Katherine Center is one of my go-to authors for a feel-good, emotional, swoony escape, and she absolutely delivered with this one. I adored the story!

Katie is such a relatable main character. She’s dealing with the aftermath of a public breakup, her career is on shaky ground, and she struggles with some pretty raw body image issues. The job in Key West is a defining moment for her professional career, but Katie doesn't expect it to change her life in the multitude of ways that it does. From the moment she lands in the vibrant and sunny Key West, her journey becomes one of growth, romance, and discovering her confidence.

And then there’s Hutch. Tall, ridiculously handsome, and emotionally layered, he’s a walking rom-com dream. A member of the Coast Guard, Hutch also teaches geriatric swimming lessons. He's super swoon-worthy and very different from how his brother described him. His romance with Katie had me grinning, swooning, and even tearing up a little. The chemistry between them was fantastic, and I loved their banter. You could tell their feelings for each other were strong. I loved seeing their connection grow, and some of the things Hutch says to Katie melted my heart. Even when he's cranky, he's so swoon-worthy! lol Though they seem very different, this grumpy/sunshine pair complements each other so well.

The found family vibe is also excellent. Aunt Rue and her squad of feisty senior swimmers (aka The Gals) are just the kind of quirky, heartwarming crew I love in a book. Frankly, I was sold as soon as they mentioned doing a conga line to Barry Manilow's Copacabana. I love me some Copacabana! And George Bailey! That sweet, slobbery Great Dane completely stole the show.

There are powerful messages woven through the story about body shaming, self-worth, and learning to love the body you’re in. I could easily relate to Katie's struggles with body confidence. When your body shamed as a kid or teen, it sticks with you, as we see with Katie. I love her transformation and how this wonderful group of people who befriend her give her the confidence to shine.

The Love Haters is fun, romantic, and just a bit suspenseful as Hutch's job with the Coast Guard can be dangerous, and many characters face a terrifying storm. The Key West setting (excluding the storm lol) is dreamy, the writing is engrossing, and the characters (human and canine) are fabulous! Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

It’s @katherinecenter ‘s pub day tomorrow!

I was excited to have a beach picture of my own to use as the perfect backdrop. This book was a fun time! I’m happy that everyone gets to read this starting tomorrow 5/20 💖

I like the theme of getting your self confidence back because it’s never too late. I like the subtle/not subtle way that Rue helps get Katie out of the shadows while Katie seems to be helping Hutch in the same way.

It’s the perfect read for summer and I recommend that you check it out! Thanks so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an early look at this book.

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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #lovehaters #katherinecenter #stmartinspress #netgalley #romancereader #summerreads #2025reads

This was my first Katherine Center read and I was a bit disappointed. I did like the Rom com aspect of the book and the storyline was okay. I did just expect more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited as this was my first Katherine Center book and it was a flop. I won't be writing her off as I've heard such good things, but my first impression was not positive.

First, COLE. Oh my goodness I've never been so annoyed by a character in my entire life. I know he's not meant to be liked but honestly he just ruined my mood.

Katie and Hutch's relationship was so boring. I couldn't find it in me to care.

One of my two stars goes to Rue. What a gem of a human being. The other goes to George Bailey.

I hope my next Katherine Center read is a better one!

Happy pub week to The Love Haters by must-read author, Katherine Center! I’m so grateful to @stmartinspress for an arc. The Love Haters comes out tomorrow!

When video producer Katie Vaughn is offered a project by her co-worker, Cole—to profile Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson in gorgeous Key West, she takes it. Her company is laying people off and an assignment like this might save her. Despite the fact that she can’t even swim and lies about it. When she gets there, Hutch isn’t happy to see her. He’s furious, actually, that his brother—the same Cole who gave her the job—didn’t show up. It’s the only reason Hutch agreed to do the profile. And it becomes clear that there is some family drama Katie knows nothing about. Can she turn this project around and get Love Hater (Cole’s description) Hutch to work with her on this project?

The Love Haters is so clearly a Katherine Center book. It has the quirky characters and the ridiculous situations along with dialogue that is both somehow funny and heartfelt at the same time. And it also has darker themes like most of her books. In this one, Katie has body issues stemming from a judgmental stepmother and a past relationship. I’ve read other reviews that had issues with how this was handled, and I agree on some level. I think the subject might have been handled too lightly with solutions coming too easily. But I do see and respect what the author was trying to do.

This book features a rescue dog named George Bailey that I think readers will be charmed by, but as a person who’s afraid of dogs I had trouble with some of the interactions. Personally, I would have rather had more time with Katie and Hutch. All that said, I loved the world of this book and even though it’s not my favorite by the author, I’m definitely glad I read it.

This story centers on Katie, a video producer who takes on an assignment filming a handsome Coast Guard rescue swimmer, even though she can’t swim, in a desperate attempt to keep her job. While there is a romance in this story, that didn’t feel like the center of the plot. Katie has very low self-esteem and deeply rooted body image issues, so this is truly more about her learning to love herself, and the charming hero feels more like an afterthought. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I honestly expected a bit more.

This is a well-written book about body positivity, wrapped up in a romance.

Katie was on the verge of being fired from her job as a cinematographer when her coworker, Cole, came to her with a job opportunity that would help save her position. She jumped on it immediately, even after hearing that she must know how to swim, and she doesn’t.

The job was to film a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. She finds out that the swimmer, Hutch, is Cole’s brother.

She ends up getting caught up in lies that Cole has created while falling hard for Hutch. I loved their chemistry.

This story has some great side characters. Aunt Rue and the Gals were some of my favorites. Their found family dynamic was so perfect.
Beanie, her best friend, is someone who everyone needs in their lives. Beanie will always be there for you, no matter what, and always wants you to love yourself. I loved their FaceTime chats where Katie had to pick a body part she loved about herself and why.

Katie went through significant character growth throughout this story, which was great to see!

Another winner in my book for Katherine Center.

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

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the eARC!
This was okay. It wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t the best. I feel like all the characters were so flat, and lacking any sort of dimension whatsoever. It was pretty adventurous, which I liked, but other than that, not a whole lot going on. It was kinda cute and quirky, funny at times, but overall the characters ruined the book for me.
I’m all for body positivity, but I do think that it was very overplayed in this one, which I feel takes away from the book being better than I wanted it to be.
Overall, it was fine. I didn’t love it or hate it, and it won’t deter me from reading any other of Katherine’s novels.

Katherine Center does it again, writes an adorable romance! Seriously, she is the queen of adorable, emotion filled romances, and I have never read anything by her that I did not instantly love.

The Love Haters is the perfect summer beach read! Katie and Hutch, two amazing characters brought together by a common thread in life, Hutch's brother, Cole, who happens to be Katie's colleague. In desperation to not be next on the chopping block at work, Katie takes an assignment given to her by Cole - to go make a training video about the Coast Guard that features his brother, Hutch, a reluctant hero.

As she finds herself in the Florida Keys, staying in a cottage provided by Cole and Hutch's Aunt Rue, and working closely with Hutch - the one thing happens that she never expected. She falls for him.

Ahh, eek, awww - that is my version of fan girling over this adorable summer read!

My feelings about The Love Hater was up and down and tossed about much like Katie and George Bailey near the end of the book. At first, the story took a while to get going for me but once Rue and Hutch were introduced, I started feeling invested in the characters and the attraction between Hutch and Katie. However, several things happened that were either annoying or unrealistic that took me out of the story and the good vibes. I loved the characters but the plot of the story just didnt do them justice.

Hot rescue swimmer Hutch meets Katie, a video producer tasked with capturing a dramatic rescue in Key West to save her job. The twist? Katie can't swim—and Hutch was expecting his brother, not her, to be behind the camera.

This story strongly emphasizes themes of body and image positivity, which I found to be more central than even the romance between Hutch and Katie. While I’ve read and enjoyed several of Katherine’s books, this one was my least favorite. I didn’t connect with the characters as deeply as I have in her previous novels. That said, it was still a solid and worthwhile read.

Make sure to read the author’s note at the end—it’s beautiful. I truly appreciated what Katherine aimed to convey: the importance and beauty of falling in love with yourself.

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

I usually love Katherine Center and was super let down by this read. The focus on the FMC's body image and eating habits was unsettling for me and not something I desired to read about for the entire book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

The Love Haters not only gives us a romance story but also an important story of loving yourself. Katie is learning how to love herself again after the very public breakup from her famous fiancé and the often ridicule from her stepmom growing up. Beanie, Katie’s cousin/best friend helps her work through her low self-esteem and confidence. Beanie is a true hype woman! I loved seeing this added into the storyline and made me love Katie even more as a character.
‘Even if we do eternally need and long and want to be seen…maybe the most important eye doing the looking are our own.’
I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Katie & Hutch & I learned a lot about being a rescue swimmer in the US Coast Guard. I do think this romance scenario would be a little far-fetched in real life. As a dog lover, George Bailey, the Great Dane was a great addition to the book too. Cole, Hutch’s younger brother & who Katie also reported to at her job was not my favorite. He had a lot of insecurities, and the lying caused too much miscommunication that was not necessary. Once I got halfway through the book, I could not put it down!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy.

Between a 4.5 and 5 stars. Up until the 50% mark, this felt like a typical summer romance. There is nothing wrong with a typical summer romance-- they have humor, banter, an atmospheric setting, and this one specifically gave rom com vibes. At the 50% mark, the male main character opened up, and the plot changed significantly. The last 50% of this book went a different place plotwise than I ever thought we would go and I loved every second. Some of the quotes at the end were beautiful. Katie struggled with body image throughout and I related to her more than once. My favorite, "It was about the deep, enduring comfort that comes from looking at your life for exactly what it is, and exactly how it's unfolded-- and really seeing it. The past can't hurt you now like it did then. The story of your life is always full of mystery. You can unfold it on a table like a map, and study it, and understand it in new ways. It's not different, but you are." This is so much more than a summer romance!

4.5 (on a romcom scale)

I really liked this story. It felt good to be gripped early on in a book for a change. Not right away, but soon. Without having to hang in there for too long before becoming attached. This is a romcom four point five, which is not the same as a four point five master work of literary fiction or important figure’s memoir but it was a good mix of feel good, tension, and joy. This story has the right kind of conflict and misunderstandings for me. Those that arise are addressed fairly quickly without the characters being too stubborn or unable to resolve a misunderstanding that has escalated beyond gargantuan proportions.

Katie can be annoying to begin with and frustrating often, but you can likely empathize with her hang ups when you know more of her story. Hutch is also likeable but I can see why not everyone might be his biggest fan. Overall, however, it is Rea and the Gals, Beanie, and, especially, George Bailey that take the cake in this book. I need a fairy godmother like Rea, a ride-or-die like Beanie, but will stick to short dogs with long ears.

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

#TheLoveHaters #NetGalley #bookreview #ADHDreader #romcom #searchandrescue #romance #keywest #foundfamily #nevertooold #StMartinsPress

This book made me feel seen, as many of her books tend to do. She writes female characters with such relatable issues. I know what to expect with a Katharine Center novel and it’s an escape. Katie and Hutch were charming and entertaining! Enjoyed this light summery story.

This story, while a romance, is also about the importance of loving yourself. Katie is desperate to save her job and so agrees to film a coast guard documentary featuring a very handsome individual. What she gets out of it is so much more important than the job, as it turns out.

While this isn’t my favourite of Katherine Center’s books, there are some important themes discussed such the perils of social media, the harm of body shaming, the complexity of family dynamics.

There is some humour mixed in with the serious and overall, it’s worth a read. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

The Love Haters is a highly anticipated (by me, a lot) new novel by Katherine Center. It’s officially available tomorrow, 5/20!

A snippet from the book’s description:
“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.”

As you can guess, chaos ensues.

My thoughts:
This book felt like Katherine Center sat down and had a really fun time writing. It’s lighthearted and sometimes silly. It’s delightful and quirky in the best ways. It’s deep and inspiring — unsurprising if you’re a fan of Center’s work. I loved it!

I laughed, I was moved, I wanted to book a flight to Florida immediately.

Some tropes you’ll find in unexpected places:
🌊Friends to lovers
☀️Fake dating
👙Enemies to lovers
🩱Closed door
🚁 One bed
🐕 Coast guard rescue swimmer/video producer
🌴Key West, Florida setting

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. You’ve made a Katherine Center fan very happy!

Hot take: this romance missed the mark. So I'm not going to lie- the premise of this one was confusing to me. Katie is a video producer whose career is on the line so she takes a job shadowing a coast guard- who also happens to be her co-workers brother. Heads butt with said coast guard Hutch, but both of them hate love so why does that matter? Also this is a job about water and Katie can't swim. Like, make it make sense?!

Once I wrapped my head around the contrived setup, there were characters that I genuinely enjoyed, such as meddling Rue and dreamboat everyday hero Hutch. There were also some truly hilarious slash hilariously ridiculous moments that made me laugh out loud.

What didn't land for me was the romance. The chemistry felt underdeveloped. There was a strange fake dating sub plot thrown in for a reason that never seemed valid. The book also felt a little young, likely reflecting the maturity- or lack thereof- that I would expect for characters in their 30s. Additionally, Katie spends the whole book focusing on her body image issues. It was so prevalent throughout the novel it felt almost frustrating. Definitely a TW for people struggling with body image or an ED (eating disorder).

One recurring issue that stood out was the heavy focus on Katie’s body image struggles. While representation of those experiences is important, it became such a dominant theme that it sometimes detracted from the romance and character development. Readers sensitive to body image or eating disorder themes should proceed with caution.

Overall I struggled to get through this book. I think the journey was more about Katie falling in love with herself than it ever was about her and Hutch, but that's kind of a miss for a romance book IMHO. And yes, while that is a story worthy of being told, I just felt this one didn't live up to her previous books with their depth and charm and was ultimately a miss for me. I have seen other readers with more positive reviews for this one however so maybe the love hater is me?!

I am a big fan of Katherine Center books. They’re cute feel good books. This one however left me wanting more out of the story and the characters. The hurricane storm situation that happens towards the end of the story drags a bit AND didn’t feel believable.