THE LOVE HATERS was my first Katherine Center novel and I’m happy to report that I did enjoy it.

That said, I will be honest, this one started out a little rough for me. Katie (the FMC) gets very heavy into body image insecurities. I do believe the amount of time and text dedicated to that aspect of the story could and should have been adjusted. The saving grace, was that Katherine did a really great job wrapping up that story arc and giving it the right touches and care at the end of the book. Another pain point for me was the abhorrent amount of lying and deceit in the second part of the story was quite off-putting, and I’m not sure it added much to the plot other than to wave the miscommunication flag.

My favorite part was Hutch. He was just how I like my main men. His backstory with his family and Rue (who was also fabulous) was touching, and the discussions it spurred were some of my favorite parts of the book.

The book is exactly like all those classic 2000’s era rom-coms we love. It has humor. Characters you can’t help but root for. Sweet romance. And all-around feel good vibes.

I always enjoy Center’s books, and this one is a lot of fun. I enjoyed watching Katie find herself again. Though I agree with the reviewers that say we don’t need men to feel beautiful. But it is nice to hear it now and again. Katie also has her cousin helping her to love herself, and that holds weight, not just to Katie, but in the storyline as well.

And of course, I especially loved George Bailey, who can’t stop knocking Katie over. He is a great addition to the story. Overall, this was a fun read.

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
I always run to grab Katherine Center’s books early from NetGalley – as many of us do. But (and this might be an unpopular opinion) this one won’t make it into my list of favourites from her.
It took a while to get into – I didn't really feel engaged until nearly a quarter of the way through. Up to that point, it felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of a story without much lead-in… and yet, not much was actually happening either.
Once things picked up, I was more into it – especially the dynamic between Katie and Hutch, and learning about his work as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The middle section worked better for me. But the last third started to lose me again. The story veered off in a direction that felt chaotic, with a bar scene that really turned me off (no spoilers, but yikes). The lying, miscommunication, and character shifts, especially with Katie’s boss and Hutch’s brother Cole, just didn’t land for me.
There were bright spots. I really liked Rue who came across as such a kind and grounded character. And the mystery around Hutch and Cole’s falling out kept me curious. And the body image representation stood out. Katie’s fear of wearing bathing suit felt relatable, and I thought it was powerful that we never actually get a detailed description of her appearance (unless I missed it!). It’s a subtle but important reminder that body image struggles don’t have a specific “look” and that anyone can deal with them.
This one wasn’t a hit for me, but I’ll definitely read whatever Katherine Center writes next.

This book was cute but parts of it were so unrealistic. I also have a hard time with a miscommunication trope. But I loved George Bailey and Rue!! The love story was cute and fun but I didn't like the lying from Cole.

I LOVED this book and devoured it in 2 days. The chemistry between the 2 main characters was amazing. I love Katherine Center because her romance books always have a more depth to them. Rue and the great dane dog were my 2 favorite characters and made me laugh out loud. Makes me want to immediately book a trip to Key West.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite romance authors, unfortunately this one was just not my favorite. I loved George Bailey and Hutch. I liked the inclusion of the body image stuff but was perhaps a little heavy handed. I did not love the part of the book when Cole comes to Key West.

From the start, I was all in on Hutch—the dreamy rescue swimmer love interest. But as the story went on, he started to feel almost too perfect. I kept waiting to see how his character would grow, or what his arc might be. As the love interest, I wanted more complexity or depth to hold onto.

I appreciated the female main character, Katie, and her struggle with body image—it was super relatable and handled sensitively. But the Katie who wrestled with self-love didn’t feel like the same Katie who interacted with Hutch. I felt jolted between those two versions of her, and it pulled me out of the story.

I’m always here for a strong best-friend dynamic, but I found myself annoyed whenever Beanie showed up on the phone. It felt like pages of the same one-sided conversation, and for someone so important to Katie, she felt really one-dimensional.

There were some great funny moments between Katie and Hutch, and the addition of the dog was adorable. But I kept waiting for a reason the dog was so obsessed with Katie—some kind of explanation—and it never came.

There was m a big emotional setup in the end, and I read on past my bedtime to see what would happen! But Hutch’s calm reaction felt strange or at least unexplained and the final pages felt anticlimactic. I was so invested in Hutch! I would have loved to know more about what he was thinking and feeling. I also struggled with the logistics of Hutch and Katie’s final scene together… what about noise??

I love Katherine Center and that her books always take on serious topics and mix with a light hearted, swooning romance. This one though felt a bit rushed and choppy to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Katherine Center was a colour, she'd be yellow: warmth, happiness, feel-good vibes, it's what you can expect reading her books!

Read if you like:
Workplace romance
Sworn off love
Only one bed
Body positivity
Key West setting
Meddling family
Great Dane who acts like he's the size of a chihuahua
Forced proximity
Found family

Katherine Center is definitely my feel-good author. Her books are just so easy to read and enjoy, and they bring me so much comfort. I don’t know what it is about them, but they just have so much happiness and love in them, it is impossible for me to read and be sad. I couldn’t put this one down, and it put me out of my reading slump so fast.

I did enjoy all the funny situations there were in this one, I definitely laughed out-loud a lot. The thing with Katherine Center though is that even though you get all those funny moments with cute and lovely characters, there is much more to it. You always get a more emotional side and so much character growth. It is immensely enjoyable, and it is always a perfect blend to not feel heavy and still get you this overall happiness shot.

Katie was a very easy to love and relate to character. I think that most of us are our biggest critic/bully. It is an everyday battle, finding our imperfections is so easy, but finding what’s perfect on us? Mission impossible, or so it seems. That’s why I think it was so enjoyable to see Katie get better at it. Find love through this story, but not only love for another, but love for herself. Beautiful.

The love story kept me intrigued because we only got Katie's POV, and it was interesting to get to know why Hutch was acting certain ways and get explanations that made everything make sense later on. Our main characters had some very beautiful exchanges and there was some deepness to that relationship, I truly loved it. And then, you get big beautiful George Bailey. How can you resist that dog? He was such a great character (yes, because he is a BIG part of all the things happening in this story!).

I also really enjoyed the Key West setting, I just wanted to be there (preferably not during a hurricane though). The community, the friendships, it was all so nice. And Rue, what a wonderful character. Cole was very annoying though, and I would have at least hoped he got some sort of redemption or that he paid for what he did but meh, you cannot get it all I guess, haha!

Anyway, I just know I’m loving a book when I have to write to my sister after a few chapters to let her know she HAS to read it, and I definitely did with this one. A must-read in my opinion, like any other Katherine Center books I have read.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book, but it was still a fun, fast read. Katie is a videographer who is sent to Key West to make a recruitment film for the Coast Guard. She is hoping this will help save her job. While there, she meets Hutch, a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard. Katie is tasked with following him around to make the film. Unfortunately, Katie isn't really qualified for this job - she can't swim. The most fun character in this book was Rue, Hutch's aunt. Some of the other characters weren't as enjoyable. While the story was still a fun read that kept my interest, it just wasn't my favorite.

Absolutely obsessed with this one! The cover and storyline is adorable. I have been recommending this one to all my friends now that it is out. Katherine Center does it again.

ARC review: 4.5 stars rounded up ⭐️

I really loved this story! As someone who has struggled for years with body image issues, I appreciated the approach that Katherine Center took with Emily’s own struggles. The concept of loving our bodies and different pieces of it is so so hard for so many people. I felt seen and I know many other readers are going to as well.

I also loved the dynamic between Rue, Hutch, and Cole. It was a really beautiful story! A found family trope is one of my favorites, but can sometimes feel very cookie cutter, but the way this one was approached was pure perfection!

I was given the opportunity to read an ARC of The Love Haters via @netgalley.

Katie's company is downsizing, and she has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but pretends that she can.

As Katie profiles Hutch and spends time with his aunt Rue, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

I knew pretty quickly this book wasn't going to be a good fit for me. Based on the description, I was completely unprepared for a plot point related to eating disorders that would have been nice to be aware of in advance. Had I not been reading an ARC that I'd agreed to provide feedback for, I probably would not have continued reading. Aside from that, this book was a mixed bag. There were some very funny moments that were this book's saving grace, but all of the characters made some questionable decisions for reasons that didn't really make sense and were never addressed or redeemed. In the end, this one just wasn't for me, but I do think others may enjoy it.

🎥 M A G I C A L M O N D A Y review 🎥 featuring “The Love Haters” by Katherine Center!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Katie Vaughan’s life has become a dumpster fire. Her former fiancée turned singing sensation Lucas cheated on her and left her in the spotlight of a media infused breakup. Katie is now being portrayed that she has “let herself go” since the break up and a vicious cycle of body shamers does a number on her self confidence. There’s that, and he wrote a song about her 🙄. Katie is also on the chopping block of losing her job as a video producer.

Katie gets volun-told to go on an assignment to The Keys to film a profile on an award winning coast guard rescue swimmer named Hutch. Two things though: Hutch is the brother of her co-worker Cole and … Katie does not know how to swim!

Once Katie reaches paradise, she realizes that she’s in way over her head. Not only does she have to participate in crazy rescue drills in helicopters, but Hutch is hard to get along with … and just so happens to be smoking hot and distracting 🥵! How is this going ever to work?

I loved that the enemies to lovers trope was utilized in all aspects of the story: between Katie and her body, but also between lovers, brothers, friends and parental figures. There are underlining themes of self discovery and love within all the characters that is written so magically!

“Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life” - Katherine Center 💗

Thank you kindly to @katherinecenter @stmartinspress @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on May 20, 2025!

The Love Haters took a little longer to get into than others by the author that I’ve read but once it got going I ended up binging it in a day. I loved the MMC’s aunt Rue so much she could have her own book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

I enjoy Katherine Center’s books and look forward to the next good summer read. There’s always more to the story than just fluff. Kate and Hutch meet in an awkward circumstance and end up on a big adventure. Their lives are complicated but over the course of the story they learn quite a bit about each other and themselves.

I will genuinely read anything else that Katherine Center writes. The characters are relatable, and I find the chemistry and tension so fun! While not a giggler (I’m usually a laugh-out-louder or nothing at all), I giggled my way through the book and randomly reread passages of The Love Haters. I was a late arrival to The Bodyguard and found myself (unfairly) comparing this book to it, but the Love Haters still did a decent job holding its own. The struggles that Katie has with her body felt much too real, and the complicated sibling relationship between Cole and Hutch gave the story a lot more meat when it was clarified (Cole didn’t come off…great…before that). And of course, it doesn’t feel like a KC book without a loving, sassy older character who feels like a benevolent (especially with colorful clothing and swimwear) fairy godmother.

I read her books for the Author’s Note as much as for the story itself, and this one did not disappoint. The focus on the magic of stories and the importance of love stories in discovering things about ourselves is something that I’m going to come back to over and over again in the coming weeks/months.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

arc provided by netgalley!

this was entertaining…. but also these characters were all insufferable imo

Katherine Center is incapable of writing a bad book! This was another heartwarming read but I did not find it to be as deep/thought provoking as previous books. The scene where they handed out flowers was very touching though.

I absolutely loved the characters Hutch and Rue! And George Bailey! It was so cute how he split his time between the two residences. 🙂

The hurricane scene was terrifying- I could imagine myself being on the house boat. The rescue scene was adorable and the mid-air kiss made me love Hutch even more!

Kate was sent to Key West by her boss, Cole, to shoot a promo video for the Coast Guard. He told her the company is thinking of downsizing, and this is her chance to prove her worth. She is to profile Hutch, who is none other than Cole's brother. Cole and Hutch have had a falling out, and Kate finds herself becoming more and more entangled in Hutch's life. She realizes that she has to confront some fears and be brave herself.

This book is an extremely slow burn- I mean, glacial. But at the same time, you grow to love Kate and Hutch. You delve into their past, their trauma, and learn to be okay with who you are. I think, with Kate's body image issues, every woman will relate to her in some way. I also loved Hutch. He seemed like the “perfect man, " but as we explored more of his life and backstory, we discovered that sometimes the struggles others face are hard to see. I cherished the little moments between Kate and Hutch and the challenges they needed to overcome for a happily ever after.

One thing I love about Katherine Center's books is how she presents unique settings and careers. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into a career in the Coast Guard and some of the responsibilities this job entails. This book also tackles the very real issues of body image and the impact that media can have on how we feel about ourselves and the impossible beauty standards we are expected to live up to. I loved watching Kate begin to like herself and eventually love herself.

Enhancing this book are the delightful side characters we meet. Aunt Rue brings comedy and a touch of colour to Kate's life. The gals from the tiny village add many laughs and conga lines, while Kate's best friend provides a dose of reality and comfort. But I think my favourite was the lovable Great Dane, George Bailey.

This book has a lot of ups and downs, and I found myself on a rollercoaster more than once. If you want a book about learning to love yourself while falling in love, this is the perfect book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and SMP Romance for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you @stmartinspress, @macmillan.audio, and @NetGalley for the #gifted ARC & ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a HUGE Katherine Center fan, she is an auto buy/read for me. I have loved all of her books I've read, so I was beyond thrilled to get an ARC and ALC of one of my highly anticipated new releases. I liked the unique premise of a Coast Guard MMC and the beautiful Key West setting. I loved that it was focused on body positivity and self image/worth and enjoyed seeing the FMC’s personal growth throughout the story. I thought both George Bailey, a lovable and silly rescued Great Dane, and hilarious Aunt Rue were fun additions to the story. I love when the side characters play important roles in the plot and help drive the story.

However, I had a hard time relating and connecting with the MCs. I felt like there was too much internal dialogue from the FMC and wasn't enough spark and chemistry between the two MCs. Their relationship felt forced and a little awkward to me. Also, I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope, it frustrates me and takes away so much from the story, but I know that's a personal issue. Even though I didn’t love this one as much as some of her others, it was still an enjoyable, summery read and I'll definitely be purchasing a copy to add to my KC collection.

I really enjoyed the audiobook, Patti Murin always does an incredible job with pacing, tone, and bringing the story to life.