I always make sure to read any book Katherine Center releases so I was very excited when I read this ARC copy of her upcoming book, The Love Haters. The ARC edition I read was provided by NetGalley and I thank the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest feedback. There were some grammar and punctuation mistakes here and there as well as some spacing issues that can be easily fixed with more in depth editing. The story really captured my interest and I personally connected with the female main character, Katie, and was rooting for her the entire time. Overall I loved this book but felt the ending was lacking/missing something more. I appreciate the epilogue but felt there could have been an extra chapter afterwards in regards to the relationship between Katie and Hutch. Also I think the nickname Hutch was given of "Pup Daddy" should be changed since it sounds too similar to a certain famous celebrity who is currently in prison. The book is basically great otherwise and I highly recommend it! Just some minor editing corrections and revision to the ending would be my feedback.

Sadly, I think Katharine Center is one of those “used to be for me” authors. I remember really liking Things You Save in A Fire and How to Walk Away, but I read those before I started writing reviews so I couldn’t tell you why. But for the last few, they’ve mostly fallen flat with the author’s note about romance and story being the best part. The Love Haters flew awfully close to the insta love trope for me, and if they’re really love haters, wouldn’t insta love be the last thing they would do? I found the back stories underdeveloped and unbelievable. Or maybe they were both trying to hold so much that there was no way they could be developed in a standard length book. The other definite insta love in the book was 10 times less believable. Honestly, I’d rather wait longer for a better book from a previously loved author than this model where they’re churning one out every year. 2.5 stars, because it held my attention.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

I haven’t read too many books written by Katherine Center, this one started off good and then kind of slowed down a little. I see how it ended the way it did. Overall still a good read.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC. Check this book out May 20, 2025.

#thelovehaters #katherinecenter #romanceread #romcom #lovestory #bodypositivity

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a fan of Katherine Center, I'm sad I didn't connect more with The Love Haters. (I think others on here & other reviewing sites have already pointed out that the title of this book is odd at best and doesn't really align with the content). I kept looking for the spark that I usually feel in reading a romcom and I unfortunately have to say that I didn't feel it in this book. Her characters usually feel rich and emotional but they fell flat for me.
The basic synopsis is that our female main character, Katie, is a videographer worried about the latest round of layoffs at her firm. She's given an opportunity that she thinks may hold a layoff at bay - taking an assignment to shadow a U.S. Coast guard rescue diver in Key West, FL even though she, herself, cannot swim and is slightly terrified of anything water related. She meets Hutch and he's well... he's perfect. He's attractive and athletic and though a bit brooding by nature, he thinks Katie is pretty and by the second day he's giving her swimming lessons. As with any other Center novel, though, there's a lot more than is apparent from the surface. Which is when things get a little bit... sideways for me.
Katie and Hutch are both beautiful people who don't believe they're beautiful, so they need a quirky character trait. Katie unfortunately gets my least favorite character trait to convey complexity - body image issues that have been so well honed over the years that she nearly has a panic attack looking at a bathing suit. If you have a history of disordered eating, I imagine this novel would be fairly traumatizing to read, so please heed that content warning. Hutch, while a seeming caring, chill guy, reads hot and cold for no apparent reason all the time.
I really thought I understood the plot of this one until the last 25% - where it escalates into something that felt out of a different novel entirely. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing so much as that it felt completely out of left field and disconnected from what we'd been reading for much of the book.
Writ large, I was entertained (there was plenty of banter and moments of character growth and I did learn a lot about the coast guard) but it felt a little loose and sloppy for Katherine Center, who I consider up there with the best romcom authors. The Rom-Commers was one of my favorite romance novels of 2024, but this book - and these characters - missed some of the magic that Center so expertly weaves into many of her novels.

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

Having previously read <i>The Bodyguard</i> by Katherine Center, I had a good sense of what to expect with this book: a rom-com that is brave enough to touch on serious topics but never takes itself too seriously. Center’s stories tend to be lighthearted, making for great beach reads or palate cleansers between heavier books.

While the execution of <i>The Bodyguard</i> leaned a bit too far-fetched for me to REALLY love, I found <i>The Love Haters</i> to be more grounded, thanks to the research Center put into the US Coast Guard and the more well-rounded, believable characters. The main characters' journeys with self-image and past trauma gave the story more depth than I anticipated. The Author's Note speaks to themes of "Katie and her body - in a kind of enemies-to-lovers trope". There were some truly beautiful passages exploring themes of self-compassion and resilience, with thoughtful insights on how tools from relationship counseling can be applied to our inner dialogue. Reclamation of the anniversaries of a traumatic memory for several characters are a standout for me.

That said, the tone is still unmistakably rom-com, with plenty of goofy moments, playful banter, and a few cringey exchanges along the way. It’s a well-balanced "just here for the vibes" kind of book with a comedic relief dog, Golden Girls energy, and everyday hero love interest. For readers looking for a fun, escapist read that offers both heart and humor, this one scratches that itch perfectly. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read with a little more substance than your average rom-com, even if it doesn’t always stick the landing.

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review. Rating: 3.5/5

I just love Katherine Center! Her books are always more than just a romance, there is a deeper takeaway and her characters have such depth!

Thank you to the the and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early for a honest review.

Kate and Hutch are unlucky in love. Kate is given an assignment at work: make a video profiling Hutch, a coast guard rescue swimmer or risk being let go. There are a few problems, Kate doesn't know how to swim; the interview subject is Hutch who is the estranged brother of Cole-the coworker who has given her this assignment. Kate meets Cole and Hutch's Aunt Rue and her friends and hits it off immediately with the ladies. She also gets to spend a lot of time with her interview subject, Hutch, and his dog (who adds some excitement to her days!).

Body image and self esteem are plot lines that are handled with care.

Things I loved: Aunt Rue and her gals, the way Aunt Rue and the gals welcome Kate to their circle--love the mutli-generational friendships, and the Kate-Hutch relationship.

What I didn't care for; Cole's character in general.

A quote from Katherine Center's Author's Note that I loved: "Love stories are the best kind of therapy. They aren't shallow, they're deep. Start looking and you'll see it too."

I finished this in a day and I have quite a lot to say about it. Katherine Center never fails to create a good story.

I first started reading her work about two years ago and each new release I’ve read since has been better & better. She has a knack for capturing really relatable aspects of humanity some might describe as unpleasant, but these revelations are the very things that ground her romance novels in a more lucid world.

Love Haters is my favorite of the bunch. From my POV, as a woman, I feel that Katherine Center effortlessly captures so many heartbreaking realities that we really shouldn’t have to confront. She does all of this with an unfailing sense of humor that makes facing these harsh truths really enjoyable.

I’m able to reflect back at my own life and see the parallels between my own and the main character’s. Considering harder times where I too stumbled into a starvation diet, though less methodical; primarily birthed from an unfortunate mix of familial grief, toxic work culture related stress & a delirious aspiration to realize the scientific truth of calories for myself, after watching multiple seasons of ALONE. Suffice to say, the main character’s brand of humor? I totally get it.

But that’s not the only reason why this book is so lovable. I mean, the MMC is a total dreamboat. I love any plot featuring a lovable group of old ladies. And the romance story is such a roller coaster that I think I have whiplash. This story contains the perfect blend of fiction and romantic realism (if such a thing exists).

Never have I wanted a massive Great Dane and a Hutch of my own more…

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC. Thank you Katherine Center for your incredible work!

3 ⭐️

I am genuinely so bummed to give this a lower rating. The beginning started off so strong, was absolutely a 5 star read for me. I was hootin’ and hollerin’, having the time of my life. I love Katie and watching her growth with herself and her confidence. Her relationship with Hutch felt like it was taking off so naturally and I enjoyed that..until I got about 60% in. Then everything just fell apart.

Cole’s shenanigans and lies had me absolutely FUMING. The lies mixed with the drama just felt so unnecessary and out of pocket on all fronts. The only thing holding the rest of this book together was Rue, I absolutely adore her and her entourage of Gal Pals. And the way it just kept going with one crazy event after another..idk, it just did not work for me and I was just really frustrated.

I hope this is just an ARC oopsie but the beginning of this is really missing some trigger warnings. There are some very sensitive topics mentioned that I think readers need a warning before jumping in to.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

thank you netgalley for providing me with an eARC <3

this is so much more than a love story. this is also a love story to yourself. this book is real & painful in so many ways. katie’s struggles are some we, women, face daily. the world can be so, so cruel to us & find any and every reason to make us believe we are not good enough, strong enough, or beautiful enough. what a beautiful, heartwarming story about a woman learning to love herself exactly as she is. not one person is perfect. we will grow, we will change shapes, we will get bruises and bumps but we will all still be beautiful. i loved reading about katie’s journey to love herself. thanks katherine for making me cry

katherine has a way to just make her characters seem so REAL. the way the feelings are described, the way characters handle things, the conversations, the inner monologue, describing how things go down. hutch & katie together make my soul so so happy, i do think we need to be shown more of their romance & getting to know each other rather than being told about it, but i still loved it! the side characters (rue and the girls) made me so happy & i loved their contribution to the story. overall a 4.5, i really enjoyed it!

This book is for every woman who has ever felt that her body wasn’t enough. For every woman who looked at herself in the mirror and didn’t love what she saw. For every woman who had someone tell her that she needed to “suck it in” growing up. The way that Katherine Center handles body negativity in this book is so thoughtful and precise. Bravo, KC.

And along with the beautiful body positive message, we get this lovely and sweet romance between two people who are just genuinely NICE people. Center just has this wonderful way of giving us a journey of falling in love. Even if there is an initial attraction between them, you can almost pinpoint the moments when the characters fall. It’s breathtaking in its own way and KC has mastered this art with The Love Haters. I could see myself reaching for this book again and again when I need a pick-me-up.

So should you read this book? Yes. Hands down YES.

Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed this book, the characters all felt so realistic and fleshed out. The romance didn’t feel rushed, I loved the slow burn of it all. I also loved how the book didn’t rely on miscommunication! I will definitely be recommending to all my friends!

Let me preface this by saying that this is not my typical read - however, I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The plot draws you in and doesn’t feel like a “rinse and repeat” version of a book you’ve already read 20 times. Addressing the body image issues in a very real way, without having the FMC call herself derogatory terms was also very refreshing. I think plenty of women can relate to having similar feelings and seeing the FMC grow through them was great. Where I struggled with this book was the romance aspect. The storyline itself is cute, but there is not an ounce of romantic tension between the FMC and the MMC. Single POV books often have this struggle, but I feel like the mark was really missed here. There are no lingering stares, accidental brushing of hands, no sparks. The FMC mentions that (paraphrasing) the MMC is smoking hot and a good guy, but that’s pretty much it for a good chunk of the book. We get a couple of kisses without much discussion or follow up and it almost seems as though the FMC and MMC aren’t really even an item at the end of the book, yet some variation of “falling for each other” is mentioned by both characters toward the end of the book. I don’t necessarily think a romance book needs heavy spice, but after their first big kiss (which is very quickly glossed over) it seems as though the characters don’t really even know if they’re that into each other. I think adding in a few elements to create romantic tension would make the declaration of love scene quite a bit more believable. Overall, I did enjoy the book. However, I do think it needs some support to make the romance aspect work.

Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorites since I picked up one of her books 15 months ago. She has an amazing way of writing that just allows me to become fully absorbed in the story (be sure to read the author's note!). This is not only a romance story between Hutch and Katie, but between Katie and herself. I appreciated the non-steamy romance. Oh, and can we all agree that the biggest personality of the story is most definitely George Bailey!!

I always enjoy Katherine Center books and her latest was no exception! It started a bit slow and I wasn’t initially sure I was loving the characters, but as the storyline picked up I really liked how the main charger, Katie, evolved.

There is romance in this story (very closed door), however I felt the main focus was on Katie’s journey to self love and acceptance. She struggles with body image and self worth and Center explains in the author’s note at the end of the book why she chose to focus on these topics.

Overall I thought this story was charming, uplifting, and full of joy. I loved Rue and The Gals! The kindness they displayed plus the Key West setting will have you wanting to book yourself right into Starlite Cottages. Let’s not forget Hutch’s Great Dane, George Bailey, who you couldn’t help but love. The only characters that I didn’t enjoy were Cole and Sullivan. They seemed over the top and obnoxious.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Check this book out May 20, 2025.

The Love Haters - Katherine Center. [Summary: Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.
The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.
Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!
But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.
Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.] I received an eARC from Netgalley for an honest review.This is my first Katherine Center book, and I definitely have mixed feelings. I LOVED the main male character, Hutch. Some of the things he says to Katie were just breathtaking. But I had some issues with Katie - her fixation on her body was really hard for me to deal with. In places it was nice to watch her start to love her body, but it was also hard to keep from drowning in her negative thoughts. I mean, the first 60 pages were essentially just Katie talking badly about her thin/conventionally attractive body. I'm not saying she can't have any negative thoughts, but this was A LOT. Almost enough to make me give up. However, I persevered, and I'm SO glad I did. I adored this book by the end. Katie experiences so much. And I'll probably never forget that hibiscus flower clip! The side characters were delightful - from Rue and The Gals, to Cole and even Sullivan. I definitely want to check out more of Center's book, and I might need to reread this one ASAP!

As a self-proclaimed Katherine Center fanatic- this book was so devastatingly raw, fresh, and full of Florida Keys-fun!
I read the book in one sitting- I literally didn’t get up or move.

It’s truly a love story of multitudes. How wonderful to read about relationships that discuss: found family, the physical body, health, spooky exes, hobbies, and most importantly (but not really) a delicious Coast Guard man!

The overall message from this book feels quite profound— Katie coming out of multiple traumatic situations with newfound appreciation for herself and her ability to grow and forgive. I even find myself inspired (and scared) by the Day In My Life idea, paired with the Ten Things I Love About Myself. (Begrudgingly knowing that ten fingers, ten toes, two earlobes, etc. don’t count by Beanie’s standards)

While I can admit, I am quite romantically frustrated at the ending, I can understand why Katherine chose to end the book talking about.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Katherine Center wrote a beautiful love story, about learning to love ourselves, and finding love along the way.

The story follows Katie, a videographer, who’s snagged the job opportunity of a lifetime, while trying to stay out of the line of current layoffs. Cole, her coworker, gives her the opportunity that’s he’s trying to avoid, creating a coast guard video about his older brother. Katie is sent and as her life is in turmoil after a breakup with her newly famous, ex fiancé. Her best friend and cousin keeps her going on her self love journey. She meets Cole’s brother Hutch to start the project and starts to fall for him.

This was a cute love story, it hit all the feels, but what I loved the most was the story of Katie learning to love her body a little more. This is such a hard topic to cover and Katherine wrote it beautifully. I really enjoyed the love and friendship and self love all tied in.

I enjoyed this book so much more than I anticipated. As the characters navigate loss, in various forms, love prevails. I think what’s so important is that “love” in this story is more than romantic… it’s friendship, it’s familial, it’s community… and it’s SELF love. This is amazing story that weaves this all together in a truly inspiring way.

Always a fan of Katherine Center's books and this one is no exception. This book is a great mix of complex characters, cute romance, and even some action and suspense! The book follows Katie, a filmaker, who is tasked with creating a recruiting video for the Coast Guard starring Hutch, a rescue swimmer. There are lots of twists and turns throughout and Katie and Hutch must both deal with their difficult pasts. This was a great read, and I finished it in a day and a half. Highly recommend if you are looking for a fun read with some heart.