This book was such a pleasant surprise! It was a quick, enjoyable read that balanced romance with meaningful themes. This was my first Katherine Center book, and I really loved the experience.
One of the things I appreciated most about this story was that it wasn’t a spicy romance. In a genre where some books often equate love with physical intimacy, it was so refreshing to read a romance that focused on the emotional and personal connections between the characters instead.

I also loved how the book included body affirmations throughout. It’s rare to see this kind of positive messaging in a romance novel, and it was such a nice touch that added depth to the characters’ growth. However, by the end, it did feel like the body positivity aspect was a bit forced, especially in a certain scene (no spoilers, I promise!). At that point, it didn’t feel as natural for the character to be thinking that way. Still, I can overlook that, as the story’s overall messages—self-love and honesty—were so well done.

In the end, this book is a great read for anyone looking for a sweet, uplifting romance with some meaningful life lessons, without the usual pressure of physicality. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out more of Katherine Center’s books!

What was this 😭 I think I'm giving this a 2.5, and I'll round up to be generous because it pains me to rate Katherine Center any lower.

I was simultaneously immersed in the story while not feeling a damn thing. Katie's body image issues were relatable but I don' think they were approached in an organic or authentic way. It didn't flow naturally in her thoughts or in dialogue. I also think the "why can't you see yourself the way I see you" idea is so meh and predictable. It isn't like a few words of affirmation from one swoony man are going to immediately cure insecurities from past ED trauma and lingering body image issues and I hate how that's always the way that romance novels approach this topic. There was so much opportunity for positive reflection and self-growth alongside a potential partner who can actively support and reinforce positive body image talk but it wasn't executed in a way that made it believable for me.

There wasn't a whole lot of chemistry between Katie and Hutch, Cole was an utter nuisance and the whole story line was utterly unrealistic.

Also, not to judge a book by its cover (but I'm doing it anyway) -- the depiction is a wildly inaccurate representation of what happens in the pages of this book in my opinion. I love the bright and bold colors but this was not the vibe for 90% of this book.

Disappointed in this, I need to go re-read the Rom-Commers for some redemption.

Katherine Center’s books are such a delight! She mixes humor into real life tough situations that lead to the MC’s growth and happiness. The witty banter is entertaining and creates a vibrant narrative in the reader’s mind. There were several laugh out loud moments throughout the book.

In The Love Haters, Katie Vaughn is at risk of losing her video production job. Her coworker, Cole, suggests she take on a project highlighting his brother and highly known coastguard rescue swimmer, Tom aka “Hutch”.

Cole and Hutch don’t exactly get along. Katie can’t actually swim like she said she could. Throw in a colorful mix of characters like George Bailey, Hutch’s rescue Great Dane, Aunt Rue who offers Katie a place to stay, a hurricane, and a heavy past between brothers, which brings about a heartfelt, bittersweet, courageous story.

Honestly I knew The Love Haters would be a 5 star before I even started it. Katherine Center never disappoints. I went into this book blind as soon as I saw it on NetGalley it didn't matter what it was about I was in.

Katie is a video producer who's company is doing major layoffs. She has to show them she's one to keep around and her coworker gives her a opportunity to go film a video for Tom "Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. She has no idea on what she's getting into.

Every character is someone you root for someone you love. Katie is top tier the side characters Rue the Gals and Beanie I would 1,000% read a book about her.
Now Hutch is honestly a perfect book boyfriend I loved how matter of fact he is and honest. I'm such a fan. But for me the real star was George Bailey having a Great Dane pet was honestly the perfect touch. I also have Great Danes so the tie in was everything.

I love Katherine Centers books so I'm always going to rate them high and I will always recommend them. I had such a great time reading this and I will 100% also listen to the audio.

Thank you NetGalley for this E-Arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a cute story with likeable characters. Katie, a video producer, is sent to Key West to do a feature on the Coast Guard. She hopes this feature will prove to her employer that she is worth keeping on staff during a time of layoffs. There, she meets Hutch, a Coast Guard rescuer that she hopes to win over despite his reputation for being a ‘love hater’ and despite Katie’s own insecurities.

Although the evolving love story between Katie and Hutch is cute to follow, at its core, this book is a story of self-love and growth. I loved seeing Katie’s evolution. By the end of the book, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Katie is truly the hero of her own story here.

A few secondary characters stood out too. Aunt Rue adds vibrancy to the book. Her love of life is palpable (and contagious) and she brings a strong sense of community to this mix bag of characters. And George Bailey, the loveable Great Dane dog, steals the show in a few scenes.

Although the level of toxicity in Katie’s workplace bothered me a bit (I, personally, would have walked away from this job before the story even started), this is a light and enjoyable read overall, and great if you are curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work of Coast Guards.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
This one took me a minute to get into and I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy it. Somewhere along the way I was able to sink in. It’s not my favorite Katherine Center book and, based on the description, I was hoping it might be! Overall it was a decent read with fun characters that you found yourself rooting for.

Some of the storylines weren’t the most believable, so if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy that in your books - this isn’t the one for you. If you are open to whatever a fiction book might bring you, then it’s a pretty wholesome story.

It does explore some complex family trauma and personal struggles with body image and self-esteem. I personally felt as though that was resolved in an unsatisfactory way and it felt very sudden. There was also some dialogue in a conversation that seemed insensitive and flippant from another character. It almost gave off “it’s that easy” vibes about loving themselves.

I love Katherine Center and this book did not disappoint! At turns hysterical and emotional, I enjoyed the journey of self-love that Katie found herself on, and I’d love to hang out with Rue and the Glad at the Starlite.

I loved this story and think Katie and Hutch were hilarious and so entertaining.

I enjoyed getting to see Katie slowly love herself and her body, especially after dealing with the mean comments about her after her and her ex boyfriend’s breakup. I liked that she went out of her comfort zone to a project to hopefully save her job. Hutch was great- I liked that he was somewhat misunderstood and not as put offish as his brother made him out to be. Overall, the romance was good- although their relationship(?) didn’t really take off until towards the end, the chemistry was there throughout and it kept me reading until the very end.

I firmly believe that Katherine Center can do no wrong. I love absolutely everything she writes. I loved that this felt a little more like her previous "women's fiction with romance" novels. Katie and Hutch are an absolute delight and I related to Katie in so many ways! I always recommend the audio, Patti Murin does an incredible job bringing Center's books to life.

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc and Macmillan Audio for my ALC. All opinions here are my own.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one at the 50% in mark. I just felt zero connection to the characters, and in turn, the romance. I also do not enjoy instalove and this one had major love-at-first-sight vibes. I just think this author might not be for me.

Thank you to @NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Love Haters was such a heartwarming read! Katie is thrust into the world of the US Coast Guard where she is hired to film a promo video. This is where she meets Hutch, a quiet Coast Guard who yearns to not be in the spotlight and be left alone. So of course these two develop great chemistry and a romantic interest forms. On top of the romance, there is also a story of learning to loveself before being able to love another. Overall, I recommend for everyone to read this when it comes out on 5/20/2025!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh how I loved this story! I loved it so much!

From the very beginning, I was hooked by Katie and Hutch’s witty banter and the delightful humor that Katherine Center always does so well. The chemistry between them was electric, full of charm and genuine connection. I absolutely adored Rue—her brightness, her fun spirit, and the energy she brought to every scene made her a standout. And yes, I even fell for George Bailey!

The setting in Key West was just perfection. I could practically feel the humid air, the warm sunshine, and see the crystal-clear water thanks to the vivid and immersive descriptions. The atmosphere added so much to the story and made it all the more enjoyable.

This book was an absolute joy to read from start to finish. It made me smile, laugh, and root hard for the characters. I 100% recommend The Love Haters—it’s romantic, funny, heartfelt, and everything you want in a feel-good read.

While I normally really enjoy Katherine Center's books, this one fell a little short for me. The author's note at the end of the book confirms what I thought - this felt like less of a romance novel and more of a self love story between Katie and her body. I kind of wish that had been noted at the beginning of the book instead of the end so I could have adjusted my perspective while reading. I just didn't love how the body issues Katie had been with dealing with since she was a teen, and often still referring to, happen to fully resolve within the few weeks the book took place once she realized that Hutch, the MMC, found her attractive. I also wanted more development between Katie and Hutch. Their attraction and relationship felt a bit rushed at times and I would have loved to see more of them really falling for one another.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Love Haters
By Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

I absolutely loved this book! I am a big fan of Center’s writing but this one exceeded my expectations!

This novel is about Katie a young videographer who is tasked with shooting a video of the coast guard… but she cannot swim! She flies to key west to start the job and realizes she did not have all the information from her colleague. There she develops a beautiful relationship with a fun group of ladies and Hutch, the star of the coast guard shoot she must complete. The story has everything romance, a huge dog, family drama and so much more! I just couldn’t stop reading/listening to it!

For me, the relationship Katie had with herself and her body really resonated with me, a few times through the book I found myself tearing up a bit! It is something I did not expect to find in a romance novel but am so happy I did!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the digital advanced readers and listeners copy!! The narrator of this audiobook - Patti Murin was amazing to listen to! I seek audiobooks she reads because I love her expressive her voice is! This novel will be published May 20, 2025! Add it to your TBR!!

3.5 stars

While I did have fun with most of this - Rue, her friends, George Bailey were all adorable - I didn't feel the full chemistry and the body imaging was so hard to read. Katherine Center seems to go all in on the inner body thoughts (and out loud thoughts in past books) that take up so much of the book and can be triggering for sure. The ending is bitter sweet in that area but I wish it was sooner and not discussed so much and this easily would have been a star higher. I look forward to seeing if that happens in her next work.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center has a way of making you feel as if you’re fully immersed in the story, not just watching from the sidelines. The Love Haters is another great love story about loving our self and how in turn it allows us to love others better. The Love Haters is one of the best books I’ve read this year. A perfect beach read!!

Given her past, Katie isn’t a fan of love but instead criticizes herself and self worth. Katie takes a job in Key West, filming a documentary about a coast guard rescue swimmer, in an effort to save her career. Unbeknownst to Katie, this would be a life altering experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martens Press for the arc!!

I received an advance copy of Love Haters and absolutely loved this book. Another winner for this author that tells a unique love story while also being a book about friendship, found family, self-love - and bonus, there’s a dog! The story about Katie and Hutch contains plot lines I never saw coming, and valuable lessons you didn’t realize you needed right now. It helps that Katie was so relatable - I feel just like her in so many ways. So, as her new and old friendships grow and she continues to learn to love herself, I’m right there beside her experiencing the same thing. I would wholeheartedly recommend this for anyone looking for an enjoyable story that will heal your heart a bit while you simply enjoy the love story the author has created for us.

Katherine Center does it again with a rom-com I could not put down!
FMC Katie has body image issues, she dresses in all black, and doesn’t own a scale. This story line was handled beautifully by the author. And of course Katie learned to love herself and the way she looks.
Hutch is perfect, and he loves to be the hero. But this hero doesn’t like the attention of being a hero. I loved his character instantly. We all knew Hutch and Katie would end up together but the journey on how they got to that point was so much fun!
My favorite character was Rue! Loved her and her positivity. I loved how she also took ahold of Katie and helped Katie to come out of her shell. And who wouldn’t love George-Bailey???? But man, he needs to learn to not jump up and knock Katie over anymore.
Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC ebook. I will definitely be buying this book for my trophy shelf.

This has been the first book I’ve actually physically read in literally FOREVER. I’ve been an audiobook girly for almost a year now, and I’m glad that this was the book I read physically for the first time in a long time. This book probably had the most relatable FMC for me, I resonated with her story regarding her emotionally abusive stepmother so much. I resonated with her lack of confidence due to that abuse. It was SO incredibly relatable. Reading about everything she went through throughout the story felt as if I was reading a story about my own growth. Major props to Center for making this character so real, for so many people I’m sure. And can we talk about how hot Hutch sounded? I’d let him rescue me any day. The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me, is because there were just a lot of cringe “high school-ish” moments in my opinion. The age group of the characters felt more juvenile than what their ages actually were. But that’s just a personal pet peeve of mine in books and I genuinely think anyone who’s an avid romance reader would give this 5 stars in a heart beat. The overall message that Center conveyed throughout this story was just so uplifting and beautiful. The Love Haters releases on 5/20/2025, and I highly suggest you grab it, it could very well be your perfect read for summer!

The thing to know about KC is no matter what she writes about, it’s motivation is always going to be about joy! Katie and Hutch are Love Haters. Katie because she’s been burned in the past by a musician boyfriend who went big, cheated and left her behind. She’s also been subjected to bullying about her image, first from an impressionable young age having a stepmother tell her ‘suck in your stomach’ and online bullying from being with somebody famous. I thought Katie was a realistic woman struggling to love her body. I’m flabbergasted by many early reviews that didn’t like or understand her. Hutch has some baggage, and keeps to himself as a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. These two end up spending a lot of time together when Katie, a videographer, is sent to produce a promotional video for the Coast Guard. There is so much to love in this story, my only quibble keeping it from a full five stars, is the conflict around 65% that keeps these two from dating—so silly! Hutch’s rescue Great Dane, George Bailey, is the best! Narrated by the lovely, Patti Murin, thank you @macmillan.audio for the listen. Out 5/20 4.5 stars