🌟🌟🌟💫 3.5 stars rounded up

Set in Key West, the novel offers a great backdrop for a summer story filled with complex relationships and personal growth. Katherine Center is usually my go-to for engaging reads, and while "The Love Haters" delivers many of the enjoyable elements I look for, it didn't quite capture my heart as much as some of her other works.

Here’s a quick rundown of the tropes you’ll find:
💑 Fake Dating
🦸‍♂️ Hero-type MMC
👩‍💼 Relatable FMC
🌟 Body Positivity
🌊 Beach Setting
🚪 Forced Proximity
🙌 Strong Supportive Bestie
🐶 Falls in love with his dog

The plot is fresh and the sibling relationships and found family themes are well-executed, adding depth to the narrative. However, the FMC's ongoing issues with body image take up more space in the story than necessary, which can feel a bit repetitive and detracts from other aspects of her character.

Despite this, the book does champion body positivity effectively though. An unexpected delight in the story is Hutch's Great Dane—a giant lovable addition who not only brings fun moments but also turns out to be a significant part of the narrative. This gentle-giant dog not only enhances the story's charm but also plays a pivotal role in the development of the characters and their relationships.

This summer grab "The Love Haters" for your beach bag. It is a solid pick if you’re looking for a novel that mixes romance with serious themes, set against the vivid backdrop of Key West. While it might not be my favorite from Center, it’s still a worthy read with plenty of heart & a few laughs.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars! ✨

Y’all…. This book was PERFECTION! I just love the JOY that Katherine Center’s books always bring 🧡👙🌊☀️🌺🚁🐕🌼🩴🕶️

🧡 the banter & chemistry between Katie & Hutch *chefs kiss* 🤌🏻
👙the Key West setting🌴
🌊 coast guard hero
☀️grumpy x sunshine
🌺 Rue needs her own bullet point🥹
🚁 forced proximity
🐕 George Bailey also needs his own bullet point😍🐸
🌼 Beanie!!!!!! Enough said🫶🏻
🩴 the gals🍹
🕶️ slow burn 🔥

I could go on & on & on. Such a sweet, cute, funny, romcom that will have you wishing it could go on forever.

With all of Katherine Center’s books I come away with nuggets of wisdom that I can actually apply to my life. With this one, I took away some exceptional advice on not being so hard on myself & loving my body for ALL the amazing things it does for me🫶🏻

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this book & give my honest opinion🤍

What a charming little meet-cute love story this is! This marks my first experience with a Katherine Center novel, and after reading her heartfelt author’s note at the end, I am completely sold on her writing! Typically, my reading choices veer far from the realm of romantic comedies, but I found myself craving something lighthearted, and I’m thrilled that I decided to request this book. In terms of romance, this story was refreshingly “closed-door,” which I appreciated immensely. This allowed the love story to truly shine and develop in a more meaningful way. The charm and warmth of the characters drew me in, and I couldn't help but smile and laugh as their connection blossomed.

Katie is having quite a year. Her life underwent a complete turnaround when her fiancé suddenly became a viral celebrity on TikTok. Unbeknownst to her, this newfound fame meant that the spotlight would also scrutinize her life in the most trivial ways. After surviving a public breakup, she found herself in an unhealthy mental state, struggling with significant body dysmorphia. Now, she is facing the possibility of losing her job, and the only way to save it is to fly down to the Florida Keys to produce a video documentary for the Coast Guard. Specifically, she will be following Hutch Hutchinson, who gained internet fame for rescuing Jennifer Aniston’s dog.

Of course, Hutch is simply gorgeous. I’d like to imagine their first meeting going a little something like this: Hutch, standing in his flight suit, the wind gently blowing through his hair, slowly pulls down his aviators to get a better look at Katie. He might have a vibe reminiscent of Glen Powell or Miles Teller, lol! However, that is NOT how their first meeting actually went. It was anything but perfect and standard. Every meeting that followed was a bit silly and over-the-top until Katie revealed that she was actually there professionally to replace his brother in the documentary.

The story weaves together a family drama and sibling rivalry that showcases the intricate threads of healing relationships. At the heart of this charming narrative is an endearing Great Dane whose playful antics bring joy, warmth, and silliness to the plot. There's also a thrilling water rescue that serves as the climax of this romantic adventure. I was completely captivated! The writing was so irresistibly charming that I found myself a little enamored with Hutch by the end—I mean, who could resist such a character?

Katie, our protagonist, experiences some deeply transformative moments as she grapples with her own identity and emotions. By the story's conclusion, she embarks on a journey of self-acceptance, learning to embrace and love herself in her own skin. Honestly, it culminated in the perfect ending. Without a doubt, I’ll be adding more of Ms. Center's novels to my to-be-read list!

What a fantastic book! Katie is a videographer, who is trying to survive her company’s downsizing. Hutch is a US Coast Guard whose brother, Cole, gives Katie the opportunity to go to the Florida Keys and shoot a video of Hutch.

We meet some interesting characters once Katie reaches her destination. I loved Rue and The Gals. I also really loved George Bailey.

Not only is this a romance story it is also a story about learning to love yourself and your body. I think most of us can relate to this at least a little.

This was a beautifully well written story. Katherine Center can never go wrong!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

4.5⭐️💖
I absolutely loved this!! I have read a few books by Katherine Center before and I loved those too, but I think this is my favorite by her to date! Her books feel so immersive to me. I felt like I was living in the Florida Keys with these characters. Her books also always have such beautiful real life messages in them that we can all learn from. I felt like this book had me hooked from the very beginning. It was so jam packed and I never felt bored or that the story was dragging!! This is such a special book to me as well because it’s the first ARC that I’ve ever received. Thank you Netgalley 🥹
I recommend everyone to read this when it comes out in May! It is such a beautiful story that has so much more depth than your average romance!

Also everyone PLEASE read the author’s note. It is beautiful!!

Katharine Center never disappoints. Her character development is fantastic and she does such an amazing job developing relationships at just the right pace.

Katherine Center creates such relatable, funny characters while tackling deeper themes with ease. I always enjoy her books immensely!

The story's setting was so vividly described—it really brought the coastal vibe to life. I loved the detailed descriptions about the setting.

The male main character was intriguing, though I didn’t fully feel the chemistry between him and Katie, but the plot itself was engaging and kept me hooked.
For me the side characters were the highlight, they added so much heart to the story.

While this isn’t my favorite Katherine Center book, it’s still a fun, bingeable read. I practically finished it in one sitting!

This is my first time reading a book by Katherine Center and I can say I like her writing style.

This book was so cute. I couldn’t help but giggle and feel happy in certain parts while reading it. I loved the way the author portrays Katie, even though we know she’s not a real person. Her self-monologues about her struggles felt so relatable and authentic. I appreciated how we could witness her internal conflicts and self-criticism, but also how she eventually found the strength to forgive herself and embrace self-love.

This is a romance book, but I feel like the central theme is more around self-love and self-discovery than the romantic relationship between Katie and Hutch. While Hutch is undoubtedly a well-developed and likable character, and we can all agree that he’s handsome, attractive, and a wonderful person. However, in my opinion, the book’s focus seems to be on helping us fall in love with ourselves as well.

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with an ARC of this book.

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

Katie is desperate to hold onto her video production job, and accepts an assignment in the Florida Keys to follow a coast guard swimmer. She has a few issues:
It turns out that her subject, Tom ‘Hutch’ Hutcheson, has no interest in being involved
Hutch is also Katie’s co-worker Cole’s prickly older brother
Katie will have to swim in a SWIMSUIT in front of people, something she hasn’t done since she was a teenager
Oh, and also Katie lied about even being able to swim.

Katie quickly finds that Key West feels more like home than she’s ever felt, and her burgeoning relationship with Hutch takes her by surprise. Things can’t be smooth sailing of course - Katie soon has to face her past, and she’s not sure she can stand on her own two feet.

I literally gasped when I got the email that I was approved for this ARC. I am newish to Katherine Center’s books, but I absolutely love them. This one is no different, I was absolutely hooked from the very first page. I’ve said this before, and I will say it again - her books really focus on chemistry-building and a slow burn and this one has that.

I really enjoyed this one - it comes out May 20th! And I am probably still going to buy it. I liked it that much.

I'm a big Katherine Center fan. I love her style of writing that is uniquely hers. Sweet and fun, but with heart. I found all that in The Love Haters.
My favorite Center hero is Jack from The Bodyguard, but Hutch gives him a run for his money. Definitely, my favorite character from this book. Rue too. Cole was over-the-top frustrating, so that could have been dialed back.
There are some farfetched scenarios, but I'm a smart reader and know I'm reading fiction, so that doesn't bother me. This is a rom-com, not to be taken too seriously. So go in and just enjoy the tropical ride.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.

Was a slow start but then it picked up for the rest of the book. Was not my favorite of this author!
3.5/5 stars!

First of all, I want to say thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of The Love Haters by Catherine Center in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored the characters in this book. As I'm reading from Katie's (FMC) POV, I realized that she and I are a lot alike. We both struggled with confidence and learning to love ourselves, more specifically, our bodies from a pretty early age. Katie really resonated with me. I love it when I can connect to a character like that. Hutch (MMC) and Katie's banter was simply adorable. I found them to be funny and cute, and I couldn't stop smiling and rooting for these two to just fall madly in love and live happily ever after.

Catherine Center's writing wasn't just good. It was great, better than great even. While reading The Love Haters, I was immersed in the story, as if I could actually feel myself living in the story, not just reading or picturing it in my mind. This does not happen often when I read, so I am incredibly happy about that.

I highly recommend this book to any and all who enjoy a hilarious romantic comedy with no spice, but lots of romance. I can not wait til this book is published so I can add it to my romance bookshelf.

Center once again shines when it comes to gripping writing and fully-realised characters, but I found it difficult to make it through the book because of the descriptions of the main character's eating disorder; while the representation is great and important, I also find it difficult to make it through the book because of it if that happens to be triggered by that kind of content.

Katherine Center hit it out of the park again for me. I loved this book. My only criticism is that I don’t think the title really fits the book all that well. I loved the main characters, but felt like Rue and the dog really stole the show. I had a fantastic time reading this book and was sad when it was over. I look forward to purchasing the book and adding it to my collection!

I really wanted to love this book, but I struggled with it. I felt like the story was a bit contrived and slow. I just didn't connect with it the way I did with other Katherine Center books. I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars.

This book was ok. Cute characters and light vibes which is what I needed. I didn’t love the storyline of getting caught in a lie - it seemed unnecessary or over the top.

First off, thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m still not totally sure how I feel about the Love Haters tbh. I found it to be very predictable, although the plot was entertaining and unique. The relationship between Katie and herself was far more memorable than the relationship between Katie and Hutch. Katie was so very relatable with the self loathing and body image issues. I just wanted to give her a hug. Hutch was a stand up guy but he didn’t really stand out to me. Overall, I’d recommend the Love Haters to fellow Katherine Center fans!

The Love Haters is about videographer Katie who takes/is bamboozled into an assignment to create a US Coast Guard promo video with rescue swimmer Hutch. Katie can’t swim, her subject does not want to be on camera, and her job is potentially on the cutting block.

Katherine Center is an instant buy author for me. I know everything I’m getting into - romance, heartfelt relationships, and my heart being torn to pieces, but in a good way.

The Love Haters is all of those things and more. The two main characters are both reeling from broken relationships: one romantic, one familial, and Katie’s struggles with her own body image and self worth.

As much as I loved the main characters, the side characters really make this pop. The way Beanie loves Katie, and the way Rue loves Hutch, is beautiful. And special shoutout to Great Dane George Bailey, because he is the best, and a literal delight. (And doing the hard work of getting those two together already!)

3.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this book!!

Katherine Center’s books always make me laugh, and this one was no exception. She does a great job of making likable characters who do funny things, but also involving some serious topics in there as well.

The MC Katie is a videographer and is sent to Key West to film a video of the Coast Guard (one in particular) to try to save her job. This was such a fun location because I had recently visited Key West! I thought the details that went into describing the coastal town really enriched the story.

The MMC Hutch was an interesting character. Throughout the book, he was described as perfect, but idk if this really worked in his favor. He wasn’t necessarily boring, but I honestly think the most exciting thing about him was his dog. I also didn’t really buy the chemistry, but the plot, which I feel like is Center’s strong suit, was very entertaining.

I thought the supporting characters, like Rue, really brought the story together. She was such a likable character, and probably my fav from this novel.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite KC book, but it I still enjoyed it! I practically finished it in one sitting so it is very binge-able!!

Plot: 4/5
Themes/ tropes: 3.5/5
Chemistry: 3/5
Characters/ development: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

3.5 ⭐️
🔥No spice
Language: I think there was only one use of the F word
I enjoyed this book! I giggled at times and almost cried another time. The main character felt relatable to me and I think that’s why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Katie was cheated on in the past and struggled with body positivity. Throughout this book she took steps to embrace herself and love herself the way she is. 🤍The book does talk about this a lot so if this isn’t your style maybe the book isn’t for you? As much I did enjoy the book Katie gave me SO MUCH second hand embarrassment!! I had to stop myself from yelling “no Katie!” While I was at work. Ace (he’s not the mmc iykyk) made me soooo mad the whole time. He was the reason for so many problems but also like come on Hutch. Anyway Hutch was cute and the book was kind of healing? I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down