Cute rom-com! Hutch was definitely written by a woman as he’s basically perfect.

I love Katie’s journey and all the growth she makes throughout the book. The writing really made me reflect on my own life and put perspective on some things. Katie’s character was quite relatable in almost all aspects. I strive to be one of “the gals” one day, what a fun way to retire!

Thank you Net Galley and Katherine Center for the ARC!

AMAZING! I will never regret reading a Katherine Cebter book. This one is a perfect summer romcom. I can’t wait to meet her in San Antonio soon! Full review to be posted on goodreads soon. Thank you, NetGalley.

I will read whatever KC writes!! This book was fabulous and everyone should add it to their summer tbr

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.

Katherine Center is quickly becoming by go to for rom coms.
This was funny and inspiring with a little self discovery along the way.

Katie would do anything to save her job as a videographer, including filming a video on coast guard rescue swimmers, without knowing how to swim.
Hutch is a reluctant hero and seemingly perfect.

The more time they spend together, the more a flirtatious friendship arises.
That is until Hutch's brother, and Katie's 'boss', comes to town.

While I didn't love the miscommunication/misunderstanding and the focus (almost to the point of distraction) on Katie's body issues, I enjoyed the writing, the banter, and the story was fast paced and easy to read.

I would have liked to have seen more of their actual relationship develop- I definitely felt the lust and longing, but was not totally sold on the love part of this. I felt like something was missing to add to story relationship part of this story. This story wasn't so much a traditional romance, as it was a book about self-acceptance and being kinder to ourselves.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. I especially loved the dog, George Bailey, and his heroic journey.

3.5, very cute romcom about a videographer who had a complicated relationship with her body and goes to Florida to film a video on coast guard rescue swimmers in hopes to save her job. A romcom equally about falling in love with someone else, and learning to love yourself at the same time. I had a fun time reading this, and read it in about two sittings. Not my favorite book by this author, but it’s a cute beach read with some likable (and extremely dislikable, iykyk) characters.

Thanks NetGalley, St Martin Press, and Katherine Center for an eArc in exchange for my honest review!

unfortunately not one of my favorites from katherine center— as many other reviews say, a LOT of the book was spent on katie’s insecurities. which is valid. i think that the author was trying to discuss societal pressures on women but it just ended up not working.
aside from that, i’m a sucker for a love story! it’s cute and i like center’s writing!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)

Quick Notes:
*Videographer
*Coast Guard
*Body Image Issues
*Past Trauma
*Women's Fiction
*George Bailey

My Thoughts:
This book feels like a bit of a conundrum. I binged the majority of it in one day, but I almost felt like I should have hated it. I'm sure that doesn't make sense, so let's just get into it. Hutch is perfect. Like, the nicest person ever and a perfect specimen physically. Katie, our FMC, has been through some stuff. I mean, I felt bad for her, but I could see how she might rub people the wrong way. I cringed real hard in the second half of the book when she was sucked into a really bad situation by Cole, Hutch's brother. But, at the same time, I sort of understood Katie's decisions. I felt like I was watching a train wreck but couldn't look away. I . WAS. INVESTED. Now, going back to Cole- this guy was the WORST. Literally, the villain of this story. I hated him so much, and, again, I can see how some people would hate this book because of him. Beanie, Katie's friend, was also a bit unlikable in the beginning, but whatever. Rue- second best character in the book. I loved this woman and her gale pals. I want to got to The Starlite and visit her for real. And then there's George Bailey, the greatest dog ever. He was such a great addition to the story. So, to sum it up, this story definitely has its flaws, but did I enjoy it? Absolutely! Katherine Center has win me over once again.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I gotta say.... I'm a bit disappointed with this book. I LOVE Katherine Center and think she comes across as such a sweet person and her writing is phenomenal and I can really tell that she loves love stories. But this one missed the mark for me.
It was a bit jarring going into a book with a pretty heavy focus on our FMC Katie's eating disorder right at the beginning with no trigger warning. I personally think this needed a TW because a detailed journal entry of her calorie counting is present and she explicitly mentions starving herself and states the exact calorie number she restricted herself to. There's also mentions of a scale being her best friend. She details this along with how she hated her body because of internet trolls, and how she is now on a journey to learn to love herself. The author's note also did not mention anything about eating disorders or give any resources if anyone is struggling, and I think in this case it should have. The author's note only stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that this was a book about learning to love yourself. Interpret that how you will.
Aside from that, this book did have some swoon-worthy moments, and I liked Hutch as a MMC. There was just something missing. I did not feel connected to these characters. A spark was missing between Hutch and Katie, I think. It felt more lust than love at times.
Some parts of this book also seemed disjointed and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The part about Katie's coworker and boss showing up in Key West seemed very far fetched.
I think it goes without saying that my favorite character in this book was the dog, George Bailey. He was such a sweetheart.
Overall, not horrible but missing an important TW imo and not as big of a focus on the love story as I wish there was. If you enjoy Katherine Center's previous works, you may be disappointed with this one or you may love it. Find out for yourself when it publishes in May!

Unfortunately this book isn’t for me, over 25% in and I just cannot get into it. I look forward to reading whatever Center writes next!

Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. Katie's video production office is having layoffs and to save her job, her boss sends her to do a video about a hero. Hutch, the hero, is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer that happens to be her boss' brother who he doesn't get along with. Wanting to stay employed, she jumps at the chance to go down to Key West for a couple of weeks. The problem? Katie can't swim and hoping she can hide that secret from Hutch. Nothing but surprises unfold.

If I am gonna read RomCom, it will always be Katherine Center. This story had me laughing out loud and rooting for Katie who has serious body image issues. Loved it! #TheLoveHaters #KaterineCenter #StMartinsPress #May2025

I almost can't find the words to express how much I loved this book. The witty banter, Katie's inner monologues, Hutch's kindness, the information about rescue swimmers, George Bailey (and Lucky), and Katherine's note at the end that brought me to tears. It's fun, it's a little crazy, it's a big nod to the power of being kind, and it made my heart smile. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Patti Murin and she is just amazing. This book is a new favorite and I can't get enough.

The Love Haters is new Romance from Katherine Center.

"Katie's marketing firm is talking about reducing headcount (aka layoffs) She has two choices - wait to get laid off or head to Key West to shoot a recruitment video for the Coast Guard ... with a rescue swimmer named Hutch ... who happens to be Cole's (her boss) estranged brother ... and once saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. Katie can't swim but she says yes anyway.
Katie gets entangled with Hutch and his rescue dog - a Great Dane named George Bailey - Aunt Rue, swim lessons, helicopter rides, a hurricane and stolen kisses. And a chance to be truly brave."

I love KC's characters - regular people with some quirks and insecurities and easy to relate to.

There are always hilarious moments in a KC story. There are several here but especially when Katie meets George Bailey for the first time. I love how Katie and Hutch both change and grow.The ending may not be what you expect - KC gets kind of wild with the weather - but
I like where KAtie ends up.

Fabulous, entertaining story from Katherine Story.

Katherine Center hit it out of the park with "The Love Haters," and I'm already talking about it with our library patron. The banter between Katie and Hutch is fantastic, and I really connected with the characters (as always). "The Love Haters" holds a secure spot at the top of my rom-com favorites list.

I have liked Katherine Center's other books, but from the very begining of this one, the immediate refrences to disordered eating and body image were very triggering for me and I will not be finishing it at this time.

TW: disordered eating

The setting of Key West made this feel like the perfect summer rom-com. Maybe I felt like I was escaping on a tropical vacation on my Spring Break instead of my reality of folding laundry 😂

I didn't find Katie to be the most likeable main character (whyyy did she put up with Cole?!) but she did have a lot of personal growth by the end. Hutch was the best, even if he didn't come across as an actual "love hater".

Thank you for the ARC!

I loved basically everything about this book. It was a beautiful romance with intense chemistry (though surprisingly little/no steam). There was a wonderful undercurrent of how to love your body/self. The side characters were charming. The banter spot on. And I learned a ton about rescue swimmers. I also liked how Katie handled her ex and Cole- very mature main character who still had room to grow. The only criticism was there were two plot devices that felt manufactured but I didn’t care, I was laughing and loving too hard. (Sadly no queer rep)

Short summary: while everyone around her is being fired, Katie is offered a dream job filming a hunky rescue swimmer- the only catch? She has to know how to swim, and he’s reportedly broody and private, but none of that’s relevant until she shows up in black to technicolor Florida.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

My first ever Katherine Center book!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: None
Book Boyfriend Ranking: 11/41

This book is the perfect beach read. I read this while on vacation in Mexico by the pool and I think if I had tried to read it at home I would have rated it three stars. But since I was on vacation in the perfect timeframe and mood for this book I ended up eating it up!

Hutch was a sweet golden retriever book boyfriend, though I for sure thought it would be his brother at first. I think there was some unnecessary drama added in that prevented me from giving it five stars when I finished. I felt like some of the drama was perfect. But then the whole thing with her ex and the song? That didn’t feel like it was needed. I would have much rather have slightly more drama with the two of them than adding in more fuel to her insecurities.

I did really appreciate the amount of growth that Katie does during this book, even though it’s a shorter book at just over 300 pages, she still learns a lot and it doesn’t feel rushed.

This is a really cute book and I’m glad I read it! I’d definitely recommend taking it on your next beach vacation since the setting works out perfectly for that!

*Posted to Goodreads, Lemon8, TikTok, and Instagram*

If you go into this book thinking it's like Katherine Center's last couple of romance novels, you will be disappointed. This story wasn't so much a romance about Katie and Hutch, as it was a book about self-acceptance and being kinder to ourselves.

As somebody who has always struggled internally with negative self talk and feeling like I'm not [______] enough, especially in my 20s, I appreciated the messaging of this story.

Be sure to read the author's note once you've finished which gives some insight into why this was a different kind of story.

From a technical aspect, for the first half of the book the characters felt lacking in development and emotional depth. The second half of the book felt far more polished.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book may be for some, but it was not for me.

Katie takes an assignment creating a Coast Guard promo video in Key West, despite not being able to swim. Hutch, the rescue swimmer Katie is filming, ends up helping her learn to swim and sparks fly between these two "Love Haters".

Things I enjoyed
* George Bailey, the adorable dog
* Aunt Ru was well developed and easy to love
* The Gals - a group of retired women who live near Ru

Things I wasn't a fan of
* The third act conflict made no sense
* The ex storyline felt extraneous and unbelievable
* Katie's body image issues felt like they both were too much of the story and treated way to lightly and didn't feel real to life
* Hutch felt barely developed
* Cole - I just hated him as a character
* Challenging a sober person to a drinking contest - who does this? and why was it treated like not big deal in the book??

Tropes
* Misunderstandings
* Tropical Setting
* Teaching someone to swim
* Cute dog
* Family Drama

2.5 stars

I can always rely on Katherine Center to provide something that is a joy to read. The chemistry between Katie and Hutch is great but feels like so much of their development happened off of the page. The book felt more Katie centered than Katie and Hutch centered, which was good but just not what I was expecting going into the book. Either way it's another great book by Katherine Center and something I can't wait to recommend to all the readers in my life.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Katherine Center for an eARC of The Love Haters.