Katherine Center is the writer of some of my absolute favorites. And it pains me to write this review. This was just "meh" for me. I thought the romance was sweet at times but it just wasn't my favorite. I liked reading about the Coast Guard but felt like it was just not my favorite.

This romcom is full of heart. It has a coast guard rescuer who is hot, hot, hot plus a filmmaker who is sent to Key West to film him in action. I enjoyed the laughs and romance--other than a miscommunication midway through the story, this was an entertaining read.

Katie works for a company that makes corporate videos. She hears rumors there could be layoffs so when Cole, her superior, asks if she would film a promo for the Coast Guard in Key West, Florida, she jumps at the chance. The Coast Guard wants a recruiting video showing how exciting the job is. The only problem for Katie are the requirements. She needs to know how to swim plus she'll have to be strapped into a helicopter simulator and flipped upside down. When Cole asks if she is fine with it, she says yes and tells herself she can figure it out later.

The guy she will be profiling is Hutch and he’s a genuine hero. He rescued a golden retriever by being lowered down a cliff and then it turned out to be Jennifer Aniston’s dog. Hutch refused to do interviews until now. (He said he wasn’t a hero, just doing his job.) But he agreed to do it if Cole’s company films it. But Cole doesn’t want to go, it turns out he and Hutch don’t get along - they are brothers and Cole is holding a grudge about something in their past! He says Hutch is perfect, always serious and never has fun - just works out, drinks water, eats healthy and rescues people and hasn’t dated anyone in a year because he hates love!

Katie thinks she might hate love too! She found love exhausting and disappointing and she’s only twenty-six! She was jilted a year ago by her fiancé, Lucas, who is now a famous musician. Lucas became TikTok famous overnight and he went on tour. But Katie didn’t want to leave her job to be a roadie so she stayed behind. When she went to an award show with him, the internet attacked her for looking frumpy. So, she started a new diet and lost weight but she was cranky and hungry for a year. She and Lucas split up when she found out he cheated on her and she decided to scrap the diet and begin a journey of self-love and body positivity. Her overcoming her body issues are a big part of the story and my heart went out to her.

Cole arranges for Katie to stay with his Aunt Rue in Key West and Rue and her Gals add a lot of laughs to the story. She offers to find someone to teach Katie swim lessons and of course it turns out to be Hutch, who also brings along his big, loveable dog.

My main quibble with the story was the big miscommunication that kept them apart for a little too long. But I loved watching Katie and Hutch’s escapades together. We see them share a few hot kisses but this is a closed-door romance.

I loved all of the kindness and joy we see in this story with Katie, Hutch and their found family. I was inspired by Katie’s journey of overcoming body image issues and I think readers that enjoy this theme along with a romance in a beautiful beach town will find joy in The Love Haters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Katherine Center's books usually, but unfortunately it did not live up to her previous works. Do not get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book as I did enjoy the chemistry between the two main characters even though it was a little odd and off at times, but there was one big thing about the book that threw me off, Katie's insecurities.

I know that there is a good message that Katherine had behind Katie's body dysmorphia, Hutch's grief and that it is not so easy to just try to heal from and learn how to love and forgive yourself before you become involved with someone else on an intimate level. However, the overall tone of the story kind of detracted from it and did not seem to really enhance the importance of these topics.

The side characters were interesting throughout the book, especially Rue, who took over as a mother figure for both Hutch and Cole. Cole on the other hand just lacked depth and was more frustrating than anything, which I understand he's not supposed to be a likable character and jealous of his brother, I just wish there was a little more to him.

These are nit-picky thoughts, I know, but please still give the book a try as I still ultimately enjoyed it, but I just found it a little underwhelming from her previous work.

I just loved reading this book so much! I never wanted to put it down and it was definitely the right book at the right time for me. The Love Haters is Katherine Center’s newest release which follows Katie, who is working through a public breakup and trying to keep her job as her company is downsizing.

I love KC’s books because of the way she is able to cover deeper topics which characters who have their struggles, while also keeping things more on the lighthearted side and humourous. In this one Katie is struggling with body image and loving herself and in general, she just felt relatable in many ways. Other themes of loss, grief and friendship were sprinkled throughout the book. Katie and Hutch were great main characters, but I also loved the side characters as well — including George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane, Rue and The Gals. If I’m being picky, I think I maybe wanted a little more romance, particularly at the end it would have been nice to see a bit more Hutch and Katie.

Overall, I loved this one and rated it 4.5 to 5 stars! If you are looking for a forced proximity, workplace romance that has lots of depth and lots of humour, check out The Love Haters (out May 20!).

Another amazing Katherine Center book! I thought this story was so much fun. Katie and Hutch are both loveable characters and I loved their chemistry. It was especially exciting to know that the author did thorough research and went on a few adventures herself. The story was very realistic and romantic. I can’t wait to see what Katherine Center writes next!

I'm a big fan of Katherine Center books so I was excited to get the ARC of this! While I enjoyed this, it wasn't my favorite of her books. Katie Vaughn is a mid-level employee working at a video production company in Texas. Her boss is doing major layoffs, and the only way for Katie to save her career is to fly down to Key West to produce a promo video for the Coast Guard, featuring an officer named Hutch - who happens to be the brother of Katie's supervisor, Cole - who became internet famous when he saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. Cole describes Hutch as a private man and a "love hater", who very reluctantly agreed to be the subject of this video. Katie, who was burned by her ex-fiance (a famous singer), now suffers severe body images issues after being dragged by the press in the midst of their breakup, also considers herself a "love hater". She agrees to take on the job of filming this video, and hopes she can break through Hutch's hard exterior while simultaneously falling back in love with herself. This was funny and charming, but there were several heavier themes throughout that seemed a little out of place. It covers several relationships: Katie and her body, the romantic one between Katie and Hutch, and the family issues between Hutch and Cole. I loved the side characters of Rue (Hutch and Cole's aunt) and Beanie (Katie's cousin), and I loved the way we got to watch Katie blossom and find her confidence again. This is a fun read that should definitely go on your summer reading list!

Katie's boss is determined to clean house in order to "optimize profit", which means her job is on the line. The best way to keep it? Take her coworker Cole's place making a promotional video for the Coast Guard, starring a man known around the country as the mysterious "Dog Daddy". The only problems? Katie cannot swim, and it's a requirement for the job. Oh, and "Dog Daddy" happens to be Cole's brother Hutch, who is pissed Katie is there instead. Now Katie must conquer her fears to save her job, while figuring out why Cole called Hutch a "love hater."

Katherine Center, you never fail to amaze me with what you come up with. I absolutely <i>loved</i> Katie and Hutch's chemistry. I am a sucker for Grumpy/Sunshine and adding in "my dog never acts this way towards anyone but me"... I'm absolutely hooked. Devoured this in one sitting!
There definitely should be a trigger warning about eating disorders/body image issues, because it 100% smacks you in the face. However, I think the book does a decent job showing a journey back to self love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. Projected publishing date: May 20th, 2025

I have read 4 other Katherine Center books and absolutely loved them, but this one was a bit of a flop for me. I felt like it was very insta lovey and I didn't really feel like we got to actually see the connection between Katie and Hutch grow. I know she was following him everyday, but we didn't get much of a glimpse into that actually happening. I loved that Katie finally starting accepting herself, but it felt like that was also a bit rushed. And the ending... not even believable. Still a cute read, but not my favorite.

How i live Catherine Center. Meet your new book boyfriend. He is known for saving Jennerifer Aniston's dog from death, and saves people's lives daily. He is cranky and hates love. The female main character is relatable in so many ways and is on a journey to begin loving herself more. A funny meet cute a certain love. The only thing that I really disliked was the brother lieing to everyone and throwing a wrench in all the plans. That was annoying.

Every spring, I anxiously await to begin the new Katherine Center book. In this story, Katie works in videography, and is sent to Key West to film a story on military rescue swimmer Hutch.

Katie and Hutch were a great example of opposites attract and some grumpy sunshine vibes. Katie was quirky and hilarious, though she was suffering from extremely low self esteem, but she actively worked on it throughout the story. In addition to Katie and Hutch working together and developing a bond and chemistry, the supporting cast was fun and layered as well. I also loved the Key West setting as I grew up going there and I felt like I was back in my favorite place 🥰 the ending was a bit off the rails for me, but it all came together the way I wanted.

This is the first time Ive listened to a KC, and I didn’t love the narrator, but I couldn’t stop listening regardless.

I'm so sad that this one didn't hit in the right places for me. It seems that every other Katherine Center book ends up being either something I love or something that's not right for me (how's that for sparing the harsh criticism?). Unfortunately, this was one of those misses. Our main characters are too uneven in their opinions of themselves and it comes across as if our girl is so insecure and out guy is overly confident. I just don't really enjoy these types of imbalanced perceptions that the reader has to slog through pages and pages of her insecurities being thrust upon us so that we will champion her evolution. In my opinion, I don't need her to be overly confident but give her a measure of some self-confidence so the reader doesn't feel like she's pathetic.
Okay..... that's really all I can say about this book. I especially disliked Cole (Hutch's brother) who is a weasel and makes up horrible situations for Katie to have to figure herself out of. Just dumb and a plot point that I rolled my eyes repeatedly over. NOPE. Couldn't get through it and chalk this one up to not this time KC.

Thank you to NetGallery for the opportunity to have early access to this Arc and the ability to write an honest review.

Now, let’s get into it. Overall, this was a cute read with some relatable themes such as body dysmorphia, family trauma, and the bonds of friendship.

While the book was an easy read, it wasn’t up to the same level of charm and heart I am used to reading from Katherine Center. It just felt like it was missing…something. The introduction and exposition felt a bit rushed and the main character, Katie, just unleashed all of her inner self before I even got started in the book. Maybe it was on purpose, but because of that, the quality of writing didn’t feel as on brand or elevated as previous Center novels. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, but it just didn’t feel or read the same as other Katherine Center books. It felt like a completely different author.

Besides that, I thought Katie and Hutch were adorable, despite the miscommunication trope. And George Bailey, forever one of my favorite canine characters to ever grace the literary world. And they Gals, what a tribe of women I hope one day to become!

A couple notes for the publisher, you may want your editor to go through the book one more time before publishing as I found some grammatical errors such as lack of commas, extra spaces, and typos.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! The writing style made it feel like I was in the story. The character growth is SO good! All the characters had a distinct personality and had depth. “The gals” cracked me up the entire time and are actually life goals! I think the heavier topics in this book were handled really well and was written to empower readers that could also be struggling with the same things. The plot was super interesting the entire time and had some fun plot twists that had me gasping! The only thing that i didn’t love was it did feel insta lovey. I thought by the title and first couple chapters that this was gonna be a slow burn but i still think it was a cute love story. This is the perfect beachy summer read!

‼️be aware before reading that the FMC is struggling with body image and an ED‼️

Katie, down on her luck, who agrees to take on a video project at her coworker’s request and Hutch, US Coast Guard member, subject of the video and brother of the coworker have chemistry right from their embarrassing meet cute. Entertaining side characters, with the exception of Katie’s coworker/Hutch’s brother who is quite cringy, help Katie grow to accept her body and love herself through the story. Overall, an enjoyable read with a happy ending.

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!