What do you do when you sign up for an assignment you’re not qualified for in an effort to not be on the chopping block along with 50% of your colleagues? You fake it til you make it.

Katie finds herself in such a position when she agrees to a job that takes her to Key West to film a video about a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. A swimmer who is her editor’s brother and is the worst thing imaginable according to him—perfect. Oh and apparently he hates love.

Katie can’t swim, has trauma from her adolescence, and body image issues. Tom Hutcheson aka Hutch is caught off guard when his brother Cole sends Katie in his place. For him, this was supposed to be about more than just a promo video. Can their alliance show them both that hating love isn’t what’s best for them?

Katie really struggled with her insecurities but, oh my, Hutch wasn’t having it and I loved how they spent time getting to know one another beyond the scope of the project. And boy oh boy, could I feel the flutters in my tummy and all the delicious tension and anticipation as they crossed that line to more.

Cole and all his unnecessary lies and manipulation really annoyed me, but Beanie, Rue (and the Gals), and George Bailey were all sorts of awesome.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story which touched upon loving yourself, finding value in who you are (and ignoring the haters), spreading joy because life is too short, and rescuing the ones you love (yourself included).

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Can I start by saying I LOVE Katherine Center? I consistently enjoy her books and while they’re usually three stars for me, I find them sweet and fun and comforting. I was mostly feeling that way about this book for the first two-thirds of it then I was sent into a RAGE that I never could recover from (because KC kept delivering more blows; it wasn’t my fault).

I will back up. Katie Vaughn is a filmmaker or something (IDK I don’t super trust KC’s expertise here) and her producer sends her to film his semi-famous brother as part of a promo for the Coast Guard. The logistics here were baffling and as someone who works in a communications-based setting…this is NOT how filming a promo for THE COAST GUARD would go (again, KC’s expertise is lacking and yes so is mine but no way would she just randomly follow them around with no script/plan/shot list). But! I was willing to go along with it as we met the (hot) brother, Hutch, and our cast of colorful characters (ily Rue).

HOWEVER (semi-spoilery, sorry). At 66-ish percent, we get a miscommunication trope that really made me mad, followed by literally the most ridiculous scenes - the drinking contest?? The going back into a hurricane?? The shipwreck?? The multiple phone calls yet no ability to determine one’s location?? THE RESCUING OF A DOG OVER A HUMAN?? The full-on conversation over an ocean while suspended from a helicopter?? The KISS in that moment??

Y’all. Just…no.

And to top it all off, the commentary on body positivity/neutrality/etc was throughout the book yet felt very out of place and just kind of awkwardly tossed about.

I was going to give two stars but I think it’s 1.5 rounded up. I still love you KC but this book was just not it.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review**

Katherine Center is an absolutely force to be reckoned with. Her stories are always captivating and the character development is executed perfectly.

There were some moments where I shed a tear and the story really roped you in.

Being an ARC, there was dialogue which was missing some words, but hopefully those are corrected for the final publication.

The climax towards the end of the book, I didn’t feel like the situation was as emotional as it should’ve been. This was the only section I thought could’ve been improved to somehow give the reader more adrenaline and fear while going through the situation with the FMC.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and am sure any other reader will just devour it as well.

This is a great rom-com read! It is laugh-out-loud funny, and I really liked that the romance between the two main characters was easy and comfortable (sans the outside interference). I loved the remembrance rituals and the beauty list so much, and the Author’s Note was the perfect icing on the cake.

It pains me to type this but...

2.5 stars rounded up.

Look, I love me some Katherine Center. She's up there in my top 5 authors. But the title of this book perfectly reflects how I feel about it.

I have a love/hate relationship with it. And here's why:

What I loved:

🔹️Katie and Hutch. Loved their personalities even though I didn't quite feel the chemistry, I was rooting for them. And I think a Hutch POV might have solved the chemistry problem. And despite the title saying they are, neither of these characters are love haters.

🔹️Rue and The Gals. Adorable. The story needed more of them.

🔹️The Coast Guard setting was enjoyable and made me want to visit Key West which has always been on my bucket list.

🔹️The topic of body positivity. Katherine handled this with sensitivity and grace. It's something not talked about enough in books, but should be. And when Katie finally accepts who she is and what her body means to her, it was lovely.


What I hated:

🔹️A LOT of decisions that were made in this book by many of the main characters made zero sense. Katie did way too much lying to keep a job that she didn't even seem to like. And somehow the documentaries she made outside of work (for her own personal enjoyment) were supposed to help her save her current job? How? It's never explained fully. So of course, she ends up going along with a lie and hurts Hutch in the process. It was infuriating to read. I honestly was kinda happy that Hutch was upset. I got it. THAN, there's a Cat 4 hurricane approaching and no one, and I mean no one, checks on Katie to make sure she got out safely? Hutch doesn't even call. Like I get he was mad, but you love her right!?!? Rue and The Gals up and leave and don't call her until they are almost to Arizona. And then it's like a "Hey. You might wanna leave." KATIE WAS STAYING ON RUE'S PROPERTY!!! All of this is explained by the fact that Katie cut ties with the internet and social media so she had no idea there was a storm coming. And she was perplexed as to why the resort was desserted. Like come on. Someone should have said something to her. A guest even??

🔹️Too many side characters were being pushed on us. Like Sullivan. Didn't care about her. Like at all. But at like 90% in, there's almost a whole chapter dedicated to her and a redemption arc that wasn't necessary.

🔹️Cole. Ugh. Where to start. I get making him unlikable but sheesh. It was way too much. And if you're going to write him this way, don't suddenly try to redeem him. It didn't work. He should have stayed the villain and NOT got a happy ending. Sorry, but not every character needs to be redeemed in the end. Sometimes people get what they deserve and he should have been one of them.

🔹️For the first time EVER, in my personal history of reading books, I skimmed an Epilogue. I kid you not. I skimmed over WAY to much telling about where these characters ended up except for the two I loved the most. That's right...Katie and Hutch. All we got was "We didnt talk after my rescue. I moved to Key West though, but not for a man. But yeah, that man lives next door and we like each other." That was the end of their love story. But Cole got a page and a half recap of how great he turned out. I was livid. And we got another long and drawn out phone conversation with her best friend. The epilogue was confusing and made no sense.

🔹️Speaking of showing not telling...this book has a lot of that. Which surprises me. At times it got boring. I skimmed...more then i want to admit. At one point I felt like the story should be wrapping up and then I looked. I still had an hour and a half of book left. Sigh. Honestly this book was kinda exhausting. I just wanted it over with.

🔹️Circling back to the Coast Guard aspect. There was a lot of it. Too much. It felt like Katherine spent so much time researching this side of things, that other stuff suffered. Because parts of this book didn't "feel" like her. It's like I was reading someone else's writing. Something was off. Her usual witty banter was there, but even that felt over done at times. Some of the funny scenes were too slapstick. And often times things felt repetitive. For example, how many times can you have an interaction with a person and it feels like everything is happening in slow motion? 3 times, that's how many. And Hutch does everything slowly apparently. All his mannerisms were slllloooowww. It was too much.

Overall, I am very disappointed. Katherine never misses, but this one did unfortunately. Obviously, I'll buy a physical copy to go with my KC collection. Plus, the cover is adorable.

Please though, read this one for yourself. You may love it. Or hate it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

I LOVED this book! I began the book apprehensive about how the topic of eating disorders and disordered eating would be handled, but overall I felt it was handled with sensitivity and empathy. I thought the main characters were well-developed. My favorite part of the book might have been the author’s note at the end. It was beautiful, profound, funny, and meaningful.

I LOVED this book. It could definitely do with another once over because there’s a few typos in different spots. Other than that, I’m obsessed.

I’ve never read a love story where my biggest takeaways had nothing to do with the relationship, but I loved that too. The Gals were so fun to learn about. I can only hope that in my old age I have beautiful friendships with even more beautiful women. This book was full of hope. My FAVORITE part was 100% Katie developing a better relationship with herself.

I definitely think that this book is very focused on her eating disorder/body image, and it could benefit from a trigger warning since that’s a very sensitive topic. I’d also recommend slightly altering the description/blurb of this book to make it clear how much of the story focuses on her relationship with herself and her body. I think that part is wonderful and it truly healed something in me. I plan to use some of the tactics the FMC used myself, even. And I hope that other women feel inspired by Katie’s story and learn to love themselves and other a little more freely.

Overall, one of my favorite contemporary romances I’ve read in a while. I’m incredibly lucky to have gotten an ARC, and I wish for everyone to give this book a shot.

He’s grumpy with a great Dane and USCG, she is trying to avoid being laid off and having to learn some new skills like swimming. I absolutely adored Rue and the gal squad. unfortunately, some of the side characters needed to be more developed, and they felt very placed

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This book was the escape I needed during this cold month of January. The setting of this story was perfect! The colorful cottages in the Florida Keys while working on a film about the coast guard. Sign me up! The love story was so sweet and I loved watching Katie's growth as a character throughout.
The book was so much more than a romance novel, it explored themes of friendship, relationships between siblings, grief, and self love. This was my first Katherine Center book and I cannot wait to read more of her other novels.

Everything about The Love Haters was SO good. Some of the scenes between Hutch and Katie made me giddy with how cute they were, and Katie apologizing to herself gave me goosebumps. If she can be gentle on herself, maybe I can too.
This was my first book by Katherine Center, but it most definitely won't be my last!

This was my favorite Katherine Center book yet! I loved the story and the layers in character development. I also learned more about the coast guard which was an added bonus!

I’ve read several Katherine Center books, and they’re always a pretty good time. And while I did enjoy myself while reading The Love Haters, it’s not the sort of story you stay up late to finish or can’t get out of your head once it’s over. It’s a good time while you’re in it, but it’s easy enough to let go of at the end.

I will say, the plot kept me guessing the whole way through. I kept checking to see how far in I was, because it felt like there were so many times it was all wrapped up nice and tidy, but then something else would happen to keep the story going on longer. Which was nice, in a way, because I wasn’t quite ready to be done, I just couldn’t think of what the next twist might be. All in all, it was a fun read! The cover alone is too fun to pass up, and I’m going to keep looking forward to reading whatever Katherine Center puts out next.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed the Bodyguard by Katherine Center, and was so excited that I got the ARC of the Love Haters!

Overall, I found the story a bit drawn out. I could not wait for chapter 25 to end. It was painfully slow. Perhaps it was supposed to be, I am sure the main character was feeling that way too!

I would have liked them to explore the deeper topics of body dysmorphia and disordered eating, I felt like the book was not realistic in their portrayal of these topics. If you want to write about heavy topics, you can’t skim the surface. I felt like speaking with your cousin about these heavy issues isn’t all that would be needed to overcome them.

I wanted more love. I wanted a little more of the story once the main characters were together. I wanted to love this book, and it fell short for me.

With that said, there were funny moments, there were inspiring moments. I will continue to read Katherine Center’s books as they come out.

You guys, I literally hugged my kindle to my chest when I finished this one. And then I hugged it again after I read the Author’s Note. This book is everything I needed.

In this novel we follow Katie who is a videographer specializing in documentaries. On the brink of losing her job she takes a position filming a promo for the Coast Guard in Key West. There she meets coast guard Hutch and it is love at first sight for her. As they film the promo and Hutch teaches her to swim, their connection grows. However, many obstacles come their way that are determined to keep them apart…including Mother Nature.

I loved loved LOVED this novel. It not only has the romance aspect, but there is the bond formed with family, friends, and oneself. Yes, Katie goes on a journey to learn to love herself and her body. I could relate to this, and I think the majority of the population can too. I think we all have certain features about ourselves we hate, and I loved seeing Katie go on journey to love every part of herself. I started tearing up when she documented each part of her body (thighs, calves, haunches, etc) and apologized for being mean and how they are a part of her and have gotten her this far in life. Thank you, Center, for including this. Chef’s kiss.

Hutch was an amazing male lead. Where can I find a Hutch? He is the complete package for a knight in shining armor. His best friend is his rescue dog (a Great Dane), he rescues people for a living, and he takes care of his family and Katie whenever he can. I loved seeing him interact with his Aunt Rue, The Gals, and George Bailey (his dog). I’m so happy he got his HEA.

I always say this whenever I read a book by Center, but this is her best book yet. I didn’t think anything could top The Rom-comers, but I was wrong. I will be rereading this one before the year is over.

I didn’t want this book to end. When we got to the Epilogue I said out loud, “Epilogue? Epilogue?!?! Nooooo.” I honestly wanted more but one thing I love about Center’s books is the update we get in the epilogues. She always breaks down what is happening with all the prime characters so you feel fulfilled. Why can’t more authors do this?

Side note: I wanted Katie to punch Cole in the face at least once for the crap he pulled. I’m voting him one of the worst male characters I’ve read in a while.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a book that feels like a tropical cocktail—sweet, tangy, and with just enough punch to leave you smiling— this is the perfect pick!

Katie Vaughn is my new spirit animal. Who among us hasn’t exaggerated a skill or two on a resume? But Katie takes it to Olympic levels by pretending she can swim. (Spoiler: She cannot. Like, *at all.*) And where does she end up? Filming a profile on a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Enter Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, who is not just ridiculously good looking but also ridiculously complicated, which makes him even more irresistible.

Throw in Katie’s charmingly awkward dynamic with Cole (Hutch’s brother and her coworker), a giant rescue dog that’s just as extra as the rest of the cast, and Aunt Rue—who might be the true MVP of this story—and you’ve got a recipe for hijinks that will have you laughing into your drink.

The setting of Key West shines as bright as the romance, with sunsets, conga lines, and hurricanes adding to the drama. Plus, there’s something hilariously relatable about Katie floundering through swim lessons and trying to keep her head (and lies) above water.

Yes, there’s tension, miscommunication, and enough sparks between Katie and Hutch to light up the Florida coastline, but what really makes this book shine is its heart. Katherine Center has a way of making you laugh and swoon while sneaking in a few life lessons about courage, truth, and learning to love—warts, fears, and all.

So, grab a beach chair, a fruity drink, and prepare for a joyride of stolen kisses, larger than life personalities, and a love story that’s perfectly imperfect. The Love Haters is a feel good rom com that will leave you hating how fast you read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bro the way Katherine Center Can just pull me into one of her books needs to be researched. Because I was hooked from the first sentence. The first book I read from her was “Things You Save in a Fire” and I rated it five stars. And from there I've loved all her books. Her unique ability to write characters and have you relate and resonate with them from the beginning is such a thrill! Not only does this novel give us a phenomenal romance, but it also gives a beautiful lesson in body positivity/body image and the constant battle we can have to overcome it. The fact that she gives you a lesson or a common theme in each of her books is so pretty because it shows the reader, they are not the only ones wrestling issues by themselves I love how she as an author relates to her reader 💖
-
Moving on to the moment you've been waiting for.... The Love Haters ohhh my gosh this book was such a fun time I ate it up. Let’s talk about it! Our Girl Kaite is about to get laid off from her job as well as almost all of the other workers (YIKES!) but here comes her co-worker Chase to the rescue having a proposition for her only thing is... she. Is. So. Not. Qualified, but desperate times call for desperate measures what’s the saying “Fake it till you make it?” That’s exactly what Miss Ma’am does; to save her job she must shoot a video promo for a US Coast Guard, ladies and gentlemen in comes the one and only Hutch Hutcheson. Epitome of a total good guy thinks of others, lover not a fighter (except he himself hates love). Oh, not to mention he’s Chase’s brother... The adventure that this book carries between characters is entertaining to say the least. The banter, the flirting and the plot twist was too good!
-
Once again Katherine Center does it again and never ceases to amaze me, you want a quick fun rom com-read with a great lesson? Read this book!! I ain’t playing when I tell you she is going to have you do some self-reflection (the good kind) ALSO can we talk about the Authors note though it was beautiful had me in my feels forreal. THE HIBISCUS FLOWER OH MY GOSH STOP ITT
Thank you, Mrs. Katherine never stop writing!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! Stay Blessed everyone 😊🙏🌺

I absolutely LOVED this book. I fell in love with the characters and could have continued reading more and more about them. The story kept me on my toes and was fantastic for a feel good story!

Ok this was a whirlwind for me. I absolutely loved the concept of the story. I was on the edge of my seat for many chapters. However, I struggled with the continuity, number of traumatic layers, and, frankly, the lack of longing I felt between the main characters. I really enjoyed reading this, but I was left a bit disappointed with the love story aspect. I also felt like it was pretty self-deprecating in a bad way for Katie. Though she ends the story with a much more positive self image, I feel like a trigger warning should be issued for body image/dysmorphia issues as well as car accidents and substance abuse. Overall a solid 3.5 stars - thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Katherine Center once again crafts a nuanced story that extends beyond the romantic relationship at its core, exploring self-love, friendship, and the families we create or inherit. Her prose is both tender and insightful, offering a narrative that feels therapeutic. In her author’s note, she eloquently captures the intention of the book—one that not only comforts but also inspires personal growth in how we approach love and relationships in our own lives. This is a quick, cozy read that leaves the reader with a sense of warmth.

Hate to add any spoilers but I was really grateful for the fate of Lucky.

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

4.5 stars

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this upcoming release, so thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read it early.

I’ve yet to read a Katherine Center book I haven’t fully enjoyed, and The Love Haters was no exception. To save her job, filmmaker Katie is sent by her boss to Key West to film a hunky Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch, for a promo video. While it is pretty obvious they are going to develop feelings for each other, there are many other characters and parts of the story that make it feel full and rich and dramatic. I loved Rue’s character especially with her colorful look on life. Katherine Center is the queen of the heartwarming rom com book.