It honestly hurts me to be giving a Katherine Center book less than 5 stars but this one just didn’t do it for me. The writing was good and I enjoyed the characters enough but the relentless harping about Katie’s body image issues and the frequent self help talk made it feel preachy in a way that took me right out of the story. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it but I also don’t see myself going out of my way to recommend it.

The Love Haters was a fun and engaging read with plenty of charm. Katherine Center’s signature warmth shines through, and I especially loved Aunt Rue—she was hands-down my favorite character with her sharp wit and heart of gold.

The romance leaned a bit into the insta-love territory for me, which made it feel rushed at times. I also found the self-body shaming themes difficult to read. While they clearly aimed to add emotional depth, they occasionally overtook the storyline and pulled focus from the romance itself.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt, breezy read with some weighty undertones. Not perfect, but definitely enjoyable.

3.5⭐️ stars but I’m rounding up of course!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC.

This was such a fun, summery romance book! Before I get into what I liked about the book, I want to mention that body image and eating disorders are a HUGE part of this story, so beware. There are also discussions of grief. There are heavy topics in this one so it does little women’s fiction, which I always love. It makes the characters for multidimensional and real! I was so happy to see how Katie learned to accept her body and love herself.

Katherine Center’s voice is so witty and fun. No matter what characters she is writing about, I can always appreciate how she makes a scene come to life. It’s so easy to be immersed in the story and fly through the book. I also really appreciated the setting in this story. We are constantly near water whether it’s on a boat or swimming at the pool. Rue is a huge part of why the setting had so much charm. Her store and the description of the clothes brought so much color to the setting. I also really liked the gals and their funny comments.

I really liked Katie and Hutch! I was rooting for them the whole time even when Hutch was a bit standoffish. The conclusion of the story was nice but for some reason I was left wanting just a little bit more. I wanted more scenes between the two main characters. I think that more could have been included of them spending time together in the first half of the story. There were some points where we knew they were spending all their time together, but we never really got to see the small moments between them where their feelings blossomed. I would’ve loved to see a little bit more conversation between the two of them at the end as well. It was kind of just the love proclamation but nothing of them talking things out and deciding how their relationship would work. The epilogue told us, but it didn’t show us.

For those reasons, I really did like the story! It’s just not one of my favorites from Katherine Center. I will be here patiently waiting for the next story she blesses us with.

It's hard to go wrong with a Katherine Center book in my opinion. This one is no exception. There was a part that were so heavy in lack of communication that it was tough to overlook but the rest was fun and un-put-down-able. I can see this being a great beach read over the summer. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Katie & Hutch. She’s a videographer and he’s a US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. She doesn’t know how to swim but is hired to document his life as a rescue swimmer, so to save her job she takes on the challenge. This book is heavy on body positivity in the best way! Katie is struggling with the impact of the internet, social media, and the twenty first century has on women and their body image. Hutch has never experienced and insecure day in his life and ends up being a great teacher to Katie in how to swim and love oneself. Key west is very much a character in itself in this book and Katherine Center did an amazing job at making me feel like I was there, which makes this book great for a beach/summer/island vibes read!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC, it was an AMAZING read!

I was obsessed with the concept of this book from the first chapter!

I also knew nothing about coast guard before reading this book and really loved the amount of shenanigans the female main character got into.

Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite romance writers. Her newest book Love Haters was not a disappointment! This love story takes place in beautiful Key West, Florida. Videographer Katie Vaughn, receives an assignment to follow grumpy self proclaimed love hater, Hutch. Hutch is an all business Coast Guard rescue diver. Katie is self depricating and still recovering from a past failed relationship. These two are slyly pushed together by Hutch’s loveable aunt Rue and very particular Great Dane, George Bailey. I absolutely loved George Bailey. His fear of thunderstorms made him so endearing and provided several cometic moments to the story. There were times I was frustrated with Katie’s character, but I think it was needed for her overall end growth. I couldn’t stand Cole. He irritated me in more ways than one. This book focuses pretty heavily on body image and there are elements of grief that are touched on.

3.5 rounded to a 4. I have feelings about this one. Mixed emotions and I went back and forth with my rating.

I had a hard time connecting with the female MC. I really struggled with her body image issues and the constant need for reassurance. She grew on me during the blast scene and hurricane, IYKYK.

Hutch (male MC) was touch and go for me to. Sweet guy but I don’t know a wee bit of savior complex.

I get it, it’s fiction and not real, but it wasn’t as swoony as some of KC’s other writings.

The last 25% kept me at a 3.5. Rue was the real MVP and I adored her. Beanie also had her moments.

It’s a cute romcom but felt a little different than KC’s usual writings.

Trigger warnings: Death of a parent, grief, body dysmorphia

Thank you MacMillian Audio & NetGalley for this advanced ALC & eARC.

I throughly enjoyed The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger, but The Rom-Commers was a huge letdown, yet I decided to give Katherine Center another try in the hopes of it just being a one time thing. But nope, right from the get go I was getting the same feeling as I did with The Rom-Commers. I know Katherine Center is a very experienced and accomplished writer, but the writing in this just felt very immature to me (again). I felt no connection to these characters whatsoever, and felt like the body image issues were seriously mishandled. This book was not funny, and not lighthearted. It felt forced and honestly just confusing. It’s the second time I try to read this, the first time I had to shelf it @ 20% after trying for 2 weeks because I kept falling asleep and not even remembering what was happening the next day.

I have a feeling this might be it for me. I can see why people enjoy KC’s books but they aren’t for me anymore.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy through NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

Katie Vaughn's career is in jeopardy. She either gets laid off from her job as a video producer, or takes an assignment that could boost her career by profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There could be worse places to spend her days than in Key West but the catch is, she can't actually swim, so she needs to keep that from her boss. And there will be water involved, lots of it. To complicate matters, Hutch and her boss Cole are brothers and there's a reason Cole won't go and do the job himself but he won't tell Katie.

The blurb on this one gives a bit away and I would strongly suggest going in blind. If you have read any of the authors novels previously then you already know you are in for such a treat. Admittedly, this wasn't quite what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised as the story went along. The Joy. The Love. The Hope. This was SO much fun and while it dealt with body image, the author did this with care and the whole novel was just magical. Possibly my favourite by the author so far. 4.5*

4.75/5⭐️ rounded up

This was a typical Katherine book but better? It had everything I expected in her books and more. It had heart and humor on every page. I simply adored Katie, hutch and George Bailey. That beautiful big dog. This story was so much more than I was expecting. She has such a way of taking big topics and handling it so gently.

I will be honest and say that I struggled with Cole’s storyline. I understand the need to tell little white lies here and there but this man was extreme and some of his lies were so outrageous I was annoyed.

- Very cute romcom between Katie, a young filmmaker, & Hutch, rescue diver for the Coast Guard and subject of Katie's most recent project, a Coast Guard recruiting video
- Set in Key West
- Amazing cast of side charachters
- Lots of things happen for romance reasons, and it's an absolute DELIGHT. There's also a cute rescue Great Dane
🌶️: no, all fade to black

This really pains me because Center is one of my favorite authors. The self loathing and body image issues took up 40% of the book and I didn’t like how it was handled with Hutch. I also did not enjoy Cole or Beanie. Rue and The Gals were amazing! I will continue to read Center because, duh, she’s Center, but this was a miss for me.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors and she has truly outdone herself with her latest book. I couldn't put this one down. Such wonderful characters and a lovely story.

Katie Vaughn, a video producer, is sent by her coworker, Cole, to the Florida Keys to produce a promo video for the Coast Guard. The star of the video? Cole's brother Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who Cole claims "hates love." As Katie films the promo, she gets tangled up in Hutch and Cole's family drama, has to learn how to swim, and ends up in some interesting situations, to say the least.

I loved this book! I love the way that Katherine Center writes about difficult topics while bringing humor into other parts of the book so it isn't too heavy. One of my favorite parts of this book was getting to see Katie deal with her insecurities with help from her cousin. My favorite character, of course, was George Bailey (Hutch's Great Dane)!

Pub Date: May 20th, 2025

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for gifting me the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a Katherine Center fan, I am sad to rate this 3 stars. While the book overall was enjoyable and lighthearted, I found that the storyline and romance were not well executed. The Key West setting and filming about a coast guard rescue swimmer had me interested from the very beginning! As the book progressed, I didn’t not feel the connection between Katie and Hutch and I didn’t love the way body image issues were discussed in the book. Though this book wasn’t my favorite from this author, I look forward to her future books.

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.