What I loved:
-Katie’s inner monologue is honestly hilarious and I can’t get enough of it. She is so relatable.
-Good balance between upbeat rom-com, but also digs deeper into getting to see Katie’s growth toward body positivity.
-Key West setting, swim lessons, and nightly BBQs scream summer/beach read.

The FMC and MMC had great chemistry, but the book contains minimal spice. This seems the be Katherine Center’s style, so if you like this about her other books you’ll love this one too.

The Love Haters is a relatable story featuring Katie, who hasn't had the best luck in love . Assigned to create a recruitment video for the Coast Guard leads her to Hutch, who according to his brother is a "Love Hater." I particularly liked how the focus on Katie finding things to love about herself and her body that Katie's cousin Beanie reminds her to do...something we should all remember to do for ourselves. Set in the tropical paradise of Key West, you'll smile and laugh out loud as you watch Katie and Hutch navigate the relationship to become a couple you will want to root (and hope) for with every turn of the page.

This was such a fun read. The perfect amount of romance. I loved the real life experiences of the Coast Guard swimmer. I loved every second of it and didn’t want it to end.

I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of Katherine Center’s newest romcom, The Love Haters (pub date May 20 2025) and it did not disappoint. There’s just something about Katherine’s writing that makes you smile the entire time you’re reading.

Beyond the love story, there’s a subplot involving Katie’s body image struggles and her self-love journey. I’ve struggled with body image since I was a girl and found myself relating to Katie on a really deep level throughout the whole book. I highly recommend reading this if you’ve dealt with similar issues- the topic is handled in a healthy, sensitive way.

All this to say: I loved it. One million stars. No notes.

I had the opportunity to read a free advance review copy of The Love Haters through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Love Haters was the first book I've read by Katherine Center, but I'll definitely be looking to read more by her in the future. From the beginning, I liked the style of writing, which had a good flow and an overall inviting feel to it. Our main character, Katie, was relatable, and I enjoyed following her journey, especially as she confronted her body image issues. The story really dives into a variety of relationships: romantic, family, and coworkers. I think one of my favorite parts was the exploration of one's relationship with themself. Some awkward situations provide a bit of comic relief, and some (literally) colorful characters brighten things up. I loved the setting in the Florida Keys and the glimpse into the Coast Guard and water rescues. I was somewhat frustrated with the conflict that happens and how Katie reacted to it, but I'm happy enough with how things worked out in the end. I overall enjoyed reading the book, and it really held my interest all the way through.

This is my first arc and what a fun one to read and review!

I want to start off by saying - I am a big big Katherine Center fan, I recently re-read all her other books just to tide me over until May, but then St. Martins Press and NetGally gifted me with this arc -- but I have to say sadly this one is probably my least favorite of the bunch 😫

3.5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

But let's start with what I like:
I think this was such a fun romance, and I enjoyed the journey, the change in location (TX vs this one in the FL Keys), and most of all I am a full-time video producer like Katie so I LOVED this premise! KC always has such fun jobs for her leading ladies and this was no different!

I thought Katie and Hutch did have chemistry and were super cute ...but I wanted MORE! (more on that later) And I loved the addition of the Great Dane George Bailey. I am always a sucker for a cute pet that loves the MC before their human realizes they do too!

And, I did personally really relate to Katie's internal struggle with body image. I know some people found that to be too much, but I have to say it felt very accurate to my own thoughts for periods of my life. I think having the second love story between Katie and herself was really touching. Sure most women can say they have felt bad about their body image, but when struggling with an eating disorder it is fundamentally different and for some people it presents this way.

💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖

And now where I think this missed the mark for me:
First, I felt this was lacking the witty banter that The Bodyguard, Hello Stanger, and The Rom-Comers had. It was missing that magical something between Katie and Hutch. The moments of brightness and laughter that I have come to know and love about KCs books fell a bit flat for me in this one. I really felt like we could have lived in the falling part of the book longer. I thought Hutch was a shy cutie and I just wanted more of their buildup, and more of their after in the epilogue!

The side characters also fell a little flat - I am not sure what it is but her cousin Beanie didn't feel like a fully fleshed-out character. It was missing the depth in her relationship with Katie, and basically, all the other side characters had even less. I wish we got just a little bit more there. Well besides Rue - who was and is - such an adorable character and really brought the color and life to this book!

All that to say though - I think I feel so strongly about what this might have been lacking because KC is such a great writer and my bar for her is soooo much higher than most other romance writers.

This was still such a quick and fun read that lets readers escape to paradise for a while. Readers will still feel all the feels and fall in love with Katie and Hutch. I really loved the added self-love and personal growth we got to see in Katie and I will eagerly await KCs next book even if this one was not me personal favorite.

🌴 🌴 🌴 🌴 🌴 🌴

thank you thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I love this author and all of her books! This was another delightful rom com full of loveable characters, humor, wit, heart, and an exciting storyline. The perfect beach read for everyone this summer!

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!