Deep romcom!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I crushed it within 24 hours! I could not put it down! 👏🏻👏🏻

The characters were on par! Katie, the FMC was my favorite! She essentially gets sent to interview a famous Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch. Her job is on the line so she reluctantly does it to appease Cole, her coworker. Come to find out Cole and Hutch are brothers and have a rocky relationship with a deep past. As Katie navigates interviewing Hutch (who happens to be the most gorgeous guy ever), so much happens. Hutch is also known as a dog lover (BONUS) and a love hater…

The tension that builds along with banter and learning about the characters’ lives in the past was all so fun! Katherine knows how to write fun romance with plenty of emotional pieces. Entertaining is a great word for this book!

I loved Aunt Rue and Hutch’s Great Dane, George Bailey was another star of the show. It was just a really great time. The very end of the epilogue really spoke to my heart. The deep connection I felt from Katherine’s writing there was something I haven’t felt too many times while reading. Overall, the underlying theme of this one is deep and so so great for any woman who struggles with seeing all the good in herself physically. 🫶🏻

*thank you to NetGalley for an eARC and St. Martin’s Press for a physical ARC!

I enjoyed this author's previous works. So I was excited to check this one out. And while I enjoyed some parts of the book, overall it lacked emotional depth, and the characters weren't very well fleshed out. As a result, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the story.

The concept was there, but the execution left me wanting more.

I am choosing to stop reading this book at about 10%. It seems that the female main character’s body image and previous dieting and disordered eating trauma are going to play a big role in her character arc. I did not see this pre-warned in any way. Just the sheer amount of focus it’s received in these first few chapters was enough to make me feel uncomfortable. As a woman and as the mother of a young daughter, this is a trigger for me especially since her trauma began at a young age. While I’m sure some women who relate and struggle with this might find support in reading this character’s struggle, it is not something I would choose to read and to continue would be forcing myself through it.

4.25 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a copy of this ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really enjoyed this one! I am a big fan of Katherine Center and this book was no different. I thought Hutch was such a fun MMC and I really enjoyed his character. This book flew by! I will say that our FMC, Katie's, commentary on her body may be upsetting for some but I definitely felt seen in her inner monologue that she had with herself. I had several scenes that had me laughing out loud. While there were some scenes that were over the top and exaggerated, overall I had a good time. The ex and Colin can kick rocks, but other than that, I had a blast. I will say Hutch does emote a lot for someone they say is a love hater. I definitely appreciate his character and his personality to of taking care of others. Also, much like Katie, I would do anything for George Bailey.

CW: Death of a parent (past, described), Drunk Driving references (past, described), natural disaster

I loved this book! Perfect summer time read. I want to go spend time down in Florida in a little cabin with the girls. I loved the banter, the meddling and the unique story. Plus Hutch is completely swoon worthy!

The Love Haters has been my favorite read of 2025 so far. I simply have not stopped thinking about it since I first received the eARC in January.

I have been patiently working on this review for months because I simply haven’t had the confidence in my ability to use the English language to encapsulate all the things this book made me feel. I’ve been piecing it together bit by bit as I’ve ruminated on the stellar emotional high this story gave me. I simultaneously wanted to be every person in this story and to copy and paste these characters directly into my own life.
This book made me laugh. It made me cry. It made my heart skip actual beats. And it made me reflect on love in its many forms—and why stories like this are so important. (Aka the Katherine Center special.)

Read this if you like:👙Grumpy x Sunshine 🩳 | 👙 Forced Proximity 🩳 | 👙 Found Family 🩳 |👙Gentleman MMC 🩳 | 👙Slow Burn 🩳 | 👙Body Positivity 🩳 | 👙 Non-Traditional Enemies to Lovers 🩳

At a Glance: Katie Vaughn is going through it. After a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé—a viral TikTok sensation whose fans have long enjoyed leaving hate comments about her—Katie is left reeling, feeling alone, betrayed, and extremely self-conscious.

Just when Katie thinks things couldn’t get any worse, she learns her job as a video producer is on the chopping block, thanks to looming company layoffs. Katie’s boss, Cole, throws her a lifeline: head to the Florida Keys to film a career promo video for the Coast Guard. The catch? The star of the video is Cole’s older brother and biggest rival, Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson—a rescue swimmer who recently went viral himself after a dramatic, high-profile save. Desperate for a fresh start and a chance to prove herself, Katie says yes. One problem: the job involves flying over open water, and Katie can’t swim. At all.

Clinging to the hope that no one will find out, Katie jets off to Key West with a plan—learn to swim before the project starts. She checks into a vibrant, retro-style motel run by Rue, a color-obsessed local and Hutch and Cole’s eccentric aunt. When Hutch shows up with his massive Great Dane, George Bailey, chaos (and chemistry) breaks out immediately. Hutch is the most breathtakingly handsome man Katie’s ever seen, and George Bailey has a habit of (literally) knocking her over—which just keeps bringing them closer.

Soon, Hutch discovers Katie isn’t quite qualified for the job, but something about her makes him want to stick it out anyway. As he teaches her how to navigate the water and she gets to know more about the man behind the camera, the two find themselves drawn together in ways neither expected. Even with everything else demanding their attention, Katie and Hutch ultimately find themselves confronting their pasts, their fears, and the possibility of something real between them.

This book has it all—high-stakes action, laugh-out-loud moments, emotional depth, and swoon-worthy romance. At its core, The Love Haters is a heartfelt, summer-kissed story about learning to stay afloat—no matter how deep the water gets.

The Love Haters both hit me and healed me in ways I didn’t know I needed. It’s a story about love that transcends romance. You fall in love with the main characters, you fall in love with the supporting characters, and you walk away with more love for yourself by the end of it. That’s what makes this book so very special to me, and I hope it will do the same for you—should you choose to read it! The Love Haters is available now for pre-order and hits shelves on May 20th.

A massive thank-you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary advanced reader copy—all thoughts and opinions are my own. And, as always, please take care to review potential trigger warnings before diving in.

Thank you so much to St.Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Love Haters blew me away! I saw my younger self in Katie and wanted to hug her & shake her and tell her everything is going to be okay. While this is a love story between Katie & Hutch.. it's also so much more. It's all kinds of love between family, friends and most importantly loving yourself. I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to add a physical copy to my collection and to loan it to my daughters because there is such a beautiful message and story here. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, I was anxious and scared and I just wanted to hug George Bailey! Add this to your TBR because it is the perfect beach read!

Ok so first off it started out so cute and fun, and I was seriously hoping it would have that vibe through out the whole book but it just did not carry over sadly 🥲 this was my first Katherine Center book and to have heard such good things about her books, i definitely had high expectations. And not that I hated it because i definitely didn’t, there were a lot of things I loved (mostly quotes tbh) but there was also a good bit of things I did not like. But overall, 3 stars is not bad and I would recommend if you want a light(ish) summer read where the main character is truly fun and bright and just spunky personality! Definitely has a fun vibe just wasn’t for me personally!


My thoughts and opinions are solely my own 🤍

Also a special thank you to NetGalley for the ARC early access read to this book!! 🫶🏻

Semi spoilers ahead ⚠️
I just wished there were trigger warnings tbh because right in beginning of the book not even in the 20% she’s already listing a whole list of foods she has eaten and not weighing herself and just for me personally, as a postpartum mama who also has dealt with ED’s, it was a lot for me to read and I had to put it down. I waited a few days and then picked it up, and it WAS sweet to see how much her relationship with food did heal…butttt it just felt so forced and like overnight almost?? Ok and Hutch😭 what even was he like fr. And just the boat and the dog like just so weird and unnecessary it felt like idk. I just found myself saying out loud “what am I even reading rn?” And that just is annoying to me tbh ahaha if this wasn’t an arc I would’ve dnf it 🫡 but still overall it was fine I know for some people they really loved it so we’ll see with others think once it’s published on May 20th. Thank you for coming to my ted talk LOL 😅🫶🏻

This was such a fun read, filled with deep emotional impact. I thought this would be a light, breezy rom-com but it was so much more than that.

I could have done without a certain character lying but understand the character baggage that caused it.

Overall I loved Katie and Hutch. And there were some fantastic side characters like Rue and George Bailey!

Katie is a video producer assigned to make a promo video for the US Coast Guard - which might be her last chance to save her job at a downsizing company. Katie doesn't swim, or know what the coast guard does, but surely she can just fake it, right? Once in Florida, Katie meets Hutch, the subject of her video, along with his eccentric Aunt Rue, and great dane, and antics ensue!
I got to see Katherine Center at Texas Book Fest last year (after reading The Rom-Commers) and it turned me into a Katherine Center fan for life! We were all eating out of the palms of her hands while she spoke so inspiringly about the romance genre. And I loved this book. This is such a fun, silly premise, but with a lot of heart and a deeper message about self-love. I found quite a bit of this relatable - Katie's struggle with body positivity, and also what its like to have a large dog with thunderphobia! Definitely check this out for a fun poolside read when it comes out at the end of the month.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars.

Katherine Center has quickly become an author I want to read everything of. I am so thankful to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the early ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Love Haters. Katherine Center dived deep with this one into the message of loving yourself and seeing yourself in a positive light. There were definitely aspects of Katie’s struggle that were relatable and her self-discovery made some very poignant and enlightening points that gave me some beautiful takeaways (as stated extremely well in the Author’s Note).

I loved the easy relationships in this book – not just between the MCs, but between Katie and her cousin Beanie, Katie and Rue, The Gals, and heck, even between Katie, Hutch, and George Bailey. All of these were so incredibly heartwarming and effortless, and made me want to pack my bags and head to the Florida Keys to find my own Vitamin Sea gang. Hutch and Katie had such great tension and pining and some how just worked really well together. I was hoping for a little more payoff in the end with them, though – I wanted to see them together-together a bit more before the story ended.

This is definitely a feel good story (and incredibly interesting learning about the Coast Guard!) and one I can see myself rereading again.

My only note with this book is that I don’t feel it was marketed the best. I went in expecting at least one, if not both of the MCs to be love haters, and that didn’t really feel true at all. From the get-go, Hutch never felt like someone who was anti-love. He never came across as resentful or bitter toward it and I don’t think he was supposed to. So then I was expecting Katie to perhaps be a bit more cautious (at the least), due to her history, but she wasn’t like that either. She was open and willing to fall in love.

I do see how it’s also supposed to be a love/hate relationship between Katie and her body as she learns to see herself in a positive light after dealing with so much body negativity, and while it’s a phenomenal part of the story, it’s not really what we get from the synopsis.

Other than that, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.

My review is already up on Goodreads and will be posted on Instagram by Tuesday, May 20.

“Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life.”
“No one’s born fearless,” Rue said,” You have to earn it.”

I thought the plot was pretty interesting at first, I genuinely did. Learning about the Coast Guard Rescue Diver program was incredibly cool, knowing that all that information would come in handy, and it did. What frustrated me most was the main character’s internal monologue. I’ve always had Beanie’s mindset, which is most definitely why I felt that I couldn’t connect. However, I do think Center handled the touchy subject of body image, quite well.

Hutch, the male main character, was just a breath of fresh air. He’s the green flag personified. His brother Cole, and Sullivan, these were the characters I wholeheartedly despised. Rue’s story was truly heartbreaking, and her constant optimism is truly inspiring. I’m glad the book ended the way it did with her storyline. All in all, this was all a really great premise, wonderful start, but poor execution in the end. The climax of the story arc was underwhelming, and foreseeable, with the resolution reminding me of a cushion to fall lightly back on. In my humble opinion, this was not Center’s best work.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Katherine Center for a free eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

While this book was overall a breezy, captivating and enjoyable read, I wasn't wow-ed by it unfortunately, I have read a few of Katherine Center's books - with her last being my favourite of hers - so I was familiar with her writing style and approach.

Katie Vaughn’s journey in the novel had an intriguing setup with its Key West backdrop, movie making and high-stakes situations (the Coast Guard scenarios that Katie experiences). Katie, a video producer, fumbling her way through swim lessons, entangling herself in her coworker’s complicated family dynamics, and dealing with body image/self-esteem issues, started as a relatable and spirited protagonist. However, the chemistry between Katie and Hutch felt lacklustre and almost non-existent - partly because we don't really get to see their relationship or attraction develop, we're just told it. Additionally, I don't get the title of the book and why Hutch is called a "Love-Hater" even with the backstory of his relationship to his brother (Katie's coworker).

Overall, this novel felt more like Katie's personal journey rather than a romantic comedy - which isn't bad, it's just not what it is being sold as. I’ll still be eagerly awaiting her next release.

I'm having a tough time rating this because there were a lot of things I really liked about this, but I didn't think it worked particularly well as a rom-com.

Things I liked!
*The body positivity and self-acceptance message. A bit on the nose at times, but a great theme.
*Everything that came out with the conflict between the brothers-- still self-acceptance but also dealing with loss
*I also loved all the characters, including the side characters. Including Cole! He was a mess but so entertaining.
*I can't believe I'm saying this as I am NOT a dog person, but George Bailey. Particularly how he played into the climax of the book.

And to be honest, when I say it didn't work for me as a rom-com, I don't necessarily mean that as a bad thing. I feel like there was less tension leading up to the conclusion. Not less chemistry, just less angst. And part of that is probably it didn't seem like the act 3 conflict came out of totally-avoidable-miscommunication issues. (Again, that's a good thing)

The ending was a bit ridiculous, but the whole book was fun and I enjoyed reading it!

I received an ARC via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read all of Katherine Center books and enjoyed them all. This one is good, not my favourite - but still an excellent read.

This book is marketed as a rom-com. The cover and title indicate rom-com. The book has romance. It has comedy. But I would classify it as women's fiction, since this is ultimately a journey of self-discovery for Katie.

Also body image is discussed - a lot. Disordered eating is discussed - a lot.

What I enjoyed: the setting of Key West (though I wouldn't have minded a bit more descriptive imagery). The Gals and Rue (I wish my some-day retirement would feature me and my fabulous friends living in little cottages and grilling together). The Dog (I never pictured him a Great Dane but some giant shaggy dog).

What I wanted: less self-discovery and more chemistry and romance. More fun interactions with the Gals. More exploring the Keys. A few less plot holes tbh.

As a librarian I will still recommend Katherine Center as a good read. I just won't start with this book.

I read The Rom-Commers last year and really loved it, so I had high expectations for this one, but sadly, it didn't quite work for me.

I feel like the MMC had no depth and no real personnality. I also feel like the characters fell in love quickly, while, to me, it seemed like they had barely spent any time together (a lot of their time together appears to have happened off-page).

While this wasn't the book for me, I'm still looking forward to this author's future releases!

2.5 stars - One thing that I love about KC books is that they are fun but also have a deeper element to them. Sadly this one felt juvenile and tedious to me. While I feel that body dysmorphia can be a serious issue, it came across to me as silly and annoying. And I wasn't able to feel the connection between the FMC and MMC. I will keep reading KC books as she has some real gems, this one just wasn't for me.

4⭐️/5

I feel like this book was very timely for me. I read a lot of mixed reviews, and was wary to start it. But I really enjoyed it and could deeply resonate with this book. The characters and story really won me over.

Katie is a videographer from Texas that is bamboozled into making a recruitment video for the US Coast Guard. She travels to Key West, Florida where the base is located. She stays with Rue who is her boss Cole’s aunt who is also the one supposed to be on the assignment. Katie is sworn to secrecy about why she is there until after the assignment starts. She also doesn’t mention that she can’t swim. Katie has a lot of body image issues that are mentioned, talked about and worked through. It is a sensitive topic for sure, but I felt like it was really well done and brought some healing to my own body imagine issues.

Hutch is the primary focus for the video, and also Cole’s older brother. Hutch is the all American guy. He is a green flag all the way around (which I haven’t read a lot of lately and was refreshing), and a cinnamon roll MMC. He also happens to be the swim instructor for Katie and the group of ladies that are neighbors to Katie. The first couple times Katie and Hutch meet are really cute and endearing. Hutch also desperately wants to reconnect with his brother Cole who repeatedly blows him off. I thought it was funny that he got labeled as a “love hater” and was the farthest thing from it…

Cole shows up and makes a huge mess with his big lying mouth. Rue is endearing and challenges Katie to see herself from a different more colorful point of view. And Beanie was just an all around beautiful character.

This story is about learning how to love yourself just as you are. It’s about choosing people who make you feel safe and who allow you to be exactly yourself, and maybe challenge you to be better. It’s about what redemption in relationships can look like. And it’s about how lying can cause a whole heap of messes.


Things I loved:
🌺Hibiscus clip
🛟The splinter incident
👙Swimsuit malfunction
🚲Bike rescue
💰The penny collection
🦮George Bailey


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


Favorite Quotes:

“You jump out of helicopters for a living,” I countered. “And now here we are, blowing bubbles.” “I love blowing bubbles,” Hutch said, and there was that frowny smile again.

“It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks if you’re having fun. And all the fun is in color.”

“I’m saying that when I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you. And waiting to see you again. And we’ve spent all day, every day together for weeks now—and it already feels like it’ll never be enough.”

Something quiet and forgotten and neglected in my soul got an undeniable dose of healing.

“You weren’t the reason she died. You were her last wish.”

The Love Haters is another winner from Katherine Center! Pick up this great summer read and meet Katie, a video producer on assignment for her coworker, and Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who is the subject of Katie’s video. Fans of Center will enjoy getting to know the wonderful cast of supporting characters as Katie and Hutch work through their differences.
I have read most of Center’s books, and this is one of my new favorites. I recommend The Love Haters to chick lit fans who enjoy romance and family drama. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Katherine Center, I'm sad to give one of your books such a low rating, but I think maybe you should ditch the book-a-year deal, as the quality of your rom-coms is suffering. Maybe it's a me problem, but I just could not settle in to this story. Our female lead, Katie, has a very low body-image and it got really, really tedious really, really quickly. Our male lead, Hutch, was a caricature of a romance hero, and I didn't get any sense of chemistry between the leads. Mix together poor communication, very questionable/immature behavior by a coworker, a conveniently quick attachment between Katie and Hutch's aunt, and a ridiculous hurricane situation, and it was just all I could do to get to the end. Am I too cranky for this breezy rom-com? Most likely. As I said, maybe it's a me problem, but I just wanted more and different from this story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.