A wonderful story!! I enjoyed it so much I read the ending twice!

I admit I had no idea what the Coast Guard does going into it, and appreciated the insiders perspective. I wonder if this book will inadvertently add to their recruitment numbers? 😆

The dialogue had me laughing out loud at times, but I most loved the random conversations they had in getting to know each other. I enjoyed Rue and the Golden Girls vibe in which she resides. I think I need to plan a trip to the Keys now!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When a single book makes you laugh out loud, shed a few tears, and feel a real connection with a character or two, you know it’s a five star read.

Katie is a filmmaker who has been assigned to capture the extraordinary job of the US Coast Guard- specifically a rescue swimmer named Hutch. She agrees to the assignment to save her job that’s nearing the chopping block. BUT…she can’t swim and she struggles with her body image. (All thanks to a largely public humiliation and past break up) And swimming is basically required in this assignment.

Hutch, his massive Great Dane, and his flamboyant aunt Rue are exactly what Katie needs. As she immerses herself in their lives, she overcomes many fears and phobias.

Whilst making new friendships and finding self love, her bosses show up and spin a tangled web of lies that push Hutch away. Now Katie has to wait out the storm to find the perfect happily ever after.

Thanks to @NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#readthis #readthisnext #bookstagram #bookishlove #happilyeverafter #romcombook

I am a Katherine Center love hater. The Rom-Commers made me cry the ugliest tears after Hello Stranger made me roll my eyes and not want to continue reading.

Love Haters has brought me back to being a fan. Such a cute book that teased a possible brother love triangle that thankfully didn't surface.

Also, George Bailey? Anything with an adorable Great Dane and I'm immediately in.

4.75 only because I wanted more Hutch 😍.

This was such a fun new take from Katherine Center. Reminded me of The Things We Save in a Fire, some similar themes. Absolutely loved what fun characters Rue and The Gals were, the old lady besties we all want. Love Hutch’s character and his dynamic with Katie.

KC kept this G, like the least spicy book of hers I’ve read.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A fun fast paced and funny contemporary book that you will enjoy reading.

You will root for katie to become more confident, find satisfying work and get the great guy. As usual another likeable book from Ms. Center.

Katherine Center. Ugh! She can do no wrong. This book was more self reflective than her others but man oh man was it absolutely perfect. Love yourself, love others, love life.

Have you ever seen the movie The Guardian (the one with Ashton Kutcher) and thought, man I wish there was a romcom version of that? lol Listen, I didn't know that was something I ever needed in my life, but I am so glad that this book exists. I love love love love Katherine Center and this book did not disappoint. The main characters were so lovable. Did I want to throttle Cole (the mmc's brother)? Yes. Yes I did. I was close to throwing blows. If you've read any Katherine Center book, you know that she has a tendency to add something crazy and unexpected in there. No exception here. I devoured this book and I can't wait for everyone else to get their hands on it!!

Katherine Center does it again!!!! Had me pulled in from page 1! What a main character to reel you in and make you relate! Katie makes you self reflect all the while laughing at her way of approaching life and situations. You will fall in love with her instantly and she continues to make you pill for her till the very end! Do not look past this one! You will LOVE it!

Such a delightful escape! Wearing a smile ear to ear and laughing out loud at times I devoured this book. Center works her magic again in this sweet rom com that explores love in all relationships, with family, with friends, romantic love and self-love.

Katie, a documentary film maker, doesn’t want to lose her job, so she lies about her ability to swim and takes on an assignment she probably shouldn’t have. Shooting a promotional video for the US Coast Guard. At the request of her coworker Cole she agrees to the assignment to follow and film his brother Hutch aka “Pup Daddy” aka a super-hot super fit Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who hates love. So Katie packs her bags and heads to beautiful Key West FL, she instantly bonds with Rue, her landlady and aunt to Cole and Hutch.

She learns to swim, sort of, with lessons from, none other than Hutch. And soon the two find themselves spending nearly all their time together. As they begin to share tales of their past hurts, they bond and love blossoms………….or it would have if Cole hadn’t shown up and lied to everyone! With Cole on the scene things quickly unravel, Hutch is barely speaking to Katie, Katie is mad at Cole and she’s no longer sure if she will even get to keep her job. Add to that a hurricane, a great dane with a pet toad and you have quite the epic ending.

I enjoyed every second of this book. The storytelling was so good I felt like I was there in Key West with Katie and Hutch. I laughed so many times, and felt like there were some pretty epic moments as well, this would definitely make for a great movie!

Anything by Katherine Center is an automatic read for me. This book pulled me in from the first chapter and all I wanted to do was read about Katie and Hutch. The writing style is relatable and the story is compelling. It touches on some heavy themes yet is warm and light.

Super cute and fun read!

If I wasn't reading this while it is still cold outside I would put on a bathing suit and find the nearest pool to jump into.

I genuinely loved a lot of this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, and I was giggling and kicking my feet for a lot of it. I loved how the characters weren't perfect and had to grow in order to really find love, I see a lot of myself in Katie.

I'm super thankful that I was able to read this early, it was amazing.

Premise was fun, the story just fell flat for me. There was no build up,, tension, enemies-to-lovers between Katie and Hutch. I never felt their relationship develop enough for me to care about what happened to them. The side story with Cole and Ree and their boss seemed misplaced. There just wasn’t enough character or story development to hold my interest. I finished it, but honestly didn’t care if I did- I had to push though it.

This could have easily been a 4+ star book if not for the self-hate the FMC felt about herself and the absolutely atrocious way it was handled.

The fact that I’m still rating this 2.5⭐️ should tell you that it had the potential to be a great book, the writing is solid, the overarching story is cute, and Rue steals the show - the problem with this book lies solely in the poor representation, and insensitivity regarding body image.

That said, some of the things I did enjoy include…
- Rue and the gals
- I’m a fan of big silly grand mishaps in romance so I quite enjoyed the way this played out and the ending.
- the epilogue was adorable - I appreciated the nice wrap up
- Hutch + the family dynamics with Rue were well done.

As for my dislikes, well it’s really just the big one. I think this was a very poor attempt at tackling a major issue…

I get what the author was trying to do, it was supposed to be a story about healing. I think she missed the mark on this one big time. Body dysmorphia is a serious disease that can’t be solved in less than 2 weeks with sheer force of will and positive thinking. And one man telling her she’s beautiful does not need to be the catalyst for her change. I’m disappointed.

And finally… this book needs an authors note in the BEGINNING of the book! Hopefully this is just an issue with the ARC and the final will fix this but giving the reader the option to go into the book informed about its content is SO important when tackling tough subjects. It is absolutely crazy to me that in 2025 we’re still leaving these out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters and their exciting jobs (with the exception of Cole - read it, you'll understand) I loved Rue and the gals, George Bailey (the goodest boy).

This book has love and heartbreak, adventure and suspense, highs and lows. This was the first book by Katherine Center that I've read, it won't be the last.

Katherine Center can do no wrong! Yet another amazing novel with the perfect balance of complex personal issues and humor. I found the FMC relatable but also very out there. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one night (per usual with Katherine's books). The only thing that bugged me was the rescue scene, which I can't stop thinking about (IYKYK).

Thanks NetGalley for another amazing ARC!

Romance written by Katherine Center is always wonderful. New situations and interesting personal conflicts make each novel fun and unique. Great writer you can trust to keep you entertained!

I love Katherine Center. All of her stories feel so completely whole with regards to character development and story. The only thing I would have like to see more of here was Hutch and Katie time - he was a bit standoffish and quiet for me so it was a little hard to see the relationship develop.

I cannot tell you how much I was already looking forward to The Love Haters coming out later this year, so I was beyond excited when I was able to receive an ARC! I love Katherine Center’s work, and so enjoy reading her books– and this was no exception. While some of the romance aspects in this book fell flat for me, I enjoyed most of the characters and their progression throughout the story. Overall, a comfortable, easy read with fun POV narration, and great banter.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another incredible novel by Katherine Center.

Katie takes on a project in Key West, partially to save her job, but also because her boss is dead set against taking on the project, as it's about his brother (and the Coast Guard).

Hutch - the dreamboat Coast Guard rescue swimmer.... .Okay, I lost what else I was going to say about him.

Oh and did I mention that Hutch has a rescue dog? George Bailey. Absolutely another amazing character (pet) walking perfection.

This entire book was full of funny dialogue, banter, growth of all the characters, and the perfect amount of drama with the side characters. So many laugh out loud moments, and also moments of grabbing tissues. Basically all the feels.

This book - chef's kiss.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my ARC!

This book was cute! The slow burn pacing was a nice change from some of my recent reads. The FMC. Katie lies about her ability to swim to be able to accept an assignment profiling a CoastGuard rescue swimmer, Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson. In order to keep her job. After a travel nightmare that finally gets her to Key West, Katie is helped into a weekend crash course in swimming, but UH OH her instructor is none other than Hutch himself. The story was cute overall, but I had to settle at 4 stars because I felt the first part of the book focused a little TOO much on Katie's body image issues. The comedy felt a bit juvenile at times as well, but overall a super cute book and a fun quick read.