Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced reading copy.

This was another home run for Katherine Center.

This book had very engaging characters and plot. Beanie and Rue were winning characters from their first supporting appearances.

Katie is trying not to lose her job and is tasked with a promotional video for the Coast Guard by her supervisor Cole. What Katie doesn't realize is he was supposed to be the videographer at his brother's request. Hutch is a Coast Guard ASTC who is trying to get Cole back in communication with his family on an important anniversary. There are a lot of untruths and lies throughout the book that create moments of drama between various characters. There are so many moments of comedy intertwined into the plot that made the characters so much more real.

The best character of the book is George Bailey with his lips flapping and his ears undulating as he comes barreling in to Katie the first time he meets her. He is a giant sweetie of a rescue Great Dane and added another wonderful layer of levity and love to the book.

There are so many different themes of love in this book as Katherine points out in her author's notes. I appreciated Katie's journey of self-love as she is pushed by her cousin and soul sister Beanie.

I look forward to the next book

I adored this book! It gave me all the feels, made me laugh and grabbed hold of my heart and would not let it go. Katherine Center writes good books that are immersive and immensely readable and this one is no different. Katie was a likable main character and was easy to identify with. The situations that Katie found herself in, especially when George Bailey was involved, were over the top and yet I could picture it happening. I especially liked watching Katie change and confront her fears and become more herself. Hutch was everything I want in a male main character, attractive, interesting job with depths of kindness and his own anxieties and challenges. The community in Key West with Aunt Rue was so much fun and an important part of the story. At its center this is a story about facing your fears, finding your path, and embracing love. in all of its forms

Thank you netgalley & stmartinspress for an eARC! Katherine Center always pulls me in and makes me love her characters; always an auto-read (auto netgalley request!) for me. Hutch was dreamy and Katie drove me crazy with all her insecurities but in the end loved the relatability of her. I want to live with Rue and The Gals and made me wish for the bright colors of summer.

I’m trying to put my finger on why this just didn’t work for me. 😩 Katherine Center is the absolute GOAT of feel good romcoms, but this one felt wrong. 💔😭
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The things that did not spark joy:

1. The severe body issues and starvation mentioned so frequently. It was extremely difficult to read about someone who hates her body so much in a romcom. The tone of it felt off.
2. The absurdity of the Cole situation and Katie’s willingness to go along with it. Why would she do that? 🧐
3. The “drinking contest” was weirdly misogynistic. Big ick on that one. And Katie liked it because it was going to trick Hutch into kissing her when he thought she was dating his brother? Gross.
4. The miscommunication. I can’t deal.
5. I did not care for the main character at all. She was immature and made completely baffling decisions throughout the entire book. (I wanted to throw my kindle near the end when she chose not to mention something on a phone call in a dire situation 😡😡🤯🙄.)
6. Hutch was fine but kind of boring.
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I really loved the setting, Key West, and the spotlight on the Coast Guard! Rescue swimming is fascinating! And I loved George Bailey the dog. 🥺 Unfortunately, the good did not outweigh the bad in this one for me.
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As always, I appreciate the opportunity to read and review early, and will continue to read KC’s books as I’m a forever fan! Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc!

The love haters

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 20 2025

To save her job as a video producer, Katie accepts a job in the Florida Keys to profile the famous and good looking rescuer, Hutch!
but, Katie isn’t looking for love, so when she lands her sights on Hutch after his dog propels her back and her bottom end ups full of splinters which he pulls out, it’s love at first sight. The only problem? There are maybe some self love issues and lies standing in the way of them finding each other.

I loved this one. I’ve loved all of @Katherine Center’s books. It also helped that I read this while looking out at the turquoise ocean and sparkling pool in #turksandcaicos
The characters, the pacing, the plot were all on point. There is some body dysmorphia here so if it’s a trigger, proceed with caution but if not, dive in full force and enjoy this fast evolving romance between two unlikely characters.

Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#thelovehaters
#romance
#paradisereads

4.00 stars
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TW: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Death of a parent, Bullying, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Abandonment
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Katherine Center is wonderful at what she does, she's able to write flawed characters that will have your heart aching, and plots that will suck you into the storyline wishing it would never end. The Love Haters is a good example of this, although, the cover is silly - the content inside the pages takes us on a realistic journey.

Katie is good at what she does, as a documentarian who films "day of the life" videos as a side gig. When her coworker Cole tasks her with her biggest challenge - filming his brother Tom "Hutch", a coast guard in Key West. Not only is her job on the line, but she also can't which might be a challenge. You're immediately swept into the Key West charm, from the moment Katie arrives, she's welcomed with open arms (and a fresh wardrobe). Katie couldn't help but notice Hutch, not only him but also the sadness in his eyes.

I love the concept of found family and felt that way with Aunt Rue and her friend group. After a very rough public breakup, with her famous ex, Katie finds it hard to open up again, and even fall in love with herself. I saw a lot of myself in Katie having self-doubts but working to overcome those doubts.

When a hurricane sweeps through the Key West, Katie is faced with a challenge that not only puts herself in danger but also Hutch's dog-George Bailey. For a romance book, the ending is quite heartbreaking. There are times you wonder if they'll make it out of the situation
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I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Love Haters in exhcange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. The Love Haters is scheduled to publish on May 20th, 2025 - you can pre-order your copy today!

This book is like a big bowl of candy: super sweet and fun while I was reading it, but very soon after, I had forgotten it was essentially gone from my mind. While this certainly isn't a bad thing (who's going to complain about having fun reading a book?), it's not one in which the characters and plot really stuck with me. Katie is a video journalist who gets tasked with filming a promo video for the coast guard. She also wants to film a special, "Day in the Life" of one of the coast guard guys who rose to fame when he rescued Jennifer Anniston's dog from the ocean. The story follows Katie quickly falling for Hutch while also dealing with overcoming her insecurities which flared up when her ex-boyfriend/pop star cheated on her and wrote a hit song about it.

If that sounds like a lot, it is. The craziness could have been toned down and the story still would have been as effective. I also thought the way Katie was constantly bringing up her insecurities and then learning to overcome them came off as a bit preachy.

The story has a predictable ending, but as Katherine Center has said, the journey is the fun part.

"Something quiet and forgotten and neglected in my soul got an undeniable dose of healing."

Katie's desperate to keep her job and when she was assigned to shoot a documentary following the coast guard, Hutch, she took it regardless of her not knowing how to swim. As they spend more time together, they became more entangled with one another.

This feels like a plot of a movie, but not good enough for a book.

I started my Valentines' week read with Katherine Center because I know she can do no wrong. But boy oh boy, was I wrong because this book is a miss for me.

The great things about this book is that it got that Katherine Center writing where it's fun, quirky, easy to read but there's a lot of underlying emotional depth interwoven throughout the story.

Great vibes because of all the side characters and the dog, great premise because hello Coast Guard, and great setting like I was in Mama Mia. It felt like I was there with the main character, living and learning with her too.

HOWEVERRR

Did not like the conflict in the 2nd half/middle part when Cole came to visit iykyk. Felt so wrong, and doesn't really fit the narrative. It felt like it was added for a little bit of spice, but it tasted all wrong in the end. That part almost made me rate this a 2-star but then it kinda passed by with a lil time jump, then we get back to the plot. It was so unnecessary imo.

Overall, it's a great and fun summer read but not the best Katherine Center book.

P.S. I really hope there's a TW in the final product (this is an ARC upon reading) because there's a lot of sensitive things discussed here.

4.5 stars rounded down. Katherine Center can always be counted on to deliver a book that leaves you with a smile and some insightful lessons. This is a romance but more than that, a story about a woman struggling with body positivity. A subject that can feel too personal and tough to read is delivered with such charm and delight in this book. The characters are all great (minus one who I did not care for). There is a section of the book that just did not fly for me, hence the half a star loss. But otherwise, it’s another winner from this author.

I had a hard time getting into it but over all I enjoyed it, I liked how they spoke about body image, it was an important message to send along side the romance. I also really enjoyed the characters, especially the Galen a cute beach read

Katie Vaughn, a video producer, takes on a reluctant assignment to film Hutch Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Staying at Hutch’s aunt’s charming inn, Katie encounters quirky characters, including her coworkers, who hope she’ll find romance. Hutch is a hero with a lovable dog who’s afraid of storms, ticking all the boxes for a rom-com. While the premise is promising, I found it hard to connect with the characters, as they felt disconnected from the story. This one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Looking forward to reading more from this author though.

This was cute! I really loved the first half and bought into the story and the romance. I loved the idea of falling in love through the lens of literally filming someone, and it was super invested in the relationship in the first half. But the story took a downturn in the second half and I thought the romance stopped being developed in a way that felt satisfying. I also really did not enjoy the reasoning behind the central conflict between the brothers. I think the author really missed an opportunity to have an amazingly epic romantic moment at the end of the novel and it fell soooo flat I was really disappointed in that. In the end, I feel like romance was not wrapped up effectively at all. I enjoyed the way eating disorders were handled and enjoyed the Gottman shoutout. Overall, really fun and cute but with some execution problems that didn’t necessarily take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

The Love Haters By Katherine Center

“Katie 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.

Katie is faced with learning to swim, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses as she navigates this career-making gig.

Will love spark or be swept away in the ocean?”

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

This is my first Katherine Center novel to date. While the book’s concept is adorable, it was a bit lack luster for me.

I understand body dysmorphia, but it’s harped on tremendously in this book in my opinion (very unnecessarily). It doesn’t overly add to the depth of the story, so I’m not seeing the need.

I wish there was just more. More development of characters, possibly dual POV. This book is to be a rom-com but I’m not really getting those vibes.

Enjoyed this book until the very end! This is officially my favorite Katherine Center book to date. The chemistry between these two main characters had me rooting for them and kicking my feet in excitement and anticipation. This book really has it all and then some.

Longtime Katherine Center fan here, so I was excited to be one of the first in line to pick up "The Love Haters." While Center's easy banter and lighthearted writing shine through like always, I'm sad to admit that this wasn't quite the home run for me that I hoped it would be.

Faced with the prospect of losing her job as a videographer or taking a tough assignment making a promotional video for the Coast Guard, Katie makes an easy choice. Despite knowing very little about the Coast Guard — and even less about how to swim — Katie says yes to her colleague, who happens to be the brother of a near-famous Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch. Although Hutch is rumored to be a love hater, it isn't long before sparks fly between the two.

I'll admit, it isn't hard to love Hutch — at all. Did I develop a crush on him? Maybe, just maybe. Center gifted us with a great character there, and I found myself wishing this was a dual POV novel just so I could get into his head and heart even more. That said, I really struggled with Katie as the main character. Center's author note points out that this is a love story between Katie and her own body as much as it is a love story between Katie and Hutch, and I can see where she was going there. But I felt that Katie's body image issues were very clearly crossing the line into a full-blown eating disorder that was worthy of some professional therapy. Instead, this was never acknowledged in the book aside from having a friend "take away her scale." Obsessive weighing, a year+ of eating under 1,000 calories a day, and a deep phobia of announcing her weight or wearing a swimsuit — these are not normal self-confidence issues and I think both Center and St. Martin's Press missed out on the opportunity to reduce mental health stigma, normalize professional therapy, and even empower like-minded readers with helpful resources (a point I felt was missing in the author's note at minimum).

All this to say, I might have fallen for Katie a little more if her clear need for help wasn't such a distraction. But if you are able to look past that and are seeking a beachy summer read with plenty of sparks (and closed-door spice), definitely give this one a shot.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy for honest review.

4.5/5

Another Katherine Center hit.

Loved this one so much. Katherine is such an amazing writer, who crafts her characters so well. Focusing on different relationships, this book delves into being vulnerable, brave, and honest. And as always the Author’s Note just makes this book so much better.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

I enjoyed this book. It did tend to repeat itself a bit with the self talk of the main female character.

Katherine Center is one of very few authors who can present romance and serious topics intertwined so masterfully. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the slow burn and the stunningly handsome hero and his aviator glasses! But when Katherine said that this is an enemies to lovers with oneself that really resonated and that’s the main impetus here. We’re often so much kinder to others than we are to ourselves especially when it comes to body image.
The flirtatious build up and the guessing what’s behind those stoic eyes had me turning pages deep into the night. At a moment of impending disaster, the feelings of abandonment tugs at my heart and had me holding my breath. The side characters, especially “The Gals” not only provided the lightheartedness to offset some of the seriousness, but Aunt Rue also exemplified life lessons learned and shared. And George Bailey added 170 pounds of doggie humor!
Katie Vaughn might have gotten in over her head when she took on her latest assignment. But since her job was on the chopping block, it really wasn’t the ideal time to admit she didn’t exactly meet the qualifications. Oh, and the subject she’s been sent to profile, Hutch, is her supervisor’s estranged brother – a US Coast Guard hero. What could possibly go wrong?

I have enjoyed previous books by Katherine Center, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me. There was too much crammed into the plot, especially considering the extremely slow start. The shipwreck was too close to the end to make any real impact on the plot. I did enjoy the characters’ complex back stories and found Hutch to be a likable MMC.

The Love Haters written by Katherine Center was a very cute love story about a coast guard rescue swimmer, dubbed the love hater by family, and his connection to our main character, Katie. The story had nothing that kept me held in unfortunately and I felt it was about to get deep and then missed the mark. I felt the dialogue was cheesy and unrealistic. The deep topics of body image and self love were there but barely covered. I felt like the story could have had so much more and had a ton of potential, but fell short for me.