This book was really cute and a delightful read that will be perfect for summer but I felt like it lacked some depth and parts of it were outlandish, even for the sake of being a romcom.

What a sweet adventure of a book! Katherine Center has such a talent for beautiful character development and she didn't disappoint with "The Love Haters."
Katie Vaughn embellishes the truth a bit in order to get a gig that will hopefully save her from losing her job. She gets sent to paradise to follow around Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson who is a viral rescue swimmer that doesn't want anything to do with the notoriety. What follows is laugh-out-loud moments, self-reflection, and a whole lot of adventure as these two "love haters" find that they really may not hate love after all.
While this book has all the lovely rom-com moments you would expect from Katherine Center, it also is full of information that will have you learning about rescue diving and helicopters along with kicking your feet.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC through @NetGalley!

Katherine Center is my go to author for a rom com novel. I throughly enjoyed this book. As you read The Love Haters, it is easy to see the story unfold on the screen. Katie, Hutch, Rue, and George Bailey come to life in vivid Technicolor and will leave you uplifted and loving love.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review

Loved Katie! Loved how she spoke to the reader. And her sense of humor was delightful!! Katie and her cousin’s friendship was so supportive and felt very realistic.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

This book just moved directly into the #1 spot for my favorite read of 2025.

Every woman needs to read this book.. especially those of us who grew up during the harsh 90's - early 2000s beauty standards.

I have never connected to a character as quickly and easily as I did with Katie. It broke my heart to read about her struggles, because those struggles .. are the same as mine. I'm not convinced that Katherine Center hasn't secretly met me and my sister and used us to develop these characters. Beanie and my sister might be the exact same person!

There were so many well developed side characters in this novel and all of them were so memorable in different ways. This isn't a book you move easily away from.. it's going to sink its claws in. The self-love journey is one I desperately needed in my life and only wish I could have read 10+ years ago.

As for Hutch: 😍😍😍. I think that covers that.

I can not wait to buy the physical copy of this book.

Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

So good!!! Katherine Center is the QUEEN of romcoms and I will die on that hill. This book was cute, funny, quirky, and so much fun to read. Katherine knows just how to capture my attention and I could not put this book down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

Katherine Center is always a must-read for me, and Love Haters is no exception. This character-driven story follows Katie as she creates a video about Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hutch—and along the way, sparks fly. I enjoyed the supporting characters just as much as the main ones (Aunt Rue and Hutch’s dog absolutely steal the show). It’s a quick, engaging read, with vivid setting details that enhance the story. With its heartfelt romance and strong sense of place, this is a solid choice for a summer read. I will be recommending to romance readers that enjoy more to their plot than just the love story.

Thank you for the early copy for review. I have always been a fan of Katherines books so I was excited to read this one. I will say it wasnt my favorite but still very enjoyable and a good rom-com if that's what you are searching for to read. Katie and Hutch's characters were fun but I didnt feel a big connection with them. I enjoyed the setting of the book too which I feel this book is def more for a spring summer vibe, esp with the cover. If your looking for a quick and fun rom com be sure to check this one out.

Katherine Center does it again with another heart warming romance.

Katie and Hutch's story was really cute. I enjoyed reading about Hutch's heroism and Katie's journey of self-acceptance. And we can't forget the lovable George Bailey! I loved Katie and Hutch together, even though Katie made SEVERAL decisions that had me SCREAMING at her. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you #Netgalley for the e-Arc!

I stumbled across Katherine Center's books a few years ago and they have become my favorite little comfort reads. They are always cute, funny, they deal with real issues more or less, and they make me feel good.

Now, I gave The Love Haters 3-3.5 stars. I needed and wanted more from it. Overall it was a really cute read but I also felt like the pacing was jarring and we didn't get enough of the relationship build up that I have come to expect from Katherine. There is nothing inherently wrong with this book! This is just a me problem. I wanted more tension and yearning and time with the characters together.

I do appreciate that Katherine likes to tackle real human issues in each of her books. But in this one, the issue with body image, felt very heavily pushed at the beginning and I am not sure why, but the messaging fell flat.

That said, I did read this book in 2 sittings. So if you are looking for a quick and cute read, this book is definitley for it.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is so special. First and foremost, it's as if that heartbreaking movie The Guardian was actually a romcom. And there's no way Hutch isn't 10,000 times hotter than Ashton Kutcher. These characters are so easy to fall in love with, and while reading I laughed, got teary, clutched my heart, and kicked my feet.

But I almost stopped reading after the first couple chapters. There was a moment where I was like "Okay Katherine, I get it. I should love my body. *dramatic eyeroll*. It actually took me a little bit to come back to it because I was afraid it would just be too preachy. And then I decided to pick it up yesterday, and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. This book is written with so much love and care. Katie falls in love with Hutch, but she also falls in love with herself and it's so dang beautiful. In the Author's Note, Katherine Center calls this an enemies-to-lovers of Katie and her body and I kind of love that description. I felt so full of warmth and hope after closing this book.

Books are magical, and this was just an incredible story of bravery, family healing, self-love, and of course some rom-com joy to top it all off.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Katherine Center’s books are consistently sparkly and charming, and this one is no exception.

That said, The Love Haters was a bit uneven for me—I liked the second half significantly more than the first (in large part due to the body image/calorie-restriction descriptions in the early pages that took me out of the story and back to the worst of diet culture days). I wish the author’s note on body image issues had been at the beginning so I could have gone into the story expecting the topic and with her context in mind.

Now for the things I loved:
📚 Rue and the Gals and their entire resort/retirement home setup. I absolutely need a whole book on them, please! By far my favorite part of the book.
📚 Hutch
📚 Some really great quotes on life and love
📚 The conversation with Beanie on the boat
📚 Hutch telling Cole about his mom’s last moments (love a book that makes me cry)

I absolutely loved this book! Everything Katherine Center puts out is amazing but I think this might be my favorite. This book had me laughing out loud and also feeling all the feels. It's about love and healing one's self and mending broken relationships.

I really enjoyed the two main characters in the book. The chemistry between Hutch and Katie was perfect. George Bailey was such a great component to this story and I wish we had gotten more of an explanation on why he did some of the things he did. The character development of Hutch and Katie was so great. They were both complex individuals who really gave the reader multiple ways to connect with the story. I wish we got a closer look at the relationship between Hutch and his brother Cole because it was such a huge part of the plot. Rue and her group of friends was a fun addition to the story and I would love to read more about them.

Key West was the perfect setting for this story and it made me want to take a trip down there and wear all the beautiful colors.

I think the ending seemed a little rushed and I wish it had gone a more realistic direction but overall this was a solid read for me!

i absolutely adored the rom-commers, so i was very excited to get the arc of the love haters, and it didn’t disappoint!!!! although this was not my favorite katherine center book, i had a great time reading it!!!! i found both katie and hutch to be enjoyable mc’s and i love them together!!! my favorite part was the body positivity and body image issue representation!!!!! and i loved the florida keys setting, it made the book so fun and summery!!! thank you so much for the opportunity to read!

4.5 stars!!

Got a chance to read this ARC and just 😘 ! @katherinecenter does it again in this funny, charming, light, but full of heart romance. And the big ticket issue this time is love - finding the one that makes your heart flutter, but also finding love within a found family, and the hardest is learning to love yourself - who you are inside and out.

I read this one so fast because Katherine center is an auto-buy author for me. Her characters are so perfectly imperfect. I can’t get enough! Hutch is swoon worthy, but the show stopper was Rue and The Gals. Rue’s kindness, open heart, and penchant for bright colors and patterns was just beautiful.

Can’t wait for the rest of the world to be able to read this one!

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the #arc of #thelovehaters by #katherinecenter !

I really enjoy all Katherine Center books and this one was no different! The main character falling for the person she’s doing the documentary about was perfect. And I loved the side story of the brothers and their “aunt”. Where I slightly got lost was in the details of the work relationships and the things that spun out a little too much for me. The rescue scene was amazing and definitely could be turned into a movie or tv series in the future!

So I started this at the gym on the treadmill thinking “this will be a light read”, fast forward to me 3 hrs later with it finished. 🤣

We meet Katie Vaughn burned by her ex (tw: healing from a ED) at crossroads. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but pretends that she can.

Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers?!!! (Ngl: I ate this part up 😝)

Hutch and Katie have a fun dynamic and the tension does continue throughout the whole book. Slow burn final boss essentially.

All in all, I feel like this will be a fun summer read when it comes out.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
0/5 🌶️
1 🐶
1 sniffle 🤧


Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I wanted to love this so badly and it just fell a little short. The last chapter did make me sob and I thought the last like 30% of the book was so good but the beginning really dragged for me and it makes sense how things ended up happening at the end but just wasn't my favorite. Still a fun unexpected romance with okay side characters

I like Katherine Center's Rom-Commers and Happiness for Beginners so I have high hope on this one.

Videographer Katie had trouble with love, and now job on the line, she really have to face her fear of not knowing how to swim. Luckily, hot guy Hutch, to the rescue, though she's been warned he's a Love Hater. I would love an Aunty Rue in my life, and yes we all need a Hutch in our lives too. Hutch is an honest hero, but he's doing it more for redemption than hero-complex. His misunderstood brother, Cole kept having a complex about having a perfect brother. Love at first sight for Hutch, but Katie got tangled in lies that is not of her doing. But most of all, we all love a best friend like Beany.

More importantly, it's important to see that Katie had such body issue that is very disturbing. But Beany is a great cheerleader to get her towards her to love her body. Truly, if this is any kind of love story, it's really the journey of love for Katie to be ok with her body. To go from trying to cover everything up to slow love and appreciate every little part of herself. Life is short, and at the traumatic event, she realizes that is one thing she needs to be ok with and be grateful for.

I love how the dialogue flows, the pacing is good. The author always have a knack for making it so real and allow you to be the witness of the conversation and it all flows. My only complaint the cliffhanger hang on a tad too long. The epilogue feels like it was written by two people, part preserved the 1st Person's POV, but the recap felt like another voice.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Loved the characters - Rue, Hutch, George Bailey. Loved that it was a love story yes but also a self love story. Katie learning how to love her body and herself was so heartwarming and incredibly relatable.

Why I didn’t give it 5 stars:
- Cole gave me the “ick”. I know he wasn’t the romantic interest but something felt underdeveloped with his character. I wanted to want to be happy for him at the end mending things with his brother, etc. but he still just annoyed me.
- No spicy scenes. :( I didn’t need anything open door but would have like at least one closed door sexy scene.