I loveeee KC but this one was NOT IT for me - the FMC was a doormat - she was beyond insecure and I felt there was no character growth in this book. Even up to SEVENTY PERCENT, she continued to let people (Cole) walk all over her & participate in his lie! She had no confidence in herself and her romance with Hutch didn't feel believable. He was dreamy - Rue and George Bailey might've been the best characters though! A huge miss for me.

Katherine Center is one of my very favorite rom com writers. In The Love Haters, she is very close to making this a great summer read, but there are some elements that just delve too far off the deep end to make it super enjoyable.

Katie is desperate to keep her filmmaking job in Dallas (love the nods to my home state of Texas in Center's books), so she omits a little truth of not being able to swim to take the assignment to make a recruiting video of a rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard, who happens to be the brother of her superior Cole. Cole has his own reasons for not wanting to go and paints a daunting picture of his brother Hutch. We soon learn that Hutch is nothing like his brother made him out to be. He's suppose to hate love, and Katie also believes she could hate love, so she's not expecting to find something totally different when she arrives in the Florida Keys.

There are several themes covered, with body loathing being the main that takes up 90% of this story. I'm sure a lot of women hate their bodies and are self conscious, but Katie takes this to the extreme. Almost every waking thought is about how to avoid being in a swimsuit, not having some part of her body covered, or even wearing a dress. I get this builds her character, but it was getting a bit exasperating to jog through the paragraphs to get to something else.

There are a few redeeming qualities to the narrative. Aunt Rue is someone we all want in our lives, so she helps save the story along with George Bailey, the Great Dane. I'm giving this 3 stars only because I felt bogged down with all the negativity that I myself don't want to be thinking about myself so excessively. Otherwise, Katherine Center nails the romance and little chance encounters that she is so great at writing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Helll ya Katherine Centre can do NO wrong. Having read all her books I knew I was gonna love this one too. Humorous, key west and only one bed??? Yup yup yup. It was truly laugh out loud funny

Not for me, but I do appreciate what the author was trying to achieve with this story. I just can’t relate to the fmc or the mmc, but overall it was a fun, easy read!

Someone please remind me never to procrastinate on a Katherine Center ARC again! Her books will never let me down. While this one wasn’t quite a perfect 5 stars (4.5!), I had no big complaints and it had me saying “just one more chapter” until midnight. I’m a sleepy girl, so it’s always impressive when a book does that.

Katie and Hutch were both excellent leads! Katie especially really spoke to me – her issues with body image resonated deeply (as I think they probably will for many people), and I thought she was just an overall endearing character to follow. Hutch was DREAMY. Just honestly the most perfect human. I loved him! I also loved how quickly they connected. I can’t tell you the last time I highlighted so many lines in a romance!

The side characters were mostly fun. Rue was a delight, and I loved how she pushed Katie to get out of her comfort zone and be bolder. And George Bailey?! Are you kidding me?! I want a George Bailey. (Please, nobody tell my dogs that. They are also perfect.) Cole? Cole was Cole. He provided some good humor and conflict, but he also made me want to bang my head against the wall.

When I went to put my rating on Goodreads, I was kind of shocked to see some not-so-great reviews. While I did have some minor complaints about the second half (the MOST minor of complaints, honestly), I thought this was overall just such a fun, easy read. It made me laugh; it made me genuinely cry…it made me feel everything! At no point during my experience did I consider rating it below a 4! But reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it fun. So, please don’t let some iffy reviews scare you off! If you love Katherine Center, I think you’ll probably love this one. While it wasn’t quite The Bodyguard for me, I definitely liked it more than Hello, Stranger.

All in all, Katherine Center stays one of my favorite romance authors!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Katherine Center for the free ARC in exchange for my review. I am forever and always grateful!

I will never not be excited to see a new Katherine Center release. "The Love Haters" is the perfect kick off to summer reading and the plot, characters and romance were just perfect. It's hard not to devour a new release in one sitting, but I took my time because I didn't want to let go of the story.

**Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I'm rounding up to three stars on this one because I enjoyed Aunt Rue so much. That said, this was Katherine Center's weakest romcom to date, in my opinion. It had some fun lines, and Aunt Rue's cast of friends was colorful, but ultimately this was a story about a woman with severe body image issues (and a history of disordered eating) learning to be ok in her own body, and also falling for an objectively perfect but pretty uninteresting man (he's a Coast Guard rescue swimmer that adopted an overlooked great dane and is a great dog dad, if that help suck you in?).

Our FMC spends a LOT of the book unhappy with her body, thinking about when she starved herself, and trying to get to a place where she is at peace with how she looks. This may resonate with a lot of women, and if so, I hope they enjoy this story. I couldn't connect with this level of physical self-loathing, and found it offputting in a beach read.

I also just didn't connect with the plot here: a female video producer takes a job she is not qualified for, lies, allows additional lying about her, then falls for a man she has been lying to and is surprised when he does not appreciate the lies.

And I don't even understand the title. No one hates love in this book. No one is even particularly trying to avoid love, it just hasn't fallen in their lap yet.

Overall, I think this would be a great romance for someone more comfortable with a FMC focused on her physical shortcomings, but I could never get into it.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the chance to read and review, though!

✨ THE LOVE HATERS ✨
Rating: 3⭐️ - It Was Ok

As I’m writing this, I’m honestly in such a slump with my reads this month and so over it!! I’m honestly devastated that I disliked this one so much given I absolutely ADORED THE ROM-COMMERS (it was my favorite romance of 2024!!!)

THE LOVE HATERS follow Katie, a film maker who is sent by her boss Hutch, to film a Coast Guard recruitment video with online heart throb and brother Cole.

❤️ for my LOVERS of SELF-LOVE (it’s a big theme),

💔 I’ll be honest I went into this one not being sure about the PLOT and as expected it did not work for me - there was no underlying trope (i.e. enemies/friends to lovers) that help me feel for this “couple” - it felt like the romance was between Katie and herself??

💔 one of the biggest themes in this story is around body positivity/self care/loving yourself - all themes I love and support but think in a novel it needs to be balanced? This was not - we spent multiple pages with Katie arguing with her BFF about putting on a swimsuit. It was extreme and deterred me away

💔 the other characters? Cole? Hutch (please don’t get me start with how TOXIC hutch was)? The BFF?

❤️ my main love of this book is EVA - oh my where can I get an Eva in my life?! She was so heartfelt and really such an incredible character to add into this read and to support the theme

Katherine Center's books always feel like a warm hug and never fail to leave me with a smile. She draws me in with her fantastic characters and makes me empathize with their challenges, concerns, and love stories. Not only do her stories explore romantic love, but Center also creates beautiful love stories for her FMCs with themselves.

This book stands out from some of Center's other works because, in addition to her signature humor and heartfelt exploration of deeper themes, this one includes some action. The MMC is a Coast Guard member, and I enjoyed learning more about those real-life heroes and that branch of service.

The characters are so well developed in this, and leap off the page, including the supporting cast. I especially loved the endearing Aunt Rue. However, the true star of the show was adorable George Bailey, the Great Dane, who literally bowled over both Katie and me!

The story had a strong emphasis on self-love and body image, which is handled sensitively. FMC Katie works through this for herself with bravery, strength, and an open vulnerability that makes her very relatable. Her grumpy/sunshine dynamic with swoony MMC Hutch was a delightful slow burn that had me rooting for them.

Patti Murin narrates the audiobook and is fabulous as always. She has narrated all of Center's books and really knows how to capture the emotional depth of Center's writing, and delivers a nuanced performance. Her voice is easy to listen to, which was perfect because I finished this in just one day! And don't miss the Author's Note!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted book and audiobook

*4.5 rounded up

This is my first Kathrine Center book & I’ll definitely be reading more by her. Quick paced, rom-commy, heartwarming, laugh out loud book. I couldn’t get enough of Katie & Hutch story! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
As always Center’s words, writing, story, and characters were delightful. Center has become an auntie read author for me. This story had me in all my feels. I adored our FMC’s growth throughout the story and her self love journey.

I’ll be honest, if this hadn’t been an ARC, I would have DNF’d at about 20%. I tell you this because I AM glad I kept reading. While it wasn’t a book for me, it wasn’t bad.
I’ll explain why this book didn’t hit the mark for me. It didn’t feel like a romance. This book felt like a story about a woman attempting to overcome body issues and there happened to be a man in there, somewhere, too. The body issues plot was too much for me. It took over the book and honestly felt repetitive and just… too much. The chemistry between the two main characters was lacking. We hardly saw them interacting because we were just overrun with how much she didn’t want him to see her, like basically at all, because… body issues. I know there was a lot more to this book, but unfortunately, this is what I am left thinking about.
But I did laugh a few times and I did find the “adventure” entertaining (though I wish we had more “on the job” moments with Hutch). I ended up reading it pretty quickly once I got past about 40% (and accepted we were on this body acceptance journey together). And I loved a lot of the characters (the old lady club was amazing!).
Katherine Center is a great writer, I have no doubt about that. I just think her storylines aren’t for me. And that’s OK!
I really appreciate that I got to read this story and I’m grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this hilarious, and breathtaking story that is full of witty banter, comical and awkward hijinks, exciting adventures, and tender moments of healing. Katie Vaughn is desperate to take a job in Key West filming a promotional video of Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson at the request of her boss, Cole. To save her job, she doesn't mention that she doesn't know how to swim, which is one of the main job requirements. Hutch wanted his brother Cole to be there so they could mend their relationship. He was not happy Katie showed up, especially because he was wildly attracted to the quirky, smart, beautiful woman that his aunt has taken under her wing. Katie and Hutch's meet cute was hilarious and set the stage for many more interactions. As they spend time together, they begin to respect, like and have fun together. But when Cole shows up unexpectantly, he causes miscommunication that divides them. Before they can reconnect, a hurricane that is baring down on them, could separate them for good. I loved Katie and Hutch together! They were opposites that fit so perfectly together. Katie lived a grey life, not looking for adventure, but found a colorful life, full of love with Hutch, his dog, and his sweet aunt and her community of supportive friends. Hutch is a true hero who just wants to live a quiet life with those he loves. I loved how he kept the things he cherished most close to his heart. I was so captivated by this story with it's wonderful and quirky characters, awesome storyline, and superb writing. I was so intrigued by the life of a coast guard rescue swimmer, which added some heart-pounding, breathtaking moments! I was completely captivated and loved every word of this hilarious, sweet, and moving story!

Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this book. I am someone who has struggled with eating disorder and body dysmorphia in the past, and the hyper-fixation on body image, insecurity, thigh gaps, etc. was starting to trigger me a bit.

I loved the quirky side characters (Aunt Rue & George Bailey!!!) and thought the writing helped me visualize the setting and story well, but the constant body image talk pulled me out of the story (due to my own trauma).

I think an author’s note or trigger warning at the beginning would have served this book well due to the frequency of body image talk.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for the early copy 💗

So here’s the thing about Katherine Center. I get sucked in by her premises because they sound amazing, but by the end of the book, I’m a little dissatisfied, because the plot is larger than life—it’s like a Disney movie, sweet and entertaining but a little too big and bright to be realistic. That tends to bother me. I want my stories to feel like something that really could happen, and at a certain point my disbelief becomes impossible to suspend.

But I must have been in the right frame of mind, in dire need of some escapism, because THE LOVE HATERS hit the right notes for me. There were so many unlikely elements (I mean, the whole thing with the brother’s love life?) but I still devoured this in two days. Katherine Center is a gifted writer—her dialogue and scenes flow seamlessly, and when i wanted my belief suspended (and I did this week), I went on a delightful adventure that hovered at the edge of life-threateningly precarious for a moment or two. Would you expect anything different when the love interest is a rescue swimmer?

Anyway, a great time. Definitely worth reading on a beach.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this galley in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this and may have had to take an extended lunch break today in order to finish it. I loved Katie and Hutch’s story however at times it felt too easy and other times it felt like a long slow burn. I enjoyed Rue and The Gals but did not care for Cole and Sully. I do like this book showcases all different kinds of love relationships—Katherine’s note at the end does a great job delving into this more.

I could tell this was well researched though I could see the climax point being a trigger for some. Overall, a solid book from Katherine.

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

Another hit by Katherine Center! I really enjoy Katherine’s books, and this one was no different. At times it felt a bit far fetched, but sometimes that’s what I am looking for in a book. Loved the characters and also the book taking place in the Florida keys was really fun. Overall really enjoyed it!

I would like to start out by saying thank you so much for this e-arc copy.
Although, I did have to ultimately DNF this story at 36%. Which came to me as a surprise, I was anticipating this novel so much and I adore Katherine’s writing.
But for me, something did fall flat, which may be a personal reasoning. I felt like I couldn’t connect enough with Katie. Ultimately, it came down to feeling as though the character was written overly insecure.
Which as again, is a major personal opinion.
I will most definitely be re-attempting this novel at a later date.
So thank you again for this opportunity!
(I don’t publicly post reviews for novels I don’t finish, as I don’t have the whole story to go by.)

Kate has a brutal assignment - create a video about a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard. As she spends time with Hutch, the rescue swimmer, she finds more than a successful video. When I see a new book release by Katherine Center, I jump at the opportunity to read it! I simply love her books!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this title.

I really wanted to love this title as I heard many great reviews on this authors precious work. Unfortunately this did not hold my interest and therefore I chose to stop reading/did not finish.