3.75 ⭐️ Such a fun, easy, rom com read that I was able to breeze through in an afternoon. I feel like the romance was a littttttle underdeveloped but it was still a fun read. Although I think there was a lot of room for more romance, I did love the authors writing style.!

This wasn't my favorite work of the author's, but I am still a big fan. I am usually more infested in her characters and stories. I found this one to be more lighthearted and a little far fetched for my liking. I missed her usual emotional depth of story.

I absolutely adore Katherine Center, and read this one as soon as I was approved for the ARC copy.

As with every other Katherine Center book I have read, it was like a hallmark movie in a book. I will say, compared to my other KC reads this wasn’t my favorite BUT it was still a great read.

I loved Hutch, but I feel like we didn’t get nearly enough of him. I also loved Hutch and Katie’s chemistry sm I wanted more !! I felt like a lot of their relationship was being told to me throughout the book, but we didn’t really get to see it. ALSO the drama that ensued when Cole joined the party was a lot…I would’ve loved less of that, and more unpacking of everything that happened in the last 10% of the book.

That being said, I did really enjoy this read. As with all KC books I couldn’t put it down, and it made my heart happy ¨̮.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy .

I love Katherine Center's books but this one was just okay. The beginning felt chaotic and I wasn't sure where it was going. I didn't feel a lot of spark with the two main characters. Overall though it was pretty entertaining and I did like the second half a lot more than the first half.

While it's not my favorite by her, I would still recommend to anyone looking for a cute, quick read!

I enjoyed this book. I love Katherine Center books - they are always a fun spin on a stereotypical romance novel. This one was no different. I loved the idea of the romance book being not only between the main female and male character but also the main female character and herself. As a female in her late 20s, I related to the body criticizing throughout the novel. And I think a lot of females will relate to that. It was easy to root for the main characters and the tension was great.

I do sometimes find the "misunderstanding" trope difficult and I wish there was a bit more between Katie and Hutch after the big end scene (which I really loved). But all in all, I did really enjoy this book and would recommend it to others!

Another winner by Katherine Center! I love that each book explores an issue, and this one was a wonderful exploration of your relationship with yourself and your body. The romance aspect was fun, but seeing Katie begin to make peace with her body and herself was the crux of the book for me.

3.5 ⭐️

Overall I enjoyed this book.
Would be a good read for the beach! I liked the message about self love, I wish we got a little bit more of the love story but overall it was a good time.

It pains me to say that I had to DNF Katherine Centers newest book - THE LOVE HATERS at 25%.

As someone who has suffered from body issues I did not like the way the FMC talked about the subject and I felt it was all that was talked about. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past it.

Cute 3 star romance. I enjoyed the plot and characters. I felt that the storyline was a littler slow. This is my first Katherine Center so I cannot compare it to her other books. But this will be a good vacation read this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the setting of this book and it’s definitely a perfect summer read. I enjoyed the character growth of the main character but I felt the love story was a bit rushed. I would’ve liked more loving interactions between the two.

WOW - Kathrine Center does it again.

I was so beyond excited when I got the email to read this early, being I absolutely love Kathrine and everything l've read of hers.

Kathrine Center has such a talent to not just write a romance story, but to also give us something so much deeper, a message that sticks with you long after you've finished the book. That's what makes me love her books so SO much.

The Love Haters was a great story full of heart, humor, and growth. One of my favorite things about it was the relationships. Not just between the FMC and the MMC, but every connection the FMC makes along the way.

On top of that, the character growth throughout was incredible!! I absolutely loved watching them grow and become stronger through everything they've been thrown.

As always, it's Katherine Center's writing style that hooks me and keeps me going through the book.

Though I probably should have DNF'd to prevent a story making me angry.

Look, there are pockets of ideas full of great potential
-unique meet cute
-fun premise of a rescue swimmer documentary
-unconventional family dynamics
-a journey of body positivity

Yet, somehow, it didn't work together. The final point irked me the most. The body shaming from Katie occupied nearly every thought and it truly felt like she didn't fall in love with herself until she got the validation from an attractive man. Hate it. And the scene where Katie was deemed a prize? Like what person would actually offer a woman as a prize? Ew.

Then, the book's ending felt very abrupt. Could we get a scene with Hutch and Katie being in love for like 2 pages or is that too much to ask in a rom com?

This one left a bad taste in my mouth, folks.

This story follows Katie, a video producer on the brink of losing her job, who takes on a project filming Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West, for a promotional video. She agrees to do the project at the request of her coworker, Cole, who also happens to be Hutch’s brother. However, the two brothers are not on good terms, adding underlying tension to the job.

As part of the arrangement, Cole sets Katie up to stay with his Aunt Rue. An essential skill for her work on this project is swimming, which Katie doesn't know how to. When Rue arranges swim lessons for her., the instructor is none other than Hutch himself.

I absolutely loved Aunt Rue and George Bailey, the dog—they brought warmth and humor to the story. On the other hand, I found Cole and Katie’s best friend, Beanie, frustrating and lacking depth. Cole, in particular, felt too exaggerated and towards the end, I felt done with him!

The story dives deep into body image and disordered eating (though anorexia is not explicitly stated). Katie’s journey is emotional and powerful, and I truly appreciated her character development as she worked through her insecurities and began to see herself in a new light.

While I think this is, overall, a solid romance, there were aspects I just couldn't connect with. The plot felt scattered at times, especially toward the end, making certain developments feel both unrealistic and rushed. I also struggled to feel the chemistry between Hutch and Katie—their romance didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and their connection seemed to develop too quickly. I had a harder time connecting with Hutch as a character. He seemed great based on what others in the book said about him, but it was basically that.

I think the Author's Note was wonderful, and I wish I would've read it right in the beginning of the book rather than the end. I also missed having some trigger warnings in the beginning since the topic of body image isn't mentioned in the description of the book.

Overall, The Love Haters blends romance with deeper themes of self-discovery, acceptance, and empowerment. While it didn’t fully hit the mark for me personally, I love Katherine and I’ll be eagerly awaiting her next release!

A great big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I've read and enjoyed just about all of Katherine Center's backlist, and I can't say this one was my favorite.

Things I LOVED: Honestly, our side character Rue (and The Gals), and MMC Hutch's aunt, tops the list for lovable characters in this book. Her love of life and color very much painted the vibe that goes with the cover of this book. I wanted to stay in her Key West Motor Court cottages, swim and share sangrias and dinner with her friends around the pool. I'd gladly chat life with her while touring her beachy apparel shop. She was generous, quirky, and made some really sticky situations feel so much better. George Bailey, the Great Dane, also tops my list, but let's face it any dog written into a romance is going to be one of my favorites. I enjoyed the setting and learning a bit about the Coast Guard and video production along the way.

The actual romance between the grumpy (maybe?)/sunshine pair of Katie and Hutch felt like it was hidden between the lines. I wanted more scenes of actual interaction and chemistry. They spent weeks together getting to know each other with interviews and car rides, and we only get a scene or two of that actual dialogue. Cole, the MMCs brother, was pretty insufferable throughout the book, and interrupted one of the few cute scenes we got.

While I did appreciate Katie's growth in the story, her body image insecurities and inability to swim painted so much of her identity. Even during moments of peril, Katie was face to face with her body image and self love journey--which felt like a stretch.

For those looking for closed door romances, this one had very little, if any, spice.

I stuck through for the whole ride, and wanted to love it, but I don't think I'd read this one a second time. The author's note at the end about story and romance in general may have been my favorite part in the book-- I wanted to highlight the whole thing!

A great big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. It was my favorite February read. This book not only is about a story of a girl falling in love but learning how to fall in love with herself which a lot of women struggle with due to body image.

The story is about Katie who is trying to put her life back together after her famous singer fiancé cheated on her. Katie loves her job but everyone there is on the chopping block. Her boss gives her a job to go to FL to make a recruitment video for the coast guard. She thinks she only has one problem she doesn’t know how to swim…but little did she know she’d be put in the middle of her boss’s family drama and meet his brother Hutch who is part of the US Coast guard and way different than how his brother described him a love hater.

This book had everything I wanted and more. It was serious at times and then light hearted and fun. This book was so much more than just your normal love story. Definitely a book I’ll be recommending to all my friends!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one really didn’t do it for me - 2.5 stars rounded up, because the ingredients were there for a really good story, but I felt like it missed the mark.

There were some redeemable qualities - aunt Rue and her group of friends, in particular. I would have loved more time devoted to developing their characters more. Plus, the setting is really nice and made me feel like I was on vacation. All good things.

However, there were a few things in the book I couldn’t get over, which is a shame, because I really enjoyed some of the author’s previous titles, like The Bodyguard and The Rom-Commers.

First, the whole situation with Cole. He was incredibly unlikeable. And not in the “flawed character”, quirky way. I groaned every time I had to listen to this character speak. I could have completely done without him.

Second, everyone in this book just needs therapy. We could have solved a ton of problems just by being honest with each other.

Third, I do think the characters were a bit one dimensional. I think there was a lot of room to go beyond just the body image issues and the parental loss trauma.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins for an advance copy of The Love Haters. The book is due out May 20th - opinions are my own.

Somehow, Katherine Center seems to squeeze (maybe sneak is a better term?) life lessons into books that from the more casual read seem to be simple rom-coms. But, there is always more. In The Love Haters, she proposes the idea of radical acceptance of ourselves and our bodies. What a great concept and one that gave me a lot to think about. So, other reviews of this book will talk about how great both the main and ancillary characters are, how interesting it is to read about Coast Guard rescue swimmers, how Rue and The Gals give the most inspiring and charming view of getting older and the warm colorful descriptions of life in Key West (all these things are true about the book!) but what I found the most inspiring was the opportunity to see Katie change from someone who wasn't sure of herself to someone learning to accept herself. It's a beautiful story of life, growth, self-acceptance and learning to "be where you are". But- don't we all want a friend/cousin/sister like Beanie?? And for those of us who don't have one- may we all channel our inner Beanie in times when we need that kind of loving support.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ebook ARC for me to read and review.

Alright, so this book is about Katie. Katie was jilted by her fiancée and on the edge of losing her job filming documentaries. To save her job, she omits some truths and signs up to do a promo for the Coast Guard - mainly on one of their rescue swimmers, Hutch. Tom (“Hutch”) is a serious, broody and perfect specimen of a rescue swimmer. Not interested in fame or being filmed, he is hesitant to Katie. But with a meddling aunt and her gals, a large dog and some bad weather - the tide starts to turn. Until someone comes to town who turns everything on its head. Will two “love haters” become believers?

This book took me a little longer to get into. I appreciated the insight and perspective on someone who is struggling with body insecurity as this is an important topic in our society. This was not my favorite book of Katherine Center's, however still a good read.

Such a great easy read. A hopeful romance story that ties into the body image struggle so many people struggle with. I didn't want the book to end and I love that by telling the story of the character it actually tied in some useful self acceptance tips!