There’s a thin line between love and hate, Katie would know since she’s been burned before. Taking the risk and getting burned again isn’t appealing but her job is on the line so she’s out of choices. Profiling Hutch a member of the coastguard should be easy enough but the lies inevitably catch up to her.

The love haters delves into some difficult topics that make for an incredible story with a lot of depth. Katie is the star of the show and one of the most relatable, real characters I’ve seen for some time. Katie has struggled with body dysmorphia to some extent for years. Her best friend burned her scale and is supporting her journey towards loving herself and her body. It may be a difficult topic for some but Center handles the topic with a lot of care. TW body dysmorphia, ED and loss of a loved one.

The main characters have an incredible chemistry and you can’t help but root for them. The spice level is low, kissing only. There are lots of moments that made me crack up. Hutch’s dog is comedic gold.

I could’ve done without some of the lies created by Cole (Hutch’s brother) but everyone still got their HEA so who am I to complain. If you’re in the right mental space I highly recommend picking this one up!

Read this if you like
🫶🏼Self empowerment
🩷Opposites attract
💫Character development
🌼Found family

I look forward to the new Katherine Center book every summer and was absolutely thrilled to receive this one early!

It lived up to the hype too. I loved all of the themes wound about through this well told story. Romance and comedy all tied up in a sweet and entertaining tale.

Definitely a must read for the summer!

Big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!!!!!!!!

This book focused on a character who is so relatable I cried. The unbelievable amount of self love is overwhelming and makes the love story that much sweeter. I love that this books has a few love stories but most importantly self love. Katherine Center you did it again! I laughed, I cried, I had severe anxiety. I stayed up to 2 am because I couldn't put the book down. But it was the most heartfelt story. Her character writing will always keep me coming back again and again!!!

3.5⭐️ rounded up
Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, and while this book was still cute in many parts, I didn’t feel that it had the same depth or as captivating of a storyline as many of her others. The story felt more rushed in many parts and I just didn’t feel as connected to the story or characters in general. The title of the book also didn’t really seem to fit what the book was all about. I wasn’t at all expecting the storyline of disordered eating/body image issues to be one of the main focuses, which could be triggering for some, so I might have included a warning at the beginning of the book. It overall felt more focused on the main character discovering how to love herself vs. romantic love. While this book wasn’t my favorite of hers, I will definitely read any book Katherine writes! Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

The Love Haters is an upswing book. Katie was jilted by a fiance and is just trying to keep her job and live her simple life. Nothing crazy. On a last ditch, job saving gig in Key West - she meets Hutch. A coast guard rescue swimmer who hates love. Great, because Katie does too. The Love Haters is pretty predictable and a little too far fetched, but page turning and sweet.

I love Katherine Center! And this book was no exception ! Her books always have extra depth than just a typical rom com . These characters will stay with me for awhile and I learned alot about the coast guard water rescue !

Katherine Center is an expert at delivering warm and funny romance. I usually love her books but this novel felt weak to me: it doesn’t have the depth of feeling of some of her other books. The plot and the romance hurdle get quite far fetched when Cole arrives on the scene and his arrival is followed by a series of unrealistic events.

It’s safe to say The Love Haters is my new favorite Katherine Center book. Katie is an aspiring documentary filmmaker, desperate to hold on to her corporate job during downsizing. In an attempt to demonstrate her value she accepts an assignment filming a recruitment video for US Coast Guard rescue swimmers. In the Florida Keys on assignment she meets a delightful cast of characters including Hutch (probably my new favorite MMC). Aside from the fact that he’s a perfect physical specimen, Katie falls for Hutch’s genuine good-ness and in the process learns to love herself as well.

This book had it all, a swoony MMC, a complicated FMC who showed personal growth, well developed side characters who enrich the story, an adorable dog, humor, and action/drama.

I honestly enjoyed learning more about the USCG and rescue swimmers as part of the book. This book doesn’t have any spice to speak of but still held my interest. I will say that the twists in the plot were somewhat predictable, but I didn’t mind. I would recommend this book to any romance reader, especially if you have a sense of humor.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I started reading this book I had no idea that the main character was someone who struggled with body image/self confidence issues. As someone who has been this person their entire life, there was so much that hit home. The fact that she found someone who thought she was beautiful and was able to learn to love her body herself made me hope that maybe someday…Also, Katherine center-thank you for giving validity to my love of romance “stories”! I honestly don’t know what I would do without them🩷
Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine herself for allowing anyone who wanted to read this early, the chance to do so! Chalk up another win to Katherine Center!

2.5 stars, rounded up

I have mixed feelings about The Love Haters by Katherine Center. On one hand, I really appreciated the unique concept—wrapping a story of self-love and acceptance into a rom-com is a fresh and promising idea. On the other hand, the execution leaned into some of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication, an insta-love connection, and characters whose decisions didn’t always feel fully developed or logical.

My biggest struggle with this book was the female main character, Katie. I never felt truly connected to her in the way I have with other Katherine Center heroines. Her defining characteristic seemed to be her insecurity about her body, stemming largely from two incidents—being called “frumpy” on a gossip website and her stepmom telling her to “suck it in” as a child. While I love the premise of a heroine learning to embrace and love herself, and I appreciated the author’s note at the end, I felt like this aspect of Katie’s character lacked depth. It didn’t feel fully explored beyond surface-level struggles, especially since she’s described as traditionally attractive and exudes confidence in other areas of her life (she assures the male lead, Hutch, that she’s great at her job). Additionally, her reaction to her breakup was oddly muted—she wasn’t devastated, but she also wasn’t particularly relieved. I just wanted more from her—more emotional complexity, more layers, more moments of real self-discovery.

Katie’s motivations also didn’t always add up for me. She takes a job out of panic, worried about being unemployed, yet it’s not a dream opportunity, and she had already quit her last job after her breakup. Given her background, it seemed like she could have found another gig without jumping through the hoops she does. The way this job situation resolves also felt anticlimactic, without much payoff.

I also wasn’t a fan of the third-act miscommunication plotline—it felt like an unnecessary obstacle that could have been resolved with a simple conversation. While I understand its purpose in creating tension, I would have preferred a more organic conflict that felt truer to the characters. Similarly, I could have done without Sullivan as a character. The idea of her being a bitter, scorned woman taking out her frustrations on innocent employees felt one-dimensional, and I think the story could have worked just as well (if not better) without that subplot.

Now, onto what I did love:
1. Rue and the Gals – The side characters brought so much charm and energy to the story! I especially adored Rue—her outlook on life was beautiful, and I wish she had played an even bigger role in Katie’s self-discovery.
2. The Setting – The Florida Keys came to life on the page. I could vividly picture the bright colors, the clear water, and almost smell the salt in the air.
3. The Male Lead (Hutch) – While Hutch fits into some familiar rom-com hero tropes, I really enjoyed his presence. He voiced a lot of the thoughts I was having as a reader, and his backstory was well-developed, making his character feel more real. I just wish we had gotten to see more of him and Katie falling in love, rather than being told they were already there. Their banter was fun, and I wanted more of that slow-burn connection.

Overall, I ended up rating this book 2.5/5 stars. It’s not my favorite Katherine Center novel, but I do appreciate how it intertwines a love story with a journey of self-acceptance. That said, I think the book could have been much stronger without the frustrating tropes and underdeveloped conflicts.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book wasn’t bad by any means, but it was boring. It’s a classic romance novel and I really enjoyed the ending, but I didn’t find myself really wanting to read this the further I got into it. The last few chapters of the book I enjoyed a lot though. I did enjoy Katie’s development throughout the story and I thought her insecurities were relatable! Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the classic romance book and doesn’t want a lot of spice!

Thank you NetGalley for the early release! This book will be available in May.

This is my first Katherine Center book and tbh I thought this was gonna be a lot better than it was. I was pretty disappointed in how simple the writing was. It felt pretty plain to me. It was like "This person is doing this and that person does that", like that's so cool for them, but you could have written it a little more interestingly. It kind of felt high school aged writing like a kid writing their first fanfic. The story felt pretty basic and not that interesting to me. I also thought the characters were a little boring and never felt connected to them at all. I'll try and give her another chance, but this was pretty tough to enjoy. I just expected a lot more than what I was given. I was actually so happy the book was over. Hopefully her next book is better or maybe her writing just isn't for me.

Another good book from Katherine Center full of hope, love, and a Great Dane. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors because of the humor she delivers in her books. This is no exception! It was a charming and easy romance read 💕

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When you pick up a Katherine Center novel, you know you are getting a feel-good love story, and this time is no different. With a spin of journalism, aspiring YouTuber and a promotional video for the United States Coast Guard, this book has family secrets, little white lies that turn into career crushers and a gaggle of "aunties" in Key West that I could see and hear. I loved the USCG aspect of the story because I live near the US Coast Guard Academy and have seen some helicopter/water rescue drills. I can't imagine the research that went into this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Katherine Center is a new auto-buy author for me. Even though she does not do any spice in her books I always find her work to be a cozy read that still has some emotion and humor. The Love Haters was no exception. I read this quickly because it was really cute. Katie was a relatable FMC and had a lot of character growth throughout the book and Hutch was boyfriend goals. I probably would have rated it 5 stars but it got a little crazy with the drama at the end. To me, it felt a little over the top. Also, I felt like the eating disorder that the FMC had was not taken very seriously so I would definitely steer clear of this if that is a sensitive topic.

That being said it was still a really fun read and I would definitely recommend if you're looking for something low angst and fun.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Katherine Center can do no wrong. I’ve read so many of her books and they always put a smile on my face.

This book was challenging for me. I love KC so much, and her talent as a writer is really obvious in this book as has been in her others, but there were problems here that I couldn't ignore. First and foremost, there should have been a trigger warning at the front instead of an author's note at the end. For people with eating disorders or body image issues, there should have been something warning them front and center. If I had known this would have been focused on that instead of the misleading title of "love haters" coupled with the cover, I would have gone into it with a completely different mindset. I don't feel like the title is appropriate for what this story actually is. I felt like the main character was hard to get behind for a long time until maybe the end. The character of Cole forcing her to go to Florida to meet with her brother in his stead was super annoying and the lack of explanation until later was suspect, and there really was never a redeeming arc for Cole. It was a lot of back and forth between characters with no real dialogue, just an explanation of events - it happened with Hutch and Katie, and it also happened with Sullivan - a description was given of the events without any details, which was strange and also unlike KC. It almost felt like it was added after the fact.

The one thing that I did like was the hurricane scene. I felt like it showed the growth of the character.... UNTIL.... she decided to give the 911 dispatcher the wrong weight!!! That wasn't growth, that was backwards! I also felt like the first 911 dispatcher that was very dismissive was highly unlike what those people are trained to do and I didn't like that either. I do enjoy a good climax and she gave it to us with this one, but the rest of it wasn't as redeeming as I'd like it to be. I REALLY love this author and I'm really upset that I didn't love this one as much as I love her other books, but the combination of unlikable characters, lack of storytelling through dialogue/interaction, a plotline that falls flat, and the author's note at the end instead of the beginning was just tough to get behind. I am giving 3 stars just for the sake of readability because she is quick and witty and very easy to get engaged in.

This was a cute romance read. I liked that the story grabs you and gives warm fuzzy feelings.

Katie is the ex- of a famous singer who is now trying to live her life as a normal person, out of the public. As part of her job, she ends up in an assignment making a promotional video for the Coast Guard but she doesn't know how to swim... the drama starts there.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

Ok listen I LOVE Katherine Center. I'm giving this book 4 stars and that actually hurts a little.

I adored Katie and Beanie. Rue and The Gals were perfection.... Hutch was delightful, but I wanted more depth from him. He has so much to unpack that we never get to see. In fact a lot of the actual "falling in love" happened off page. Katie recounts how much fun they are having and how natural their relationship felt, but we don't see much that happening as much as we were TOLD it was happening.

I just feel like this book lacked the normal depth and character growth I've come to expect with KC's books. What happens in the book is great, but it wasn't nearly enough. I just wanted more hearth and soul.