Katherine Center is my go to author for feel good, realistic stories. I love the small details and ways she really connects you to a story. This book might be one of my favorites of hers!

Easy 5 stars!

I don’t know how Katherine Center makes you instantly connect with characters and love the story from the very beginning but somehow she does. Her characters inner dialogue is just so unique and relatable and just perfect.

This book has a little bit of everything and a little bit more. It made me brush my teeth until I almost choked on the toothpaste cause I didn’t want to stop reading to spit. Time flew and I just couldn’t put it down.

She has very quickly and easily become one of my favorite authors and a must read and must recommend. The Love Haters is no exception.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Review: The Love Haters by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martins Press for an ARC copy of this book— Wow! I truly loved this book. The FMC, Katie, was relatable, real, and witty. The MMC, “Hutch”, was reserved, serious, and a heartthrob. Katherine Center knocked this one out of the park. I felt all of the emotions while reading this one, but I loved how much the author made me laugh! Katie is a videographer who is sent to Florida to make a video about Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. The job is a whirlwind, from start to finish. This book is out May 20th, 2025, and you’re definitely going to want to grab a copy! 4.5 stars!

If Katherine Center writes it, I’m gonna read it(and love it)
The way that I couldn’t put this book down, and finished it in one sitting is crazy but it is SO good. I aspire to be Rue one day.

I have to say that Center is becoming a go-to author for me. She is humorous and writes her stories with passion and depth. This story is a perfect example of that!

The Love Haters is an interesting change of pace story for this author. Yes, it’s a love story, but it’s more of a love story where you are learning to love yourself first. Her main characters have been through a lot but together they are magic. Beautifully matched between strength, resilience, and dedication, they work so well together.

I love the interesting plot that Center develops and her imaginative story grows on you the further you get into the story. The characters are developed with depth and so real to life. The secondary older generation characters are a delight and seem like people you want to hug!

The MMC, Hutch, is it for me! I love the job choice and insightful plot. He is sweet, kind, and caring, not to mention so hot. He makes it totally worth the read! And, of course, his dog is the star of the show!

For a delightful read you will fall for, check out The Love Haters!

Oh my goodness, this book was absolutely adorable! 😍 I giggled so much while reading 😂 and found myself constantly thinking about it when I wasn’t—always a sign of a fantastic read! 📖 The Love Haters had me hooked from the first page, and I did NOT want to put it down.

Katie, a video producer fighting to keep her job 🎥, is sent on a mission to film a recruitment video for the U.S. Coast Guard 🚤. The catch? Her subject is none other than her boss Cole’s older brother, Hutch. And let me tell you—the chemistry between Katie and Hutch was off-the-charts cute! 💕 Their banter, their tension, and the slow burn of their connection made my heart so happy. 😍

Let’s talk about George Bailey—Hutch’s Great Dane and the true scene-stealer of this book. 🐶 That giant, lovable goofball had total main character energy, and I adored every moment he was on the page! 🤩

And then there’s Rue—Hutch and Cole’s spunky, no-nonsense aunt who completely stole my heart. 💃 I would give anything to spend a day with Rue and The Gals. Their dynamic was so much fun, and I just loved the warmth and wisdom she brought to the story. ❤️

Beanie, Katie’s cousin, was another standout. 💖 She was Katie’s ultimate hype girl, always encouraging her to see her worth. I adored the self-love journey woven into the story—it was empowering and beautifully done. ✨

Oh, and I have to mention how much I loved when Katie broke the fourth wall and talked directly to the reader. 🗣️ It made the story feel even more engaging and personal.

And the cherry on top? That kiss. 😘🔥 Absolutely swoon-worthy and so worth the wait!

Katherine Center delivers another heartfelt, feel-good romance that left me grinning from ear to ear. 😁 If you love swoony chemistry, charming side characters, and stories that make you laugh and melt in equal measure, The Love Haters is a must-read. 💕

✨ Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Read Now ARC! ✨ I adored every second of this book! 💖

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is the perfect rom-com with a healthy reminder to love yourself first and foremost. Life can surprise us in the most wonderful and unexpected ways.

Katie is sent on assignment to Key West where she will produce a recruitment video for the US Coast Guard. Meeting Hutch, an instructor with whom she will spend the vast majority of her time gives the assignment an entirely new focus. But as Katie begins to let down her guard and lets the people of the tightly knit community in, she begins to realize that she is worth much more than she has given herself credit for.

The real strength of this narrative lies in the endearing and memorable characters that Ms Center has created, not only in Katie herself, but in Rue and Beanie as strong supporting players. The antics of George Bailey stole every scene, and were pure joy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

This book came at a perfect time. I loved the story and the humor. Most of all loved the acknowledgement of how we can be our own toughest critics and what working through that can look like. The self love the main character developed throughout this story was inspiring and a reminder that there is so much joy and freedom in letting go. Finding love through finding ourselves.

FMC Katie is a videographer who makes promotional videos for companies. When her superior assigns her the task of interviewing Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson for a promo video for the US Coast Guard, she jets off to the Florida Keys to start the project. The main subject, it turns out, is her boss's brother. There's a lot of tension between the brothers that causes some big misunderstandings, but Katie and Hutch (and hIs Great Dane, George Bailey) spend a lot of time together and feelings develop. It's a workplace romance (technically). There's a lot of miscommunication and so many swings and misses between the two main characters. There are plenty of great moments - funny and lighthearted, serious and heartbreaking, swoony and romantic.

I will admit that I struggled with the first third of this book. Like many of Center's stories, this one tackles a serious topic, specially body dysmorphia and body image issues. While I appreciated how this added depth to the FMC, it dominated the first third of the book and I wanted it to be less of a focus. It also felt a little overshadowed by some of the more lighthearted moments.

While this didn't quite live up to last year's The Rom-Commers or some of Center's other work, The Love Haters was another solid story from author Katherine Center.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to

I’ve loved all of Katherine Center’s books, but the personal love story of this main character is perhaps the most realistic self-growth of any character of hers. Thank you for writing Katie so well.

I love the two main characters but the body image issues are way too prominent for me and take up so much of the chapters where it takes me out of the story so I have to DNF. Things I LOVED: group of old ladies & MMC. I don’t share reviews on social media when they are DNFs or negative. I love Katherine’s books though, this one was just a miss for me.

This was a fun read. I loved all the characters. Everyone needs a best friend like Bea and an aunt like Rue. The main character Katie has some issues with body image and I appreciate how it was addressed and how she grew in this area. And of course I love that there is a large dog that causes lots of problems. Thanks Katherine Center for always bringing such Joy in your writing.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️
No spice/closed door/no mature language
Check CWs

The first 50% was pretty good. I enjoyed the romance brewing between the two MCs, the setting was fun and exciting, and there was some depth to the character’s stories that was interesting. They were growing and healing and all was good if not a little bit inconsistent at times.

But the last 40% lost me big time. The short-lived third act conflict/plot twist didn’t make sense to me. I started getting so annoyed with all of the characters, especially Katie. So many things got dropped or randomly came up. Though the ending had some heartfelt sweetness to it that redeemed the story for me a little.

I really think we tried to do the rom com thing and the deep-emotional-contemporary fiction thing and we really could have just picked one to really dive into and make the most of. None of the side characters felt fleshed out enough to be super connected to. I wish we had gotten more of Hutch and Katie together to make their love believable. I wish we gotten to dive more in their family relationships and trauma. I wish Katie’s big revelation at the end about loving herself and her body after all had come about a different way.

I also don’t really get why it’s called love haters aside from the brief mentions at the beginning and the end. Neither of them really had that personality at all.

There were funny moments and great lines that I did highlight. I loved the theme of learning to love yourself the way you are. But as a whole it wasn't my favourite Katherine Center.

When there’s a new Katherine Center book, you just know it’s gonna be good. Great premise, great characters, great message. It’s a 5/5 read for me!!

A few Omaha mentions (where I live), a Jonas Brothers reference, a giant dog, AND an absolutely adorable group of old ladies?!

What more could you want in a book?!

Oh yea, let's put the characters in the Keys and have our main male character be a hunky US Coast Guard member? Say less. I'm sold

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC copy to read. All opinions are my own.

Hutch and Katie both hate love. But their versions of love may be different than you typically think going into a romance book.

Katie's journey throughout this book is one I think so many women can relate to. I know I can. I can absolutely relate to being afraid of a bathing suit and the feeling of comfort in a pair of jeans. Beauty standards can really mess with someone. And when those opinions are coming from both people you are close to and complete strangers, it can make things worse. I am so proud of how much growth she did all on her own. While Hutch was there, he only spoke up in times when it was truly out of the blue and it never made me feel like her regaining her self-love came from his compliments.

The idea that Hutch was supposed to be one thing according to his brother and ended up being the complete opposite is a trope I love and never get sick of. And even his idea of "hating love" isn't what you'd think it would be.

"He noticed your pie piece, and he redefined the color of your eyes," Beanie said. "I don't think it's up for debate."

This book made me laugh and cry and just gush over how much I loved these two. I think they had great chemistry all around with each other and the other characters in the book. I adored how you could tell everyone was trying to push them together but none of it felt over-the-top cheesy. I audibly gasped when we hit the pivotal moment. I knew something had to come up, but I really wasn't expecting any of that. The side characters were exactly what I needed them to be for a rom-com like this. Just a little too extreme for the real world, but in the best way.

Overall, I feel like it has been a while since I've read such a fun rom-com and I will be bumping up the rest of her books to a much higher priority now!

This book was really cute and a delightful read that will be perfect for summer but I felt like it lacked some depth and parts of it were outlandish, even for the sake of being a romcom.

What a sweet adventure of a book! Katherine Center has such a talent for beautiful character development and she didn't disappoint with "The Love Haters."
Katie Vaughn embellishes the truth a bit in order to get a gig that will hopefully save her from losing her job. She gets sent to paradise to follow around Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson who is a viral rescue swimmer that doesn't want anything to do with the notoriety. What follows is laugh-out-loud moments, self-reflection, and a whole lot of adventure as these two "love haters" find that they really may not hate love after all.
While this book has all the lovely rom-com moments you would expect from Katherine Center, it also is full of information that will have you learning about rescue diving and helicopters along with kicking your feet.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC through @NetGalley!

Katherine Center is my go to author for a rom com novel. I throughly enjoyed this book. As you read The Love Haters, it is easy to see the story unfold on the screen. Katie, Hutch, Rue, and George Bailey come to life in vivid Technicolor and will leave you uplifted and loving love.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review

Loved Katie! Loved how she spoke to the reader. And her sense of humor was delightful!! Katie and her cousin’s friendship was so supportive and felt very realistic.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

This book just moved directly into the #1 spot for my favorite read of 2025.

Every woman needs to read this book.. especially those of us who grew up during the harsh 90's - early 2000s beauty standards.

I have never connected to a character as quickly and easily as I did with Katie. It broke my heart to read about her struggles, because those struggles .. are the same as mine. I'm not convinced that Katherine Center hasn't secretly met me and my sister and used us to develop these characters. Beanie and my sister might be the exact same person!

There were so many well developed side characters in this novel and all of them were so memorable in different ways. This isn't a book you move easily away from.. it's going to sink its claws in. The self-love journey is one I desperately needed in my life and only wish I could have read 10+ years ago.

As for Hutch: 😍😍😍. I think that covers that.

I can not wait to buy the physical copy of this book.

Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.