“The Love Haters” was such an enjoyable read!
I loved the blend of humor, romance, and emotional depth. It’s a fun, feel-good love story that also manages to explore meaningful real-life issues like self-esteem and trust. The characters were relatable, and their journey felt both heartfelt and genuine. I couldn’t put it down!

This book was so all over the place that I couldn't keep up. The only likable character was Rue and she was only a real small part of the book. I hate the trope of the guy showing you your worth. This book just wasn't for me. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Love love love

Love Katherine Center and this book was no different. Everything I wanted at the moment and (thankfully) got me out of a slump.

Katherine Center’s latest work, "The Love Haters," is a delightful romantic comedy the employs her signature warmth and wit, to tell a feel-good story that balances breezy charm with emotional depth.

The story follows Katie Vaughn, a struggling video producer, as she lands an unexpected assignment to profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, her coworker’s estranged brother and a skeptic when it come to romance. In order to nail the gig, Katie pretends she knows how to swim, although she can not. The playful dynamic between Katie and Hutch is the highlight of the story, interspersing humor with heartfelt moments and gradual personal growth.

Katie’s personal journey is relatable and, even though Hutch is guarded, there is a genuine connection between them. We also meet eccentric side characters throughout the story, including a lovable Great Dane, who bring extra charm to the narrative.

Though the plot sticks to familiar rom-com conventions, its sharp pacing, witty dialogue, and authentic emotion make for an enjoyable read. Fans of uplifting fiction will likely find plenty to love in this story of unexpected connections and second chances.

i was really expecting to enjoy this book a bit more than i did. i’m upset it really didn’t give what i was expecting. the story felt all over the place to me , almost like we couldn’t focus on one storyline at a time so it was difficult for me to follow the story. there was very little chemistry between the main characters and i cannot stand a miscommunication trope, especially three days worth. heavy trigger warnings for body image and eating disorders because the first half of the book is entirely about katie’s body image and just repetition.

the very few romance moments there were in this book were cute, i wish there was more though. i also loved aunt rue, she reminds me of susannah from tsitp!

thank you netgalley and st. martin’s press for this arc!

I love books that stir up my emotions and scramble them around a little bit with the right mix of humor, drama, thoughtful musings, and a cast of characters you come to call family. This was that. I enjoyed the variety of relationships in this book too, including the relationship a woman has with her own body and mind (which is often the most tumultuous of all). Recommend.

🦩𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🦩🌴
📖- The Love Haters
✍🏼- Katherine Center
📣- May 20th, 2025
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞 ——> To see some photos I took in Key West

Read if you like
💖 Crazy aunties
🌴Tropical setting/ beach read
🐶 Dogs who have a mind of their own 😂

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤

Katie, a filmmaker, is now having to come up with new content in order to save her job. Cole, her coworker, decides the best content to film is “A Day in a Life” of Hutch who so happens to be the person who rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog. Hutch, is a coast guard swimmer in Key West, FL, he’s been living there keeping his life private. The issue is he refused interviews from big companies, how will Katie convince him? Not only is she faced with that but she’s also having to deal with her own issues she has with her body image as well as learning how to swim.

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
As someone who has dealt with body dysmorphia I loved how Katie overcame her body image issues. Now I can see where this book has a lot of controversy but in my opinion I think the MC had a lot of character development. As for Cole, I couldn’t stand how many lies he came up with and how much growing up he had to do. He was very immature and a lot could’ve been avoided if he had spoke what really bothered him. Beanie was such a good support system for Katie 🥹 Aunt Rue as well, she helped Katie overcome so much! And last the Great Dane, George Bailey, loved him and how crazy he acted.

If you’re looking for a fun beach read pick this book up this summer 🫶🏼

3.5 I have loved Miss Center’s books for a while now, but I have to say I think I liked her old school “women’s fiction” books a bit better.

Romance was cute, but would have liked some more tension and build up. Funny at times, and I will always support body positive messaging. However, there were what felt like verrrrry long sections focused here.

BUT what I did love was the Florida setting, the way these two are thrown together, our MC’s relationship with her cousin, and the hurricane!! That ending was definitely fun.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book needed less coast guard and more romance! I love Katherine Center’s writing but this story just didn’t do it for me.

Getting trauma dumped on by your main character in the first 10 pages of a fun romance novel isn’t really my cup of tea. Katie obviously had an eating disorder and desperately needed therapy and medical attention, and yet, that wasn’t part of her healing journey throughout the book, which was disappointing. It was also frustrating to be inside her head throughout the book, especially as she fought herself to put on a swimsuit, I just kept thinking “Girl, you seriously need therapy.” I could see this book as being a trigger to some people, especially since this cover makes the story look so fun and light. I found the cover misleading as this isn’t a fun-filled romp through Key West; all the characters have some dark history happening, and some dramatic stuff does occur in the story. It was just a bit much for my taste when I was more in the mood for a fun summer romance read. The romance aspect was kind of just left as an afterthought at the end of the book, and if you’re going to do that this should have been marketed differently and positioned better. I just felt like we were learning about the Coast Guard for the majority of the book and I wanted more Key West and more moments between Katie and Hutch.

This one just wasn't for me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just happy making. Katie is so relatable especially when it comes to how she views herself. While Katie starts this book going on a job in the Florida Keys. She ends up on a journey to finding and loving herself. It definitely doesn’t hurt that she meets a hot Coast Guard on the way. Hutch and Katie‘s story is just super sweet.

The Love Haters is the newest rom com by Katherine Center. Katie is a video journalist who is convinced by her boss to take a job she’s not thrilled about (making a promo for the Coast Guard) in hopes to save her from being fired. What her boss Cole fails to mention is that the lead on this promo is his brother who is expecting Cole to show up instead of Katie. Needless to say, things get a little dicey for Katie in many ways!

I always enjoy Katherine Center’s books and this one was no different. While it wasn’t my favorite of hers, it definitely was a fun, fast read. Perfect for summer beach bags!

Thank you Katherine Center, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for letting me read and review this one. I’ve read quite a few books by Katherine Center at this point, and they always do it for me. She writes about such deep and meaningful things, but she does it with a humor and lightness that makes it so fun and easy to read. I had such a good time with this book. I loved seeing Katie and Hutch grow together as characters. I also loved how much of a personal journey Katie went on with herself, and all the amazing people who helped her along the way💗

Katherine Center’s writing feels so effortless to read it’s like I’m jumping into the story right alongside the characters. I finished The Love Haters in 2 days and I loved the entire journey! I could relate to Katie’s self-image struggles and I loved seeing how she began healing her relationship with her body. I also loved Hutch for her and their interactions were so much fun. I found myself smiling so many times throughout this story and I might have fallen in love with a Great Dane named George Bailey along the way. There was also a beautiful theme of found family. Definitely add this one to your summer reading list!

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

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an electronic advanced reader copy of this novel.

Katie is worried about her job as a video producer. She gets an assignment from her co-worker Cole to do a story on the hero of the moment, Hutch, a Coast Guard swimmer. Unknown to her at first, it turns out that Cole and Hutch are somewhat estranged brothers. In her spare time, she works on documentaries and think Hutch would be an ideal subject - only she can't swim, and that was part of the job assignment. She has to juggle learning to swim with her job responsibilities, not to mention her growing attachment to Hutch.

Katherine Center's The Love Haters is another winner from her. I know I'm usually in for an entertaining read, a clever rom com in book form. This didn't disappoint. I enjoyed this one as much as her others and look forward to her next book!

The Love Haters:⁣
⁣
Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2025 for my gifted copies! ⁣
⁣
his book was frustrating to be frank. It’s Katherine Center, so I can’t be too mad. Enjoyable? Yes. Random side plots? Also, yes. ⁣
⁣
Katie has lots of body image issues, and it felt like it was her entire personality. I get it, she’s very insecure and it weighs her down constantly, but that’s all I got from her character. Not kind or loving or funny, just she doesn’t see her body the way others do. I just feel like it is a very sensitive topic and could have been handled differently. Cole was horrible and I wanted Katie to have a backbone when it came to him. ⁣
⁣
But let’s focus on the positive, shall we? I did love the author’s note. The audio was wonderful. Patti Murin kept me in the book for the long ride. Also Rue and crew were perfection. More Rue and sweet George Bailey please!⁣
⁣
Overall, this was a miss for me, but know so many will devour this fun romcom! Out the 20th!

I really REALLY enjoyed this book! Everyone needs a Hutch Hutcheson in their life. There were so many laugh out loud moments. The plot was SO GOOD and had characters I absolutely loved. I liked that it also focused on self-acceptance and body image. It also has a completely loveable dog named George Bailey.

Katie is a video producer whose job is on the line. Her coworker convinces her to take a job filming a documentary about "Hutch" Hutcheson, a coast guard rescue swimmer. She is still getting over her very public breakup with her now famous ex-fiancee and her own insecurities...she also doesn't know how to swim. But Katie doesn't let this stop her and has the attitude of figuring it out as she goes. This makes for very entertaining and hilarious circumstances, especially when she finds out Hutch is her new swim teacher.

I loved that this story had a combination of serious and laugh out loud moments. The community of friends and family in Key West was a delightful addition to the story. I loved the fact the author addressed serious topics in a way that made it fun and heart-warming. Definitely one I would read again!

Releases May 20th!

When I requested this ARC I was like okay yeah cute I’ve read Katherine Center before, I’m ready for a fun time. I did NOT expect to love this book as much as I did! The beginning was a little rough, but once we got into the thick of the story I could not put it down!! I was spending every spare minute I had devouring the pages!
Katie, a down on her luck videographer for a mid-level company that shoots promo ads for businesses, is about to get laid off. When she’s offered a chance to make an ad for the US Coast Guard profiling a rescue swimmer named Hutch, she jumps at the opportunity. Who cares if she’s not exactly qualified especially since she can’t swim?? Not me! Get me to the hunky rescue swimmer asap! Just as things start to heat up between the two, her unintentional tangle of lies starts to catch up with her and things get a little sideways.
The turns this book took me on, I was getting whiplash in the best way possible! When I first started reading I thought for sure I knew exactly where this book would go but boy was I wrong! Perfect for readers who prefer romance but only want minimal spice and are up for a little crazy plot line. I was a big fan and this definitely put the author a little more on my radar!

Thank you @youhadmeathea @netgalley for the arc and @macmillian.audio for the alc 💖

✨What it is about:
Katie Vaughn fakes knowing how to swim to land a career saving assignment profiling Hutch, a grumpy Coast Guard rescue swimmer, and her coworker’s estranged brother. Katie is forced to face her fears and maybe fall in love again.✨

💭My thoughts:
I’m a big Katherine Center fan, so I was excited to dive into this ARC. The cover promised a fun, summer rom-com, and while the setup delivered, the story went in a different direction than I expected.
The Key West setting, swim lessons, family tension, and hesitant romance had potential. Katie was a relatable FMC, but the chemistry with Hutch felt underdeveloped, and the romance didn’t quite land for me.
I appreciated the deeper themes like body image and grief, though those moments were sometimes overshadowed by the over the top humor. Some plot twists, like Cole showing up with the boss didn’t really work for me.
Still, there was a sense of adventure in the story that I did like. What really stood out to me were the core themes: being kind to yourself, facing fears, speaking your truth, and embracing who you are. That message meant a lot to me and ultimately boosted my rating. It’s important to see that kind of self-love and honesty represented in books. LOVED the author’s note at the end💖💖💖.
🎧The story was narrated by Pattie Murin and she is a super star. Katie’s internal thoughts felt authentic almost like a friend was telling me her story. She was a great choice as narrator for this story.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Read if you like:
🛟Key West setting
🚁Strangers to lovers
🛟Forced proximity
🚁Complex family dynamics
🛟Dogs (George Bailey 🥰🐾)

⚠️CW: Body image issues /body dysmorphia, disordered eating, death of a parent off the page, car accident of the page , grief.

A perfect summer romcom! We follow Katie on her quest to save her career in a paradisiac, sun-soaked setting. Her mission? convincing the stubborn and selfless Hutch—our swoon-worthy male lead with a savior complex—to share one of his heroic rescue stories. I was thoroughly enjoying the ride until a major miscommunication entered the picture, dimming the novel’s spark a bit. but that’s just personal preference, as I’m not a fan of this arc in romance. If you’re craving something fresh, vibrant, and fast-paced, this book is for you!

Is it just me or is every book that Katherine Center write a genuine instruction on happiness? Gah! I love that I come away from every one of her books feeling better than when I started it, seeing the world differently, and even seeing myself differently.

And this book really isn’t any different— it’s genuinely like she injected sunshine directly into my veins. Katie has so many relatable difficulties in her life, probably to extremes, and I love her for them. She has the best best friend anyone could ask for, and she working on herself in the best ways. I love her with my whole heart. Hutch is kind, and considerate, and such a fun MMC. I love his thoughtful personality and his sweet giant dog.

Special shoutout to chapter 22 because I laughed REALLY hard. And the entire debacle at the end. 😂 I’ll definitely be adding this to my beloved rereads.

Pick up this book. It’s gonna be amazing.