so much love in so many ways. Other reviewers felt a lack of romance/lack of chemistry but I didn’t. I felt the butterflies for sure! I love that it’s a closed door story with depth and heart and drama, while somehow feeling so light hearted and feel good.
Is it the greatest love story of all time? No, but that’s why it’s not quite 5⭐️ for me. Is it a mood lifting, feet kicking, fun and enjoyable book that I couldn’t put down? Absolutely. Katherine Center is an auto read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Absolutely LOVED this book. I liked how this book addressed the character's body image and how she came to love herself and realize not to listen to the negative voices. Katherine Center just has great characters and storylines.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The perfect blend of heart, humor, and healing. I didn’t want it to end!

The Love Haters was my first Katherine Center novel (I know, I’m late to the party!), but it absolutely won’t be my last. From the very first page, her writing felt like catching up with my best friend over FaceTime - it was honest, emotional, and completely immersive! I really felt like I was with Katie every step of the way. ❤️

The story is full of charm, but it’s the side characters who truly made me fall in love. I would die for George Bailey (yes, the dog), go shopping with Rue at beach markets and boutiques, and be the loudest at sangria night with The Gals. And Beanie - where do I sign up for a best friend like her!?

Underneath all the laughs and swoon-worthy kisses is a beautiful exploration of self-worth and body image. The way this book handled those themes, especially the author’s note at the end, was moving and empowering. I’ve even started a daily practice of listing one thing I love about myself, thanks to this book!

It’s a story about love, yes - but also about bravery, honesty, and becoming the version of yourself who shows up, wears the bright colours, swims anyway, and tells the truth even when it’s hard.

Absolutely adored it. Five stars, no hesitation. ❤️

Unfortunately, Katherine Center's newest novel, The Love Haters, did not do it for me. It was a light-hearted romance but overall lacked her usual spark. While not a bad book, I expected more and feel a bit disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I genuinely enjoyed this book from start to finish. The blend of wit, heart, and emotional growth had me hooked, and I found myself smiling through so many scenes.

One of the highlights for me was the friendship between Katie and Beanie. Their bond was refreshing, honest, and full of support—and their banter brought such a fun energy to the story. It’s always special when female friendships are given the space to shine, and Center nailed it.

And then there’s George Bailey—sweet, loyal George Bailey. My heart burst when Katie went back for him. That moment alone sealed how deeply human and compassionate her character is. It was such a small act with such a big emotional punch.

Without spoiling too much, The Love Haters offers a beautiful reminder that love is worth the risk—even when life feels messy or uncertain. This book had me rooting for love, friendship, and second chances, and I closed it with a full heart.

Trigger Warning for eating disorders/body image, etc. I really loved Center's "How to Walk Away," which was marketed more as women's fiction than Center's recent books. They don't quite fit the bill for romance, but as women's fic, they're still charming in some ways. There's definitely some content that maybe hasn't aged well or isn't ideal for the current climate or my own preferences, but that's personal preference!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a delightful romantic comedy that had me hooked from the start. The story follows Katie Vaughn, a videographer who, after a series of romantic misadventures, finds herself on a documentary assignment in Key West. There, she meets Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer with his own baggage. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the setting adds a perfect touch to their unfolding romance. Center’s writing is witty and heartfelt, making this a must-read for fans of feel-good love stories. Highly recommend!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Format: audiobook and eARC
Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katherine Center’s books feel like a warm hug. This one was so fun and full of heart. Did I have to let go of reality a little bit to enjoy this one? Yes. Did I have a great time? Also yes!

Katie is a very relatable main character. I also loved that she was from Dallas! She struggles with body image issues, so take care if that topic is sensitive for you. Her and Hutch together were very much a bit of opposites attract, but they worked well together in my opinion.

My favorite character was probably Hutch’s dog, George Bailey 🥺 I also loved so many of the side characters! Rue and her friends were hilarious and so sweet.

I listened to most of this on audio and thought Patti Murin was fabulous!! She’s narrated a few of Katherine Center’s books, and I always enjoy her narration.

This is going to be a great pool or beach read this summer! If you’re looking for something fun to read on vacay, pick this one up.

🏊🏼Coast Guard rescue swimmer MMC
🎥Video producer FMC
🐾A Great Dane named George Bailey
🌴Key West setting
🚤A bit of adventure
💕No spice
🎧Great on audio
✍️Heartfelt and impactful author’s note

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for my ALC and @stmartinspress for my eARC! All opinions are my own. The Love Haters is out 5/20.

Katherine Center doesn’t miss. As always, she delivered with another fun, easy read that I know fans of hers will enjoy.

What I loved: setting (Key West!), Aunt Rue and the gals, a Great Dane named George Bailey, niche Coast Guard search and rescue lore, musings on body image, Hutch!!!!!

What I didn’t: the conflict felt very contrived, Sullivan and Cole (the WOAT)

First, thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. I enjoy Katherine Center books. They are sweet and feel like a hug in book form. However, this was probably my least favorite book of hers I have read thus far. For me, the body image issues suffered by our FMC were a bit off-putting and the timing of the relationship between Katie and Hutch, plus the third act conflict just felt like a lot. That said, I am sure there are others who will enjoy this story. It just wasn't quite for me.

2.5⭐️/5

I really wanted to love this one. After The Bodyguard, I was excited for another Katherine Center rom-com, warm, wise, and a little chaotic in the best way. And The Love Haters does have so many elements I usually adore in her books: a quirky setup (coast guard in the Florida Keys with an FMC who can’t swim), a Great Dane named George Bailey, and an undercurrent to the plot about learning to be kind to yourself.

There were things I genuinely did love, Hutch’s Aunt Rue being at the top of the list. What an absolute star of a character. Her chaotic energy, her genuine love for Katie, her shenanigans? All of it felt alive and real. The chemistry and honesty in Rue and Katie’s dynamic had more depth than anything in the central romance, to be honest.

Which brings me to the hard part: I just didn’t feel anything for Katie and Hutch. Their chemistry was flat, and the romance felt forced and rushed, more insta-love than a believable connection. Meanwhile, Katie’s internal monologue is weirdly an endless loop of thirsting over his physique, melancholic eyes, and slow-motion presence like he’s starring in a fragrance commercial lol. It was too much. One kiss does not a personality make.

And while I appreciated the focus on body image and did feel for Katie and her less-than-kind thoughts about herself, the way it was handled just didn’t work for me. I saw what Center was going for, but the message felt repetitive and overly explained to the point that it lost emotional impact. Instead of moving, it felt... hollow.

The supporting characters were pretty mixed. Katie’s friend Beanie and Hutch’s brother Cole lacked depth. Beanie’s questionable support and Cole’s overall character choices felt put-on for convenience and left me frustrated. Their roles in Katie’s life could have been explored with more nuance.

I’ll still read whatever Katherine Center writes next. She’s given me some of my favorite comfort reads! But this one didn’t quite hit the mark. For all the charm in the setting, the heart of the story didn’t feel real enough for me to fall for it.

I would rate this book 3.75 stars! I love Katherine’s stories because they feel so real and emotional while still keeping in mind banter, humor, and lightheartedness. I loved the message of this story and Katie’s journey with self love. I wish I could have seen more of Hutch & Katie’s moments that happened off page. But overall, I enjoyed this read!

I read this in 2 days on a reading slump so you know it’s good. At times, I was swinging my feet, other times I was laughing, or crying. But their romance wasn’t the only romance in this book, it was also her journey to loving herself. George Bailey was a cute little bonus!

This was my first Katherine Center book, and now I can’t wait to read more of her books.

I would like to thank Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read a number of Katherine Center's books over the past few years. I usually enjoy them, but I did not like this one. I just couldn't care about the main characters. They all seemed flat and lifeless to me. Katie is trying to keep her job and her co worker Cole gives her a chance at a story.She goes to Key West to produce a video of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. A few problems, Katie can't swim, she has body issues due to a previous relationship, and the Coast Guard swimmer is Hutch, Cole's brother. And Cole and Hutch do not get along. Yeah, well, it just didn't make it for me. I see a lot of people do like it very much,so I guess its just not for me.

I just love how Katherine Center can write a love story where the main character not only falls in love with the perfect guy but also falls in love with herself. This was a funny and inspiring read. And there’s a big goofy dog? Can’t get much better than that.

Admittedly, it’s probably my love of The Rom-Commers that bumps this rating up to 4 stars, but I also flew right through it. There are definitely some bumpier moments, but the bulk of it is solid. In many ways, it’s the heroine’s journey, following her on an assignment that slowly makes her feel stronger and healthier after years of being uncomfortable in her body. I wish there had been a content note about the heroine’s past with body dysmorphia and disordered eating, as it was a major element. I probably would’ve DNFed quickly had I not read and loved The Rom-Commers, but this smooths out once the romance is introduced. The story leans more towards women’s fiction than romance, but the little breadcrumbs we got kept me going. Eventually, I was immersed in the story, and I loved that it played out in such an unpredictable way.

The story follows Katie, a woman who has been tasked with creating a video that highlights the heroism of a notoriously camera shy rescue swimmer. While Hutch became famous for his heroics, he has avoided the spotlight until now. It’s Katie’s job to make him shine, and that means facing some fears of her own – including the fact that she can’t swim. As the two work on the assignment together and push through Katie’s fears, she discovers a side of herself that has been buried for a long time. They may not know each other well, but soon Katie and Hutch are drawn together in a way they didn’t anticipate.

I should mention that the cover (and title) does not fit with the vibe of the story AT ALL. Sure, it takes place in Florida, but the tone is much heavier and more emotional than the vibrant colors would indicate. There is the occasional humorous moment, and I would’ve loved more lighthearted scenes with Katie and Hutch. I really enjoyed them together, and I think their relationship had a lot of potential. I still want to know a lot more about Hutch, but I loved the parts we got to know. It’s very much Katie’s story overall, and her journey was interesting. Center is so talented at writing stories that straddle the line between women’s fiction and romance, so there were some great moments mixed in. I binged this in a single day and stayed engaged throughout, so I have to call it a win overall.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to give Katherine Center a try with this ARC. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. The storyline was fine, but I could not make myself care too much about the characters. I didn't feel the chemistry and couldn't buy into the ridiculous situations. There were a few positives - Hutch's dog, Rue & the gals, and body positivity - but overall a miss for me.

I usually count on Katherine Center for layered, heartfelt rom-coms with a strong emotional payoff. The Love Haters missed the mark. Billed as a romantic comedy, it’s neither: the romance is thin and the comedy nearly nonexistent. According to the author’s note, this is a story about a woman learning to love her body—which is a worthy theme, but here it completely overshadows the romantic arc.

Katie is stuck in her head, spiraling about earlobes and swimsuits in ways that are too serious to laugh off but too breezy to feel respectfully handled. Hutch, the so-called “love hater,” is flawless, supportive, kind, emotionally available, universally adored, and conveniently obsessed with Katie for reasons never quite made clear. There’s no spice—not even closed door—just a vague suggestion that attraction exists because we’re told it does. Their chemistry? Questionable. The romantic payoff? Nonexistent. Even the grand crisis moment at the end is fundamentally unrealistic and disappointingly fails to support the assertion that Hutch is madly in love.

That said, readers who enjoy gentle fiction with perfect male leads, zero spice, and a loveable dog might find less to hate here than I did. Me? I needed more tension, more authentic emotion, and an actual romance.

Katie finds herself worried about losing her job when her company begins a major restructuring. Amid the uncertainty, her supervisor, Cole, assigns her a seemingly straightforward task: interview a local hero known as Hutch. She soon learns that Hutch is actually Cole’s older brother, Tom Hutcheson, which sheds light on Cole’s ongoing struggle to measure up to his brother. Cole has compared himself to Hutch since their parents’ tragic car accident.

Instead of the larger-than-life figure Cole had painted, Hutch turns out to be refreshingly genuine, handsome, and kind-of perfect. As they spend time together, Katie develops a crush on Hutch, but soon becomes entangled in the complications arising from Cole’s string of lies.

Throughout the story, Katie’s journey becomes one of self-discovery. As she navigates complex family dynamics and budding feelings for Hutch, she also learns to confront her past and embrace self-love. The romance unfolds with subtle humor and moments of awkward charm that gradually tie the characters together. However, the development of Katie and Hutch’s relationship feels a bit rushed toward the end, leaving a desire for more depth in their romantic journey.

Overall, the novel offers personal growth, understated romance, and family drama, making it a satisfying read despite a slightly underdeveloped conclusion to the love story.