Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this as a rom com and as a love letter to women's bodies. I believed in Katie's struggles, and I rooted for her to end with Hutch. I liked the Cole storyline the least, but saw how it was important to give Hitch depth.

this book was such a flop i'm so sorry. i didn't fall for the romance or the personal growth aspect. i feel like katherine center's book are either a hit or a miss for me and unfortunately this one was a miss

I love Katherine Center books, and this one did not disappoint! I enjoyed the journey of the main characters, Katie and Hutch working through grief and body image issues. I also really enjoyed the side characters, Hutch's Aunt Rue and her friends, as well as Katie's cousin, Beanie. It's set in Key West, which was fun and made me want to visit! Highly recommend this fun rom com.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a rom-com set in Key West, Florida.
Katie is a videographer on a job to make a promo video for the U.S. Coast Guard featuring Hutch, one of their rescue swimmers who became a bit famous when a video of him rescuing Jennifer Aniston’s dog went viral. Cole works with Katie and is the one that gave her this job to do, because he didn’t want it. Why? Hutch is his estranged brother. More to that story for sure.
Katie moves into the motor court run by the flamboyant Rue, hangs out with Rue’s pack of friends “The Gals,” and obviously falls in love with Hutch while there filming. No spoilers here- we all know what we are getting into when we read a rom-com. Of course it’s predictable. Unbelievable. It all comes together too quick. Some will say they don’t like the stereotypical “man rescues the woman”type story, but I think there’s a lot more to it than that. Sure, there is some rescuing, but Katie learns how to rescue herself in ways too.
The surprises are these characters. They are all so unique and funny and were a delight to spend an afternoon with. Katie has really low self esteem, and readers get to watch her grow and overcome, Hutch has grief and guilt in his past to tend with, Cole is angry and resentful, and Rue has it all figured out. She is the wise owl of this story and makes me want to head on down to Key West to see if I can find her. And last but not least, George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane who is afraid of thunderstorms. Any dog lover will appreciate his character and smile with his shenanigans.
Beyond the obvious love story, this lightly touches on heavier themes, and I think it can be thought provoking and inspiring for readers going through similar trials. I appreciated the “G rating” and I think this could be appropriate for teens to read too.
The author’s note at the end is so smart and interesting so I highly recommend taking the few extra minutes to read.
From the author’s note: “Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life.” ❤️
Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

A sweet story that may be a little bit predictable by I loved the characters and want to move in with them..

We are here to rescue ourselves - and everybody else - in every way that we can."

Hutch works for the Coast Guard in Key West and rescues people on the water. Katie is going to Key West to shoot a promotional video using Hutch as the target. She emerses herself into his world to shoot the video and gains an understanding about him. At the same time, her ex-boyfriend writes a song about her over their breakup and the tolls on the Internet tear her apart. She is juggling her life and starts to have feelings for Hutch and his adorable Great Dane. The characters in this book are what make it loveable. A group of widowed women who live in the cottages and make for so much humor in this book. Aunt Rue, the person who runs the cottages, decides to help Katie find color in her life. I loved Aunt Rue. The both have history and they have to navigate that to move forward. Thank you the #NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have just downloaded another Katherine Center book because I loved this one so much.

I enjoyed this book. I liked how Katherine addressed some phobias. I think anyone reading this book could see some of the challenges that Katie faced in their own life. I also really appreciated the author’s note at the back. As always the book was full of witty banter and great character growth.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC. I Loved this book! I loved the back stories of all of the characters, and how relatable they were. I loved Rue and her community of “The Gals” and how Katie and Hutch got to know each other and became comfortable with each other. It was also great to see Katie and some of the other characters’ personal growth throughout this story. I’m not sure how realistic the ending was, but I did enjoy his the epilogue tied up some loose ends (even ends I had forgotten about). Overall, I would highly recommend this book!.

Literally finished this book in under 24hrs. Would have finished it faster had I not had to do real life things like eat and sleep and work.

OMG, I loved this story. From Hutch to Beanie to Katie’s self-help journey! And who could forget Rue and The Gals, or George Bailey and Lucky!? I loved all of them, loved the story, from how Katie learned to love herself to how she and Hutch fell in love. I kinda wanted to strangle Cole, but gah! His reasons? K!ll me now. Soooo heart wrenching!

I want to move to the Keys and be best friends with Katie and Hutch and Rue. Such an amazing book. One hundred stars!

This book was fun and silly, fast paced, and light, yet thoughtful and layered at times. I had a lot of fun. Katherine Center always pack a little extra punch in her romance book (everything in its time and place! I love more mindless entertainment as much as the next gal) but if your looking for a little bit more substantive of a read in the genre, this is a great place to start.
Also, Rescue Great Dane gang stand uppp!

Katie has just taken on an assignment that just may save her career. Her job is on the chopping block, but her supervisor, Cole is throwing her a bone. A job filming a profile of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Katie should be thrilled, but what she doesn’t tell Cole? She can’t swim. Additionally, Katie learns that the Coast Guard rescue swimmer is “Hutch,” Cole’s brother and they do not get along. As Katie starts her journey in the Keys, she not only learns about the Coast Guard but about loving herself. As she gets to know “Hutch” and his Aunt Rue, she learns to embrace her body, accept her heroic side and choose love.

No one does Rom-Com’s quite like Katherine Center! She has an incredible ability to write about vulnerable topics with respect, dignity and humor. This author is always a must read for me! I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center's newest book may be her best yet! You will find yourself thinking about these characters long after. you put the book down. Highly recommend!!

This is an easy beach read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and story line, however the Cole character really frustrated me. Katie is assigned to make a video promo for one of the Coast Guard rescue swimmers (Hutch). She is pretty much coerced into the job by her boss Cole is Hutch's brother and Hutch was highly reticent in making this video but only agreed to it so that Cole could film it. He is surprised and upset when Katie shows up. Katie does not know how to swim, so Hutch being the handsome good guy agrees to teach her how to swim. The story progresses from there. Katie ends up staying at Hutch's aunt's apartment and becoming good friends with her and the other older ladies. It's a good story development, although I did get highly bothered by Cole pretty much anyone he was on the scene.

This could be a good pool or beach read if you would like a stereotypical chick lit. I rate it 3 stars. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a 3.5 /4 star cute summer read! I've read several Katherine Center books this year, and I'd probably rank this 3rd in a ranking of her books- after the Bodyguard and Hello Stranger.

Center is the queen of making her characters go through the most hilarious scenarios without making them feel unrealistic. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book, and I felt a deep attachment to characters- especially the dog & Rue (lol)

I have really just one thing that made me not love it as much as I could have- the main character, Katie, really struggles with body image, and it is a big part of the storyline. As someone who also struggles with this, I found myself tearing up when I first started the book at just how much I related to her inner monologue. However, it simply became exhausting. While it was probably a realistic amount for someone with body image issues to have negative self-talk, it was not fun to read and could be a little triggering to some readers.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a beautiful romantic comedy that was so hard to put down. Katie Vaughn is not sure how she feels about love, but does knows that she needs to keep her job. She agrees to work on a film featuring Tom, “Hutch” Hutcherson a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West, Florida. The only problem is she is not really a swimmer, probably lied about, and is not sure how you she is going to navigate it all. Also, Hutch is her boss’ brother, and not bad to look at.

I wait all year to read a Katherine Center story, and was thrilled with The Love Haters! The themes of found family, friendship, and loving the you who you were created to be resonated deeply with me. Katie and Hutch have great chemistry, fun banter, and are honestly just adorable. The secondary characters including Aunt Rue and the Gals added to the story. I plan on sitting poolside with everyone and having dinner soon. The depth of the story and the characters who had many layers made this a wonderful read.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a beautiful romantic comedy that will leave you smiling, remembering to love yourself as you are, and believing in the great power of story! The author brought me wisdom, humor and a story that left my heart filled with joy. I highly recommend The Love Haters by Katherine Center which will be a 2025 favorite for me.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a positive review.

The Love Haters

Enjoyable read - the storyline is fairly predictable with a few twists along the way.

Katie has just had a brutal public break up and is trying to get her life back together and finds out her job is at risk due to downsizing. She is a filmmaker and her colleague, Cole, tries to help retain her job by sending her on his assignment to make a promotional video about the US Coast Guard. The twist is the main contact for the USCG is Cole’s estranged brother Hutch.

Katie arrives in Florida and is quickly absorbed into Cole/Hutch’s family and drama. She has a job to do and she is trying to accomplish it while keeping her job and the secrets she learns along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press for an early review ebook.

Katie works for a video production company in Dallas and is pulling herself together after a very public and humiliating break up a year ago. Her coworker, Cole, sends her to do an assignment in Key West for the National Coast Guard. And the main subject she’ll be interviewing is Cole’s “perfect” older brother, Hutch. Only problem is that Hutch specifically requested Cole for the job.

Katie’s inner dialogue throughout the book was all sorts of entertaining. She has a lot of body image issues that she works through, but is able to get there with help from her cousin/best friend Beanie. The story spiraled a bit towards the end with all the lies and the drama, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The vibes are there! Coast guard rescue swimmer, Florida, House boat and the cutest old ladies. Katie and Hutch are cute and have chemistry. These two really worked for me. This is a cute, fast read!
The third act conflict felt forced, but overall I enjoyed it.
Not my favorite Kathrine Center, but pretty solid.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy!

I can’t wait to recommend this book to everyone I know
Great read! I enjoyed the realness of Katie; the way she deals with (to me) scary situations. Her best friend, Beanie, is AMAZING, always there pushing self love. Rue and The Gals were the perfect quirky characters, pushing Katie out of her comfort zone. The back story of Cole and Hutch was the thing that made me cry. I’ll be thinking of this for a long time.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Katherine Center can do no wrong. She is always able to reel you into the story, truly making if feel like you are part of the book seeing through the characters eyes. Absolutely love.

Katherine Center keeps not delivering the spice and yet I'm always drawn in like a moth to a flame. This woman just writes such good love stories and I love the YEARNING.

The story follows Katie Vaughn, a cinematographer/editor who is sent by her producer to film a story about his brother, Hutch. The initial premise of the first few chapters was a bit, for lack of a better word, clunky for me, but Center redeemed herself. Hutch is a perfect, textbook-definition book boyfriend. This story was largely a story of self-love, and finding love when you learn to love yourself, and loving your found family. I really enjoyed the character development.

Finished this one in one sitting on a four-hour flight. It's a quick, speedy read that will stick with you. Minus one star for the first few chapters and the fact that I didn't like the third act "conflict". I'll keep picking up everything Katherine Center wants to give us.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.