4.5 stars!

I was really worried that this was going to focus way too much on Katie’s body insecurities- there are times it’s a little much but the end message is solid. George Bailey is the real MVP though! That big ol savior of toads. Katherine Center is becoming one of my will read authors with this clean romance.

A heartfelt romantic comedy that intertwines humor with themes of self-discovery and personal growth. The story follows Katie Vaughn, a video producer facing career uncertainty, who takes on a high-stakes assignment profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Complications arise as Katie conceals her inability to swim and navigates the complexities of her relationship with Hutch, leading to a journey filled with unexpected challenges and revelations. The Love Haters offers a compelling narrative that resonates with readers seeking a story about embracing one's true self amidst life's unpredictable turns.

I am choosing not to finish this book after reaching the 39% mark. The bottom line is I am not enjoying myself as much as I typically do when reading romance books - one of my favorite and most-read genres. One thing that put me off was the (so far) casual use of body image issues without additional depth or examination of the issues FMC Katie is going through. As someone in a larger body in the midst of constant work to leave diet culture and fatphobia behind, the way this aspect is written in the first part of the book just didn't work for me.

I have enjoyed other characters and I'm overall fine with the romance aspect so far. At the same time, I just don't find myself as invested in the main characters or what will happen to them as I'd hope to be almost 40% into the book. I do really appreciate SMP giving me the chance to read this ARC. From what I have heard, Katherine Center is a beloved author and I look forward to trying some of her other books.

I've shared this DNF explanation on Goodreads and StoryGraph. On 5/22 I shared in my Instagram stories that I DNFed the book, but I do not plan to dedicate a feed post to it.

Super cute rom-com. Katherine Center writes really good, not too cheesy stories! I really liked the protagonist, and her body-positivity journey!

Love Katherine Center Books! Every one of them is fun, cute, with some serious topics! A good mix of everything! Enjoyed this book very much! Highly recommend!

✨The Love Haters by Katherine Center✨

Genre: Romance
Pages: 302

📚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 pretends that she can.

Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. 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 maybe 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.

📝This is the perfect romance book to be your poolside summer read. It has my favorite tropes: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity & fake dating.

I did like that the author tackled body image and insecurities, but I think it was a tad overdone. There could have been more room to flesh out Katie’s character in other ways.

💫Thank you @stmartinspress for my #gifted ARC💫

If you want a fluffy, delightfully tender and funny book for this summer, this is it! In typical Katherine Center fashion, this is a romance, but also very much a women's fiction. The main focus is Katie - and some of the story focuses on her love life and growing relationship with Hutch, and some of it focuses on friendship, belonging, body image, getting over an ex, and listening to criticism from strangers online.

I really enjoyed Katie as a character. She was kind, relatable, authentic, and even during the bit of miscommunication in the story, the reason behind it felt like it aligned with who Katie was as a character.

I will give the warning if you haven't read Katherine Center, that the romance very much is a subplot so don't go in thinking this whole book will be a romance. Personally, as someone who has read almost her entire backlist, I love seeing how she develops new characters and shows you more of their backgrounds and struggles.

Overall I am a big fan of this one and think it's a great summer read for anyone! Closed door/no spice.

I always love a Katherine Center book and while this isn't my favorite of hers, it still sparkles with her storytelling magic! The main character is relatable in her insecurities and the love story manages to be movie-perfect rom-com while feeling real. I got really emotional several times reading it and fell in love with several characters (and a dog!) myself. I felt like the "Love Hater" concept was a little forced and unnecessary so it doesn't quite match up to a grumpy-sunshine trope, but overall a fantastic summer read! And as always with a Katherine Center book, don't skip the author's note at the end!

Thank you to the publisher and Katherine Center for this ARC! All thoughts are my own!

I LOVED this book! It was full of adventure and love and a different type of emotional intimacy that I wasn’t expecting, in the best way possible.

I adore the characters, Hutch, Katie, Rue, the girls, George, and all the other characters! I really liked how Hutch was grumpy but not annoyingly overly so. It flowed really well with his character and I really really enjoyed all of the characters.

The plot was really good, and there was definitely some adventure and suspense!

Highly recommend! This book has very little spice, in fact close to none so it’s great for people who don’t like spice!

Such a fantastic book! Typically I prefer dual POV stories but this was just perfect. Katie’s inner monologue is quite entertaining. And the situations she finds herself in are just hilarious. You can’t help but fall in love with Hutch and George Bailey too. There is also a dose of self help included that reminds you to love yourself and your body. This was a unique writing style and highly recommend!

Katherine Center has fast become an automatic read for me, and The Love Haters didn't disappoint. Probably not going to rank as a top favorite by this author, but it was a fun read. Within The Love Haters, we follow Katie, a videographer, as her job is threatened, and she gets tasked with making a promotional video for the Coast Guard. I came to believe and wish the best for Katie, especially with her body image struggles and self-esteem, which felt really relatable. Some questionable moments, which I felt Katie was too passive in going along with, but a fun summer read.

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

Another winner by Katherine Center, this book was fun, fresh, and filled with adventure. This book where is love story despite the title, also touches on hard topics such as grief and eating disorders and the bad thoughts often associated with them. This was a great story filled with great main and side characters, where I loved the FMC and the MMC the side gang of sassy old ladies are what puts this book over the top.

Finally back to the Katherine Center we know and love! I really enjoyed this one. I loved the characters especially the group of older ladies who took it upon themselves to take care of everyone and have family dinners and all the things! I enjoyed our peek into the world of rescue diving also. I loved Katie and Hutch’s love story and how they cared for each other. Cole made me want to pull my hair out. Aunt Rue is an incredible character, and I loved how she took Katie under her wing sensing that she needed someone to love her. There’s even a crazy but lovable dog thrown into the mix. What’s not to love?! The author’s note is brilliantly written, and I couldn’t stop highlighting. Here’s one of my favorites:

“Researchers have done all kinds of studies about what happens to our brains when we get lost in stories. Our mirror neurons flash. Our brains light up like what we’re reading is really happening. We know it’s fiction. We know it’s not real. But we believe it, anyway. And so stories have this power to resonate for us like nothing else in human life can. They teach us things we need to learn, and show us new ways of understanding, and answer questions we didn’t even know we needed to ask. Stories go deep. They don’t mess around. They don’t care about our attitudes, or our prejudices, or what we think we ought to think. They bypass the head—and go straight to the heart.”

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite beach read authors—and in The Love Haters, she blends charming characters with just a little bit of chaos and drama and romance and sets it all at a quirky resort by the beach to give readers everything that’s needed for a light and enjoyable summer rom-com.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

Katie was about to lose her job so when her coworker Cole offered an opportunity for her that could potentially save her position within the company, she couldn’t believe her luck. Albeit, she was wildly under qualified but how hard could documenting a coast guard be….in an ocean that she couldn’t swim in. Spoiler alert: Katie had no idea how to swim.

Katie’s forte was documenting female heroes in her “day-in-the-life” Youtube videos. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. When Cole saw her videos, he immediately knew she’d be perfect for the job of documenting his brother Hutch, the coast guard.

Hutch (whose favorite thing to do was frown) turned out to be so easy to talk to and he and Katie had amazing chemistry from the beginning. Now if only she could turn Hutch’s ‘hell no’ into a ‘hell yes’ on the idea of a DITL video so her career could be saved. Just when Katie thought she had Hutch figured out, Cole arrived declaring that he was DATING her. You might think this was as bad as things could get but you’d be wrong because a category 4 hurricane was heading straight for the Keys. With love and life on the line, Katie’s personal insecurities and job security suddenly seemed so minuscule.

It should be no surprise that this was an easy 5-star read for me. I always fall in love with Katherine Center’s writing and feel like I’m right there next to the characters. I truly can’t tell you which character was my favorite because I loved them all - Katie, Hutch, Cole, Beanie, Rue…even George Bailey. I finished this and immediately purchased a physical copy and will be recommending this book to EVERYONE for the next several months.

This was a cute, mostly light romcom with some deeper elements. Katie was dealing with tough life stuff (a tough breakup and body image issues stemming from parental criticism) and her romance as it developed in the book was heavily influenced. There was one annoying misunderstanding situation, and something stressful and harrowing towards the end, but otherwise this is a fun beach read. Spice level is almost nonexistent - basically kissing only.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well. I might be done with KC books. Sorry.
I did not have a good time with this book. I found the fmc to be insufferable. The way her ED was handled was not with care for the reader. And the mmc was like a cardboard cut out of a man. Like bland af.

The only redeeming factor was the old lady group and the dog which still didn’t save it for me.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

What an amazing book. Love the love (and the slow burn) in this book. The lies. The fun. The great dane... The wild and bold older ladies. What a great summer read. It is a fun ride with several adventurous turns throughout. Katherine Center is an author I will always read - and this book did not disappoint. I appreciated that it also tackles serious subjects like body dysmorphia, long-distance best friends (in the best way), and loss. Katherine Center is an author who doesn't miss a beat.

I love Katherine Center’s writing and stories. I adored this love story. Please check trigger warnings because body image is highly talked about! This was such a sweet romance (I mean the first thing he noticed about her was her eyes, I mean come on now !!!) I read this book in two sittings. It was addicting and always had me wanting to read more!! It was so easy to connect to which made me love it even more.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Content: References to body image, death, mourning, illness, cheating

THE LOVE HATERS catches Florida vibes and the potential weather hazards.

I enjoyed this book—it's fun and light.

I know some readers could be triggered because the FMC is very concerned with her body image (but that doesn't really affect me). I do hope readers know that going in. Honestly, I was more worried about the dog—that was nerve wracking!

The characters are fun with the color "mother-figure" and mature friends, the I-don't-know-I'm-sexy guy, and the woman lying to keep her job. There are more than that, but you get the idea.

This is perfect for romance readers.

Happy reading!