Katherine Center does it again with a light hearted modern love story. Compared to some of her other books, I felt there were some plot lines that could have been expanded upon and others could have been cut down. Overall, a good summer beach read.

DNF. I really wasn’t captured by it, and I am usually a “3 books a week” person, but I am now in a big book slump and it might not even be because of this one, but I just don’t personally like this type of over-descriptive writing. I don’t like how the character talked “to me” sometimes, “the breaking of the fourth wall”. There were so many non-issues that I thought were dramatized and the character had so many “quirks” I didn’t like. Can’t say much and maybe the end is good, whoever wants to try it out, should. :)
Thank you, NETGALLEY, for the ARC!

ove, love, love the fake dating trope! Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the ARC.

I’m always a sucker for fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance, and summery vibes, and Katherine Center has done it again! I loved this funny, swoony romance read. What I really loved was how this story was a mix of falling in love and learning to fall in love with yourself. There was so much emotion woven into the story. Katie is so relatable, and I feel for her, while Hutch is adorable and brings so much energy to the story. A perfect summer read!

An honest review for this ARC. Thank you #NetGalley #KatherineCenter #StMartinsPress

Katie is on the verge of losing her videography job. Her boss pitches the idea for her to film a piece for the coastguard. Katie takes the job and the drama begins to unfold. This book gives you tangled lies, natural disasters, past trauma and romance told in first person with a lot of self banter.

A typical lighthearted Katherine Center romance. There is romance, tension, and more romance with a few body positivity issues thrown in. Katie is a videographer faking her way through a Coast Guard recruiting video, pretending to know anything about the Coast Guard and even pretending to know how to swim. Isn't she lucky she gets a rescue swimmer who literally rescues her from this mess. Unfortunately, he can't rescue her from her boss and all the lies that lead to this assignment. Key West is a great setting and I love Rue and the gals who live with her. My favorite character might actually be the Great Dane, George Bailey. This is a quick easy read that won't leave you hating love.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ecopy. My opinion is my own.

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for the eARC 📚
•••
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
•••
My entire book club adores Katherine Center (which is quite the feat since we rarely all agree!) and so we have made it a new tradition to read a KC book every summer. We are discussing this one this evening and I can’t wait to see everyone’s takes. I loved the setting of Key West! The setting alone makes it a great summer read. I also think most women will relate to Katie’s body struggles and come to appreciate how that alone is its own enemies to lovers trope in the book. I loved the dynamic of a long distance friendship and their daily phone calls and how Beanie helps Katie come to love herself. Hutch was a great love interest and his little speeches had me swooning. I did struggle a bit with the ending not wrapping up quite to the extent I would have liked, and at times the pacing felt a little off, so while this is not my favorite of this authors, I still enjoyed it.
•••
Read if: you’re looking for a book with a summery setting, you appreciate a Coast Guard rescue swimmer MMC 😍, or if you’re wanting to feel seen as the FMC explores body image and self acceptance
•••
[Topics to be aware of: parental death, drunk driving, eating disorders]

This is the first Katherine Center book I’ve read and I loved it. An easy read that still managed to evoke a lot of emotion from me. The character development was great - I loved reading how Katie’s self-image transformed from beginning to end. And it helps that the dog gets a happy ending too!!!

Good read overall. Not the best book by Katherine Center that I’ve read but it was enjoyable and a fast read. I really liked some of the characters in the book, especially the group of older ladies.

I enjoyed this light read, it was a cleanse from what I usually read. A good story line and good characters. I will definitely read more books by this author because the story kept me turning pages.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read.
3.5 stars rounded up

Another fun read by Katherine Center! I’ve loved her other books and was excited to have the chance to read this one too. I found the female lead Katie to be relatable in her struggles with confidence and body image. When she arrives to film the promotional rescue diver video, Hutch comes on the scene as the perfectly handsome and rugged leading man. His Great Dane George Bailey provides some great comic relief and in some ways knocks Katie out of her own head and back into the moment a few times! The brothers’ fight brought some added depth to the story. This was a quick and lighthearted read that I’d recommend to fans of Katherine Center.

📚 Title: The Love Haters
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction

“But I hadn’t thought I hated love. I’d thought I was just recovering from it.”

Heartfelt, funny, and deeply hopeful—a rom-com that’s about loving yourself as much as finding love. Katie Vaughn, a video producer who can’t swim, lands a gig profiling Hutch—a charismatic Coast Guard rescue swimmer—in Key West. Surrounded by quirky locals, a lovable Aunt Rue, and a rescue Great Dane, Katie navigates career fears, body-image insecurities, and unexpected sparks. Amid hurricanes and stolen kisses, she learns bravery, self-love, and that sometimes love hates to be hating.

Mood: 🏝️❤️🐕💪
🏝️ Key West sunshine, sand, and salty breezes
❤️ New and self-love blooming
🐕 Heartwarming friendship with a rescue dog
💪 Bravery, growth, and emotional strength

This novel blends laugh-out-loud banter with heartfelt depth. It’s about resilience, self-acceptance, and finding unexpected love in your own skin. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center’s signature warmth and emotional resonance.

Story Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Spice Meter: 1/5 🌶 (Closed door; kissing only; no explicit sexual content)

The Love Haters was a charming delight with a good blend of humor, romance, and fun.

Katie and Hutch were likable characters, and Katie especially showed growth throughout the story. I loved their flirty banter, and I also felt they got to know each other on a deeper level.

While the ending requires suspension of disbelief, The Love Haters was overall a satisfying rom-com and a perfect beach read.

______
*Complimentary ARC + ALC for review provided by St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

TW/CW:Body dysmorphia; disordered eating; parent death (past; recounted); car accident (past; recounted); natural disaster

Genre: Rom-com

This was such a fun and sunny way to kick off my July summer reads! The banter between Katie and Hutch had me laughing out loud, and I absolutely loved Rue and "the Gals" — they brought so much and sass to the story.
It was sweet and funny, with a tropical vibe that matched this dockside reading moment perfectly " X
While a few of the deeper topics dragged a little (hello, somewhat of a miscommunication trope, my least fave) | still really enjoyed it overall — though it's not my top Center book.
If you're looking for a feel-good read with witty moments, and big summer energy, this one's a solid pick!

I have loved so many of Katherine Center’s books and was really looking forward to this one, but halfway through I had to DNF. I feel like this was written by someone else- it doesn’t sound like her at all!

I did not finished this book unfortunately.
Thank you for this opportunity.
I hope others loved this book.

This was a Fun,light hearted rom com overall a decent book but not my all time favourite of hers. I will still continue to check out her other works

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.75⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such a feel good, fun read!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Grumpy x sunshine
Forced proximity
Found family
Body image healing
Rescue worker hero + canine sidekick
Funny yet sweet
Swoon worthy moments
Hurricane rescue

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Great emotional growth
I enjoyed the coast guard perspective
Aunt Rue + the girls!

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It starts off a little slow


𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time. That’s what life is for.”
★ “You’re like a human hot fudge sundae or something.”

As a longtime fan of Katherine Center, The Love Haters delivered exactly what I’ve come to love about her books—sweet, heartwarming, closed-door romance with strong female leads and satisfying arcs.

Center recently defended the predictability in her novels, and honestly? I’m here for it. There's something comforting and enjoyable about knowing I'm going to get a story filled with hope, healing, and characters who grow into better versions of themselves. Her signature nods to Texas always make me smile, and this one adds a refreshing twist with a tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard, which I really appreciated.

Katie’s vulnerability in this story was relatable, and the plot kept me engaged throughout. That said, I’d love to see a bit more depth in the inner dialogue—at times, her characters fall a little too far into self-deprecation, which can flatten some of their emotional complexity.

Still, Center’s books are reliably uplifting, easy to read, and genuinely feel-good without being fluffy. The Love Haters is another charming addition to her lineup, and I look forward to whatever she writes next.

Readers are introduced to Katie. She works making promotional videos with her own sideline highlighting 24 hours in a subject's life. When the story opens, many at her company are about to be laid off. So, when Katie is offered an opportunity, she takes it! There are a few problems though-the gig involves following a Coast Guard member (Hutch) at their job so includes flying in helicopters, and needing to swim. Katie does not know how to swim and is not crazy about flying in what feels like it could be an unsafe aircraft.

Cole, who offered the job and the subject has some agenda of his own. The very famous (for rescuing Jennifer Aniston's dog), Coast Guard member is his brother and the two do not get along well.

So, readers can see that the stage is set and going into romance territory.

This book has more though in that there is a lot about weight issues. The problems began with Katie's critical stepmother. They got worse for Katie after some bad comments on social media when she was at a music awards dinner with her then boyfriend. Readers are told that Katie is very stressed about having to reveal her weight before getting on the copter due to her past.

I am not sure how this topic will sit with readers in what is billed as a light read, so know this going in.

This was a solid novel but not my favorite by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

2.5/5

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I tandem read and listened to this one.

Katherine Center is usually a mixed bag for me—and sadly, this one just didn’t land.

Right from the start, the plot felt a little chaotic in a way that wasn’t fun. You know those books where things keep happening but you’re not really sure why? That was the vibe. It was like plot twists for plot twist’s sake, and I found myself trying (and failing) to grab hold of the story. I sort of felt like I was spinning out of control trying to catch the plot more often than not.

I’m typically a sucker for the fake dating trope, but here, it came out of nowhere and felt forced—like it was tossed in just to stir up drama rather than deepen anything meaningful.

Katie, our main character, was tough to connect with. Her constant self-deprecation didn’t read as charming or relatable—it just made it hard to root for her. And while I did enjoy Hutch, his communication skills were...not great. So many problems could have been solved with just one singular conversation. Just one. 😮‍💨 That said, Aunt Rue was a bright spot and I wished for way more chapters on her story.

As always, I I love Katherine Center’s authors note at the end. She always has good takes on romance as a genre and its cultural relevance. I just wish the actual story lived up to those reflections.