This was fun! I love Katherine's books and was so excited for this one. It did not disappoint. I loved the plotline around rescue swimmers and the grumpy/sunshine romance.

I loved seeing Katie fall in love with herself and her body again. As someone who has struggled with their self-image over the years it was nice to see a character, I could see myself in.

Hutch is the definition of grumpy in my opinion. He's not about to take credit for doing his job and has spent years denying anyone from interviewing him. When Katie shows up his whole world tilts.

Hutch's "grandma" was the absolute best! She was so hilarious and I loved her little friend group. She instantly took Katie in and pushed her to love herself. The swimsuits she picked out for her and all the other outfits were great.

The great dane!! I freaking loved the great dane. Highly recommend!

Katherine Center books are always HIT or MISS and this one was, unfortunately, a miss for me. I couldn’t understand why there was so much discussion about weight and how much she weighed and how self conscious she was about her weight. It was honestly quite a disappointment to me. Did I enjoy the picture perfect, golden retriever MMC, sure. But their banter and romance really felt like it took a backseat to her personal weight issues, which by all accounts, was not an actual issue other than inside her head.

There were a few quotes that made me laugh and a few that made me a little teary…

"You think I'm a human hot fudge sundae?"

The funny thing about the internet is that it’s basically a collective hallucination. If you don’t join in, it doesn’t exist.

Life isn't a straight line, Its always ups and downs. That's just how it goes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center's books are *chef's kiss.* The Love Haters is the perfect summer read for anyone looking to get lost in a sweet and lighthearted romance.

4.5 ⭐️As a die hard katherine center fan and a workplace romance lover i ate this one up. There is something about the way that Katherine Center writes that pulls me and and has a grip on me until the very end. I’ve seen some people say that they don’t like that the FMC’s insecurity and self body image comes up consistently in the story but as a girlie with these issues daily it is honestly very nice to read something relatable in that sense (knowing I’m not the only one who is thinking about these things constantly).

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for sending me over this ARC. 🖤 The best kind of mail is book mail!

This book had me hooked right from the start. I loved the concept behind the plot and the characters involved. I was instantly rooting for the MMC and FMC. This storyline made me smile, laugh, and at one point even brought tears to my eyes. Some topics felt a bit overdone; not to say they didn't have a place in the story, but it reached a point where things became repetitive, and I wished other topics had been explored more. Overall, I loved the multi-layered plot. I understand why it might not become an all-time favorite, but if you're looking for a quick rom-com, I don't see how this one could go wrong! I binged this in one evening, and you bet I stayed up way too late to finish it.

3.5 stars. ✨

Pub Date: May 20, 2025

As always, all thoughts are my own.🖤💫

Katherine Center does it again. The Love Haters was fantastic and the character development was great. I read it in one sitting.

This was cute and a unique story! There was a good amount of humor and the personalities were consistent in the characters. The yearning? A+! Hutch and Katie had some CHEMISTRY. Romance lovers will really like this, and I do enjoy Katherine Center's writing!

If the MAIN issue had not stemmed from a lack of communication, I would have enjoyed this much more. Hutch deserved the truth sooner than he got it, and I can't help but feel like there was not enough time of him processing. All of this happened in like, the last 30% of the book, too. I know that miscommunication is a common trope and is easy to use to create conflict, but it just isn't for me!

I really enjoyed this book. It really took on the topic of body image and I really like how it was done. I wish there had been a bit more closure on the romance at the end of the book, but overall, I really liked it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy of THE LOVE HATERS.

I gobbled this book up so fast and it healed my little black heart. Katherine Center is always a breath of fresh air and she breaks up my thriller/horror loving brain in the best way. I love these characters and I miss them dearly.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. This book was a fun read. I loved the coast guard aspect, as well as learning to love yourself and appreciate your body and all it does for you.

2.5/5

Unfortunately, I found this novel to be pedestrian, especially in the beginning. I think the author was trying to do this thing where she introduced the main characters separately, and trying to build up to what was literally described as the perfect guy. (Newsflash: perfect is boring). But she gave the FMC a whole 14% at the beginning to complain about some (validly) depressing things that happened in her life.

Every now and then a book comes along with a main character so whiny that I want to physically throw the book. The FMC had an eating disorder, and I think the author handled it gently, and I'm sure many will relate but the fact that the FMC didn't actually do the work herself to heal but basically needed the guy to validate her rubbed me the wrong way.

Honestly, it would have been a 2 except for the last 20-30% of the book picking up in drama, finally having the fraternal duo have a real conversation that was decades overdue and caused the whole (weakly implemented) plot, and ensuing comedy.

Not my favorite Katherine Center book, but a good one still! I didn't love all the body talk. It was woven so much through out the story and I think it got to the point of really distracting from the plot. I would have loved a more confident main character! It was still good though. Loved the witty banter.

This was a great summer read (especially while I’m on maternity leave and needing something to keep me up and engaged during those middle of the night feeds). Katie, our FMC, is a videographer from Dallas who has been assigned to make a recruiting video for the coast guard. Hutch, our MMC, is a rescue swimmer for the coast guard and the subject of Katie’s video.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed in this book: the banter, the characters actually getting to know each other, most of our side characters, and most importantly Katie feels so real with how KC has written her and her body insecurity.

But there were some things that also fell a little flat: Katie often breaks the fourth wall and it felt out of place in the book since it doesn’t really make sense as to why the reader is acknowledged, there was some very unnecessary drama of a fake relationship that I don’t feel added much to the story nor did it really mesh with how Katie had been built by KC and it was hard to accept this as part of the character I’d been following. And I wasn’t a huge fan of our ending, specifically the epilogue. It fell flat in giving a definitive HEA, and was more about side characters vs where Katie and Hutch are.

Overall I think this was a fun, light read and if you’re needing a book to take to the pool or beach this should be on your list.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The only thing missing in my opinion was Hutch's POV then that would have made the book phenomenal. I thought the main character Katie was very relatable and very human with her struggles with self images. I was absolutely not expecting such an action packed last chapter! I will say that it was very PG when it came to their romance but that is not necessarily a bad thing just something to note for other readers.

Anyways long story short, you cannot go wrong with a Katherine Center book! I can't wait to see what her next book is :)

I really enjoyed The Love Haters! Katherine Center once again delivers a charming, feel-good story with just the right balance of humor and heart. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and I was completely drawn in by the chemistry between Katie and Hutch. Their relationship had just the right amount of tension, banter, and warmth watching it develop was one of my favorite parts of the book. I highly recommend.

I have read almost all of Katherine Center’s books and loved them all, but sadly this one did not hit the mark for me. I did not enjoy the body image theme that seemed to last most of this book.

I also felt the love interest was not that interesting and not that much of a focus for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an honest review for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC of this book. This did not affect my review.

Katherine Center books are hit or miss for me. Sometimes the characters are a miss for me. This time I connected with the characters. I liked Katie, Hutch,, Rue, and the girls. Also, I cannot help but love a Great Dane. The only characters I didn't care for were Cole and Sully.

The FMC jumps in to cover a story in the hopes of saving her job and also because her supervisor, Cole, doesn't want to do the story with his brother.

Yes, people can be somewhat comfortable with themselves and have that pulled out from under them, just like Katie did. Reading her be nurtured by Rue and the girls as well as her cousin was so heartwarming.

This was what I needed to read when I read it. If I read it another time, I may not have liked it as much. I will absolutely recommend this to others.

"It’s a thin line between love and love-hating."
The Love Haters was the perfect summer read that had me turning pages until the very end. This was such a wonderful story that takes place in Key West and is about Katie who is a video producer that does not want to get fired from her job so she agrees to do a gig that profiles Tom who is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There is always a catch and to find out what it is make sure to read this one. The book was written well and every character in this was great especially the Great Dane dog. I loved this romance book so much and would recommend to any reader especially to those who love romance books. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this one in exchange of my honest review of The Love Haters by Katherine Center.

4.5 stars

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and StMartinsPress for the digital copy. A special thank you to Michele @just_talking_to_my_shelf and Ashlee @bookswithnopictures for coordinating the Talking to my Books Traveling ARC and to Katherine Center for sending an advanced copy so we could do so.

It's no secret that I'm a KC fan for life — I've read everything but ONE backlist book that I need to get my hands on STAT — so, it's no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Katie and Hutch's story! I saw so much of myself in Katie with her body dysmorphia and love for rescue dogs. I mean not everyone would turn around mid-hurricane evacuation for a dog, but if you're not that kind of person, then you're not my kind of person. Sorry, not sorry! But, I digress ...

There are so many reasons to read this story, but here are a few stand outs:
- The sweetest rescue Great Dane (What a baby!)
- The Florida Keys (The 7-Mile Bridge! **Peep the personalized drawing on the cover page by the one and only @Daniallreads. Seriously, the book should have come PRINTED with this drawing! It's so good!**)
- U.S. Coast Guards who wear aviator sunglasses (HOT!)
- Restored vintage cottages (Yes, please!)
- A houseboat (Exciting AND scary!)
- Daring rescues (Your adrenaline will definitely start pumping!)

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a heartwarming, witty, and uplifting romantic comedy that delivers her signature mix of emotional depth and feel-good charm. The story follows a fiercely independent heroine and a swoon-worthy love interest who, despite their initial resistance and complicated pasts, find themselves reluctantly drawn together—thanks to some meddling matchmakers and unexpected circumstances.

With sparkling dialogue, laugh-out-loud moments, and an undercurrent of emotional healing, the novel explores themes of vulnerability, second chances, and the power of letting people in. Fans of Center’s previous work will recognize her trademark optimism and strong, relatable female leads. While it leans into familiar romance tropes, it does so with enough heart and freshness to feel both comforting and satisfying.

Verdict: Light, lovable, and empowering—a perfect weekend read for fans of heartfelt rom-coms.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Schuster for the gifted galley!!