3.75 rounded up

Katie is a video producer in danger of being laid off. Tom “Hutch” Hutcherson is a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. In an attempt to save her job, Katie accepts a position filming a Coast Guard recruiting video featuring Hutch. There’s just one small problem: she lied and said she could swim (a requirement for the job). Can she? Nope. Is she going to let that get in her way? Also nope.

-Fun setting (Key West)
-Rescue Great Dane
-Body image issues
-Quirky characters
-House boat/only one bed

I am a huge Katherine Center fan. I will always buy and read everything she writes. That being said, this one fell flat for me. At face value, it was fine. But trying to actually think through and process the decision-making and the wild situations the characters found themselves in made my brain hurt. It was just too complicated and unbelievable. I also didn’t feel the chemistry between the FMC and the MMC the way I have in her other books and honestly their relationship didn’t make much sense to me. I also felt like the body image and ED content overtook a lot of the story. I think it’s a big mistake to not include a CW page at the beginning of the book.

The Love Haters is a quick read and there were redeeming qualities to be found in the setting, some of the side characters, and the interesting info about the Coast Guard and rescue ops.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a long-standing Katherine Center fan and this was my official first digital review copy (courtesy of #netgalley) [screams with excitement].

It started strong with something I think most women can identify with: the idea of sucking in starting at the age of 12, of the illusive thigh gap, and counting calories down to your black coffee. By chapter 3, I was ready to dig in, thinking the story was ramping up.

Instead, it was pretty formulaic—from the “my job is on the line” premise to the “they lost my luggage at the airport” to the wacky aunt and seemingly all-knowing sidekick cousin. Insta-limerence with the male lead (called Pup Daddy which… given that this book hasn’t even come out yet, didn’t age well). You knew going in they’d end up together, that she’d find some self-worth, learn to appreciate her body, embrace wearing color and have a whole new outlook on life. It felt… shallow in a way that Center’s other books do not. Hello Stranger was an absolute delight start to finish with what I felt were infinitely more complex characters (writing this makes me want to go back and read it again) which also shed light on an issue I have no insight into (her face blindness), whereas this story’s fervor resided mostly in the colors in Rue’s wardrobe.

As others have said, it’s nearly every trope in the proverbial book.

Cole as a character made me uneasy from the start, and much of the conflict seems like it could have been solved by… healthy, open communication. The romance definitely wasn't at the level I'd hoped for, and much of it didn't feel like anything more than light flirting until the very end of the book (though it was obvious from the start that Hutch and Katie were both very down for one another).

Don’t get me wrong, I continued on to finish the book and still enjoyed it like most of Center’s lineup (had a chuckle a few times), but this definitely was not her strongest. The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger meanwhile… [queueing up to read again]

I wanted to love this book so, so much. The premise sounded fun I love the theme of self-acceptance and self-love that runs alongside the romance aspect of the book. But it just... fell a little bit flat for me at the end of the day.

I love that Katharine Center is on a mission to make romance a genre to be taken seriously. Her author's note at the end of this book was fantastic and I can see what she was trying to do with The Love Haters, but unfortunately, it all just felt rushed. It's a novel that reads like a novella, if that makes any sense at all. The characters were great, but I wanted more from them. The backstories were compelling, but felt skimmed over. There just wasn't enough there for me, particularly in the ending, which felt really rushed. Everything just needed to be a little bit more.

All that negative stuff said, it is a cute story and I loved the main characters so much.

I love Katherine Center, and enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favorite of hers. I felt like there wasn't enough character development of either of the main characters, there was no "slow burn" to their love story, not enough chemistry between them, and also I found the title to be based on nothing, since the character wasn't a love hater at all - his brother referred to him that way, but it wasn't shown that he was at all. 3.5 stars, rounded down.

There were some funny parts to this book, but a few events were cringey or didn't feel plausible. For example, it was entirely unrealistic that he would tweeze splinters out of her backside, not to mention not funny at all. In addition, after all of the care and attention that Rue gave her, it didn't make sense that Rue would evacuate during the hurricane without even warning her. Lastly, her constant body image ruminations were boring, sorry. And there wasn't nearly enough romance! I normally like KC, but this one is a miss, in my opinion.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review. This was not my favorite Katherine Center book. She is an author who opened my heart to this genre, but this was just not good. While many rom-com authors find a formula that works, this one felt like she was grabbing plot devices out of a hat and sticking everything together in the hopes that it would work. Sadly, it did not and many of the tropes felt familiar….fighting brothers…sick relative…And I am not anti-body positivity at all, but this overdid that sentiment quite a bit. I appreciate the effort but it was beyond what one wants to read through in a rom-com. I am disappointed but willl remain a Katherine Center fan with the hopes that her next one has that spark and hopefulness that I love in her writing.

A cute, closed door romcom with elements of self-love and acceptance. Closer to 3.5 stars.

There were a lot of things I liked about this story. It has a lot of the great elements we’ve come to expect from Katherine Center - quirky but lovable characters, fun banter, and a charming romance. And I especially loved the side characters that really brought this story to life (George Bailey, the Great Dane who thinks he’s a lap dog, Rue and the gals, the crew who meddle to help bring Katie and Hutch together).

And while I enjoyed this book, I think it tries to be too many things at once. The book was part slap-stick romcom (Katie and Hutch’s blooming relationship, the entire storyline and web of lines around Cole) and part woman’s fiction (Katie’s body image struggles and learning to love herself). Unfortunately, the two storylines weren’t well intertwined and it was jarring jumping between the two elements (e.g., Katie, self conscious in a bathing suit on one page, then joking about how Katie tore her bathing suit and her bum was exposed on the next page). Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent with the first third really focused on what caused Katie’s self image struggles and the last third going to quickly, trying to tie up all the lose ends (I would have liked more showing vs telling).

Thank you to Katherine Center, st. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC on Net Galley.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Love Haters. I love Katherine Center’s style and the longing tension and slow burn she creates in her characters. She always finds a way to humanize a lot of the challenges many of us have and in this book it was body image issues, especially in the social media age. There is also some “sibling rivalry” for lack of a better word that I feel can truly happen when trauma is involved.

I loved the side characters here probably more than any other of her books. I think they really make this book and story special.

The only reasons this book isn’t a 5/5 for me is because as a native south Floridian, one of the twists in the story has some parts that aren’t very believable for me. And also I think there was a story line involving the boss that I didn’t find necessary or too believable either. But aside from this, The Love Haters is a must read.

4.25/5 ⭐️ for me.

3.5 STARS

Video producer Katie Vaughn has been hiding from her personal life in a big way since her famous ex-fiancé turned into a cheater. To retain her job after company downsizing, Katie is assigned a story in the Florida Keys profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson, a well-known Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Besides the fact Katie cannot swim…at all, she starts off not being completely honest with Rue, who owns the cottages where is staying and is Hutch’s “Aunt,” about why she has arrived in the area.

Another complication is the man who gave Katie this job, which she needs to keep from being laid off, is Hutch’s brother; they have a boat load of family angst going on because of an early life issue. As Katie and Hutch spend a lot of time together while she not only learns to swim, but follows him around at the Coast Guard station, their attraction deepens.

Katie is dealing with her own issues of self-worth which are exacerbated by attacks on her appearance by mean comments on social media. Because of the time she spends with the quirky and fun-loving, Rue and her cadre of mature women, Katie begins to reevaluate her own negativity and life choices. This story has angst, family drama, life threatening situations not surprisingly given Hutch’s job, and not a few personal revelations.

I am quite a fan of Ms. Center’s tales and while I enjoyed this one for the most part, this book has a few issues that would be spoilers if revealed. My favorite part of this author’s writing often comes with her end of the book comments as she always gives an excellent defense of why fiction in general, and love stories in particular, matter so much to our own well being quoting Nora Ephron who said, “Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape.”

My main issue with KC in her last 3 books is a lack of plot development and setting. She writes in such a scattered messy train of thought repetitive way that as a reader who reads a LOT of books every year, I cannot believe this is something people want to read. I was hopeful going into her new one that maybe she went back to her The Bodyguard days (5 stars!), but unfortunately, her new book The Love Haters is just as bad as The RomCommers and Hello Stranger.

This was a fun and enjoyable book to read. It was not my favorite Katherine Center book, but I enjoyed the romance, the coast guard aspect, and the cute old ladies, especially Rue. While the body positive messages were inspiring and an important part of the book, I found myself skimming those phone conversations from Katie to her best friend Beanie. Overall the story was charming and uplifting! Thank you to St Martin’s press and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for a review.

This was my first Katherine Center book and I really enjoyed it! The two main characters made me laugh and I really resonated with Katie because she has such a hard time being nice to herself and this story helped her get over that. Hutch was a little tooooo perfect, c’mon the guy has to have something wrong with him; but overall it was an easy, fun read and I would read more of her books!

As a fan of Katherine Center, I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to read this story before it is published. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital copy in return for my honest opinion.

Katie is a video producer in a company where jobs are being cut every day. When her coworker, Cole asks her to go on assignment in his place to film a promo for US Coast Guard rescue swimmers, she jumps at the chance despite being a bit under-qualified for the job. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? So what if she can’t swim and the prime subject of the promo is Cole’s estranged brother, Hutch, who has zero desire to be in the spotlight or be featured on camera?

The Love Haters was one of those wholesome and heartwarming tales that leaves you wanting more. Filled with a cast of unique and lovable characters (and probably the sweetest 175 pound fur ball ever) , it is easy to get engrossed in this group of people who have become family to each other. The attraction and chemistry between Katie and Hutch was effortlessly believable. What makes this special, however, is that it’s about so much more than a traditional love story; it’s also about the love shared between friends, siblings, parental figures who stepped up when they didn’t have to, and so many other different types of relationships. But perhaps the most important relationship featured in these pages was told through characters who were each learning to love themselves, a struggle that so many of us readers can relate to.

Katherine Center has a unique ability to write stories that make you laugh, while at the same time tackling serious topics. She writes with strong emotion, but somehow manages to keep it light. The Love Haters made me happy, sad, and everything in between. It made me smile and made me aww out loud. With witty and sentimental stories such as this one, Katherine Center continues to be a go to author for me.

I’ll start this by saying that I’m a big fan of Katherine Center. The Rom-Commers was one of my favorite reads of last year!

I just couldn’t really connect with this one though. Most of this book centered on the FL’s body image issues but it felt forced in a way that reminded me of 2010s Tumblr?

That being said it was still a fun read! The chemistry is fun and I continue to look forward to what Katherine Center puts out next.

Thank you for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book!

Following the story and growth of the FMC Katie was a blast and an emotional rollercoaster. I liked how body image and shaming was portrayed and it really took the reader on the journey of self love with the FMC. It felt as though I was right there with Katie feeling the way she did. There was many little quotes throughout the book that I throughly enjoyed but the one I liked the most was "I'd taken her for granted, this, soft, tender, undemanding self-all these years. I'd criticized her, and ignored her. And she'd just endured it. She'd stayed with me and taken it all-because she had no choice." My favorite side character was Beanie because she was a light in Katie's darkness and was always coming up with ways to help Katie through her dark times. Beanie's advice of pick something about yourself that you love and say why was one of my favorite pieces of advice she had given. The romance between Hutch and Katie was sweet and innocent, I enjoyed that it was a slower burn and a not expecting to find love trope.

A truly heartwarming story of finding yourself a finding love. Katie is the most relatable character I have encountered in a long time She truly enraptured you in her journey. Her struggles so real to may of us, A book full of laughter, growth and learning to love your self and others. Another 5 star book for Katherine Center.

Katie is at risk of losing her job until her co-worker encourages her to travel to Key West to cover his brother, Hutch, the Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There she meets Rue, the quirky, free spirited aunt, the Gals, and Hutch's giant dog. While spending weeks learning about the Coast Guard and rescue swimmer, she develops an easy romance with Hutch. In the meantime, her BFF helps her discover how to love herself. It all goes wrong when her co-worker and her boss show up for a surprise visit.
I thought this was such a sweet, heartwarming story. I learned about the Coast Guard, related to Katie's body image struggles, and cheered for Hutch. Would definitely recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Love Hater's in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! It’s the perfect blend of sweet romance and heartfelt moments. The main character was so relatable, and I really appreciated how the author explored her body image struggles in such an honest and empowering way. It was refreshing to see a story that tackles such a personal issue with such grace.

The writing was beautiful and kept me hooked from start to finish. I also have to mention how much I adored the dog – it brought such warmth to the story. And the old women who kept pushing the characters together were such a fun addition, bringing humor and charm to the narrative.

Overall, this book was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a touching, romantic story with a lot of heart.

Such fun characters, a great romance. I love George Bailey!! Love how Katie learns to love herself and the character evolves... Such a great message!

3.75 stars - this book has the truly quirky characters that we all love in a Katherine Center book. Unfortunately, I think the main premise for the female lead will be a little bit tough for some readers. There are major trigger warnings for body image and disordered eating content. However, if you are OK with that, I think the author tries to handle it in a sensitive and empowering nature!

Katie’s company is in trouble, and to save her job (as a videographer) she has to journey to the Florida Keys to interview a hot Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch. The problem is that he doesn’t want to be interviewed. Throw in a kooky aunt and her retiree friends, a scheming brother, and a lovable dog, and chaos ensues. With a side of romance of course. This was just a “like” for me, but Katherine center is always an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC - all opinions are my own. I love Katherine Center, and look forward to hearing more from her!