This was my first Katherine Center book. The book’s description is misleading—it leans heavily into body image issues, making it feel more like women’s fiction than a romcom. Had I known this, I would have approached it differently. The Dialogue, romance, and main characters were basic and unengaging. The conflict over Katie’s swimsuit felt exaggerated, and the portrayal of online toxicity, while likely aiming for awareness, came across as repetitive and unrealistic. The depiction of media scrutiny and harsh comments was jarring but not entirely convincing within the story’s context and Katie’s self love journey.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book. I’ve previously read a novel by this author and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to dive into this one.

Katie is a filmmaker based in Dallas who’s given the opportunity to shadow a Coast Guard member named Hutch in the Florida Keys. She’s at risk of losing her job if she turns it down—her coworker Cole warns her that the company is laying off most of the staff, and if she doesn’t take this assignment, she’ll likely be next. Cole also lets her know that Hutch is his brother—and that he’s grouchy.
One small problem: Katie can’t swim. That’s kind of a requirement if you’re going to be flying with the Coast Guard. So, she lies about it and decides she’ll figure it out once she gets to Florida—maybe even take a few lessons.

Katie ends up staying at the Starlight Motel, run by Cole’s aunt. The motel is home to a close-knit community of elderly women, each living in her own cottage. They’re vibrant, fun, and full of personality. Katie is quickly embraced by Rue, who shows her an incredible amount of warmth and generosity. And when Katie finally meets Hutch, she realizes he’s nothing like Cole described.
I enjoyed this book! I liked learning small details about the role of the Coast Guard, and I had more than a few laughs thanks to the “Gals” at the Starlight. Rue, in particular, was so endearing. I also appreciated the portrayal of Katie’s body image struggles—it felt relatable and thoughtfully handled.

One part that didn’t quite work for me was Katie’s rapid progress with swimming. As someone who’s struggled with it myself, I found that aspect a bit unrealistic. It’s not something most people can overcome that quickly, and that shift didn’t feel entirely believable.
That said, I’m really glad I had the chance to read this! It was a sweet, heartwarming story that brightened my chilly Saturday. This would be a perfect book to bring on a weekend getaway or vacation.

Katherine Center never fails to entertain me. I loved her books. They hold a deep meaning, and this one was love for oneself.

Katie is a video producer who takes an assignment covering the Coast Guard rescue swimmers. She can't swim. She does not want to be in a swimsuit after years of body image issues brought on by her stepmom and dating a now famous musician in the past. The public was not nice to her.

In hopes of not being laid off, she finds herself traveling to Key West, wearing bright florals after years of wearing black, wearing a swimsuit, and being taught how to swim by the Love Hater himself, Hutch. Turns out that Hutch is a beautiful man who does not want to be filmed. He does not make it easy.

Laughter, swoony moments, tears- Katherine is great at making you think and focus on the important things.

Every reader needs a dose of Katherine Center’s wisdom, most effectively absorbed through her annual summer rom-com.
“The swimmer I’m profiling hates love.
He’s a love hater? What does that mean?”
And…. There’s the hook! The back stories of main characters, Katie and the “love hater” Hutch, will captivate readers as the story unfolds. Katherine Center fills The Love Haters with tips for handling anxiety through conversations between Katie and her best friend Beanie-a friendship to treasure. Hutch faces his own demons of sibling rivalry through his noncommutative relationship with his brother. As always, the pearls of wisdom are strung from beginning to the triumphant end. Because we all know there WILL BE a triumphant ending; and this journey -one with helicopters and hurricanes-makes the arrival wonderfully satisfying! So, what’s Katie’s Big News? The Epilogue is like a warm snuggly blanket to wrap around readers.
In a nutshell, Katherine Center reminds us to “see our life as it really is; the hard stuff turns out to be good for us. And love stories are the best kind of therapy. They make us better at love which means getting better at life.”
Indulge in some therapy. Read The Love Haters.

Can Katherine Center do any wrong? I really just love everything she brings to a rom-com. This book had me kicking my feet, clutching my heart and basking in all of my feelings. It's been a few weeks from the time I read this book to the time I'm writing this review and I can actually remember what this book is about. That alone should be telling on how much I liked it. Were there a few things far fetched for me? yes, but I had a great time reading Hutch & Katie's story. A definite recommend from me.

An adventurous romance with a large emphasis on learning to love oneself. In this novel we follow Katie, a documentarian, who is tasked with creating a recruitment video for the Coast Guard Rescue team. With her job on the line, Katie resorts to “faking it until she makes it”. She is interviewing Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, the rescue swimmer, and while a romance begins to build, old wounds are also opened for both characters and spending so much time together leaves little unsaid.

This was a quick read once I got into it but I can’t say that it was my favourite from Katherine Center. I had a bit of a tough time making sense of what was happening in the beginning but it picked up once Katie was at her destination and Hutch was introduced. There was a lot of negative self body shaming from out FMC at the beginning and the story does focus a lot on negative self talk and slowly breaking out of that cycle so just be aware of that if that is something that triggers you. I appreciated the best friend and aunt side characters as they added a lot of vibrancy to the story and helped our FMC work through her issues.

This was a closed door romance, which I can definitely appreciate when it’s done well, but I felt something missing from the connection between our MC’s. Halfway through there was a part that mentioned that they were spending everyday together but rather than showing us those moments the author just mentioned them in passing and moved on. I was craving more of the interactions because when they did come up they were great but I was left craving more.

Generally, I think Katherine Center has a very descriptive writing style where she loves to write a lot of detail about how the main character is feeling and dive deep into their headspace and sometimes that’s fine but it can interrupt the pacing of the book and I found myself skimming through the page after getting the main point.

Overall this was a fun read with some heavier topics and an adventurous story line. Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the eARC.

4.5 stars*

It's been a while since I've read a Katherine Center book. I really love some of her older work like Happiness for Beginners and How to Walk Away and this one felt more like this! I just adored it!!!!!

I was instantly so smitten with the writing and characters. It was just so light hearted and fun while still having a great message behind it. I love how it has this underling message about living your body and cherishing what it does for you! It was such a good reminder. Plus the romance was SO CUTE! I mean as soon as Hutch was mentioned I was a GONER!! I pictured him like that guy who plays in the Reacher show. A big, manly, sexy rescue Coast Guard! I just loved their banter and the progression of their relationship.

The ending is a little over the top but honestly I was okay with it because it was fun! And it was just what I needed! I am just so excited about this one!!!! It's definitely worth checking out! Also, I love when there is a dog in a story and this doggie was precious! I would have gone back for it too!

I love all of Katherine Center's titles and this one, with it's body image issues, hit close to home. It was wonderful to see a character with an inner dialogue and how it impacts their lives. I am NOT a dog fan, but George Bailey is the best. It was a great story and I'd love to book a week at the cottages. I can't wait for the next Center title!

I really disliked the story. The characters seemed extremely immature and I hate that the fmc seemed to lack self confidence. She seemed to thirst after Hutch which was annoying. I also disliked the drama surrounding the two brothers. I didn’t find it fun and found it to be quite messy.

I loved this book. Truly. It was such a fun, lighthearted read! I ended up taking this on vacation with me, and it is the PERFECT beach read for summer! The female main character is extremely likable and struggles with anxiety just as much as the rest of us. The male main character is dreamy, mysterious, humble, and kind...truly everything you could wish for in a love interest. Just...chef's kiss!

Katie Vaughn has to decide what the next step in career is does she go to do a profile on a coast Guard or stay in her current role. Katie doesn't know how to swim but is willing to take the risk for the next step in her career.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute read overall, not to be dismissed as fluff though - the conflict between Katie and herself, towards self-love, was relatable. The drama around her and Hutch coming together was fun to read, and heart wrenching at times. His back story is one of grief and finding peace.

A story I could get absorbed in, a quick dive into two lives that were meant to be connected. This is not dual perspective and no spice but definite tension, read it anyway!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. I’m a huge fan of Katherine Center and thought the Rom-Commers was perfection- a tough act to follow. I thought the story was cute and had all the elements that make Katherine Center a great rom-com author. For me, the main character fell a little flat. I thought the skeleton/outline of her was intriguing and was curious to see how Center would explore the theme of body image, but I don’t think she executed it in a way that was believable. That part of her felt off to me and was glad that it took a backseat as the novel progressed. I’ll continue to read Katherine Center, but this one was a miss for me.

Initially, I DNF'd this book because of the FMC's body issues and how that hit home with me. However, when I got the audiobook, I picked it back up and really enjoyed the listen. This is not the standard rom com that we've all ready a bunch before, but its a story of a girl learning to love herself and conquer her fears, as well as finding home. Oh and love... I liked the adventurous aspects of the story and felt the love story ultimately came second to the story, to the benefit of the book as a whole.

I loved Katie's story. Her journey to self-love was so relatable. I loved Katie and Hutch together. I giggled. I kicked my feet. I enjoyed every page.

I've loved every book I've read by Katherine Center and The Love Haters was no different! In a last-ditch effort to save her job, Katie gets sent to Key West to make a promo video about Coast Guard rescue swimmers. One minor detail: Katie doesn't know how to swim, and lies to get the job, setting up some hilarious antics. The side characters (Rue and the Gals and George Bailey the Great Dane, in particular) really added a fun layer to the story. This is also probably the first time I've ever literally held my breath during the grand gesture in a romance novel!

I found Katie's journey to self-acceptance to be a relatable one, and loved how the author likened Katie's relationship with her body to an enemies-to-lovers story in her note at the end.

4.75 🌟
Spice: kissing

There Katherine Center goes, writing another one of my favorite books. I felt like Katie's thoughts about her weight/body were so relatable. I could resonate with her feelings and try to learn to love things about yourself. I adored Hutch and George Bailey. A single dog dad who's a Coast Guard rescue swimmer! What's not to love! Learning about how he, Cole, & Rue became a family was heartbreaking. They all lost so much but held onto each other. I was full-on crying at times.

Oh how I love a Katherine Center book and how she creates so many strong side plots within her book! This one was no exception! Katie is sent to film a promo for the coast guard and one member in particular: well known pup daddy (or the guy who saved jennifer aniston’s dog). But to do this job she has to learn to swim and battle some fears of her own, all while trying not to fall in love with the star of her promo video. I really liked this book, it was everything I’ve come to expect of her books, charming, sentimental with a fun twist!

This book was cute and well written. I've always loved Katherine Center books and this book was no different. The Key West setting was fun and it was a great light beach read.

This was such a good read! I finished it in one day. Katherine and NetGalley, thank you for allowing me to read early!

I absolutely fan girled with Katherine liked my good reads review (posted in the link below)!!