The minute this book officially hits the shelves, I will be buying it. Until this book officially hits the shelves, I will be recommending it to everyone and anyone who will listen- willing or unwillingly.

Although this was my first “beach read” of 2025, Love Haters was so much more than the average fun, light, relaxing summer read. Along with being laugh out loud hilarious it was also, ugly cry emotional. The tears that fell throughout this book weren’t only from the heartbreak (of the past) but also just from the inner turmoil of the MFC.

I truly do not know a single woman who cannot relate to Katie Vaughn throughout some point in their life. The inner dialogue of this woman, was just so spot on. She was insecure in such a real, honest way. Even if you don’t have the same exact insecurities as her (a lot of which I didn’t) having ever had any insecurities at all, you will feel her feelings and emotions in your soul. Not to mention she is funny, and witty and the perfect amount of self deprecating. I loved being inside her head.

Then there is Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson. The super tall, super sexy COAST GUARD RESCUE SWIMMER. (If you have ever seen The Guardian with Ashton Kutcher, you know just how sexy that can be.🥵) This man is quiet and reserved, and strong, and mature, and goes around saving dogs and teaching little old women how to swim. He wear aviators unironically, takes his job very serious, and makes his whole life around helping people (and rescue animals 🥹) and demanding zero recognition. To say he is a swoon worthy dream boat, would be an understatement.

This however, is where I have major beef with Ms. Katherine Center. How are you going to give us this gorgeous specimen of a man, have us screaming, crying and kicking our feet when we find ourselves upon a little “one bed” moment and then….. not give us a little (or a lot) of spiiiiiiiiiiice!! 😩💔

I know super spice isn’t Katherine’s thing (unfortunately) and I totally respect that. But come onnnnn. Howwww can you give us this mannnn. This beautiful, protective, heroic man and not even the teeny tiniest mention of “a bulge” or a “discreet adjustment”. Not even a “is that a phone in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?!”. It’s truly heart wrenchingly, devastating. ☹️

In all seriousness though, even without the steam, me giving it such a stellar rating and going on and on should really tell you how much I loved this story (smut slut for life) - this book was amazing and I will be recommending it… realistically until I find the next book worth insistent recommending. Easy 5/5


Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance 💖💖💖💖
Spice 🫑

Thank you Katherine Center and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martins press for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
I really, really enjoyed this story! It was quick and sweet. We meet Katie and she has to learn to navigate a lie to keep her job. Of course nothing ever goes to plan, but honestly that makes it even better.

Katie is so relatable, especially for those early 90s/2000s babies, she struggles with her body. The way she overcomes it is just beautiful and it made me feel all the feels. Hutch was our MMC and he was just the sweetest and I just loved him. Rue and Beanie were by far my favorites. They were in Katie’s corner when she needed it most and it gave me warm and fuzzies. Oh and you can’t forget George Bailey, the best hugger in town.

This book has NO Spice and the biggest trigger is body issues.

Katherine center is an auto-read for me as her books always give me all the feels but this one read differently than her previous books. Katie is a documentary filmmaker who doesn’t know how to swim but travels to interview her co-workers coast guard brother to save her job. I love the messages of body positivity and that the characters felt real (flaws and all) in this story but some of it was pretty cheesy. The storm at the end and her rescue felt anti-climactic.

This one was fun! The relationship was a little superficial, but I enjoyed it all the same. I loved the setting too-reading it felt like going on vacation. I did find the “fake dating” subplot to be super stressful and sort of unnecessary. But it was a nice escape for sure. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

It’s all love and no hate for The Love Haters!! Thank you so much St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read early!

This is such a delightful story about healing, friendship, and learning to love yourself first. As in all of Katherine’s books, the character development and growth are brilliantly executed and most inspiring. The Key West setting is a fun change of pace, and the side characters are (mostly) charming (really not a fan of Hutch’s brother, but I think that’s the point).

I especially loved the rescued Great Dane, George Bailey, who’s terribly afraid of thunder and obsessed with Katie. And Hutch… he just might be my favorite of KC’s heroes yet — big hearted, genuinely kind, and SO down bad for her.

I can already tell this is one I’ll be re-reading for years.

Read for
-coast guard hero
-struggling filmmaker heroine
-a big old scaredy cat of a Great Dane
-learning to love yourself
-strong female friendship
-found family
-Key West setting

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of the book! This book was perfection. It was focused on video producer Katie and rescue swimmer Hutch; while navigating not getting fired and falling for her coworkers brother. This book had me giggling throughout the banter between the character and on edge towards the last few chapters. I loved all the characters the showed up especially George Bailey (the dog) and the frog at the end. Definitely pick this book up if you want something sweet, funny and easy to read.

I have devoured Katherine’s last few books so when I got an email with an ARC of The Love Haters I was over the moon!

While it is not my favorite by her, I did like it. Katie was tough on herself and I can relate but at a certain point it was just too much.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. I can’t wait to meet Katherine in June for the release!

This book pulled me in immediately. I loved the characters especially Hutch who was dreamy and probably the perfect man. I also thought Katie's body image issues were incredibly relatable and a great obstacle to add to the story. I'd recommend to anyone who is looking for a quick romance without the steam!

First thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Kathrine Center for giving me this ARC, what a pleasure it was 🥰

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
🫑
Where do I begin!? This story is such a feel good, kick your feet, giggle to yourself kinda romance. The chemistry that the FMC & MMC have almost instantly is to die for!
The MMC is hard exterior but underneath is a total softie with a big heart. A swoon worthy, easy read if you're looking for something light & quick.

While this story is a romance between two people, it is also a romance between the FMC and herself, and her journey to loving herself. It's beautiful, and I love that she does it on her own (by no influence of a male character).
I really enjoyed this book, I devoured it quickly & would absolutely recommend it! There is NO spice in this one. But the tension is 😙👌🏻

trigger warning: there is some alluding to eating disordered behaviour and negative body talk.

This started a little slow for me, but once it hit it's stride, it more than made up for it! The last 25%, OMG, I couldn't put it down!!

This was so much more than just a rom-com!! It tackled body image/self love issues, sibling rivalry and handling grief. I enjoyed the vibrant setting of the Keys and the look inside the Coast Guard. The characters were well developed and completely relatable! I laughed and cried while rooting for Katie and Hutch! George Bailey, Hutch's Great Dane rescue dog, was a scene stealer!! And we all need a group of friends like Rue and The Gals!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you, #smpromance , for this #giftedebook in exchange for my unbiased review. I am a huge fan of #katherinecenter and was super excited to read her new book before publication. I will start by saying this book did not disappoint. With a hunky coast guard hero and a smart, capable documentary filmmaker as main characters, I was ready for the romance, but these jilted souls didn't even vaguely see love coming. The plot was engaging from the beginning, investing me in the emotions of each character. I truly loved seeing Katie's personal growth in finding self-worth and self-love. If you love rom-coms, you will want to check this one out. Also, check out Katherine Center's backlog.

As a born and raised Floridian, I was so excited to discover the setting of The Love Haters was Key West, with the added touch of an unpredictable hurricane! This book touched on a wide range of deep topics, but with the fun banter Katherine Center always seems to bring! Katie and Hutch were sweet, but Rue and George Bailey stole the show!

I am so glad I was able to get an early read of The Love Haters! I really enjoyed this book, I have enjoyed all of her books. It was entertaining and the characters were lovable. I know Cole was supposed to be a troublesome character but he did annoy me a little. I also felt like there was so much that happened in the end and it happened fast, a little rushed. Having a military past, I was excited to see the Coast Guard represented! All in all, I definitely recommend and went through so many emotions while reading. As the weather is getting warmer, it will be perfect for a summer read!

This had some very cute moments. But it also was just TOO farfetched. (Who doesn't know what their own eye color is??)

If you can suspend your disbelief rather a lot and think of it as magical realism, then it’s a sunshiny escape.

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Love Haters. I’m happy to say, I loved it.

Katherine Center has been a hit or miss author for me, but I really loved this story. Not only is it a story about love, but it also touches deeply on self-love. Main character Katie has a lot of body image issues (same, girl) and is being forced to overcome them in a series of circumstances which also relate to her job. Dreamy Hutch is the quiet but perfect coast guard rescue swimmer who, along with Katie’s cousin Beanie, helps her see that she is beautiful even if her brain (and her online haters) disagree.

I loved this story, even though Cole was a dickwad and the scenes on the boat with George Bailey had me so thoroughly stressed, but of course we got our happy ending in the end!

I’m dinging one star because the ending felt a bit lacklustre to me, but maybe that’s because I like having everything perfectly laid out (and I wanted to see more of Hutch).

Overall, great read and definitely recommend.

Giving this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ but closer to 4… I was worried I wouldn’t like this one based on some reviews but the characters sucked me in. I loved Katie and Hutch’s relationship, and of course, the pup. There were just so many unrealistic pieces that could’ve been cut (spoiler alert - her ex fiance, the reason Cole and Hutch were fighting, the hurricane). I also think the body image stuff needed to be toned way down, and the past family tragedy didn’t need to be that awful. Half the time it felt like the author was trying to combine 15 tropes into one book. But all of this aside 😂 I couldn’t put it down. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was started with us meeting Katie Vaughn, a talented videographer who is scared she is about to loose her much loved job. When her coworker Cole asks her to head to Key West to interview coast guard her Hutch she decides it might be a great idea and just what’s needed to save her career.

She arrived in Key West and fell in love with everything, Roo who is Cole’s aunt, the island, the people, and let’s not forget Hutch! Of course nothing goes to plan which gives us a fun storyline.

I thought all of the relationships were done well and I enjoyed all of the characters. My favourite thing about the book was seeing Katie falling in love with her body and who she was as a person. She struggles so much with how she looks or appears to everyone else when we first meet her but by the end of the storyline she is happy in her own skin. Isn’t that what we all want?

Fun storyline, lots of laughter and a very easy read.

Loved the authors note at the end.

Another good read from this author, it’s not my favourite of hers but I did enjoy it.

“I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

I don't know what I was expecting but it was definitely not the giddy and squealing this book got out of me. It had everything! Miscommunication, family drama, game dating, a daring rescue.

If you are a fan of rom-coms, I truly recommend this. It was stinking cute.

Comes out in 2 months!!

Thank you St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. While this is a romance book, Katie's journey of self-acceptance is a large theme in the book and something I feel like many women can relate to. The internal struggles that many of us go through related to body and self confidence are so relatable and a good reminder to give yourself grace.

The romance story differs from familiar plotlines seen in many romance books which kept me entertained and engaged. The ease in which Katie and Hutch get to know each other is refreshing as there is no love/hate relationship that exists between the two from the start.

The supporting characters made the book for me. Rue, Hutch’s Aunt was a bright spot throughout the book and I would love to have her as my own aunt and have a group of “Gals” to live my best life with when I am older. George Baily, Hutch’s dog, made me laugh out loud when he was in the scene and I could see my dog in a lot of his actions (or inactions).

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Overall, I enjoyed this book! The body positivity was a main focus, which is an important topic. I liked the relationship between the two MC'S as well.

Katie, the FMC, goes to Florida for a videography assignment. Cole is her "boss", and Cole's brother Hutch "Tom" is the focus of the videography assignment. Their dynamics provided a lot to the plot, and it was fun to see it all evolve throughout the story.

To me, certain parts dragged on and felt unnecessary to the overall plot. I would have loved to see more at the end as well.