Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors due to her ability to write stories that provide an escape. She does this in The Love Haters with the witty banter, sunny Key West setting, and an adorable dog with anxiety.

However, I'm torn on this review. and would give it 3.5 stars. Where there were many parts that I liked, as mentioned, the overall story was hard for me to connect with and ultimately this is one was not my favorite of hers. The storyline felt a bit forced and was heavily based on secrets and miscommunications which just doesn't work for me. I found myself frustrated rather than enjoying the story at times. I feel like there was a lot going on with each character and not enough time to fully develop those stories, which also was a bit distracting.

Overall an entertaining story and a quick, enjoyable read. There were parts that I did not connect with very much, but I was still able to enjoy the book and was eager to see how things all played out for Katie and Hutch.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Katie Vaughn is an incredible FMC. She's witty, self-deprecating, and delightfully messy in all the best ways. Katie is 100% retable, and I was rooting for her as she fumbled through her professional crises and personal insecurities, trying not to be attracted to the new subject of her video for work. Hutch, pause for the swoon, is the definition of a cinnamon roll hero. He is strong and capable on the outside but secretly the sweetest. He is a hero of the Coast Guard, and she can't swim. The tension between them builds in the best way possible.

The banter is funny; the situations are gloriously chaotic. Katie is the complete opposite of Hutch, which leads to adorable and laughable moments thanks partly to a Great Dane. The story also weaves in emotional themes of responsibility and personal growth. Katie is finding self-love and confidence, facing fears, and realizing being honest with yourself can be difficult. Honestly, this is the best Rom-Com. It delivers all the feels. The perfect opposites attract romance with undeniable chemistry. I highly, highly recommend it!

I was gifted an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

The Love Haters was such a fun ride! I really connected with the characters, which was my issue with Katherine Center's previous book, Rom-Commers. The main character, Katie Vaughn, struggles with a tough romantic past, body image issues, and the impending possibility of losing her video producer job if she doesn't take on a challenging assignment that she's not really qualified for. The job to film a Coast Guard promo turns out to be more complicated than expected, but the characters she meets in Key West help her change her perspective on so many things.

I attended an author event with Katherine Center last summer and she honestly reignited a love and appreciation for rom-com style books that I'd previously written off as "predictable". But as Katherine said, if you're surprised by the ending of a rom com, someone didn't do their job. Not only did Love Haters satisfy my need for a feel good love story, it did still manage some small surprises along the way. The Key West setting was fun and almost all of the characters were likable in their own way. I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my review.

Another great read from Katherine Center. The Love Haters is a story about a woman’s journey to saving her job and learning to love herself through the process. With amazing side characters, personal growth for the FMC and twists you weren’t expecting in a rom-com, this book has it all. I was literally cackling with laughter one page and crying with sadness the next. Great read. Highly recommend.

Katherine Center is one of my favourite autoread romance author. I appreciate how she weaves a funny romance in with depth as she covers more difficult topics. The commentary on body image and self-acceptance was strong alongside a narrative about grief and accepting one's past. I absolutely was on the edge of my seat during the final pages! Additionally, the author's note at the end has my heart swelling and on the verge of tears. Another great read from Center!

Another amazing Katherine Center book! I love all of her books but this one is definitely towards the top for me! I felt bonded with the main character, Katie, right away and I felt Katherine tacked the tough topic of learning to love yourself beautifully. I can’t wait to own a physical copy as well!

Katie's video production job is in jeopardy, so she's desperate for a way to prove herself to her boss. When coworker Cole gives her an assignment he doesn't want to do, she jumps at the chance. So what if she can't swim and as a qualification for the assignment she needs to be able to save herself from an upside-down helicopter submerged in water?

Cole doesn't want the assignment because it's following his Coast Guard hero brother Hutch -- a guy who literally saves lives in search and rescue missions. Video production can't compete with that. But Katie arrives to find a hostile Hutch, who only agreed to do this project because it would bring his brother home.

Sparks fly, family drama kills the mood more than a few times, and impending danger from a hurricane amp up the stakes in this enemies-to-lovers romance. Recommended for all romance readers, but especially Katherine Center fans.

I am rounding this review to 3.5 stars. Meet Katie, our main character, who is at a low point in her life. Katie's former fiance became a famous pop singer and well, he cheated on her very publicly. People online have said horrible things about Katie. That brings us to love story #1. Katie needs to fall in love with herself, or, at least like herself again.

Katie is a filmmaker who takes a job in Key West to make a film about her coworker's brother, Hutch, who is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Only caveat is knowing how to swim is a requirement of the job. Katie can't swim.

Things get fun and heat up once we get to Key West. There's a fun, colorful aunt, Rue, and her friends, The Gals. There's the good-looking rescue swimmer and his 160 pound rescue Great Dane, George Bailey.

I really was enjoying this book until I got to a plot twist about 60 or 65% of the way through. Things got a little bit ridiculous for a whole, I thought. But I thought the ending was good. So, all in all, if you like Katherine Center romcoms, give this one a try once it comes out. You may not like it as much as some of her others, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Katherine Center tackles another incredibly serious and relevant topic head-on with heart, and vibrant characters that could be our neighbors. She did well in this one too. The topic is incredibly relevant and will touch many readers. I did feel, however that the romantic side was lacking and finished the story wanting some better resolution.

Showing love for each one of us, she’s able to tackle tough topics while simultaneously showing us that we are all stronger than we realize. That no matter the obstacles we face, we can overcome them, especially if we let those that love us help.

Katie Vaughn is afraid of being seen. So much so that she doesn’t realize that her ex fiancé never knew her eye color. Katie doesn’t exactly know her own eye color. She’s afraid of looking at herself.

While working on a film project for work - one that would leave her jobless if it didn’t work out - she meets Hutch. Hutch, the subject of her film project has a past of his own that he’s hiding.

While this story addresses negative body image, and bullying/online bullying, it’s also got heroes. The everyday kind that are kind, generous, and understanding, but also the rare kind. The rare heroes that put themselves between the bullies and the bullied and stand up for them. This It’s another laugh-out-loud, angsty, hear-throbbing romance about everyday people -heroes- like us.

I loved this book! It might be my favorite Katherine center book to date. I loved Katie’s character and body image struggles. Hutch was a great male lead. Rue and the gals were a fun side character. I learned about the coast guard and got to read a sweet romance!

Solid 4.5 stars for me! The drama 2/3 of the way in was a little odd for me but I absolutely loved Katie and Hutch, and I adored Rue, The Gals, and George Bailey too! Katherine Center's books always find a way to make me laugh, cry, and swoon and this was no exception 🧡
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC 🧡

I usually enjoy Katherine Center's rom-coms but this one fell a little flat for me. I loved Rue and the gals but the other characters felt underdeveloped. I had a hard time falling in love with the main characters as they fell in love. There was a lot going on with the unnecessary lying plot, the ill advised hurricane plot and the body dysphoria. All were tied up a little too quickly and easily at the end.

While this was a fun and quick read, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief over some of the character situations
— Cole’s whole arc—and past issues of the MMC— including how the brothers came to be raised by Rue.
Katie’s negative self talk, while seemingly important for the plot of the book, was also at times hard to read. Hutch and George Bailey, Rue and the Gals, and Beanie were on the other hand, interesting and exciting to read about.

Center does a great job of making sure the characters have a happy ending, but this one felt a little rushed.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded down

At first, I thought I could easily see where this story would go, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were plot lines that drove the story away from “typical romance” and into material that was just a bit deeper. I really enjoyed this story of a female filmmaker navigating an emotional breakup and taking on a new experience, helping her along a path of self acceptance and welcoming new people into her life. The male lead’s story explains so much more and makes him a far more dimensional character than expected. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the Author, as well as readers that want some romance with a plot that is gives it enough weight to make you think!

The fact that the dog was my favorite part of the book should say something. I am very uncertain of what Center was trying to accomplish with this book. I went into it thinking it was a romance, but it really centered more about insecurity and self love? I wish I could say that I liked it but I really didn’t. The first 50 percent of the book was Katie (main character) talking about the insecurities with her body, weight, and fear of swimsuits. As a woman in today’s society, I understand the pressure that woman are under to look a certain way, but I really don’t want to read 150 pages about how someone doesn’t like their body. Thankfully towards the end of the book that changed, but that really took away from the enjoyment of the book. Also the drama of the ending, really just felt so unrealistic and unrelatable.

Katie is a videographer. She is on the brink of losing her job, when she is thrown a lifeline. Cole, her boss, tasked her with filming a video promo for the US Coast Guard. She accepts despite not knowing how to swim AND the fact that she is going to have to film “The Love Hater” Hutch. Hutch, an everyday hero, keeps to himself. After rescuing Jennifer Anniston’s dog and going viral, he does not want any recognition or fame. He half heartedly agrees for the video to support his brother. Katie arrives in the beautiful Key West and begins shadowing Hutch on te job. She also begins taking swim lessons with him. The work/life proximity forces them to spend a lot of time together and Hutch finally opens up to Katie. They begin to fall for each other until Cole (his brother) comes into town and stirs things up. Not only is Cole stirring things up personally, a hurricane is on its way to Key West forcing Hutch to leave and Katie to make a choice: to leave or stay for the man/dog she loves.

Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors and this book may be my favorite of her works to date. I loved the characters especially our main character Katie. I enjoyed reading her adventure and seeing her face her personal challenges and to grow. I loved the side characters we meet in the story and the chaos they could sometimes bring. The romance storyline was great and I enjoyed learning more about the coast guard rescue teams. I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read.
Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced arc of the book.

This book is a warm hug on a stormy night, it’s a cup of tea soothing a sore throat & it’s a hug from that best friend you’ve missed for months.

I know three things for sure when I am picking up a Katherine Center book:
1. I am going to learn something. It may be about a profession, it may be a new technique, it may be about poisonous toads, but I will have learned something.
2. It will feel like going to therapy in the best way. Katherine has the most beautiful way of writing through her characters to say exactly what I need to hear in that moment.
3. It’s going to have a beautiful cover. Honestly, her books have a dedicated spot on my bookshelves because they are so beautiful & I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As far as The Love Haters goes, it had me kicking my feet, crying, giggling out loud, and gasping like my house was on fire. I am a sucker for first-responder romances & this was the perfect Katherine Center take. I honestly can’t decide if this is my favorite Katherine Center book or if The Bodyguard is my favorite.

I have to say, as I was reading this, I could just picture Katherine, sitting at her computer with a mirror by her feet, flexing her ankles back and forth, trying to find all the different parts of the ankle to fangirl over. It made me giggle as I was reading those scenes. But in all seriousness, as I said above, Katherine has a way of writing that gets straight to the heart of what I need to hear every single time. I highlighted more in this book than I have any other book I’ve read in the past year. I am already planning to have quite a few of those quotes hanging on my wall very shortly.

Katherine Center, I don’t know how you always do it but you do! The love haters was so beautifully written. As with every book she writes, I loved the cast of characters, the community, Rue and the gals, the different types of love- romantic, self, friend, found family, pet etc. I loved the story of Katie and Hutch. 4.5 stars - I really wish we had gotten Hutch’s POV or more of him in general. ⭐️

Make sure to read her authors note at the end- so beautiful! 🥰😭.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I actually have yet to read a Katherine Center book that I don't like. Katie is about to lose her job. He co worker Cole sets her up with a job that he was asked to do to help keep her job. She has to prepare to work filming Hutch, a rescue swimmer. However, Katie doesn't know how to swim. She also has zero self confidence. This book is a story of conquering fears, learning self worth and what and who are important in life. So much love and selflessness, with a splash of humor, sibling conflict and .... there's a dog.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. What a read! I always love Katherine Center’s books but this was unputdownable. I was invested from the start with Katie and the tenuous state of her job overriding her personal fears and insecurities. I felt her anxiety about water but learned so much about water rescue. It’s not getting me on a helicopter anytime soon but if I had a Hutch, I could potentially be convinced. Hutch and Katie’s butterfly inducing chemistry made me swoon between heartfelt messaging about body insecurity and grief. So good I can’t wait to reread.