Since I started reading this book, I have been telling EVERYONE they need to put it on their radar.
I LOVED this book and I think I say that because I really resonnated with Katie's character. Not only do we have similar jobs, but we both struggle with body image and feel insecure in our own skin. Katherine Center did a beautiful job navigating the struggles and challenges of body image and wrote it in such a way that didn't make me feel like I was alone in this struggle.
The connection between Katie and Hutch... chefs kiss! The banter, the denying themselves of their feelings for eachother, oof that's what I love about romance.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read one of my new favorite books of all time!

「 ✦ The Love Haters ✦ 」
୨⎯ Katherine Center ⎯୧
Publication Date: 5/20/2025
“I was afraid of being seen.”

✰ star rating:
★★★★☆

✰plot:
Imagine this: Glen Powell as Hangman in top gun saving Jennifer Addisons dog from drowning. He also saves people for a living. Oh and he’s a sweetheart grump. Katie is currently getting over and somehow still being dragged through a very public breakup, but hey, it couldn’t get worse. Think again. Katie’s job is also now on the line, with a new boss firing everyone in her eyesight, Katie could kiss her job goodbye. But by some miracle, Cole her colleague, gives her a little sense of hope with a plan to save her job. All she has to do is film a commercial for the Coast Guard, about Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, the guy who saved Jennifer Aniston dog, aka “pup daddy”, oh and did I mention that he is also the older brother of Cole. While all of that sounds doable, there is only one slight problem. Katie can’t swim.

✰tropes:
・❥・Forced Proximity
・❥・Body Positivity
・❥・Only One Bed
・❥・Touch Her and Die
・❥・Unique Jobs

✰thoughts:
My first book of the year did not deliver and I needed a good pick me up. The only other book that I read by Katherine Center was The Bodyguard, and I absolutely loved it. This book was an actual emotional roller coster. I stayed up until 1 am to finish this book and that for me is a rarity. Overall this book was a great rom-com with a great message in it. If you get the chance to read this book, I hope you love it as much as I did.

✰characters:
Katie: miss girls humor was sensational! I 100% related to her story and I love her. Not all hero’s wear capes, they also wear a life vest. In my mind Katie looks like Camila Mendes.

Hutch: “he’s not a big talker, but he’s great at first aid.” Oh morally grey men can sweep me off my feet anytime they want. In my mind this man looked liked Glen Powell.

George Bailey: THE MASTERMIND.

Rue: she is the type of person who makes everyone feel like they have a place in this world. I aspire to be rue when I am older. Jamie Lee Curtis is Rue and there is no doubt in my mind.

✰playlist:
♪ jealousy, jealousy, Olivia Rodrigo
♪ Take My Breath Away, Berlin
♪ Danger Zone, Kenny Rodger
♪ Risk, Gracie Abrams
♪ Butterflies, Kacey Musgraves
♪ Packing it up, Gracie Abrams

✰thoughts throughout the book:
~ why is this so true. The way these are woman’s body goals truly horrifies me. Great topic though, glad to see this topic be brought into the light
~ I NEEDED A GOOD ROM-COM AND THIS IS DELIVERING
~ KATHERINE CENTER YOU GOT ME KICKING AND GIGGLING MY FEET AND WE ARE ONLY 19% INTO THIS BOOK
~ If what is about to happen later in the book happens I will melt into a puddle
~ OH. MY. GOD. *dramatically faints*
~ WTF HUTCH!!!?!??
~ ahhhhhhhhhh
~ nope. Homie would’ve gotten milly rocked. Right there in front of EVERYONE.
~ WHAT IS GOING ON??? WHY IS MY HEART POUNDING? IM SCARED YALL
~ omg save them 😭😭

Thank you Net Galley for the arc. The review above are all my own thoughts and opinions.

This read like a cute, fun rom com movie for me!

Katie is sent on a work assignment to do a YouTube day in the life of Hutch. Hutch is her coworker Connor’s brother and they have beef. If she can’t convince hutch to do the day in the life, she’ll be fired by her boss.

The characters had great chemistry and I liked reading Katie working through her struggles with weight as a result of dating a celebrity. She had mostly heeled before meeting Hutch but he did help push her the final steps. I’ll also never complain about a dog being an important character. George Bailey the Great Dane was an important character. We have some fun tropes like “only one bed” and forced proximity (swim lessons). I recommend it if you are looking for a beach read!

I always love reading Katherine Center’s books! The main characters in this book are so likable and relatable. Some intense action parts in this one that I couldn’t put down. Definitely recommend!

This was a cute, easy romance read. If you're looking for spicy, this isn't it but if you're looking for a sweet book with your favorite tropes, look no further. I enjoyed the characters overall even if the FMC did make me want to shake her sometimes with the self-sabotage and self-criticism in her head. I will say I'd be more than happy to move to Key West and live at the Starlite with Rue and the Gals though! They seem like a lot of colorful fun.


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC ebook!

Yes, folks, Katherine Center has done it again! She's delivered a sharp, witty rom-com filled with grief and drama and complicated family history. There is quite a heavy emphasis on body image, as the main character Katie struggles a lot with that (some early reviewers haven't loved this aspect, but I thought it was handled well). I loved the deep dive (pun intended) into the lives of Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and Hutch is definitely a swoony hero. Katie and Hutch have cute chemistry, but there is a rich cast of characters to round the two of them out. "The Gals" are a fun-loving group of elderly ladies Katie hangs out with, including Hutch's Aunt Rue. And honestly the dog, George Bailey, kind of steals the show at multiple key plot points! All in all, it's a fun and adventurous read.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of The Love Haters!

3.5 stars rounded up for The Love Haters. This is a cute rom-com with a little Top Gun flair. Katie is a videographer hired to film a promo on the Coast Guard. Hutch is on the Coast Guard rescue team who went viral after rescuing Jennifer Aniston’s dog. Will there be a spark between the two or will a stack of lies, the threat of losing her job, and Hutch’s brother come between them? We also meet Hutch’s Aunt Rue and her friends. They were a delight and my favorite part of the book! Trigger warning for disordered eating as there is a theme of body negativity throughout the book and a blatant chunk on disordered eating at the beginning. While there is growth on this and it is not looked at positively, it still might be tough to read if this is something that you have struggled with. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I loved this book. Thank you for sharing. The character development was well done and the story was interesting. I loved the parts that seemed inspired by IFS therapy.

3.5 Stars.

The Love Haters is equal parts romantic comedy and women's fiction. I've read a few Katherine Center books before, and true to her style the characters are flawed yet lovable, and the banter between the male and female main characters is on-point for most of the book. I especially liked that the plot centered around the U.S. Coast Guard, as I learned a lot about their mission by reading this book. Katherine did a great job of representing them well.

Plot: Main female character Katie is a videographer tasked with making a promo video for the U.S. Coast Guard in the Florida Keys. She must follow her primary subject, Coastie male main character Hutch, around all day every day to get the shooting coverage she needs. Enter forced proximity! In order to complete the video, Katie will also need to learn to swim and pass a swimming test. Hutch becomes her new instructor and helps her overcome her fear of swimming. Through lots of self-talk and encouragement from her best friend Beanie, Katie also overcomes her fear of wearing a swimsuit and exposing the body she is self-conscious about. There are some endearing side-characters and even a cute dog named George Bailey. Toward the end, there is lot of drama with Hutch's family and both a metaphorical and real hurricane occurs. Katie learns to face the storms of life with bravery, both internal and external.

This was on track to be a 5 star book for me until about 75% the way through when I felt like the plot fell apart. There was lying/deceit, an implosion of drama, and lack of healthy communication. The book proceeds to flip from a mostly forced proximity trope to almost no interaction between the male and female main characters the last 25% of the book. In my opinion, the side plot of body image issues for the female main character takes the full stage and outshines the love story in the end.

Content: Light use of strong language, kissing only, anxiety, body image/weight issues.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book. My review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

I love Katherine Center books!!! This one was so fun and cute and I would highly recommend it. Her writing draws you in and I enjoyed the whole thing.

Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Center!

This book was entertaining for a romantic comedy but I felt like it glossed over the eating disorder part in the sense that she never seemed to get professional help. She just got over it every time in the past with the help of her friends and her willpower? Also I wish that the ex bf came back into play at some point.

I loved this one!!! I discovered Katherine Center in 2024 and fell in love with her books. I got this one as an ARC from St Martins press. This is might be one of my new favorite KC books - I will definitely be getting a copy when it comes out! I loved Katie and Hutch - and Rue and George Bailey! I need more of them!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book! I love Katherine Center’s ability to make the most lovable and quirky female leads. Her take on female friendships is also one of my favourite things about her books. I enjoyed the female characters, but not so much the men in this book! Regardless, this book is such an easy, breezy story set in sunny Florida with a lovable main female character who is on a journey to conquer some of her own demons.

Read this book if you like:
⭐️ rom coms
⭐️ female friendships
⭐️ sunny, vacation like setting
⭐️ characters growing and coming into their own

3.5 ⭐️

This was my first Catherine center book and I highly enjoyed it!


Katie Vaughn aka the girl who recently got broken up with by a singer and was slandered publicly online for her looks takes a job as a video producer in order to keep her job doing a promo for the Coast Guard and a specific member of the Coast Guard who is blowing up online for saving Jennifer Aniston‘s dog. The only downside to this job is that Katie doesn’t know how to swim, she doesn’t tell anyone that until she arrives in Key West (of course) and decides to take swimming lessons before she starts filming and surprise surprise. The man teaching these lessons is the man who she is going to be profiling for her job.

Tom Hutchenson, a.k.a. Hutch a.k.a. Pup Daddy is a member of the Coast Guard and takes his job pretty serious, is devoted to those he loves, and his dog George Bailey. He has a reputation of being perfect and kind of boring not to mention a “love hater”
When Hutch agrees to do the promo, he thinks it’s going to be his brother shooting it but little does he know that Miss Katie Vaughan is actually going to be the one in charge.

This book was such a cute and easy read! I loved each and every single one of the characters, but I think the thing I loved the most was the journey you get to see the female main character Katie Vaughn go on with herself .
Katie struggles a lot with self-love so throughout the book you get to watch her grow and blossom into her true identity with the help of her friends, Hutch and herself.

A huge thanks to St. Martins press and NetGalley for the complimentary advanced digital copy- all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is so fun! I love everything Katherine Cemter writes. I couldn’t put it down and stayed up way too late to finish it. I loved the chemistry between Katie and Hutch and can Rue be my aunt too?!

Have you ever gotten volunteered for a job for which you were absolutely NOT qualified? Well, that is what happened to Katie in The Love Haters. Cole, her boss, let her know she would be going to Florida to film a segment on the Coast Guard. Wait? What? She needs a quick crash course in swimming, then helicopter rescue, and, and, and.
The great thing is that her swim instructor is Hutch, Cole’s estranged brother. He is also the focus of her video. As an audience to the lessons, are a fun cast of characters including Aunt Rue, the gals, and George Bailey.
This fun romance will have you loving love.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

* He falls first
* Great beachy vibes
* Grumpy/Sunshine
* Suspense
* Forced Proximity
* Fun characters

This book is tricky for me. While I'm glad I read it and I'm very much a Katherine Center fan, this one will not be my favorite of hers. I enjoyed the setting and learning about the coast guard. The plot definitely had some nice twists and turns. There. were some great scenes that had me laughing and shaking my head and I seriously fell in love with The Gals.

Overall, this is a sweet book about loss, making new friends, loving yourself and finding your self-worth.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

This book was a lovely romance to read. The book was super easy to want to keep reading. Taking place in Key West provided a lot of fun color to this story. Katherine Center does a great job writing fun romances that keep you engaged and bringing humor to the story

I am a big Katherine Center fan. I have really liked all the books. I have read by her. I wish I could say I loved this book. I was lucky enough to get an arc of her latest novel that will be released later this spring.

Things I did like:
Katie, the main character, and how she is driven in her career.

The representation of the Coast Guard. I didn't know that much about that branch of the military and it was cool to learn about it.

Rue, the aunt to Hutch and Cole. I love that she's a free spirit and took care of the boys when she certainly didn't have to.

The setting of the book. It takes place in Key West, Florida at a kitschy little hotel owned by Rue.

The representation of body image and how some women struggle with it.

The relationship between Katie and her cousin Beanie. Beanie is a girl's girl and we all need someone like her in our life!

Things I didn't like:

The characters of Sullivan and Cole, especially when they show up at the hotel towards the end of the novel. I do not think this complication was necessary and didn't add anything to the plot.

When the hand built houseboat gets loose in a category two hurricane. I absolutely do not believe that the boat, Katie, nor the dog would have survived this.

3/5 Stars
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Once again I am in awe of the writing skill of Katherine Center. For the third year in a row (for me) she has hit the nail on the head when it comes to a must read book! Prior to reading this I had been in a bit of a slump but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down!

This book follows Katie a video producer on the verge of losing her job. At the start of the book she is given an assignment that she hopes will help her keep her it. The only problem is to do the assignment she has to pass a test where she has to swim, and she doesn't know how to swim. Katie's mantra at the beginning of the book is "fake it til you make it." Once we arrive in the Keys with Katie we follow her as she meets Rue, her temporary landlady, and Hutch her subject for the promotional video.

Throughout the book we see Katie as she learns to love herself through the warmth, persistence and love thrown at her by Rue and the attention, admiration and interactions with Hutch.

I loved how in this book throughout the ups and downs of the characters Mrs. Center emphasized standing up for and protecting the people you love. Hutch demonstrates loyalty and compassion throughout the book to both Katie and his own family. She also emphasized the importance of self love. No matter what you look like, what experiences you've gone through and whatever your own mental demons are. 'We've only got one body so we should love it.'

I would definitely recommend this book (and any of her books) as a must-read for this summer!

Many many many thanks to Mrs. Center and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this early copy of the book! I was ecstatic when I got the email saying I had been pre-approved to read the book.