Just okay for me… FMC took the “acting dumb” approach a few times which I don’t personally enjoy in a novel. Cute & quick of a read & did enjoy MMC Hutch. Some events were clearly unrealistic, but that’s why I guess it’s a fictional rom com right? Can be a seasonal read with 1 POV - but I’d save it & prioritize some others.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a delightful and heartwarming romantic comedy that effortlessly blends humor, romance, and personal growth. Katie Vaughn, a video producer who’s been burned by love in the past, is presented with a career-defining opportunity to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The twist? Katie can’t swim, but in typical rom-com fashion, she pretends to be able to for the sake of the gig.

The story is set against the beautiful backdrop of Key West, where Katie must navigate not only her career but also a complicated relationship with Hutch, who’s not exactly a fan of love or her professional abilities. Adding to the drama is the friction between Hutch and his brother Cole, Katie’s coworker, and the colorful cast of supporting characters, including Hutch’s eccentric aunt and a rescue Great Dane.

As Katie gets deeper into her fake-swimming adventure, she faces comical mishaps, romantic tension, and a few stormy moments—both literal and emotional. From swim lessons to hurricanes, helicopter rides to conga lines, the novel is filled with lively, entertaining moments that propel Katie toward self-discovery and bravery.

At its core, The Love Haters is about overcoming past fears, embracing vulnerability, and learning to trust both others and yourself. Center’s writing is witty and relatable, and Katie’s journey toward healing and love will resonate with anyone who’s ever taken a chance on something—or someone—unexpected. Full of heart, humor, and plenty of romantic tension, this book is a perfect beach read or an escape into a world where love and laughter can heal even the deepest scars.

I really enjoyed this one—especially after the disappointment of The Rom-Commers!

The story follows Katie as she heads to Key West for a work assignment: filming a promotional video for the Coast Guard. Come to find out that the Coast Guard member she’s profiling is her colleague’s brother. To make matters more complicated, Katie has a secret—she can’t swim.

What follows is a fun, engaging story that leans more toward Katie’s personal growth than pure romance. While the romance is sweet, it sometimes feels underdeveloped, and some of Katie’s personal struggles are glossed over rather than fully explored. That said, everything ties together nicely, making for an overall enjoyable read.

Despite its shortcomings, The Love Haters is a light, entertaining book that fans of Katherine Center’s style will likely appreciate!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that examines love, vulnerability, and healing. With her trademark wit and warmth, Center creates relatable characters whose journeys through heartache and self-discovery will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between. This is a heartfelt story about finding unexpected connections and learning to embrace imperfections—perfect for fans of romantic comedies with depth.

This was a very enjoyable read. Katherine Center always teaches me about new subject matter (in a fun way) and it was fascinating to learn about the coast guard and the job of rescue swimmers. I loved the subject matter of Katie's video passion project too and would want to see some of her videos IRL. I found Katie relatable as a main character and I was always rooting for her. Hutch was very noble, patient and loveable and the fact that he had a cute dog was a fun bonus. There were also some good messages about body positivity, facing your fears, and overcoming grief. Definitely recommend.

The Love Haters is a hilarious, steamy, and heartfelt, slow burn romantic comedy. I adore Katherine Center's writing style; her books are never just one genre. She delivers a great romance story where both MCs are struggling with overcoming different aspects of life while sprinkling in her signature humor.

Similar to all of her books, I was hooked from beginning to end, it was so well written and entertaining. The main Mcs (George Bailey included) were great, relatable and compassionate, and the supporting characters were the freaking best.

I love how she handled loss and body positivity. Overall, I just loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I mean it when I say Katherine Center is rising to the top of my author list that I will immediately read anything from. Her writing style is witty, filled with banter and love, yet so poignant in hitting heartwarming (and crushing in the best way) parts of the human experience. I laughed out loud and cried as I zoomed through this in a day, an experience I’m coming to find common when I read Katherine’s books!

Katie is a filmmaker facing the impending doom of being let go from her job. When a co-worker offers her a job-saving opportunity, she immediately says yes… even though she doesn’t technically have the minimum requirements for this job.

Hutch is a literal hero - a Coast Guard rescue swimmer that has gone viral online. He reluctantly agrees to this feature in an attempt to reconnect with his estranged brother. This puts him in forced proximity with Katie, which makes him begin to question his self-proclaimed “love hater” status.

As Katie navigates this new assignment, ghosts from her past resurface, creating insecurity surrounding her body image and societal pressures on what constitutes as beautiful or enough. Even as a beautiful friendship and feelings develop for Hutch, she comes to realize the best enemies to lovers story is with herself.

I cried. The relationship between Katie and Hutch was beautiful and swoon worthy and the best, but what really hit me was the relationship between Katie and her body image. Katherine handles this issue with both a lightness and delicate sense of care, and her desire for her readers to know they are fully loved and beautifully created comes jumping off the pages. Truly, so encouraging.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press & Netgalley for the e-arc!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book. I love Katherine Center and this may be my new favorite!

I have yet to be disappointed by this Katherine Center's books-whenever I hear that she has a new book coming out, I immediately rearrange my schedule so I can ignore all my responsibilities until I finish the book! Even though I have loved all of her books, I think this may be my new favorite. I could really relate to this story on a personal level, specifically when Katie was feeling body conscious. I felt like I as right alongside her as she went on her "love my body" journey along with her. Beanie was my favorite character as she is that one friend we all need in our life to encourage us and help us see the things that we cannot. The author's description of the Starlite was so vivid that it made me want to book a VRBO there immediately and have a happy hour with Rue and her gal gang. I'm so glad I was able to read an ARC copy but now it's going to make the wait for her next book so much longer!

I really liked this book! I love how Katherine Center always works mental health into her books - so I was thrilled to see the Gottmans’ work featured so prominently. I did not necessarily the brother’s subplot - but the positives (self love! A kindly mother figure! Dog! Bright colors!) more than made up for it. A sold 4.5 stars!

3.5 ⭐️

This was such an easy going and light hearted read. Exactly what I needed at this time! I love Katherine Centers writing and stories. This one is just as interesting, now while it wasn’t my favorite, I still had a great time!

Katie is a mid-level video producer that takes a job for her boss, Cole. This isn’t an ordinary job though, she is filming for the all so heroic Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson who is a Coast Gaurd rescue swimmer stationed in Key West, Florida. The only issue?? Katie lies about her swimming skills (and that’s all I’ll tell ya 😉).

Katie struggles with body image issues and that is a large premise of this book. For a romance, the second romance plot is her learning to love herself and her body.

Overall, this was a cute book and it comes out May 20th, 2025… so it could potentially be one of your first reads for summer. HAYOOOO!!👙🍉👗🕶️

Even though it was my super favorite, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and you should read it. Especially if you want a sweet little read… ok? ❣️

First off, I love that it’s set in Key West! I love vacationing there!

Katie (FMC), is getting over the trauma of her last relationship with a famous ex when she signs up for a job videoing Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer who had previously saved Jennifer Anistons dog. Only problem is she can’t swim. Katie has body issues because of a stepmother who made her feel inferior. She is forced to overcome these obstacles and her greatest fears.

I was OBSESSED with the Great Dane George Bailey. He might be my favorite character.

I rated this four stars because it didn’t blow me away like other books by Katherine Center but it’s still AMAZING. It talked about loss, learning to love yourself, and true friendship.

Read if you love:
* coast guard
* Grumpy x sunshine
* Forced proximity
* Key west setting
* The cutest doggo
* Rom-com

THIS BOOK! I laughed, I cried and I smiled as I read this book in a very short amount of time. I could not put it down. I've read some reviews that complain about the eating issues in the book but for me the lessons I learned about body shaming were so important to read. I'm a 47 year old woman that wants to start finding the beauty in myself. I want to love myself for me. This book is one that I really, really enjoyed!

3.5 I love Katherine Center, so I was super excited to get my hands on The Love Haters. While, Things You Save in a Fire Will forever top the list of FAVORITE book of Centers, The Love Haters was just what I needed.

I devoured the book and read it quick (always a good indicator that I like the book). I love the characters but I felt like all the action happened in the last few chapters. It didn’t feel like a slow burn but rather the romance was lacking through the book.

What I did love most about the book was friendships, self love and pet love. Bring a dog in the mix and I’m in!

BIG Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Expected publication May 25, 2025.

I loved this book! Can I move to Key West and fall in love with a dreamy Coast Guard Rescue swimmer too?

This was a perfect blend of romance and self discovery!
Katie is on the brink of losing her job and arrives in Key West to fulfill a role. She ends up finding self love. You have to love yourself before you can love others. Does Hutch rescue her or does she rescue him?

I read the book in 24 hours and absolutely devoured it!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my ARC copy!

This book was very cute and made for a nice escape! So Katie, had to tell a few lies to get a job? What could go wrong? The chemistry between Katie and Hutch was sizzling, plus the relationship with Rue was heartwarming. If you need some fun and sun if your life, this book is for you!

This is a solidly 4 star book, and it's MUCH more like the old Katherine Center books than the newer ones - more schmaltzy, less modern, more internal monologue than action - but it made me cry and I want to move to the Starlite, so I'm rounding up to five stars. There is a pretty intensely discussed eating disorder (very near the beginning; it's not a spoiler) so maybe avoid if that's triggering for you.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

3.75 rounded up - I really really loved Katie and Hutch, both together and as individuals. And RUE AND THE GALS - forever! This didn’t have the same spark that I’ve come to expect from Katherine Center though, sadly. While I loved the plot overall, I think that the plot with Cole was unnecessary. I wish we had more opportunity to enjoy Katie and Hutch getting to know each other without Cole’s drama. This felt more like a coming of age story, and Katie even admitted a bit of a romance with herself?? than it did a ROMANCE. I think it could benefit from an adjustment in marketing a little

This book really hit close to home for me when it came to the body image aspects of the book. Especially when it came to the bullying the main character endured from the public. I love how the author talks about loving your body and how you can depend on YOURSELF rather than other people when it comes to that. The only issues I had with the book is that there were times where events were explained to us for way too long and that Cole was cartoonishly unlikeable. Other than that this book was pretty good.

This was a cute book to read. I loved the story between the two main characters the books definitely had some funny moments mostly between the brothers. I enjoyed the back and forth with hutch and Katie. There was no spice in this book, so if you are looking for that look else where. I also felt like the ending of this book left something to be desired. Like this amazing save happened and now we are a jumbled mess of an end. I wouldn’t mind a second book to get more of their actual love story.