The Love Haters is yet another delightful rom com by Katherine Center!

This book is both hilarious and wholesome. Despite giving me the impression that it would be an enemies-to-lovers or even a grumpy-sunshine trope, the dynamic between Hutch and Katie is much more complex than that. Katie’s job as a videographer is on the line, so she takes the job her coworker, Cole, doesn’t want–to film an advertisement for the National Coast Guard. The catch? The coast guard’s “hero” doesn’t want to be famous, doesn’t want to be filmed, and is annoyed that she’s there and not Cole because the only reason he agreed to any of this is because Cole is his long-lost brother.

The entire story is told from Katie’s POV. Because of this, we only see Hutch through her eyes, though he’s pretty much an open book. As the reader, we get to fall for him just as she does. I absolutely adored watching Katie and Hutch’s slow-burn romance blossom. Please note that this is a very slow burn and spice-free romance! Regardless, it’s not too cutesy and definitely not a religious book. Both Hutch and Katie have some trauma in their past that makes them “hate” love. But together they can unpack their histories and learn to love again ❤

Side note: This book also provides a fun peek into the world of working for the coast guard.

This novel is perfect for lovers of Abby Jimenez and Mariana Zapata!

I always look forward to a new Katherine Center romance every year. Her books are enjoyable closed door romances.

The Love Haters is a romantic comedy set in the Florida Keys. The Key West setting is absolute perfection.

Katie is a chromophobe (she hates colors). Her main job is in video production. But she also She does Day In The Life documentaries. She dated a famous singer and the internet turned on her for how she looked. The book focuses a lot on her body image issues.

Hutch is supposedly a love hater. His job as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer was so interesting. I really liked getting to see him do his job. And found the job fascinating. Hutch’s rescue dog is a big part of the story. This was definitely one of the big highlights of this book.

Hutch and his brother have major issues. His kind aunt Rue was probably my favorite character. Her fun clothes. Her gang of female friends. I loved her and was super intrigued by their family’s story.

Katie can’t swim but she agrees to go film the coast guard’s promotion video. This will require her to train with them and fly in a helicopter. I was obsessed with this part of the story. So unique and the fact that she couldn’t swim made for such funny moments.

I really liked Katie and Hutch. There was a lot of potential, but the romance felt a bit underdeveloped. I really liked these characters. But I did not get to see enough of them together. And wanted more.

The last chapters were very interesting and unexpected. I love that in a romance. The epilogue was quite different. Telling everything that happened vs letting us see it happen. I definitely wanted to experience it. However I did enjoy the end of this book a lot. Overall this fun setting and the unique jobs made for a fun read!

This book was slow to start but captured my attention and then continued to keep it. I don’t normally enjoy so many misunderstandings between characters but this one did it well. I enjoyed the banter between the characters and felt like I was sitting right there with The Gals watching all the drama unfold.

I *adored* The Love Haters - it was so positive and happy and George Bailey has been added to my list of favorite fictional dogs.

Katie was relatable, Hutch was ideal. Rue and the gals were excellent. There’s personal growth, learning to appreciate and love yourself, and some intense slow burn and longing.

There’s heaviness and loss in here as well - including body dysmorphia and disordered eating, as well as a mostly off-page drunk driving car accident resulting in multiple fatalities (please be mindful of those for your own well-being).

I read this in under 24 hours and loved so many of the messages in this story. A definite recommendation from me!



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this novel.

This was my first Katherine Center book and I loved it. The FMC was silly, relatable, and lovable. The MMC is a dream. The love story between the two is fantastic, but the real love story is the one that develops between Katie and her own self.

The way this book approached self love and healing really brought to mind Family Systems and Parts Work - and I loved how it was utilized to create a space for growth, acceptance, and self-worth.

I’ll definitely be reading more of her work!

Katherine Center is easily one of my auto buy authors. I absolutely love her books. At times this one hit a little too close to home with the body issues, but I love that Katie was able to work through some of them! I loved Katie's relationship with her bestie. My bestie and I have been friends for over 20 years and it felt like reading about us. As someone who can't swim this book made me laugh.

What can I say about Hutch?/ Katherine really knows how to pull at your heart strings and make you fall in love with the characters. I absolutely adored him and his dog!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a heartfelt contemporary romance that delves into themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the complexities of love. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Key West, the novel follows Katie Vaughn, a videographer grappling with the aftermath of a public breakup and looming job insecurity. When offered a chance to profile a heroic Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch Hutcheson, Katie sees an opportunity to revitalize her career. However, complications arise as Hutch is her coworker's estranged brother, and Katie harbors a secret—she can't swim.

Center masterfully crafts a narrative that balances humor and emotional depth. Katie's journey is not just about romantic entanglements but also about confronting personal insecurities and embracing self-worth. The chemistry between Katie and Hutch develops organically, enriched by their shared vulnerabilities and the colorful cast of supporting characters, including Hutch's Aunt Rue and my favorite character the affectionate Great Dane, George Bailey.

While the novel offers a satisfying romantic arc, I'm finding myself wanting more than a fake dating scheme. For me, this felt contrived and detracted from the story's authenticity. Additionally, the portrayal of body image issues lacked the nuance required for such a sensitive topic.

Despite that, The Love Haters is a compelling read that combines the charm of a romantic comedy with the introspection of personal growth. It's a testament to Center's ability to create relatable characters and engaging narratives that resonate with readers.

This story is classic Katherine Center..

Our heroine, Katie, has been dumped in a mud puddle as per usual, but she crawls out and absolutely owns the most cinematic rom-com ending of a Katherine book yet (and I’ve read them all, twice). Between the mud and the triumph, there’s laughter, self-doubt, swimming lessons, a dog that holds so much of the plot in his paws, splinters, bright colors, house boats, the coast guard, meddling old people and a love hater.

Is it far-fetched? Sure. But as Katherine tells us over and over again, it’s fiction, but we believe it anyway. We love love and we believe in love.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the e-ARC via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.

It's official... this is now my favorite Katherine Center book! OH MY GOODNESS!

Listen, is it a bit silly, cheesy, and over the top dramatic? Yes. Did it make me laugh and cry and want to punch a certain character? Also yes. And did the author's note at the end make me full blown sob? 💯% YES! 🤧

Synopsis: Katie Vaughn is sent down to Key West on assignment to film a day-in-the-life documentary with famous Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson. Thing is, there's some miscommunication and omission of truth ... a private and reserved Hutch thinks his brother is doing the interview, and a bruised and insecure Katie can't swim 🙃 Oh yea, and Hutch has a loveable Great Dane named George Bailey, a quirky and eccentric aunt Rue, and a difficult brother Cole. And well, things get a bit stirred up when feelings catch and lies catch up... but what's not to love for these "Love Haters"?!

This is one of the most light, feel-good summer reads I've ever read. Katherine Center has such a way of breaking your heart open with tragic backstories and then proceeding to not only help her characters heal, but in the process, ushering in healing to her readers, as well. And then she goes and wraps it all up in a HEA hibiscus hairclip! 🌺 😭

As a Floridian who has spent time vacationing in the Keys, I so enjoyed the little nods to Key West culture 🌴 I will most definitely be rereading this book in summers to come!

Thank you to Net Galley and Katherine Center for an ARC! The Love Haters is out NOW in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook (and Patti Murin brings it!) 🌊

4.25 stars

I think Katherine Center is seriously underrated. I thoroughly enjoyed The Love Haters as well as her last book, The Rom Commers.

I admit, in the beginning I thought this was going to be a superficial romance, but it turned out to be so much more. Yes, there is a great romance story here, but the better story in my eyes is about self love and appreciation for our own bodies. We are so critical of ourselves as women, when we should stop to realize all the amazing things are bodies are and do.

I highly recommend this one! Fun and smart with a great message of self acceptance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review.

I’ve always loved Katherine Center’s writing, and The Love Haters was no exception. Her storytelling just flows, making it super easy to get lost in the book. The humor really stood out—I actually laughed out loud when Katie pretended to be a mannequin to avoid Hutch seeing her. That moment was gold! The supporting cast was fantastic, adding even more charm and depth to the story.

*4.5 stars*

I really enjoyed this book - zipped through it in one day. I would have given it 5 stars but I was a little put off about the constant put down of Katie’s self body shaming. I do get how it played a part in the story and something for her to overcome - but it was mentioned way to much when she got to Key West in the beginning (the stand off with the bathing suit was a bit silly).

But overall I really enjoyed this story - Katie was really relatable character as a MFC, and I adored Hutch - and of course loved George Bailey. I enjoyed the aspect of Hutch and being in the Coast Guard too. It’s not something you see in RomCom’s much!

Katherine Center is now an auto buy author for me. I loved the Key West setting and the characters. I was drawn to a woman that is. trying tp define her life and what her passion is while also learning that she is more lovable than she thought she could ever be.

I love reading this! Katherine Center is the queen of banter. She provides stories that address deeper issues, and this one focused on body image. Center brings light to disordered eating and offers a way to relearn to love your body. I love the deepening relationship between Hutch and Katie, but I really want a friendship like the one Katie has with Beanie. The Love Haters offers an amazing cast of side characters that I loved spending time with. Recommended for anyone who needs an uplifting, fun read.

This story is absolutely adorable, and, as usual, I’m in love with Katherine’s writing. Her characters are so vivid and full of life, and she always has such relatable and real fmc’s. Katie is such a lovable, sweet character, and Hutch is just classically (scientifically) absolutely perfect. I don’t want to give too much away since this book isn’t released until next month, but I absolutely recommend and highly encourage you to pre-order a copy today!!
One thing I will point out specifically is the military representation in this book. The mmc is in the US Coast Guard, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail that was put into the descriptions of his job. You can tell Katherine really did her research and made this part of the story as accurate as possible, and it was such a cool and fun aspect of the book!
I hope you enjoy this book, and in closing here are a few fun things to look out for throughout the story!
- hibiscus hair clip
- toad
- George Bailey
- lucky pennies
- splinters 👀

I really loved The Love Haters. It's two love stories in one. Katie Vaughn had a bad break up a year ago and is not looking for love. Her boss talks her in to taking a video assignment in the Florida Keys to document a Coast Guard rescue swimmer's life. Cole, her boss, told her it would save her job, since the owner of the company was cutting people's jobs. Cole neglected to tell her that the swimmer was his brother, and Katie neglected to tell him that she couldn't swim.

Arriving in the Keys, and staying with Cole's colorful Aunt Rue, Katie meets Tom "Hutch", the swimmer, and is enormously attracted to him. She has to admit she can't swim, so he gives her lessons. The other love story is with herself. Katie had an eating disorder, and it effects every aspect of her life, how she dresses, if she can stand to be seen in a bathing suit, etc.

I really loved how Katie grew in the book, and accepted that she needed to love herself and give herself a brake from being perfect. I highly recommend this book, it also has a lot of humor.

This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book, but I did really enjoy it! Loved the setting, loved the representation of eating disorders/body image, loved Rue and her girls, loved George Bailey of course, and loved the friendships. Center writes such lovable characters and all of her books just feel so warm. Some plot things like Cole + some details at the end weren't my favorite, and I wish I had seen more of Hutch and Katie's relationship develop at the very end, but that's about it.

A nice cozy summer read that is perfect for the beach --- if you're not scared of the ocean...

Let me start off saying, I love Katherine Center’s books and I do love a good rom-con with witty banter. This was an anticipated book for me, but unfortunately I was let down. I really wanted to love this book. The only reason why I continued was because I convinced myself it wouldn’t better.

What worked for me: the message of body positivity! Loved it and love seeing women cheering on women.

What didn’t work for me: the main female character was insufferable, extremely immature for her age and annoying. Cole was a douche with a capital D. Hutch was decent, but not my favorite love interest. I did enjoy Rue!

My favorite character: the dog!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can always count on Katherine Center to expose you to a world you never thought would appear in a romance novel. This was no exception! I loved getting a glimpse into the life of a rescue swimmer, what a fascinating and terrifying profession!

This book is an ode to self-love. It’s a look into a journey that I’m sure is all too familiar to all of us — the battle of accepting our imperfections and focusing on the aspects of our being that we actually can complement.

It also deals with some brutal trauma and heartbreak, Hutch’s impenetrable outer shell makes perfect sense. However, the healing that occurs is so beautiful, and these tricky subjects are cared for with such tenderness.

I loved this!

As usual, Katherine Center has crafted a thoroughly engaging story that falls solidly into the rom-com genre while portraying characters with real depth confronting important issues, in this case, the struggles with body image and self-acceptance that women, in particular, struggle with, and the devastating effects of cruelty via social media. The main characters, Katie and Hutch, are appealing and easy to root for, with Cole and Sullivan providing the conflict and nasty vibes (though both have redeeming qualities that surface by the story's end). The ridiculous situations and comical happenings that are also de rigueur in romantic comedy also present themselves in this story, but they aren't too overdone, and Katie's character arc and her journey towards healing and self-acceptance play as important a role here as the romance. This is a story that it will be fun to reread, and although not my favorite of this author's novels, it was a joy to spend time with.