A fun and adventurous rom-com. I wouldn't say this is my favorite by Katherine Center but still enjoyed my reading experience. The cast of characters were endearing and the love interest was refreshing. The ending and conflict issue was a bit forced and over the top but otherwise a great way to enjoy an afternoon on the beach this summer.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Katie just got out of a long term relationship with her now famous singer ex, who cheated on her. On top of that, she's on the chopping block of a lay off while her job downsizes. She has two choices, wait for the inevitable to happen or take the offer her coworker, Cole, suggested for a new video project staring Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There are a couple of downsides to the job; Katie can't swim, she knows absolutely nothing about the Coast Guard, and Hutch is Cole's brother who he requested as the only person he would be willing to allow video him for this project. Hutch isn't exactly happy when Katie shows up instead of his brother, but Katie tries to make the best of it by befriending his Aunt Rue and his Great Dane, all while hiding a few secrets from Hutch and getting caught once or twice.

Review:
This is the second Katherine Center book I have read, and I adore her writing! Her character dialogue is some of my favorite from any book/author I have ever read. The setting of this book is its own character, the vibes are immaculate! The family dynamics and found family trope were so heart warming between Cole, Hutch, and Rue. I loved how devoted Katie was to these strangers that became like a second family to her as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this romance by Katherine Center and highly suggest picking it up!
Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martins Press for this ARC of The Love Haters in exchange for an honest review!

I am beyond grateful to have had the chance to read this ARC!!!
Although I’m a Katherine center fan I feel like this one missed the mark a little bit.
There was a lot of filler and boring details that I found myself skipping over when reading. I loved the love story that brewed and Hutch’s tragic past but man, Katie is such a complainer. Also, her name was mentioned maybe two times in the whole book? Very odd. Even though I loved the main characters, man Cole was just a painful side character.

MY MOST ANTICIPATED READ FOR 2025! 🌸💛

I loved EVERYTHING about The Love Haters! I will reread this story next week because I want to tab most of the book if I’m being honest! 🌸

If you haven’t read books by my fav author: @katherinecenter PLEASE DO! She is the QUEEN 👸🏼 of laugh-out-loud romcoms with deep emotions and HEAs that leave you feeling so hopeful! 💗🌸

She’s my fave

Another absolute winner from KC 👏🏻 Her characters are quirky but endearing, flawed but not annoying, and the romance develops softly, in gentle moments. Like in pools, for instance. I also really love her side characters. I have never loved Florida, but somehow I really want to be a member of the bright kaftan wearing, champagne drinking, gossipy gaggle of old ladies that hang in this community. Sign me up right now. 🌴

Now for the elephant in the room. Our FMC does mention her body image a lot. It’s absolutely a character point/plot point. Typically I don’t enjoy this concept as a driving force, but it felt well handled here. Katie had other attributes and personality traits that she brings forward, so she is well balanced and relatable. We are, after all, our own worst critic. I also really enjoyed that her best friend, and not just our MMC reinforces body positivity, so that it isn’t just the male gaze that validated her, but the realization that the negative input she received earlier in her life was toxic. 👏🏻 I think this was really well handled.

Also, I have to say, if you’re on the fence about this one- read it for George Bailey alone. This dog steals the damn show. Why is it that the biggest dogs are always the biggest wimps?! 4 ⭐️

Thank you St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this arc, in exchange for my unbiased review!

Oh Katherine Center you've done it again. The humour in this book was top notch. I actually pictured KC as the main character because I can just hear her saying the stuff that Katie says. I resonated so much with Katie and her body image issues. The FMC was so relatable. I loved George Bailey!! I think he was my favourite character :). I love The Gals - what a fun and supportive group of women. Also the last 25% - WOW!! I felt like this book had a little bit of a mystery to it towards the end. I was on the edge of my seat! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for an early copy of this book.

Wow! I couldn’t put this book down. A wonderful summer read! I loved Katie, and her journey of appreciating her one body she gets in this life. The words she expressed and the realizations she came to was very relatable to me. I loved Hutch, and how he was just a good guy! Who loved helping others! George Bailey is one of my newest favorite side characters, the best unreal pup there was! And seriously, the rescue scene - I can’t get over that! It was like cheesy but perfect at the same time

Here's the thing about Katherine Center's books that I've determined: you are going to get whiplash. In a good way. But whiplash nonetheless.

In her bio on the dust jacket, it says she writes "deep rom-coms" and when I finally acknowledged that subgenre or very niche descriptor, I let myself enjoy the book for what it is - a madcap rom com with the most insane tidbits of hilarity, mixed with absolutely terrifying and dire situations, and real emotional turmoil.

The Love Haters centers around Katie and "Hutch." She is a video producer, and he is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer (who also happened to save Jennifer Aniston's dog one time). Forced proximity, she has to film him for a Coast Guard documentary, he hates love, she can't tell him the whole story of why she's there, and off we go. (It's honestly best just to go into this one blind.)

Things I Loved:
- Hutch's rescue Great Dane named George Bailey
- Hutch's Aunt Rue and her gaggle of retired Key West gal pals
- how obviously wonderful Hutch is from start to finish
- the Key West highlights
- Coast Guard life (which overlaps some with Navy flying stuff)
- Katie's slow roll makeover done by Aunt Rue
- unexpected emotion of Aunt Rue
- secret forbidden kisses

Things I Hated:
- Hutch's brother (and Katie's coworker) Cole who was ludicrous and selfish
- the climactic hurricane scenario that was too unbelievable and made me claustrophobic and seasick at the same time

Overall, Katherine Center always writes fantastic lead characters, fun side friends, and by the end, there's going to be a happy ending. Provided you know that going in and are ready to enjoy the ride, this would be a great summer read!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Patti Murin knocks it out of the park with the narration like she always does.

Katie Vaughn is close to getting laid off. Then her coworker Cole offers her a chance to create a video starring Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The catch? Hutch is Cole's brother and they don't talk. Another catch? Katie can't swim and needs to learn fast or lose this job.

I struggled with this one. It seemed like there were too many plot points to make it work for me. And the title? No one hated love. They were all a disaster in their own ways but hating love wasn't one of them. I don't think the title worked for this story. Katie's obsession with her body was distracting, it seemed more of an excuse to bring in her cousin/best friend, who she talked to every day.

This was a miss for me, but I'd still read anything else Katherine Center puts out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available May 20, 2025

I found this book to be really cute. In the beginning it was hard to get through as a lot of Katie’s talk was about her insecurities with her body. Her learning to love her body by giving her cousin Beanie one thing she loves about her body a day was a really cute way to do it.

I found Hutch to be a likable love interest. He seemed surface level in the beginning but tbh that is what Katie was told by Cole. He had a deeper more emotional side that I loved. His love for George Bailey really shows that he may save people in his line of work but also saves pets from bad places.

I couldn’t help but kick my feet at the flirty interactions with Hutch and Katie. The only thing that I didn’t personally like in the book was Cole’s lies. I hate miscommunication tropes and even though he isn’t in the relationship with Katie and Hutch, his web of lies to try and save their job and make Hutch jealous were kind of annoying. Katie didn’t want to be involved at all.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the Arc!

While I really admire Katherine Center’s writing, not all of her books have resonated with me in the same way. Some have been absolute favorites, while others didn’t quite land for me personally. Her last few releases, though, have definitely been hits, getting better and better, and The Love Haters is no exception. In fact, I think it’s my favorite of hers.

Don’t be fooled by the sunny, relaxed cover. There’s a surprising amount of heart and depth tucked within these pages.

The Love Haters is a charming, funny, and heartfelt romance that had me hooked from the start. A male lead who’s a rescue swimmer, Hutch, and a female lead, Katie, who can’t swim? Yes, please! Add in a giant, overly friendly Great Dane who constantly knocks Katie off her feet, always into a body of water, and you’ve got a recipe for chaos in the best way. Center delivers witty banter, slow-burn chemistry, and laugh-out-loud moments. But tucked in the midst of all that, she also brings real-life vulnerability, brotherly tension, and meaningful personal growth for Katie.

This book is about more than just the love story between the main characters. In these pages, you’ll also find love stories between siblings, parents, and adoptive families. Most importantly, you’ll find a tender and sincere journey of learning to love ourselves.

Sweet, swoony, and full of heart, this one was a definite hit for me.

Katherine Center is as delightful as ever in her newest release. This book is everything you have come to expect from her - a feel good love story with a decent amount of substance and plot. Katie is worried about the security of her job, and lies to her boss to get an assignment covering a Coast Guard hero. Hutch turns out to be extremely handsome, and a bit of a grump. Their relationship develops, and she also bonds with his aunt and her group of friends, and we can't forget about the dog. This is a warm and delightful rom-com, and while a bit predictable, it's more about the journey and Katherine Center's ability to deliver a happy, feel good book.

Alight y’all…I’ve seen so many mixed reviews for this one, but I truly enjoyed this one for its entertainment value.

Could I nitpick at some details I didn’t like? Sure…were some parts a bit over the top and unrealistic? Absolutely…but this book brought me pure joy. I smiled and laughed my way through the book, and it was pure escapism for me when this has been a tough month.

Our MC, Katie, is struggling with body issues throughout the book, but I found it very believable in where her body dysmorphia stems from (childhood trauma). I thought Katherine did a great job building positivity around it with Katie’s cousin being her hype woman. I loved their phone calls with each other.

Hutch, AKA, a badass Coast Guard rescue swimmer was almost perfect (there’s a wee bit of miscommunication), but I adored how he treated Katie. Not to mention he has the best dog around named George Bailey who stole the show. Throw in some brotherly shenanigans and you’ve got some excellent drama.

Sweet Aunt Rue - the story of how she became Aunt Rue will just pull at your heart strings. I loved her joy for life and how she rubbed off on everyone around her.

This was fun! It's exactly what you'd expect from a Katherine Center book: a generally lighthearted tone, heavier topics are explored, and has laugh out loud moments.

I was hooked and intrigued in the beginning and end of this book, but did find the middle to drag a little. But, I really liked the romance, it was super cute! Their jobs were fun to read about (coast guard & videographer) and it had the perfect summer setting. Obsessed with the scene on pg. 283-284 where he saves her and she thinks she's hallucinating, so much so that I read those pages probably 4 times in a row LOL. I also very much appreciated the great dane and the found family aspects.

This is one of those books that I am fond of and have positive feelings towards, but when I really reflect on my experience, there were definitely parts I didn't like. I appreciate what the author was trying to say in terms of body image and learning to love yourself, but it was pretty heavy handed and a little triggering. I don't usually struggle to read these topics, but I did consider DNFing because it was difficult and draining to follow a main character who couldn't think of a single thing she liked about herself. Big TW for body image and eating disorders- read this when you are in a good headspace.

Overall, The Love Haters is not my favorite from this author, and it didn't make/ leave a lasting impact on me, but I did have fun reading it.

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

This is the second Katherine Center book I have read and I loved it just as much as the first (The Rom-Commers). She did a good job tackling some tough topics like grief and body image and the main characters unique perspectives on those topics made me think deeper at some of my own views. Her books give you a cozy feeling that makes you want to curl up in a fuzzy sweater without a bra and a cup of coffee with a bit of RumChata in it and spend the whole Saturday reading the entire book-which is exactly what I did. This is a fun summer book and I recommend it for anyone looking for a funny, sweet beach read.

I wanted to love this so much! Her earlier books had been so gut-wrenching and I had such high hopes at the beginning. I felt like there were too many tropes and storylines and the ending was rushed. Aunt Rue and George Bailey definitely pushed this from 2 to 3 stars for me 😬

TW: body dysmorphia, struggles with eating, calorie counting, etc.

The Love Haters follows Katie, a videographer on the brink of losing her job, who's sent to Key West to film Hutch, a love-hating, US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. We see Katie as she navigates unexpected feelings, growth, and a small web of lies.

This book had the potential to be a great read, but some of it felt a little... odd? to me. I really loved the setting and the concept. Overall, Katie and Hutch have the capacity to be enjoyable characters, but I didn't find myself connecting with them throughout the story. In a weird way, I didn't feel like I truly got to know them as much as I hoped, even though I knew quite a bit about each character.

Furthermore, I was a bit thrown off by Katie's body image issues that are mentioned very early on. I do think that specific content should have garnered a warning in some form, because while it may make her more relatable to readers, it is heavily mentioned throughout the story. I understand that Katherine Center was going for a journey of self-love and healing, and her message is meant to be "we should all love ourselves", but it all was a bit jarring to me.

The romance in this had the potential to be wonderful, but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I feel like there was a lot of telling not showing, and it made it hard to believe that these two could actually be in love with each other in the end. I liked that Hutch and Katie found comfort & safety in each other to share their darker parts of life. I do think that if this book were longer, or if we saw more of their development as friends/lovers, their love story would be more convincing. The basics for banter, chemistry, and feelings was there for sure.

Overall, this one fell a bit flat for me, but it might not for you!

I always love KC and Love Haters is so cute! I love me a man in uniform, much more a hero! The conflict was a little predictable but it was still a very romantic, feel good, and top-notch clean romance novel!

I really appreciated receiving an ARC for this book! I gave it 3 stars because truly there were parts I loved and parts that I didn't really enjoy. The main character is enjoyable, and I realize that body image was an important piece of the book. It just seemed to come up at random points when it was convenient for her to worry about. I wish the author had waited until a little later in the book to show those insecurities.

I did love Rue and her Gals. I want more stories of The Gals. I want to stay at the Starlite and be treated to bright clothes and drinks from Rue.

The other reason it received 3 stars is because it just felt like a few too many things were there. The lying was a little too over the top and silly. The close to the ending excitement didn't really match the rest of the book.

I still enjoyed it and will read more of Center's books. It just wasn't my favorite.

I have only read one of Katherine Center's books in the past and really enjoyed it. Due to me enjoying her other book, I picked up this one and it definitely did not disappoint! This book follows a videographer and a United States Coast Guard rescue swimmer on their journey to finding love. When I first started reading the book I wasn't sure I was going to love the female main character but, she quickly grew on me! This book takes place in Key West, Florida and I felt like I was with these characters every step of the way. From the female main character taking a risk so she wouldn't lose her job and pushing herself to learn something new to our male main character learning new things about his family. Katherine Center is now going to be one I read all the time!