Weirdly read two books about coast guard rescue swimmers in a row?? I’m not mad.

Got to read this one early and always love KC books.
Loved the message in this one with the body positivity of it all. Very much something we need to hear from time to time. The ending did feel a little rushed to me but i was in it for George Bailey.

I am a sucker for a true rom com and if that’s what you’re looking for this is for you.

One of my favorite thing about romantic comedy books is when they put you into a very specific world that you know little about. What I loved about The Love Haters was the coast guard of it all. Very interesting to learn about rescue swimmers through the character of Hutch. But the company Cole and Katie work for was the opposite. I was never very invested in the social media company aspects of the book, and the stress that part of the storyline brought detracted from the book for me. When it all comes together I was underwhelmed and didn't like a lot of the choices the characters were making. The climax I enjoyed, and it reminded me of the movie Anyone But You. I think the book wrapped up nicely for the most part.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katherine Center always has me SWOONING for fictional men! 😩
Hutch was perfection 🩷
Was such a good read 🥹 Had me feeling all of the feels!
I'm sad it's over!

I absolutely loved this book! The banter was top-tier, the angst kept me hooked, and I laughed so many times throughout. Hutch completely stole my heart—he’s so sweet, charming, and impossible not to love. There were a few moments that frustrated me (no spoilers, but they definitely had me yelling at the book!), but overall, the story was everything I wanted. The emotional depth, the chemistry, and the humor made it such a standout read. I’d absolutely recommend this one to my friends—it’s a must-read!

Katherine center is always a go to for me. Being a plus size girl myself, I appreciated the body positivity, although I think it could’ve been reined it a little bit. Overall, I liked the relationship in the book and am pleased

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF at 11%.

Very very slow. The gist of it is that she has body image issues and I don’t need to read that kind of negativity.

I love Katherine Center as an author, but I just didn't love this one quite as much. I did think the focus on positive body image and loving yourself was a great topic. However, it might have just been a little overdone. I got really tired of reading about Katie's super low self-esteem and body hate every other page. It was almost too over the top. Hutch was great, and I did enjoy learning more about the Coast Guard. (Those guys are freaking awesome!!!) And Rue and The Gals were utterly delightful, as was George Bailey. All in all, an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy

I'm always a Katherine Center fan, she is an automatic pick up for me! Overall an enjoyable read. I loved the tension between the characters and the romance was a plus!

ARC review • pub date 05.20.25

My favorite thing about Katherine Center books is that reaming them feels like talking to your best friend. Like a literal hug- feel good - and always hits on a sensitive topic in such a respectful manner.

This book follows Katie who is headed to the Florida Keys to save her job - filming a Day In The Life of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch. Katie has struggled with body image and eating issues , and also doesn’t know how to swim.

The story was written beautifully, and as with all of her other books, I fell in love with the story and all of its characters. Recommend this one 💕

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for my ARC

Katherine Center writes the absolute best women's fiction and romance. Her stories are clever, fun, serious at times, and just pull on your heart strings. And just when I thought I couldn't take any more emotional tear-jerking she added a Great Dane to this story.

The story involving the main character's hatred of her own body will resonate with a lot of women. It's hard. And it doesn't get easier as you get older, but I feel like, at least for me, I'm hoping 55 is my sweet spot. I'm 52 now and I'm doing my best to be on a self-acceptance journey with my body. And it's hard. Yet... I also have days where I realize life is too short to worry about how I look.

I think THE LOVE HATERS will strike a chord with readers and my only issue is the body talk may have been too much, and I felt the romance took a backseat at times. Then again, that's not a bad thing!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE LOVE HATER to review.

I rate THE LOVE HATERS four out of five stars.

Thanks so much to Net Galley for allowing me to review this ARC!

Katie, a videographer at a currently downsizing, mid level commercial video company in Texas, agrees to take an on location job in Key West to shoot a recruiting video for the US Coast Guard. The subject? Tom "Hutch" Hutcherson, known to the public as Pup Daddy due to his daring and very public rescue of Jennifer Aniston's dog, and coincidentally, Katie's slightly superior work colleague Cole's big brother. Katie agrees to take the assignment from Cole in the hopes of saving her job and maybe even rediscovering how to love herself in the process.

This is a rom-com, but mostly it is the story of Katie rediscovering how to love herself and her body after a really hard, really public broken engagement. Our cast of characters provides Katie with opportunities to see herself through their eyes, but ultimately, Katie tackles the hard work of self love and acceptance on own.

Spoilers below!! You've been warned!!





-I loved how Katie learned to view herself all on her own, but with the help of Rue, Beanie and Hutch! It was very much the focus, so if you're looking for something that focuses on character relationships or romance over plot, this might not be the read you're looking for.

-I am very much a character relationships over plot reader when it comes to rom coms, so I REALLY wish we would have had more interactions between her and Hutch to be privy to. I think it would have helped to sell their romance more. As is, the romance felt a little forced/rushed.

This book was EVERYTHING. It was HILARIOUS, sweet, intimate, relatable, and absolutely checked every single box for what I look for in a romcom. I would HIGHLY recommend it, and may read it again just because I loved it that much.

*Will post on social media closer to pub date*

Katherine Center never lets me down!

Katie Vaughn is about to lose her job. She can wait to be made redundant, or she can lie and take on a job that's way over her head. Her choice? The lie.

She's working on the Coast Guard Rescue video profiling "Hutch", every woman's dream of a Coast Guard Officer. The catch? She has to know how to swim and she can't. Working with Hutch's brother Cole, Katie sets off on an adventure that will change her life and the brothers for the better.

Laugh out loud scenes, and some well-written realistic portions, Center makes you fall in love and laugh over and over again. How can I describe this book? A beautiful beverage, sipped by the pool on a tropical vacation. The perfect spring day!

I really don’t enjoy how much emphasis is put on a woman’s body in this book. I get that it’s all about the growth that Katie has, but it’s overdone and I almost DNFd very early on because of it. I liked the story line other than it sometimes it felt rushed.

I just finished The Love Haters by Katherine Center and overall I thought it was cute. I enjoyed the “self love” trope. I loved how supportive the FMC main characters friend/cousin was. The premise was good but I feel like the ending was a tad on the cheesy side. Overall it was a fun, non spicy easy read. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this arc of The Love Haters.

In typical Katherine Center style, this light hearted romance was a fun and easy read. The story moved along easily. However the second half of the book had decisions by the main characters that were not relatable or very likely in my opinion. The overall plot is great, but at times I was questioning if the issues facing the main characters would actually be happening in real life.

2.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

*sigh*, you guys, I really wanted to like this book more. I thought I wasn’t in the mood for it last month, but I really couldn’t get into it, and felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. There were so many aspects about it I enjoyed, the setting in Key West (aka arguably one of the most magical places on Earth), George Bailey, the Cat-4 Hurricane (lol been through those like 50x), and the toad that survived but it kinda stopped there.

I enjoyed the hurricane scene alot. I was about to rage-quit this book if they left the dog behind. George Bailey is scared of storms, of course he’s not going to want to leave 😭 It was very funny, very entertaining, but it also let Katie come full circle with her body image issues.

Speaking of, there were so many things packed into this book that I couldn’t get a good grasp on it. For example, Katie has body image issues, Rue has health problems and Cole and Hutch are beefing it. These all could’ve been done great, but none of them were, just thrown altogether.

These title lived up to its premise though, because there were no love here, fr. As in, the rom com was all “com”. It was really funny and I found myself snorting all the time but the romance was lacking. The only thing that may have revived that, was the rescue, and dude, how is the most (and arguably only) romantic scene 92% into the book? Yikes.

4⭐ The Love Haters is the kind of book that makes you want to book a flight to Key West immediately. It’s funny, swoony, and full of chaotic energy in the best way. Katie is a mess (relatable), faking her way through a job she’s not qualified for while getting caught up with Hutch, the ridiculously good-looking but emotionally unavailable Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The tension? *Chef’s kiss.*

Between the swim lessons, hurricanes, and hilarious side characters (shoutout to Aunt Rue and the Great Dane), this book keeps you hooked. It’s got the perfect mix of romance, humor, and heart, with a little bit of chaos thrown in. My only complaint? I wanted *more* of Katie and Hutch. If you love witty banter, forced proximity, and beachy vibes, this one’s for you!

There’s nothing to hate about “The Love Haters”. It’s a sweet tale about a video creator and her subject - a handsome Coast Guard hero. I can always depend on the author, Katherine Center, for a lovely, enjoyable, easy-to-read romance. Minimal spice.

You get to know the characters for roughly 50% of the book, then details go a bit deeper until the satisfying end. Early on we meet a colorful and charming woman named Rue and her friends called “The Gals”. I missed them as they didn’t appear in several of the following chapters, but thank goodness they return!

Can we please have a behind-the-scenes look at the author's research for the book??!! There were such delicious descriptions of the the male lead and how he works with the Coast Guard. Help! I’m drowning!! ;)

Author: Katherine Center
Pub date: May 20, 2025
Review date: March 10, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ARC REVIEW: The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Release Date - May 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this one!! A one day read because I could not put it down!
A love story not only between two people, but between a woman and herself.
Katherine Center has a way of beautifully working real life lessons into her stories and this one is no different.
Katie has to impress her boss enough to get her name off the growing list of people being fired while also learning to love herself again.
The relationships in The Love Haters are so real and vast. Friendships new and old, and of course, a developing love that must stand the rough waters of the hurricanes life throws our way 😜

To say I screamed and fan girled when I was given the opportunity to read this ARC is an understatement. Thank you so much @katherinecenter

#arcreview #arcreader #katherinecenter #thelovehaters #5starread #bookrecommendations