A sweet and heartwarming romance that also gets the heart pumping with some action-packed chapters in the third act. It was a cathartic read and a series of love stories within the one book--between Katie and Hutch; Katie and Beanie; Hutch, Cole, and Rue; and most importantly Katie and her self.

Katie was a well-developed protagonist and her conversations with her ride-or-die Beanie added emotional and comedic depth to her story. She possessed keen self-awareness and her narrative voice was engaging. I adored how you could see her self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-love grew with each page. Some of her affirmations and love, in the face of a slew of vitriolic online comments, were beautiful and moving. Moreover, it was impactful that some of her issues with her self-image predated her previous relationship, showing how negative talk from both the self and others can impact young people.

Hutch was a dreamy love interest and likewise had a well-developed backstory. He expressed a range of emotions, from sweet and caring with Rue, Katie, and George Bailey to protective and competent at work. The motifs of the hibiscus, the pennies, and the pie-in-the-eye were sweet and employed deftly. George Bailey the dog was a scene-stealer! To round out the principal cast, Cole was a bit of a caricature at times (though this served the story), Rue was a sweet and quirky old lady, and The Gals served as delightful matchmakers.

Katherine Center did a good job of grounding Katie's experiences in reality and respectfully discussed disordered eating, anxiety, exposure therapy, and grounding techniques, for example. This is the first book of hers I've read, and it certainly won't be the last! I'd highly recommend in the contemporary romance genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Admittedly biased as I am a huge Katherine Center fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cute lighthearted story about Katie and Hutch - what started out as a work assignment becomes much more. Feel good story from start to finish. Great character development throughout. Highly recommend!!

I was unfortunately disappointed with this one. Let me start with the dislikes so we can end on a good note. My main complaint was that I was never hooked or really connected to the characters or their story together. Although the premise was different than your average romance which was promising, it was honestly pretty random, confusing and hard to follow for the first 30%. I loved some of the side characters but really hated the best friend Beanie and her approach to the body dysmorphia and eating disordered discussion with the FMC. Those are such sensitive issues that the character handles so poorly. Overall I wanted to love it but didn’t.

To say that I LOVED The Love Haters by Katherine Center is an understatement. I adored every minute of getting to know Katie (who would be my best friend in real life), Hutch, Rue, and George Bailey, aka the best fictional dog I've ever met.

When Katie's work superior sends her on an assignment to film a promotional video for the Coast Guard, she says that she knows how to swim (she doesn't...) and heads to sunny Florida.
In her black t-shirt and black jeans.
But Rue immediately dresses her in bright colors and slowly but surely starts to change her outlook on life, one vibrant co!or at a time....

Rue's nephew Hutch is the subject of Katie's documentary video and the original love hater according to his own brother. As he teaches Katie to swim and lets her bond with his ginormous teddy bear of a dog, Katie sees another side to Hutch. There's potential for a real friendship to grow until a comedy of errors unfolds and Katie finds herself struggling - literally and figuratively- to stay afloat.

I'm so grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Katherine Center's books never fail to melt my heart and make me laugh out loud, and The Love Haters delivered on every level. Definitely one of the best reads of 2025.

I really wanted to love this book. Katherine Center is an amazing author and I really loved "The Bodyguard" and "Hello Stranger", but this book was a tough read for me.

As always, the dialogue between characters was so good! I also thought the overall plot was fun. Katie is a Videographer who is sent by her boss Cole to work on a project down in the keys. Unbeknownst to her, the project she is sent to do requires her to swim. Which is a problem because she doesn't know how to swim, and she has major problems with body image. The thought of being in a bathing suit terrifies her. Conveniently her boss's brother Hutch, volunteers to be her swim teacher and helps her conquer her issues with body image issues by telling her how beautiful she is. (We all know that works every time...)

The plot was fun.. but the body image issues felt a little dragged out. I also felt like the plot was disjointed and unbelievable at times. The biggest example of this is the hurricane. There was supposedly a lot of thunder and lightning, which happens but is very rare for a hurricane. She also somehow manages to drive into an evacuation zone to board a houseboat, which is also not believable.

I still think Katherine Center is an amazing author and am excited to see what she comes out with next! This one just wasn't for me.

The Love Haters is a Classic rom-com! Filled with funny antics, meet-cute moments and a few twists along the way to HEA. If you’ve enjoyed Katherine Center’s other books you are sure to like this one. And if you haven’t read her yet, this is a good one to start with when it publishes in May!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

The Love Haters was my first Katherine Center book! I am definitely a huge FAN of her writing. I am so excited to check out other novels that she has written. Love Haters introduces us to a woman named Katie who is scared she is going to lose her job due to budget cuts. She gets assigned to shadow a Military Rescue man who is extremely private named Hutch. As the story unfolds, their relationship begins to blossom. This was a romantic comedy and I devoured it!

I normally adore Katherine Center books but this one just drug on for me. I didn’t really like the characters and it just didn’t feel like her other books. Still a huge fan of course :)

Listen, Katherine Center books just get me. Every time. 
When we meet Katie, she's recovering (emotionally/mentally) from a very public breakup from her now very public fiance. She's been hard on herself, she's been mean to herself, and worst of all, she's listening to those few nasty trolls on the internet. When there's a notice of layoffs at work, she's handed a project by Cole Hutcherson in an attempt to save her job - all she has to do is pretend to be able to swim, make a fantastic video on the US Coast Guard and Cole's brother, and try to squeeze in her own side project while she's down there. Easy peasy! 
One thing I love most about Katherine Center's book is her character development. Immediately I felt like I knew Katie, I knew her struggles, I wanted to be her friend and help her. Enter the cast of supporting characters: Hutch - who doesn't want him looking out for you? Rue - we would be so lucky to have her bring some color into our lives. Cole - okay, he didn't have me rooting for him... The Gals - give me a group of older lady friends and an occasional congo line and I'm set for life! And Beanie??? We all need a Beanie in our corner, no question about it. The way these people surrounded Katie and were helping her heal her old wounds, some without even realizing it, was really special to read. Like in most of KC's books, the romance is there but it's not necessarily the pulse point of the story. I loved Katie and Hutch's banter and relationship building, but I really struggled with the Cole interference and justification. Not sure we needed that to add the confusion and take up space because the "being in love" didn't really come across the page to me at that point. While the ending goes a little over the rail, it comes back around with a good ol' epilogue that I more than enjoyed. 
This is going to be a great summer read for all of us looking for a little love and color in our lives. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Katherine Center for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this advanced copy. It was a great escape and beautifully written love story of both romantic love and the process of loving yourself. Katherine had done it again and I’ll gladly continue reading her work.

Love Haters by Katherine Center is absolutely adorable. It centers around Katie, who is a film producer and documentary creator. In an attempt to save her job she's flown to Key West to make a promo film for the US Coast Guard. The catch is she doesn't know how to swim and needs to learn fast! I loved so many characters in this book from Katie, to Hutch (a handsome rescue swimmer), George Bailey (Great Dane), Rue, and The Gals. The story is delightful with ups, downs, and all the heart felt flutters. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a sweet rom-com that would be such a fun movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review!

I want to start by saying this book absolutely needs a content warning regarding the body image/ED issue. Only a few chapters in I was feeling triggered by the main character, and I’m in a good place with my body image right now. Please please include a warning because anyone who has struggled with disordered eating should not be reading this without a warning.

As for the book aside from that, I did enjoy it! There were some really fun, kick-your-feet and giggle moments. It did start to lose me a bit towards the last 1/3 of the book. I didn’t love the way the main character’s body image was handled at all and that’s really what has brought my rating down!

Katie is a video producer in Texas who needs to do something BIG to keep her job. Her colleague, Cole, offers her a gig profiling "Hutch" Hutcheson ("Pup Daddy"), a rescue swimmer in Key West. Needing the break, she doesn't mention that she can't at all swim. When she gets there and Hutch is upset to see her and not Cole, she learns that Cole and Hutch are brothers and have some bad blood; also Hutch is a private guy and specifically requested his brother trying to get him to bury the hatchet. Their Aunt Rue takes Katie in, gives her clothes, a place to stay and allows her to use her car for transportation. She gets attached to both Hatch and Aunt Rue and the gals (the older women who live nearby).

This was super cute. I loved Hutch and Katie. Aunt Rue and The Gals were a hoot and were little schemers! And Hatch's Great Dane, George Bailey, was my favorite. Very body positive, uplifting book. Funny. Sentimental. PG.

Would round down to a 3.5. I really enjoy Katherine Center's writing, and I think there are so many psychologically astute moments in this book. I also adored Rue and her friends. I don't want to spoil the story by explaining what I didn't like about the ending, so I'll just say I have a hard time when someone we're supposed to be cheering for does something _so_ incredibly foolish and makes an immature & potentially deadly choice. I mean, I'm fine with characters making relatable mistakes, showing their humanity etc etc. But this went way beyond that for me. I did find the main characters charming and think the author has a real gift for dialogue.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

I think it's impossible for me to not like something this woman writes. I find her writing style quirky and refreshing - her characters aren't afraid to say what they feel and go against the norm. It feels honest and real. This was a quick one but it feels like the characters really got to know each other in the short time they had together and you were just rooting for everything to work out. But especially George Bailey.

Katherine Center does it again with The Love Haters!

Video Producer Katie Vaughn is at a crossroads - her company is downsizing, but her manager Cole has an opportunity for her to possibly save her job. One problem - the project requires Katie to conquer her greatest fears in life - swimming. Cole has given her a project in the Florida Keys to put together a piece on the Coast Guard - with his brother Hutch as the star. Traveling from Dallas to Florida Katie meets a cast of characters whom any reader would want to hang out with, including the boy’s Aunt Rae and her “golden girls” besties.

Katie and Hutch (whom Cole labeled The Love Hater) don’t hit it off initially - it takes time and the two learn to trust and divulge long kept secrets to each other. Katie’s character definitely grows over the course of the story and Katherine Center does a great job tackling body image issues.

As we know, all great HEAs have a third chapter where curves are thrown and The Love Haters is no different. This time the curve thrown from Cole, and Katie unfortunately goes along with the deception for the sake of Aunt Rae. You’ll have to read TLH to see what happens at the end through, no spoilers here.

Katherine Center will leave readers with a novel that includes finding one’s self worth, love, a Great Dane (hello George Bailey), a hurricane, and some curves thrown in as well.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC - all opinions are my own.

Love Haters by @katherinecenter

My heart swells as I reflect on this book. I was so excited to read an advanced copy, and I was not disappointed. I was hooked from the first page with the words “U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer.” Swoon!

“You couldn’t hate love, could you? Was that even allowed? But, actually . . . what had love ever done for me?”

Katie accepts (or is she coerced into accepting?) an assignment to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. While she has a body that actually gets shamed on social media, he is “the most scientifically good-looking man” she has ever seen. He could never find Katie attractive, or so she thinks. He thinks differently.

Katie and Hutch's relationship story is sweet and fun and funny. But Hutch's idiot brother creates some drama. Another love story, Katie’s enemies-to-lovers story of body-love is threaded throughout the book. I loved that the book was full of happy moments with Katie and Hutch being together and getting to know each other.

Things I loved:
💦The missing hair clip
💦George Bailey
💦Aunt Rue and the Gals
💦Tropical ocean vibes
💦Sectoral heterochromia
💦Swimming lessons
💦Plucking splinters
💦Hutch helps Katie with her culture of self-appreciation

One might say there is some predictability in the plot, but you would be disappointed if it played out otherwise. And it plays out so cute! And really, not entirely predictable. There are plenty of unexpected plot turns, too. Don’t forget, Katherine writes the most thorough epilogues and inspiring author’s notes. “All that love just makes it better.”

I just want to read it again.

Thank you to Katherine and @NetGalley for feeding my Katherine Center addiction with an ARC of The Love Haters.

Katie has a problem. She’s at risk of being laid off at her production company. Her boss has a solution - go to Texas to create a promotion video for the Coast Guard. Unfortunately for Katie, a prerequisite for the job is that she know how to swim. Enter hunky leading man, Hutch. The face of the promotion video and Katie’s new swim teacher.

Katherine Center’s writing style never fails to sweep me off my feet. Overwhelmingly whitty and fun with real emotions. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone looking for a beach read, especially if you’re working on self love!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review

The Love Haters is a delightful rollercoaster of emotions that kept me engaged from start to finish. The story is a perfect blend of humor, drama, and heartfelt moments that made me laugh, cry, and squeal in delight. The witty banter between the characters is top-notch, adding a layer of charm and relatability to the narrative.

One of the standout aspects of the book is how it seamlessly integrates fascinating insights about the Coast Guard. I found myself learning a lot about their operations and the challenges they face, which added depth to the story and made it even more compelling.

And let's not forget George Bailey! The inclusion of a loyal and lovable dog brought an extra dose of warmth and joy to the story.