Katie Vaughn has been going through it. Her boyfriend, turned music star, turned fiancé, turned ex-fiancé is touring the world with his new girlfriend, his fans are still commenting on her body and shaming her. Her job is on the line with layoffs on the horizon. Her boss, Cole wants her to go to Key West to do a piece on his brother, Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer. Katie wants to go to show her worth; however, Katie cannot swim, but she will figure that out in Key West.

Once in Key West, Katie meets Aunt Rue, her friends, Hutch, and his dog, George Bailey. She learns to swim, and things seem to being going swimmingly until Cole and her main boss show up.

I love Katherine Center. She is an auto read author for me. Her books suck me in from the moment I start reading until the end. The Love Haters is a book about second chances, found family, self-love, being honest, vulnerable, taking chances, and being brave!

Thank you Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Totally obsessed! Seriously, Hutch is a cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs. I mean, I was hooked on him from the start. It took me a little while to get into the story at first, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I was a little worried it was going to be all about Katie hating her body, but it was actually really relatable to see her grow and change. The side characters were great too, especially Rue! I want to be Rue when I grow up. She's so vibrant and loves life and her friends. I wish we saw more of Hutch and Katie together as a couple. OMG, I would have loved to get Hutch's POV! The things he said to Katie were so sweet, and I just know his inner thoughts would have been amazing. Seriously, read this book! You won't regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

“The Love Haters” by Katherine Center follows Katie Vaughn, a video producer whose job is on the chopping block. When a higher up colleague, Cole, offers Katie a chance to save her job, she takes on the project- a promotional video for the Coast Guard. But the project is sticky. Cole’s brother, who he hates, is the main subject of the video and old issues emerge. Katie becomes stuck in a web of lies she never told, but has to keep.
Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! Her books are always colorful, fun, and the perfect splash of romcom that I simply can’t put down. “The Love Haters” fit that theme perfectly.
I love love loved Katie and Hutch, Cole’s brother, together. It was kind of refreshing to step back from the enemies to lovers trope and just enjoy two people who are clearly falling for each other. Is there miscommunication? Sure. But there’s definitely a more lighthearted air to this book than other romances I’ve read recently.
Overall, this book was an easy 5 stars for me. I loved the plot, the characters, honestly I loved it all.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC!

When you are a big fan of a particular author and you read their newest book, they have the misfortune of not just having their book reviewed on its own, but also in comparison to the others that came before it. As someone who loved Katherine Center’s last book, The Love Haters came in with really large shoes to fill, and while I cute romance, it didn’t fill those shoes for me.

I’d like to be clear when I say, this book is an adorable romance, a good read that provides a respite from a stressful world for 380+ pages. In typical Katherine Center fashion, our FMC Katie has a distinct personality and a quirkiness that makes a reader like reading about her. The MMC Hutch is a typical good guy with a tough exterior that we want to see cracked. Their interactions made me go “aww” every time.

One of my main problems with this book is that it’s all over the place. I wish we got more moments of Katie and Hutch instead of summaries of their time together. Instead we get a bunch of background that’s unnecessary for the story…Cole and Sullivan, Lucas to name a few. I love Katherine Center books because within the romance there normally lies a positive message we learn from the characters, and this book is no different, but I think Katie’s struggles (which are used to give us this message) overshadow the romance at times. There are also parts of the plot that are very random and were not my favorite.

While cute, this was not my favorite Katherine Center book. Will I read her next one? For sure. This book still broke me out of a mini slump and lifted my spirits, it’s just not one I’ll be rereading anytime soon. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads.

**Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I appreciate the opportunity!!**

3.5⭐️! There is something so comforting about reading any Katherine Center book. The characters feel real and relatable and the banter is incredible! I love the overall premise of the book and found it to be quite unique. I also really enjoyed how there were more serious topics discussed throughout, such as eating disorders, grief, trauma, etc. I only wish that this book were longer and certain parts were more fleshed out. The miscommunication between Katie and Hutch, Katie and Cole, and Cole and Hutch felt a bit glossed over, in the sense that we learned about the miscommunication and were given a simple explanation for why it happened, but I would have liked some more details and further explanations. I feel like this would have added some merit to the conflict instead of just having miscommunications for the sake of having a conflict. But overall, I really enjoyed, as I do with all. Of Katherine Centers books, and I will be recommending and purchasing a copy for myself once it’s released!

This book was a bit disappointing for me. The story was good. But there was hardly any romance. Every time there was a chance for romance it didn’t happen.

Videographer, Katie is sent by her boss to cover the amazing story of rescue diver, Hutch. There are so many lies told in order to get her there and get the story told. In the meantime she falls in love with Hutch but can’t act on it.

3.5 stars rounded up. I have read all of Katherine Center's books, and in my opinion, they are all good. This one is not my favorite. For me, parts of it were drawn out too much. I did really enjoy the characters and the Key West setting. I also appreciated the self-love theme she had.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you're not reading Katherine Center, you should be! The Love Haters is perfection. Once I started reading The Love Haters, I didn't want to put it down.

3 stars

a perfect summer romcom! We follow Katie on her quest to save her career in a paradisiac, sun-soaked setting. Her mission? convincing the stubborn and selfless Hutch—our swoon-worthy male lead with a savior complex—to share one of his heroic rescue stories. I was thoroughly enjoying the ride until a major miscommunication entered the picture, dimming the novel’s spark a bit. but that’s just personal preference, as I’m not a fan of this arc in romance. If you’re craving something fresh, vibrant, and fast-paced, this book is for you!

many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a heartwarming romance about self-acceptance and love. It follows Katie, a video producer profiling a Coast Guard swimmer, Hutch, despite her fear of swimming. This is a feel good book that is full of humor. Katie and Hutch are relatable characters that you will quickly fall in love with.

Clean, single POV romance.

I absolutely love the ability authors have to show you from a single POV what other characters are feeling when the character whose POV you have doesn’t even realize it! And Katherine Center does this exceptionally well in The Love Haters.

There is fantastic tension throughout, making this book hard to put down!

4.5 because I guessed one plot twist.

Readers who are looking for a wholesome, clean, funny romance will likely enjoy this one! It’s an easy read with a positive message and an interesting group of characters (I want to be Rue when I grow up!). While this isn’t my favorite book that I’ve read by Center, I still very much enjoyed this one and appreciated it as a more lighthearted read. Katherine Center is a master at writing books that are so immersive that I forget about the daily stressors and can just live in her stories for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is May 20, 2025.

Katherine Center’s books feel like a brightly colored cupcake. The characters find themselves in the most ridiculous situations and you’re willing to suspend your disbelief out of pure enjoyment just to see what will happen next. The Love Haters is no exception, with main characters encountering real problems and actual lives, friends, and families outside of their love interest. If you want something fun with two characters you’ll root for from the start, this should be next on your list.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

The Love Haters 🚁

Mini Review ⬇️

ARC - Pub Date May 20

Katherine Center’s books are always such fun reads. That being said this one wasn’t my fav of hers but I still enjoyed it in the end 🩷🧡🩵

I found the first half very slow but I am glad I stuck it out because the rest of the book made up for it 😊

All the things you love in KC’s books are all still here. Humour, fun characters, light drama and unique storylines. Definitely still worth the read 💝

The communication trope is never my favorite, and this book is 60% miscommunication and 40% a girl trying to figure out how to love herself. This was not my favorite Katherine Center book.. but I would read other books by her in the future.

I love Katherine Center! She is all things bright, shiny, happy! In her latest book, Katie and Hutch are each billed as “love haters,” but their story reads as anything but.

Katie, a Dallas based videographer, is willing to do anything in an attempt to keep her job off the chopping block, including swearing she can swim in order to get this next assignment. She very much cannot. Hutch, a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer estranged from his brother, Katie’s co-worker, is the subject of Katie’s latest project. Along the way, Katie and Hutch find they really enjoy each other, but things go awry when one too many untruths spoil their connection. Throw in the charming Aunt Rue and her “Gals,” a 160 pound rescue Great Dane who’s terrified of thunder, and a category 4 hurricane and you have Katherine Center’s next joyful love story!

One of the most refreshing aspects of this story is witnessing Katie grow past a history of body shame. Her courage to try one new thing at a time, to appreciate one new aspect of her body at a time, and to bravely let go of one fear at a time was so encouraging. Additionally, her inner dialog and the progression of her positive self-talk were so lovely to “witness.” Katherine Center addresses this serious subject matter with her characteristic humor AND vulnerability. She is a gem!

5 very enthusiatic stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC

I’m at that stage in my life where I feel like I relate more to adult characters in contemporary romance novels than teenage characters, which is odd to me. Enter The Love Haters, I related to both of these characters more than I thought I would even though they are most likely 10 years older than me. Now I realize the age of the character doesn’t really matter. Katie is probably the most relatable character to me out there, she’s passionate, she wonders why nobody ever truly loves her (she doesn’t even love herself). I loved seeing Katie’s character growth throughout the story and how she filled her black and beige world with color (literally and figuratively). I genuinely think most people will be able to relate to her. Omg and the Author’s Note! That spoke to my soul honestly and reminded me why I love Katherine Center even though I would not consider myself a rom-com reader. She writes a love story about two imperfect people with relatable flaws falling in love with not only each other but themselves. This was truly beautiful!

3.5 stars
This was my first Katherine Center book. I really enjoyed how fleshed out her characters were, I enjoyed the supporting characters like cousin Beanie, the gals, and Hutch’s Aunt Rue. I enjoyed the setting being in a beautiful and relaxing “resort” style small- town, beach area. My biggest gripe was that there was so much conflict and some of it kind of felt like it was reaching. Like it all tied together fairly well, I’ll give you that, it was just a lot. The misunderstanding trope, the “fake relationship” Katie didn’t even know she was in, the cougars boss showing up, the storm. It was SO much and then the ending was so open ended that I wish we were given more of an epilogue or something due to how much conflict we went through.
Just my opinion, of course.

📖 Book Review 📖 Maybe the world has always been classified by love lovers and love haters…Katie has been burned in the past and has a lot of trauma to work through (totally get that!) but she can’t sit around anymore without asserting some control into her life. Enter the opportunity to take on a new challenge in the Keys, it may come with a bit of truths stretched but she is determined to rise to the occasion. Meeting the beyond handsome Hutch, a renowned love hater really tests this theory…and pushes some boundaries in the best way possible! Splash in a Great Dane and an eccentric Aunt Rue and readers are in for a real treat with Katherine Center’s The Love Haters.