OBSESSED! This was such a cute story! I loved everything about it! I can’t even give a critique, I read it in one sitting it was that good— I couldn’t put it down!

Katherine Center does such a great job balancing comedy and serious topics in her romances. I find her writing and characters laugh out loud funny at times, but they always have something deeper going on in their lives that is explored throughout the story. This one particularly contains characters who deal with lack of self confidence, body image, comparison to others, and grief in various forms. I loved the characters and the story and just overall had such a fun time reading it!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy in exchange for a review!

What a perfect beach read! Loved the MCs and the side characters, especially George Bailey. The setting in Key West was so cozy and fun. I loved the playful and funny vibes throughout the book, but there were also some emotional moments/backstory that definitely made me cry. I'm not sure I'd say either MC hates love, it was more like insta-love actually. The FMC breaks the fourth wall regularly, which was an interesting choice but I thought it worked well. The climax was way more intense than I expected, but there were still humorous moments thrown in. Overall, I really loved this book and will definitely recommend it to friends and patrons.

I thought that this book was really strong. I’ve read a couple other Katherine Center books and have loved all of them! The way that she transports you into the world is so immersive. The setting for Key West, the people that she is around, and the connections that Katie makes all add so much to this story. I thought the job was such a unique aspect and I loved reading about something that I have never heard about before. Obviously Hutch was the perfect male main character and was so love able. I first read The Bodyguard by her 2 years ago, and I absolutely fell in love. This story was just as addicting and love able. I enjoyed it so much!!

Thank you Netgalley so much for letting me read this arc. I love Katherine Center's books. Her last book, The Rom Commers was where I knew she would be an autobús author for me. The was emotional, funny, and lighthearted. I can't wait for the physical copy to be released.

I love Katherine Center, but this was not it for me. Katie, a grown woman who inexplicably doesn’t know what the Coast Guard is, travels to Key West to film a documentary about a hot, super hot rescue swimmer. Her main challenges are wearing a bathing suit, a 170 pound dog that keeps inexplicably putting her in harmful situations, a terrible man at work who is also the super hot guy’s brother, and not understanding how hurricanes work.

Speaking more on the bathing suit, a large portion of this book deals with body image and self love. Now I understand any woman, size 0 to infinity, can have body image issues. And while I appreciate her journey for self love, as an actual plus size woman, it just felt absurd for how much of this story she’s concerned about weight, only for our very hot man to reassure her about how very hot she is.

Thank you to Net Galley for a free e-book in exchange for this honest review.

I wasn't sure about this one for the first half but then it got a lot better. I think could've helped to have trigger warning for eating disorders and body image issues since I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy. I did end up liking the romance in the end.

Everything that Katherine Center has ever written has been the perfect love story, and this was no exception. I need to reread The Bodyguard again to see which book of the two takes the top spot, but this one was one of my faves! The last bit of this book had my heart racing. I will say that this book was a little different than what I expected--surprisingly, more of this book was focused on the quest to love her body versus loving someone else (which is totally fine). The only thing I didn't really care for was the whole Cole plotline, but everything else was great. And as always, the Author's Note made me smile.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Love Haters in exchange for an honest review!

It's a DNF for me. The last few Katherine Centers books just haven't hit for me & this one was entirely too specific about our FMC calories eaten per day (with no tw/cw for restricting or food/calorie counting - not a tw for me, but also not what I really want in a romcom). I adore her books, but I just couldn't get past this & a friend told me it didn't get much better so it's a DNF. I think it'll be great for some, but just not for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @katherinecenter for an early copy of this book I was so excited to read it.

First off any book with a Great Dane will win my heart. I absolutely love dogs in books and George Bailey was such a good addition.

I had such a fun time reading this book. It was exactly what I expected from a Katherine Center book in the best way possible. I didn’t know much about the Coast Guard and it was so fun to read about. I also loved Hutch and Katie. They had such a fun dynamic and so much depth to their characters. The characters who really stole the show for me were Rue and The Gals. I absolutely loved them. I love when side characters add so much to the plot. Overall I loved this book and would definitely recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review🤍

TW: ED, body shaming, discussions of negative body image

This was a very heartwarming and raw book that dealt with very heavy subject matter in a realistic way. I love all the relationships in the book and the romance was adorable. I laughed, cried and had a good time despite having a fear of large bodies of water. However, there were some cringey moments and I have a hard time almost universally with miscommunication/third act breakup. Good news is this one doesn’t last long.

I love Katherine Center and this book was right up there for me. She’s such a great writer and she develops such interesting, complex, relatable characters. I loved the female friendships in this book as much as the main romantic storyline. I also found the whole thing interesting, entertaining, and very readable. The only drawback was that parts of the plot were a bit outlandish and I had some trouble suspending disbelief. But overall, another winner.

This was classic Katherine Center to me - sweet, cheesy characters, and a great rom com. I loved the ending - I actually laughed out loud about one little detail. With that said, it was a slow start for me to get invested with the characters and I found it a little boring at times. Not my favorite by this author, but absolutely worth a read!

4.5/5

First off, I would like to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and the publisher for giving me this temporary ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are honest and completely my own.

Katie, a videographer, is faced with a challenge of filming Hutch, a Coast Guardman in Key West, in order to save her career. Both of them have been hurt by love in their pasts, and Katie also struggles with self-confidence in her appearance that she swears off wearing any color. But when she arrives in Key West, she meets a lovely and vivacious women named Rue, who helps her rediscover color and freedom of being herself. Beanie, Katie's cousin and best friend also helps Katie build her self-confidence. This summary barely scratches the surface of the complexity and roller coaster this book is.
One thing that I love is the support and encouragement that the characters show Katie. Katie truly find family in these people, and as the reader I grew to love each one of them.
I love the ending of the book, but I do wish there was more of the two characters together, because it is a slow burn, I feel like they only got their big moment in the last chapter and epilogue which covered a lot of updates on all the characters.
Another thing I love is the plot. As I was reading, I was rooting for each character and was hooked into the plot. There is not a dull moment in this book.

Highly recommend this book if you love slow burn, no spice, a roller-coaster of a romance. Katherine Center never disappoints with her romance books, I can't wait to buy this book when it comes out and recommend it to more people.

I had high, HIGH hopes for this one right out of the gate. Sadly, I wasn’t as blown away as I’d hoped I’d be. It started off a bit slow for me and I wasn’t truly entertained until around the 25% mark. I thought we had turned a corner but then Cole came into the picture and when I tell you; I was FUMING. I almost DNF’d it; I was that mad about it. But I prevailed and ultimately it ended up how I was hoping it would. Rue, the Gals, and George Bailey were definitely my favorite characters. But the way that Hutch noticed her pie slice of brown eye and stole her flower clip; swoon!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

(SPOILERS AHEAD) I will be rating this book 3.5 stars. There were parts of the book that I really really liked and then there were parts that just fell flat for me. As usual, Katherine Center created two love interests who I felt were really well suited for each other. My problem was that I did not feel like there was enough romance build up shown between the two. Additionally, the beginning of the story was very slow for me. I understand that one of the main points of the plot was self love for Katie but I found that it kind of took over the story to a point where it was annoying me. Furthermore, at the end when Katie is literally stuck in the middle of the ocean and gets rescued by Hutch disappointed me. There wasn’t enough time between that and the end of the story to really work out all of the emotions of that event. It was a really traumatic thing that happened to Katie and I don’t feel like the emotions were explored enough. I wanted yearning and crying and groveling and Hutch being so out of his mind worried that we could feel his emotions. That specific part of the book fell flat. Overall, I do recommend this book because there were parts that I enjoyed and I feel like those parts overshadowed the parts that fell flat.

Another book by my favorite author! I saved this one to read after a particularly tough week. I struggled to get into the book for the first 30%, however the second half really picked up and brought everything together. I am rating the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I felt like the miscommunication trope was overused. Just talk it out people! Overall another delight with a satisfying happy ending.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for making this book available in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a heartwarming rom com that delivers everything you’d want in a feel-good read. The story is centered around the relatable heroine, Katie, who is navigating personal insecurities, particularly around her body image and past relationships. Thanks to her best friend and cousin, Beanie, who challenges her to think positively about herself, you can’t help but root for her while she rediscovers her confidence and self-worth.

At the heart of it all is Hutch, the absolutely adorable and swoon-worthy male lead. He is a true gentleman and honestly, his kindness, patience, and unwavering support make him the kind of book boyfriend you can’t help but fall for. Alongside them is Aunt Rue, a delightfully quirky and wise lady who adds humor and warmth, offering sage advice and a touch of mischief to keep things interesting. She brings the chaotic and colorful to Katie’s “beige” life.

While the novel is mostly a cozy, wholesome romance, it does have just enough drama to keep things engaging—especially toward the end. But in true Katherine Center fashion, everything comes together in a way that feels satisfying and genuine, leading to a perfectly happy ending that leaves you with a smile. The balance of humor, heartfelt moments, and a touch of tension makes The Love Haters a standout, especially for readers who love stories about love, self-acceptance, and personal growth. It’s the kind of book that feels like a warm hug—charming, uplifting, and impossible to put down.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

Katie will do almost anything to try to save her job, including faking a relationship and pretending she knows how to swim. She heads to the Keys to do a story on her fake boyfriend’s brother the Coast Guard Rescue hero Hutch. Fake relationship fiascos, workplace dramatics, canine hijinks, and wicked weather ensue.

It was so easy to root for Katie and Hutch. I couldn’t wait for them to get through the obstacles that were thrown at them. I also loved Katie’s relationships with Rue and the ladies and seeing Katie’s progression in her relationship with herself. I felt connection with the main characters and wanted to know more about them.

Thank you Katherine Center and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC via NetGalley. Comments and opinions above are my own.

#TheLoveHaters #NetGalley

Katherine Center can do no wrong in my eyes, and this was no different! Once I started this, I couldn’t put it down, and I stayed up until 3 am finishing 🥲.

The internal monologue of Katie had me cracking up so many times, especially a certain scene with a Great Dane, some splinters, and some haunches lol. I loved how this was just as much of a story about Katie falling in love with herself as it was her falling in love with Hutch. Hutch was just so cool, calm, and collected and loved her exactly the way she needed to be loved and I LOVED how flabbergasted he got when he finds out how she feels about herself.

My only complaint would be I wish we saw a few more scenes of Katie and Hutch on the job or just hanging out together. I feel like we got a lot of Katie’s journey with herself and then some of the journey with Hutch was sped through and just left me wanting a little bit more. Especially the epilogue… I wanted more Hutch!

All in all, Hutch is the biggest sweetheart and green flag MMC, George Bailey is the perfect book dog and can do no wrong, Aunt Rue and the Gals were such a delight every time we saw them on page, and Katie was so relatable and so real that I loved reading her story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced digital copy 🫶🏼 all my thoughts are my own.