Katherine Center has a well-earned reputation for being a heartbreaker when it comes to her novels, crafting stories that are as emotionally gripping as they are beautifully written. However, The Love Haters thankfully didn’t rip my heart into a million little pieces the way some of her previous books have. While it still had plenty of emotional depth, it balanced the heartbreak with warmth, humor, and moments of hope, making it a truly satisfying read. As a longtime fan of her work, I had no doubt that I was going to love this book, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations.

One of the standout aspects of this novel was Katie’s struggle with body image, which was handled with such care and authenticity. Her journey was highly relatable and added another layer of depth to her character. It wasn’t just thrown in for the sake of drama—it was an organic and meaningful part of her arc that made her growth feel even more rewarding. I found myself rooting for her every step of the way.

Hutch was another fantastic character who brought so much to the story. Katherine Center has an incredible ability to create love interests that feel just as real and layered as the protagonists, and Hutch was no exception. He was charming, kind, and had a depth to him that made his relationship with Katie all the more compelling. I think one of the reasons I adore Katherine’s novels so much is that her characters always feel like real people—they have flaws, struggles, and vulnerabilities that make them easy to connect with.

Overall, The Love Haters was a heartfelt, engaging read that had all the elements I love in a Katherine Center novel. It had just the right amount of emotion, humor, and romance to keep me hooked from start to finish. If you’re a fan of her work, this is definitely one you won’t want to miss!

This is exactly the kind of story I love!!! It's full of so much heart, grit, family & friends, it's all of it.

Katie & Hutch are my favorite couple to read about in a long time. They have the perfect blend of humor, romance, and truth. It all just fits.

Truthfully, the book reads like a movie. I really hope it gets made into one!!

I would definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

You know when a book comes into your life at exactly the right time? The Love Haters by @katherinecenter was that book for me. 🩷

It took me a little bit to settle into the story, but once Katie Vaughn—a documentary filmmaker fighting to keep her job—meets Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer and self-declared “love hater,” I was hooked. Their story isn’t just about romance; it’s about fear, self-worth, and the ways we hold ourselves back from the life we could be living.

I’ve seen some readers complain about Katie’s struggles with body dysphoria, and honestly? It makes me wonder if we even read the same book. Because for me, Katie’s journey wasn’t just compelling—it was deeply personal. As someone who has spent a lifetime wrestling with body image, especially in an industry that has never been kind about women’s bodies, I saw myself in her. Every insecurity, every moment of self-doubt, every battle she fought within herself—I’ve lived them too. And watching her work toward self-acceptance? That was powerful. THAT was real.

One of my favorite characters was Rue, Hutch’s free-spirited, fearless aunt who owns the vacation cabins Katie stays in. This woman “gets” life and what it means to push past fear:

”No one’s born fearless,” Rue said. “You have to earn it… Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time. That is what life is for.”

That line hit me right in the heart. Because isn’t that what we’re all trying to do? Face our fears, grow a little stronger, and keep moving forward—even when self-love feels like the hardest thing of all?

This book reminded me that fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing to move through it. And that self-love? It’s not optional; it’s necessary. And hey, maybe you’ll find a beautiful surprise along the way!

The Love Haters releases May 20th, and I highly recommend grabbing a copy. Pre-orders are available now at your local bookstore or online!

I just finished this ARC… 4.75 🌟 LOVEd and devoured this story!! this ended up being a beautiful love story of the FMC with herself really is how I felt in the end… with body issues and feelings that I could totally absolutely relate to. I thought it was a beautiful story of coming to love yourself as you are. I also did love the romance between the FMC and MMC, actually wanted a little more of that, until I realized this really was more about her journey with herself. And no she did not need the man to come to this resolve… it was more her Best Friend and her inner thoughts as she overcame one fear after the other until she found herself left with ONLY herself to look inward and head on with her feelings toward her body. Loved the side characters, especially her cousin/Best friend!!!! And of course George Bailey the Great Dane… you know what you did George Bailey ♥️♥️

First, thank you to Net Galley for the Arc on this book. I was so excited to read this book. I LOVE Katherine Center. Hello Stranger is one of my favorite books but this one may take #1.

First, I loved Katie. I found her so relatable as someone who has struggled with body image all of my life, I totally felt all of what she was saying. It was so nice for an author to really focus on the struggles women go through when it comes to body image. One of my favorite lines from the book came when she was going to have to be weighed. She made the statement about that number defining who she was as a person. I find that so true. So many women get so hung up on the number on the scale and it can make or break someone’s whole day. It’s such a hard thing to get over but when you do, it makes you feel free.

Second, Hutch was perfection. Oh my gosh, I was in love with him from the start. I could go on and on about him but I’ll just say, where do I find a Hutch?

I loved the side characters. Aunt Rue was a gem. I want her spunk when I get older. On top of that, I’ve always wanted to visit the Keys and now I want to go more than ever.

This was such a fantastic book. Bravo, Ms. Center, bravo.

Katie and Hutch aren’t my favorite Katherine Center couple (Emma and Charlie will forever have my ❤️) but I still enjoyed reading their story!
Things I loved about The Love Haters?
George Bailey! He was so adorable 🥹
The Gals were so cute and sweet!
The relationship between Katie and Beanie. I’ve always wanted a friendship like theirs.

The one thing hated about this book?
COLE. Which seems to be a theme with other reviews I’ve seen. This would have been a 5 star book if Cole didn’t exist. I hated every time he opened his mouth and I felt he had no character development in the end.

I still rated this a 4 star because I enjoyed myself while reading and liked 90% of the plot.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing this E-galley for my honest review! The Love Haters will be available May 20th, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Once again, Katherine Center hits it out of the park for me. This book manages to be a laugh out loud rom-com with a sweet message wrapped inside. I want to be besties with Katie.

The cover and book synopsis do not do this book justice! Of course there are the usual rom-com staples: miscommunication, crazy flamboyant supporting characters, and sharing childhood trauma. But this story is so much more, too. The dialogue is so well written, it feels like you’re there. Katie is goofy and nervous and says all the things you think in your head at least once in a while. I can buy even buy into the over-the-top scenes because I’m invested.

Anyway, enough blathering. It’s a good book. You are going to want to read it.

I have loved every book written by Katherine Center and I was excited to read this one. It did not disappoint. It was such a sweet love story but not just the love between the two main characters. It was also about the love between families, those born into and those found, the love of life, and the love for yourself. Katie had to relearn how to love herself again, to define herself, and appreciate her body, simply because it is hers. This aspect of the book really hit home for me, so relatable! This book was packed full of good stuff and left me with warm fuzzies and a smile on my face.

Someone pinch me. No. Don't. I don't know how I was allowed to read this early, but I was. As always, this is still my honest review.

Now, this is also the first Katherine Center book I've ever read. I own her books, just never in the mood. Yet, when I saw her name on the Netgalley list, well, the rest is history.

Now the review you've been waiting for:

Katie (our MFC) is a little broken after being dumped & cheated on. Wouldn't we all be? She is trying to fake it, just through her day, at her job. Well, you've read the synopsis. Katie's inner monologue is witty, and humorous, despite its self-deprecating moments. The military base is well captured without being all alpha-male jerk hostile, which often befalls any book in the romance region.

A good binge-able read, from someone who finished it in less than 24 hours without the use of an audiobook. (Not that I'm knocking audiobooks- just wasn't available. I love audiobooks!)

Katie Vaughn, struggling videographer, is given the chance of a lifetime to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. She's instantly headed to paradise, running from a looming company lay-off and trying to figure out what makes Hutch tick.

The story is both funny and sweet, with a layer of seriousness. Katie is working through some stuff from her childhood that still impacts her into adulthood. Same goes for Hutch. I loved that they were thrown together and we got to see them work through their awkwardness. I did feel that we only touched the surface of the topic that Katie is dealing with, so it felt a bit superficial but I loved the ending and how it dealt with it. There was a lot of internal story telling from Katie's POV and I would have preferred more of the witty banter seen in another of Katherine Center's books - but every time we had it - it was good!

Definitely a fun and worth it read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reading copy! I am very grateful to have been able to read this book.

The Love Haters follows along Katie Vaughn as she is asked to work on a film that centers around her boss’s brother, Tom “Hutch“ Hutcherson. He is a well known Coast Guard rescue swimmer in the Keys, and the story would help make or break her career. The only issue is that Katie cannot swim well, which means she will have to say she is qualified to be able to work along the Coast Guard for the sake of her career. When arriving to the Keys, she meets Hutch, his Aunt Rue, and the beloved Great Dane, George Bailey, and they each get caught up in the small web of lies she unfortunately has strung together. Despite all of that, she learns to not only face old fears but to truly learn to be brave enough to love herself.

I enjoyed this story! I do find myself relating to Katie in how she views herself, in which we have a very similar mindset. It was very opening to see how she came to learn to love herself as well as how frustrating on the other end of that viewpoint from Hutch (and myself) it was that she never realized how lovely she is. Hutch is amazing and I live for Aunt Rue! George Bailey is the biggest baby and the best boy. I will also say there was a lot of focus on her body image and with her being so negative about it, it was almost off putting, but then it made me realize that is how a lot of people can be, including myself. It is very realistic. Cole was also very insufferable but honestly picks himself up just a bit towards the end. All in all, this was an interesting story!

To call this a romance novel would do it a disservice. Even calling it a rom-com doesn’t seem to quite hit the mark. This IS a love story – and there is a man and a woman involved in said love story, but it is so much more than that.

This author is so adept at handling sensitive personal situation, without making it feel like you are being lectured, or being heavy-handed. The topic of body-image is something that most women have had to face at some point in their lives, and Center delivered a warm, joyful novel with the embrace of self worth at its core.

Loved this one. So much.

So wacky and hilarious! Truly the banter was next level and the heroine’s journey to self-love was just as important as the romantic relationship. I loved this one!!!

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending it. The enemies to friends is so often used, but this didn't feel forced or phony. I felt that it unwound at a reasonable and relatable pace.
I also love to read fiction books and learn something about the real world in them. Learning some details about Coast Guard helicopter rescues was a real unexpected treat. It brought the story more gravitas and less of a chick lit connotation.
Truly a good read!!

I normally LOVE Katherine Center's books, but this one missed the mark. Almost as it it were written by someone else. The characters just weren't there for me. The dynamic was lacking as well.

I can totally do that. Who really double checks a resume anyways? I can google that right? Watch a YouTube video? Fake it until I make it? I’ve got this right? RIGHT? Like how hard is it to learn to swim as an adult? If all else fails, I’ll take a few quick swim lessons. That should do it. If children can learn how to swim, so can I!

I can imagine those words floating around in Katie’s head. Pun intended. What would you do if your job was on the line and you were just told that your boss was downsizing and your name may be on the chopping block? Would you agree to take on a job that requires you to get in the water? A job that requires you to know how to swim? Abso-flipping-lutly!

Meet Katie. Katie is a videographer who has been asked to take on a job of interviewing a rescue diver for the coast guard. But not any old rescue diver, but diver Hutch Hutcheson. Brother to Cole Hutcheson, Katie’s coworker. This story is a huge one. Not only is it covering a high profile man, but it is Katie’s Hail Mary to save her job. The catch , you have to be able to swim. And not only swim but put on a bathing suit. Neither of those things are in Katie’s vocabulary.

While Katie is leery about taking this job that she is most certainly not qualified for, what seals the deal is finding out that Hutch is a love hater. Which is exactly what Katie needs. Katie is also is boycotting love after it did her wrong.

When this dark little awkward storm cloud arrives in sunny Florida she isn’t quit prepared for the bright and colorful characters she is about to be spending a whole lotta time with. She is forced to get out of her comfort zone by people who genuinely love her and sees the real Katie. While facing body image issues and trying to be comfortable in her own skin, she is also forced to be brave enough to do something that most adults should know how to do but full force….in an ocean….with an uber sexy rescue diver with the saddest brown puppy dog eyes, who is perpetually frowning that handsome face of his. What could possibly go wrong?

When these two worlds collide, it’s a total hurricane. Things aren’t all sunny in paradise. Throw in a exuberant gaggle of retired elderly women who call themselves The Gals, a laundry list of lies, a Great Dane that has weird obsession or two, intense coast guard training requirements, conga lines and tropical drinks, and an actual hurricane.

………………………………………………….

All hail queen of romance, Katherine Center! Please, don’t ever stop writing! Every time I crack open a new Katherine Center book I think to myself, could this really be better than the last Katherine Center book I read? And just like magic, it is! I don’t even know how it’s possible to like this gem better than her previous work because I absolutely loved everything she’s written prior to this! I can’t get enough of her!

What I adore about Katherine Center’s books is that she takes serious situations and struggles, adds in the perfect chemistry and romance, and blends them into a beautiful story that so many readers can relate to no matter the age of the reader.

In true Katherine Center style, there is comedy and love mixed in with all the seriousness. The comedy is just the best in this book. I don’t know how Center does it, but she truly is a genius at combining comedy with serious topics. Never do they seemed forced or overly done.

The romance! Katherine does such a phenomenal job at forming relationships and writing a love story that gives you the giddiness that you hope a romance story will bring you. All while doing that, she keeps it PG which I so appreciate because it shows readers you don’t need smut to make a love story. Never am I left with wanting more spice. And because of that, anyone at any age can read this book and it would be appropriate for them. Truly a feel good romance! And it truly shows that a good romance writer can write a book and not rely on spice to make up for poor writing.

I very rarely buy books after reading them via ebooks or audiobooks. This book, is absolutely a must purchase for me! I HAVE to own this because I LOVED every part of it! I have zero negative thoughts or anything that I would change which is also a rarity for me!

………………………………………………..

What I loved:

The characters
______________

I loved each and everyone. Even the ones that you wanted to smack upside the head. They all fit together perfectly and I just loved this little family.

The topic: body image
________

The topic is one that I have struggled with most of my life. Negative body image is something that a lot of people struggle with in silence. I struggled with it as a child because I was too skinny and tall. I was often told I looked sick and that I just needed to eat a sandwich. As a teen when I developed curves I was told that the boys better watch out. While still very skinny I had an athletic hour glass figure that everybody seemed to comment on. As an adult, I struggle with multiple heath issues that causes my weight to fluctuate. On top of that I’m a mother of four and have had multiple stomach surgeries that doesn’t make exercising easy. I went from incredibly skinny (on the verge of malnourished) to in absolutely incredible shape with a body to kill for, to a body that doesn’t feel like it’s mine. I struggle daily with my body image. Those who have struggle with body image issues will get this book and will love it. Those who don’t, may roll their eyes and think, oh get over it already! But, I can guarantee every single person on this planet has some time or another has struggled with loving every inch of themselves whether they want to admit it or not.

Anyways, I kind of got side tracked there. The point is, I adore how Katherine Center addressed this topic and how she made the reader go on a journey of discovering self love for their body as well.

The Humor
_________

Kathrine has this amazing way of combining humor with serious subjects and romance. It’s seriously pure magic. It’s natural and never forced or cheesy. You can see Katherine own goofy personality and quick whit shine through in her characters. It’s also highly relatable because I often get myself in the most ridiculous situations that I rarely tell people because they’d think I’m crazy and reading about it makes my Murphy law luck roll with laughter and shake my head and say, I get you girl!

The Romance
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I adore how Katherine can write a Rom-Com that has no sexual content and still leave you weak at the knees. Now don’t get me wrong, spice doesn’t bother me one bit. I don’t shy away from it or condone it whatsoever. However, It gets old reading a book that relies only on the spice to hold the readers attention. There are so many books that have a great idea but then are executed so poorly with terrible writing and just all spice. There are so many writers that rely on the spice to float the story and capture readers. Romance readers deserve better than that. Katherine truly captures what a romance novel should be. Between the characters chemistry, the character development, the slow burn romance, the comedy, and all the giddiness that a romance should entail, she captures it all! And I love that you can recommend her books to anyone and not have to worry if it may be offensive or inappropriate. Never have I read a Katherine Center book and think, gosh I sure wish for a super detailed roll in the hay.


Family & health
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I enjoyed how Katherine brought these characters together and made such a cute and quirky family. She wrote that you don’t have to be blood to be family and that those who you surround yourself with and show up for are your true family. It was beautiful. I also loved how she highlighted making the most of your situation. Taking some really hard things that happened in this book and making the best of it. There was multiple situations in this book that were pretty darn sad and she wrote her characters in a way that many people can draw hope and inspiration from. Whether it’s health situations or a loss of a loved one, she captured making the best of a difficult situation beautifully.

What I disliked:

I normally can come up with multiple things to nitpick in a story. This one though, was just perfect! I have no negative things to say or anything that I would change other than I didn’t want it to end!
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I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to read an ARC (advanced reader a copy) in return for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions on the book. Thank you so much to Katherine center, NetGalley, and St. Martins Press for this amazing opportunity. You can get your own copy of The Love Hater on May 20, 2025.

I thought the premise of the book was cute. A videographer has to shoot a coast guard promo video and falls for her subject. I thought the plotline for the brother scenario between Cole and Hutch was really interesting in hearing about how they had their falling out and seeing them reconcile their relationship. I loved Rue and her connection with Katie. I loved the banter and the little things that made this book special. I think the hurricane at the end was a bit much and while I could see the value in Katie's growth, it seemed like too much especially with how far into the book it was. Also the epilogue seemed really really long and I would have rather seen some of that in the bulk of the book instead of placed at the end.

The Love Haters had all the elements for a great rom-com with a mixture of humor, drama and Key West locale; however, I don't believe the actual story lived up to the hype. Katie is a video producer who takes an unwanted assignment from her coworker in order to hopefully stave off a layoff at her company. Katie soon finds out why the assignment was unwanted and ends right in the middle of her coworker's extremely complex family dynamics.

As the story unfolds, there wasn't a lot of strong character development. Katie and Hutch's chemistry was not the greatest. The story told us they spent a lot of time together but we didn't actually get insight into many of those moments. The other characters were hit or miss. Her coworker's quirky aunt Rue and her "Gals" were so fun to read about. However, Katie's friend Beanie was grating and her coworker Cole was frustrating throughout.

There were also overarching themes (grief and body image) that are really heavy and the handling of these themes was heavy handed. It was a PSA at times and felt preachy at best and really annoying at first. Maybe many who have gone through these issues could relate but I found myself rolling my eyes at times because I could not relate much at all.


Overall, The Love Haters is a quick read. I'd highly recommend it as a vacation read because the Key West imagery is perfect. While it wasn't my favorite rom-com read, I did enjoy the ending. I do think many will relate to heavier themes and enjoy how the characters grow.


A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital ARC!

Not my favorite Katherine Center, which is a little disappointing ):
I wasn’t sold on the Katie & Huch’s connection from the get go and I didn’t love the ongoing focus on Katie’s poor body image was a bit triggering for me. I did, however, enjoy Aunt Rue & her friends!

Thank you for this ARC!

It pains me to say this, because I adored Katherine’s book The Bodyguard, but this book was boring. I requested this ARC because of the witty banter and fun storyline of The Bodyguard, but this one felt like it was written by someone else. The whole plot was about Katie’s body image issues, and while I respect her for trying to include this topic, it overshadowed the rest of the story. If it was the focus, it should have been included in the blurb. I skimmed the ending after reading to the 40% mark and never getting to care about the characters or feel any sort of chemistry. I would skip this one.