Firstly, I just love Katherine Center. Any book she writes is an automatic add to my TBR, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Love Haters. It did not disappoint. Katie is a video producer on the verge of being downsized out of a job. In an effort to prove her worth and keep her job, she agrees to film a promo for the Coast Guard in Key West, featuring Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, whose 15 minutes of unwanted fame came from saving Jennifer Anniston's dog. Throw in a meddling brother, a famous ex, a crazy aunt and a Great Dane, and shenanigans ensue. I mean, who among us hasn't had an embarrassing swimsuit mishap?

The hijinks are hilarious, but under the surface is a deeper look at the way women see themselves and the disconnect between that and the way others see them. And that is why I love Katherine Center. She writes a great love story. Period. But she also manages to weave in elements that go just a little deeper to make you think. She writes such relatable characters. I may never have to prove I can save myself from a capsized boat, but you better believe I've had a hard time being kind to myself.

The Love Haters is a 5-star read for me, and I hope Katherine Center keeps them coming!

I've been a huge Katherine Center fan for a while now and was so excited to get this ARC. But I really struggled not to DNF. There was no chemistry between the characters, it didn't feel like a romance. And frankly I didn't really find either character very likeable.

This was not my favorite Katherine Center book but it was a solid romance read. The storyline just didn’t work for me.

Katherine Center is a story-telling master. She truly crafts another world for readers to step into, and The Love Haters was no different. The storyline was unique, the characters were lovable, and I couldn't stop reading.

Katie has just arrived on Key West to film a video profile of Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. This wasn’t supposed to be her job, it was supposed to be the job of her colleague, Cole - but turns out Cole and Hutch are brothers and they haven’t spoken in a year. So now Katie is here, even though she can’t swim, and she finds herself falling into place on Key West alongside Hutch, his Great Dane, and Rue, the woman who raised Hutch and Cole.

I always look forward to new Katherine Center books because I know that I’m going to fly through them and I’m going to have a really great time while I do. This one was so fun because of the jobs of the respective main characters, Katie and Hutch. I don’t often see books where the FMC has a job as a videographer, and the MMC is a rescue swimmer. I learned a lot about the Coast Guard and you could tell Center had done her research. I also loved the setting here and imagining this group of characters hanging together, Rue and The Gals, and the colorful cottages that dot the story.

Underlying the romance between Katie and Hutch is a great storyline about Katie learning to love herself, and especially her body. Though Center doesn’t beat us over the head with the storyline, it’s there in each decision Katie makes and I appreciated how accurate her internal monologue felt as I’d imagine most of us women reading this have experienced something similar.

Some of the situations in this one were outlandandish and tropey but even so I really liked this one and I think that these two characters - and George Bailey, the Great Dane - are going to stick with me for quite awhile. Plus, I’ll never look at the Coast Guard the same again!

Katie Vaughn is a heroine I could relate to. After an ugly, public breakup, she has a new job doing promotional videos, but now even her mediocre career is under threat since her boss is firing underlings left and right. When she’s offered the opportunity to do a promotional video shooting rescue swimmers in the Florida Keys, she knows she needs to do whatever it takes to save her job. Like lie. About things like whether she can swim.

She meets Hutch, her coworker’s brother, and Aunt Rue, and a Doberman named George Bailey. And somehow her lies just keep escalating.

This has all the trademark fun of a Katherine Center romance with a few added harrowing rescue scenes thrown in for good measure.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MAY 20 , 2025.

2.5 ⭐️ This is basically a book about a girl who is super insecure and detailing how insecure she is through every aspect of her life, especially wearing a bikini because of past ED, and a really hot rescue swimmer on the coast guard she has to interview. Not a fan of reading an inner monologue of someone being so self conscious.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Katherine Center for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! My first read from Katherine Center and I am obsessed; it is a delightful story that talks about loss, conquering fear and about how important it is to love yourself as much as you love others in your life. The themes were much deeper than I expected but I really enjoyed that! A perfect summer read that I would recommend 100%!


Tropes:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Coast Guard rep.
- Body Positivity

TW: body image issues (ED?)

This is a story about Katie, a video producer who’s about to lose her job. She then has to follow Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer, around to film his job to create a recruitment ad.

I liked the summer vibes, the characters (except Cole) and the hero aspect of the book. However, I did not like how strongly Katie was dissatisfied with her body. The beginning of the story was focused solely on her body image issues which could be triggering for some people.

I would recommend this book to for those who want a quick summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

When video producer Katie Vaughn is at risk of losing her job, she's willing to do anything she can to keep it. Even if that means filming a promo for the coast guard as someone who can't swim. She starts to deal with more than just her fear of the ocean and water, but rather her deeply rooted fears of self-image. With the help of her cousin and best friend Beanie, Katie tries to conquer her fears. In the mix of it all, her main subject "Hutch" turns out to be more than just a subject in her videos...

This book was a fun read and I loved that there was more to it than just the romance. In order for Katie to love others, she had to learn to love herself. It was so true that your worst enemy is yourself sometimes. Beanie was such an essential piece to Katie's growth and it was so cute to see their relationship throughout the book.

Hutch was also just a dreamy man. Not only was he fit and tall, he was also kind, humble, and was essentially a hero in every way. I loved how patient he was despite Katie being quite quirky. I loved how much he loved and cared for his family and his dog, George Bailey.

Rue and her friends are what every person hopes to be when they retire. Just laid back, barbecuing every night with drinks in hand. Living next to your buddies. It seems like such a fun time. Not to mention Rue's pretty well-off.

Overall a fun book. I thought that it could be a little less wordy with Katie's inner dialogue. But other than that, a fun read!

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: I have loved Center's books that I read in the past so I was really looking forward to this. That being said, I liked this one overall but two things gnawed at me.
1. Katie's complete obsession with her body. Yes, I know there are humans who hate their bodies and it is a real thing. But her constant discussion and fear and dysmorphia was annoying. I know this is the point, that she couldn't help it and it doesn't make sense and it's a real issue for some. But the message that then a man could make her feel beautiful sent the message that if a man is okay with her body, she should be too.
2. Not spoiler really but... we find out how Hutch and Cole came to live with their aunt and I need more. It doesn't make sense given the circumstances that she randomly took them in.
While the love seemed to come out of nowhere, Hutch and Katie were both likable. And George Bailey was awesome, everyone loves a weird dog. The conflict with Hutch and Cole seemed to drag and it's improbable that he would have sent Katie there without more information. When Cole shows up in Key West I wanted to punch him, don't get me started. Very improbable. But it made for a story. Overall, not Center's best work (see The Rom-Commers or The Bodyguard) but a rom-com to pass the time.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Super cute read! This will make a great beach/pool book as it comes out May 20th. Fun, flirty, tropical vibes. Loved the Coast Guard aspect as well.

Thank you to the publishers and author for the ARC!!

Katherine Center should be a stand up comedian. She’s a genius. She’s telling these raw and vulnerable stories but somehow making you laugh at the same time. This is a wonderful romance but it also is a reminder to everyone that all you have to do is give yourself permission to love yourself. Unapologetically. Every single day. Out loud. Katie is a character that many women can relate to. She’s brave and choosing to let the ugly show only to find that the ugly isn’t ugly. At least not to the people matter to you. Katherine Center, with this book, showed us that connection to people can be incredibly healing and love happens when you’re busy doing other things.

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. I struggled to get past the body image storyline. Additionally, I never quite felt the connection between the two main characters, which made it difficult to fully invest in their relationship. While others might find it compelling, it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced w copy in exchange for my honest review

The Love Haters is a rom-com that would be perfect to read in the summer. It has a great balance of a budding romance, comedy, and also touches on heavy topics such as body image and grief. I loved watching Katie and Hutch go from friends to more as the book went on. I think the two main characters had chemistry both as friends and as love interests. I enjoyed seeing them interact and work through their issues. Katie's struggles with body image and Hutch's grief felt genuine. I also loved the side characters and wished the reader could see a little bit more of them. Overall, I rated this book 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick summer romance.

This is my favorite book of 2025!!! I felt so connected to the characters and have ordered every edition of this book. Love!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🫑(no spice)

This was fun, summer read!

What I Liked: Hutch!! What an excellent MMC! The chemistry with Katie was great. I LOVED George Bailey the moment the Great Dane bounded on to the page. Rue and the Gals.

What I Didn’t Like: Cole/Lying/Miscommunication Trope

Read if you like:
- Hero MMC
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
- Found Family
- Self Love Journey
- Low/No Spice Adult Romance

TW: Body Dismorphia/Disordered Eating

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I love that Katherine Center takes us on a deep dive into a different subject in each book, whether it's the life of a firefighter, a neurological condition, or the Coast Guard. her books always tend to offer more than just romance. I have always enjoyed her books, but I may have fallen more deeply in love with Aunt Rue than with Katie and Hutch. I just love the way Katherine Center creates and develops her characters, they draw me in so completely. If you love strong characters who you can fall head over heels for, then this is a great summer read!

I love Katherine Center books, and this one did not disappoint! This book was so fun and had everything I love; a delightful group of older ladies called "The Gals", a fantastic Great Dane, evenings by the pool with cocktails and a whole lot of adventure! As usual, Katherine also tackles deeper issues in a thoughtful way. This was a really great read!

It pains me to give anything Katherine Center writes less than 5 stars, but here we are. I adored so many things about this book:

🩵 the setting- perfect summer vibes!
🩵 George Bailey- the goodest dog ever
🩵 Rue- everyone needs a Rue in their life!
🩵 The coast guard world- those men and women are legit heroes!
🩵 Hutch- hubba hubba 😍🔥
🩵 Katie's journey to loving her body, something that I 100% related to
🩵 the humor! I was cracking up so much!
🩵 the entire plot- yes, super far-fetched but it was so fun! Loved it!

So why did I give it 4 stars? Well, I felt like it was missing the "swoon". Katie and Hutch are great characters with an adorable romance. But this romance ends up being one that we are told about rather than getting to see it and be immersed in it. And that's so frustrating because KC typically does a great job with the swoon and romance. There was also a scene with a side character that really rubbed me wrong.

But, it was still a super fun and enjoyable read and one that will be a perfect beach read this summer! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book!