Katie Vaughn takes on the challenge of profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, despite hiding the fact that she can't swim all in the name to save her job. As tensions rise between Hutch and his brother Cole (Hutch's brother and her superior at work), Katie gets caught in a whirlwind of lies, colorful characters, and chaotic situations in a tropical paradise. From hurricanes, glasses of sangria and swim lessons to a lovable Great Dane and stolen kisses, Katie navigates an unpredictable journey filled with laughs and drama. In the end, she might just find the courage to embrace her fears and discover her true self.

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

The Love haters is the love story I didn't know I needed! Yes, there is a love story between the two leads, Katie and Hutch and it has the typical moments that you will expect from a rom-com. (The ripped sexy black one-piece swimsuit may be my favorite) Aunt Rue and her girls add a splash of color and George Bailey will have your heart at first leap. However, there is another love story that plays throughout the book - a story of self-love and being rescued from yourself. This storyline was totally unexpected, but so lovely to read and so easy to connect with.

If you love stories of second chances, chosen family, overcoming loss, battling inner demons, and choosing self-love all tied together with a great big rom-com bow then this book is for you! Katherine Center is an auto-buy for me and The Love Haters will definitely be added to my bookshelf. Also, be sure to read/listen to the author's note at the end.

I listened to the audiobook in conjunction with reading the book. The narration by Patti Murin was wonderful as always!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I gave this book 5 Stars

4⭐ The Love Haters is the second book I've read from Katherine Center, and once again, it was once again a hit! It was the perfect romcom to set the mood for summer. And it's even more than just a romcom, I feel like Katie's (FMC) journey to healing and self-acceptance is an important one and is well depicted.

My reading experience was a combination of both the ebook and the audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley, St-Martin Press and MacMillan Audio for the ARC and ALC.

Katie is sent to Key West to 1. Save her job and 2. create a recruiting video for the Coast Guard, despite not knowing how to swim or even owning a bathing suit since middle school. While, she's there, she falls for Hutch, the subject of her profile and the brother of her superior, and learns to love herself again.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I want to preface this by saying I have absolutely adored all of Katherine Center's books and The Rom-commers was a 5 star audiobook for me.

I really wanted to love it, but there was just SO much going on. I wanted more of the focus to be on Katie and Hutch and less to be on her body image issues. It felt like their relationship formed off screen, and I wanted more chemistry and banter.

I also freaking hated Cole and his whole time in Key West. I would have been okay if that section had just been left out entirely. The whole final drama was absolutely absurd to me as someone who lives in SoFlo, qnd I wanted to yell at Katie.

I did, however, love Rue and the gals. I easily would read a book revolved around any of them. A book about Rue raising the boys would be amazing. There were some shining parts of the book and great quotes as well.

I'm also listening to the audio version to see if that changes any of my views. As of now, I'd rate it a 3.5.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

The Love Haters was an enjoyable book. Katie Vaughn has a very public break up with her former boyfriend. There is some unkind things said about her online which leads to her low body self esteem. As she is dealing with that, Katie’s job as a videographer is on the line as her coworker, Cole, sends Katie to Key West after she claims she can swim. The assignment is to make a video about the Coast Guard featuring Hutch Hutchison, Cole’s brother and a Coast Guard swimmer. Katie must navigate learning to swim, conquering her fears and her growing feelings for Hutch.
This has a great cast of quirky supporting characters. Some of my favorites are Aunt Rue, Hutch and Cole’s aunt. and George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane. He was such a funny, lovable animal.
This is a book about resiliency, overcoming fears and learning to love yourself. It was a quick and enjoyable read with both humor and seriousness.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advance Reader Copy.

I was SO excited to dive into this one, because I love Katherine Center's books normally. This one just missed the mark for me. I really didn't like the main character Katie, and the "romance" part of the book felt forced and didn't really come together in a satisfying way for me. Honestly, I mostly gave this book 3 stars instead of 2 because I adored Rue and The Gals and the Key West setting so much.
I will probably not recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

I recently had the pleasure of reading this, and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. From the very first page, I was hooked by the engaging style and the intriguing characters. The author does an excellent job of building a world that feels both immersive and believable, making it easy to get lost in the story. The plot was full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story would surprise me with something unexpected. I highly recommend this and all their work.

Katherine Center's The Love Haters is a delightful exploration of love, self-discovery, and personal growth. The story follows Katie Vaughn, a video producer facing career uncertainty, who embarks on a project profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a charismatic Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Their journey is filled with humor, heartfelt moments, and insightful commentary on body image and self-worth.

Center masterfully crafts relatable characters, particularly Katie, whose struggles with self-image resonate deeply. The novel balances lighthearted romance with meaningful themes, offering readers both entertainment and reflection. While some plot developments may seem predictable, the engaging narrative and charming dynamics between characters make it a worthwhile read.

Overall, The Love Haters is a heartwarming tale that combines romance and personal empowerment, showcasing Center's ability to blend depth with lightness. It's a recommended read for those seeking a story that entertains while addressing real-life issues.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC

“The Love Haters” is a delightful addition to the Katherine Center’s literary universe. As an avid reader of hers since “Things You Save in a Fire,” I’ve always been captivated by her storytelling.

While my personal favorites remain the previous novel and “Hello Stranger,” “The Love Haters” struck a perfect balance as a middle-of-the-road romance. It’s a heartwarming and indulgent tale of love with a touch of unnecessary conflict and a lovable dog. What more could you possibly want in a romance novel?

While this book may not have left a profound impact on me, it certainly brought me a sense of joy and entertainment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy. 💖

I both read and listened to The Love Haters, and loved nearly every second of it. Center does a nice job with the story of Katie, a video producer, who is sent by her boss to get the story of Hutch, a rescue swimmer, to save her job and maybe her company. Along the way, we meet Hutch's Aunt Rue, the proprietress of the place that Katie will be staying and aunt to Hutch, as well as the local characters of Key West. On top of the evolving relationship between our two MCs, I enjoyed the arc of Katie learning to love herself, too, even though all of her negative talk of body image at the beginning bothered me a little bit. While I enjoyed the printed version, the narrator of the audio, Patti Murrin, does an amazing job of bringing Center's story to life and drawing us into the lives of Katie and Hutch (and Aunt Rue!). This was the perfect book to get me hyped for summer reading recommendations and I look forward to recommending it for months! Thank you to St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars

Now the story, this was beyond cute and adorable, omg 😱. I loved this story. I adore that is this two people finding their way back to being themselves and their journey. The romance was cute and relatable. I love all the ild ladies meddling and trying to work their magic on this two . Overall it was a fun , funny and heartfelt book and totally love it .

thank you, to netgalley and the publisher, for providing me to opportunity to read/review this arc! I was so excited to receive a KC book! This one started off really slow and I thought about DNFing. eating disorders/body dysmorphia was handled in such an unserious way. the plot? weird. did these two even have any chemistry? i'm open to reading more of her books but this one was not it for me.

When this book had me laughing in the first few pages, I knew it was going to be a good one🌴

I’m a huge Katherine Center fan, so I was stoked to get an early copy of this book! As to be expected, I loved this story. It’s full of Center’s signature humor and wit with a quirky, relatable main character and women’s fiction vibes. I loved Hutch - he was such a good, solid guy who was just always kind and thoughtful and a low key flirt. As a Florida native, I loved that the setting felt so Florida. Basically, this story felt like home. Also, there was an unexpected danger/suspense element that I really enjoyed. All that to say, I loved The Love Haters and will continue to read Katherine Center always.🩵

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a bit slow for me to get into hence why it took me so long to read, but once I got into the story, I did not want to put it down (I had no choice because I needed to study). I loved the main characters and all the side characters. I loved the way the FMC learned to love herself and the people she was surrounded by. I loved the dramatics that occurred throughout the book. Lastly, I absolutely loved the MMC. What a respectable and lovable guy for real. This book gave me an ache in my chest that I haven't felt since the Part of Your World series by Abby Jimenez. The longing and the tension of the main characters. Ah. Okay, this is a jumbled mess.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review ♡

Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the story, I’m giving it three stars for these reasons: Katherine Center's writing style is intimate and thoughtful 🖊️ , Katie discovers self-love by the end ♥️ , the plot twist towards the end was unexpected 🚤, and for my favorite character, George Bailey 🐕

The plot primarily focused on Katie's struggles with body insecurities and her journey to overcome them. While I do appreciate this representation in books, it just felt overpowering to the rest of the story. After a while I got bored with the recurring dialogues Katie would have with herself or her cousin about her body or her fears. In essence, it felt more like a story of self-love and personal growth than one centered on romantic love. Which is totally fine, it’s just not what I expected going into the book - so here’s your heads up now. On that note, I didn’t actually find that Hutch and Katie had any chemistry and at times I felt the second hand awkwardness of their interactions to be unbearable.

TW: body insecurities/shaming, eating disorders

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

For the most part, I actually found myself enjoying this book. The shenanigans and somewhat romcom vibe of it was entertaining. Plus I loved George Bailey and the silliness he ensured. 🐶

However, the FMC Katie deals with a lot of body image issues which can be relatable at certain points but then it became the entire plot. While I did like how she found self love in the end, it really got so repetitive to the point where that’s what she was still thinking about focusing when she was stranded in the middle of the ocean.

And don’t even get me started with her decisions during the hurricane. Like I admire her for wanting to save George Bailey but what kind of storyline is that? 😩

Hutch wasn’t that memorable of a MMC and I felt he was very surface level. I think Rue had more of an impact on me than the man that ends up saving Katie lol. And Cole was REALLY annoying. Especially what he does when he shows up unexpectedly. 😮‍💨

Overall, a good vacation read but not one I’d rush to read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Katherine Center writes the cutest romcoms. This was full of giggles, heart-felt moments, and plenty of swoon-worthy scenes. I enjoyed the relationship between Hutch and Katie. Katie was fun and full of quips. Katie’s character was full of insecurities and flaws. She was very relatable in her relationship with her self-image. Hutch was so sweet and definitely swoony. I did go a little crazy about 75% in when the conflict arrived. I felt like Katie was a little naive and not very self-assured. She drove me a bit crazy around that point, but she pulled it together. I loved the theme of friendship especially with George Bailey. This book is perfect for the coming summer months. It was cute, enjoyable, silly, and sweet.

-self love
-grief/found family
-coast guard
-summer romance

As per usual, Center writes an emotional, relatable love story. I couldn’t help but fall a little in love myself with our MMC and FMC. I wanted to shake all the negative body image out of our FMC for basically the entirety of the book, but I’m glad our MMC was there to do it for me. The family drama is tiny bit far fetched, but within the context of the story you can understand and excuse it. The premise is fun. And the execution is genuine and enjoyable. I devoured this in one sitting. Would highly recommend as a fun summer read.

A Katherine Center book set in my favorite place in the world? I truly couldn’t resist if I wanted to! This is a love story about a filmmaker and a rescue swimmer, but also a love story about a woman learning to love herself. Katie has been sent to Key West to make a promotional video for the Coast Guard and her subject, Hutch, is the definition of a hero and happens to be a scientifically perfect specimen of a man. She can’t help getting close to him during the interview process, despite complicating factors like not knowing how to swim and her boss’ ulterior motives.

Watching Katie learn to love her body when society and important people in her life have made her hate it was incredibly powerful and I’ll be revisiting those bookmarks a lot in the future! Reading about her falling in love with the keys and with Hutch was honestly just icing on the cake.

Overall I liked this book. Loved the setting and the summery vibes. The characters were likeable and the ending tied up all the loose ends. 3.5 stars!