The Love Haters is a heartwarming, character-driven romance that feels like a self-love anthem. Katherine Center delivers more than just a love story—she crafts an emotional journey that celebrates growth, vulnerability, and personal strength.
This novel leans more into emotional resonance than steamy scenes, offering readers a meaningful exploration of love, identity, and healing.

Thank you Netgally for giving me the opportunity to savor and review this ARC.

thank you to netgalley and st. martin’s press for the arc of the love haters! i have read multiple amazing books by katherine center that she has become and instant read author for me. this book however was the first one that disappointed me. i don’t feel like what the book is pitched as is an accurate representation of the book. i never found Hutch to be a love hater, and katie wasn’t one either she just struggled with loving herself. it was not the fun rom com i was hoping for. it was difficult to read this book i almost dnfed it many times, especially because reading about katie’s body dysmorphia was a struggle to me personally and that took up a large portion of the book. i am not saying its a bad topic to address in a book it just felt like it took over the entire story which wasn’t right for me as the reader. i was disappointed in what i could call a third act break up category, cole came in and ruined everything that had been building and i felt like it further repressed the already small romance in the book. the romance did fall into the insta-love category which i am not the biggest fan of but thankfully they did spend a lot of time together in the book for a period of time that it wasn’t full blown insta-love. i did love rue a lot her character was so full of light and love. i love how she cared so deeply for katie and how she had such a strong and positive impact on all of the characters. she is such a fierce woman and i love her! i love george bailey that pup deserves a world full of love and treats! i did really love that he had a whole personality in the book, the bit with the toads did make me giggle. i don’t think this book is inherently bad it was just not the right book for me as the reader and as always i am looking forward to the book katherine center releases next!

Katherine Center is the queen of women’s lit at this point. This book dealt heavily with body image issues, which can be hard to read sometimes but I felt that she dealt with it gracefully. While this may not be my favorite of her books, it definitely is a great addition to her catalog at large.

Solid 3.5 stars. The book is cute while also being a bit ridiculous at times. I liked how Katie worked through her body image issues throughout the story and I love a solid 'he fall first' trope. Overall, a decent novel and very much a 'Katherine Center' novel. I think it did what it needed to as a romance book, having enough drama to keep everyone going and a chaos dog to make us laugh. I think my favorite part of the book had everything to do with the dopey Great Dane.

Katherine Center’s writing is beautiful in such a unique way. The language and verbiage she uses makes for some truly beautiful quotes and character monologues! I find that I always enjoy her writing style; many of the things she says and characters she writes resonate strongly with me. In that regard, this book was no different. I truly loved both of our main characters, but found that I especially related to Katie. She represents many qualities that I see within myself, and a lot of the struggles she faced within this book were struggles that I related to heavily. Hutch had so many of the characteristics I look for in a strong male main character. He was the perfect balance between masculinity and vulnerability, which I appreciated. I just wish we got more of him, as I almost feel like I didn’t have enough time to connect with him! In general, this plot and storyline just didn’t hit for me like some of Katherine Center’s other work have. I didn’t feel overly invested in the actual story and felt like I was mainly reading to see how the romance played out. I also felt like many of the events within this book were extremely far fetched and cheesy… I know that is to be expected, as these books are works of fiction, but it was a little much for me this time around. Overall, I still had a great time reading this book, I just wasn’t as hooked as I would have liked to be! Full review posted on Instagram and will be posted on amazon on release day :)

Maybe I'm just the love hater. The Love Haters written by Katherine Center wasn't horrible by any means, but it also wasn't Katherine's best book either, in fact I did enjoy it, but I didn't really love this one. I love Katherine Center with my whole heart, she writes with so much wit, her characters are very lovable, Katherine write the most heart warming stories with pure intentions, her cover artwork is always so beautifully detailed, so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was jumping with glee, I was so excited to get my hands on it, but unfortunately it missed the five star mark for me. The Love Haters was one of my most anticipated releases for 2025, but this wasn't the authors best in my honest opinion. Katherine has the biggest heart, I absolutely love that she wrote a book about body positivity and loving yourself. I appreciate this trope so much, but I feel like there was just too much body image insecurity instead of the main character actually truly loving her body. Women don't need a man to feel beautiful and to love their body image. I know many women will resonate and love this book, I know I resonated with it a lot, but there was just way too much body image insecurity for me. Even though I didn't one hundred percent love this book, I still recommend it to my girls who struggle with loving themselves, so please do yourselves a favor and mark your calendars for May 20th, 2025. The Love Haters was so deeply inspirational in it's own way and it spoke to me on a personal level. Okay, before I get emotional again, it felt like Katherine wrote this book for my younger self, but again there was just way too much body image insecurity instead of teaching women to love themselves.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ST. MARTIN'S PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

First and foremost, I want to say a HUGE thank you to my favorite ladies Heather and Kat for buddy reading The Love Haters with me. I know we all didn't have the best of luck with this book, but I had the best time reading with you two lovely souls. I love you both so much. I couldn't have asked for better reading partners, and I want to thank both of you from the bottom of my heart for hyping me up and making me feel beautiful when this book touched on difficult subjects for me personally. Please be sure to check out their thoughts as well.

It's time for some girl talk. Ladies, I know we all struggle with body positivity in some way shape or form, I know I do, but you are all gorgeous in your own ways. You absolutely don't need a man to make you feel beautiful. Please please don't compare yourself to a gorgeous model you see on social media because half of the time they are probably full of Botox, I know it's easier said than done, but YOU ARE ALL OH SO VERY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

TROPES AND THEMES
Body Positivity
Fake Dating
Witty Banter
Strong Friendships
Forced Proximity
Touch Her and You Die
Key West, Florida Setting
Swim Lessons
Stolen Kisses
Drinking Contests
Conga Lines
Hurricanes
Helicopter Flights
Facing Old Fears
To Be Truly Brave At Last

"I'm not the only woman in the world with body image issues".

"You can confront your body image demons and learn a new skill at the same time".

"The cure for a phobia is to do the thing you are afraid of".

"Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time".

"Having someone stand up for you and then kiss you senseless by the water at sunset is a hell of a thing".

Katie Vaughn, girl, you are absolutely beautiful and the most kind hearted human being. Katie is literally a version of my younger self and she was so relatable. I literally have so much admiration for this woman. Although I don't agree with Katie on a few things of some of the things she did, Katie was still a very relatable female main character. Katie struggles with her body image so much, she started a starvation diet after being cheated on and struggles to feel beautiful in her own skin. Katie is the type of person who is afraid of what other people think of her. On weekdays, Katie works as a video producer for a corporate video company and her job is on the line. In order to save her job, Katie takes a gig as profiling Hutch Hutcheson for a Coast Guard recruiting video. On the weekends, Katie is working on A Passion Project, which is a six minute mini documentary series about heroes who offer heroism, sacrifice, and kindness. There's a catch for this Coast Guard gig, Katie is going to be in the ocean and she can't swim for the life of herself and she knows absolutely nothing about the Coast Guard. I couldn't help but cheer on Katie throughout the book, but I think she was just way too focused on always being negative about herself instead of trying to embrace her flaws and love herself from deep within. By the end of this story, I love how Katie tried to feel beautiful, but I feel like she went about it the wrong way, she only felt beautiful when a man told her she was pretty.

Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson is the most selfless and sweetest cinnamon roll bona fide hero. Hutch is a survival technician commonly referred to as a rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard. Hutch is a Pup Daddy after he went viral for rescuing a famous persons dog. Tom has a buzz cut, sand papery kind of voice, and buttery brown eyes. Hutch works out a lot, he drinks water, he constantly eats healthy, basically Hutch is a specimen of human perfection. Hutch rescues people all day long, he's also a love hater. Hutch is an all rules type of person, no heart and all action, he has no reactions to love, he's an all body but no soul type of human being. Hutch has a Great Dane named George Bailey whose full of love and dog kisses, he was literally the cutest thing in this book, he would constantly jump on everyone and slobber them up with dog kisses. Hutch is a love hater, he doesn't want a relationship, but he cares about those closest to him, he's constantly rescuing people lost in the ocean. Hutch has the biggest heart known to mankind despite being sassy and kind of has an attitude. This Pup Daddy is so hot and risks his life for others daily. I was a bit uncertain about Hutch because of his buzz cut, but this man is literally perfect and so attractive with his heroic qualities. Maybe I will get lost in the ocean so Hutch can come and rescue me one day, so I can see and get lose his beautiful eyes.

Together Katie and Hutch need to film a "Day in the Life" of Hutch Hutcheson so Katie can save her job. I loved watching Katie and Hutch together, their witty and smart ass banter made me laugh so much. While Hutch and Katie are filming this mini story, Hutch gives Katie swimming lessons because she never swam a day in her life. After Katie got in the pool, it was like she was a natural swimmer. You will need to read The Love Haters to see more of Hutch and Katie's interactions. Aunt Rue, Hutch's aunt, owns Vitamin Sea which is a tropics wear boutique that offers so many colorful swim suits and beach/pool necessities. Aunt Rue is also part of The Gals with Ginger, Benita, and Nadine. This group of women are full of life and casual wisdom, they made me laugh so much, they were just absolutely hilarious. Cole Hutcheson- Hutch's brother actually got this job for Katie because Cole wants people to see how kind and selfless Hutch is, but Cole and Hutch haven't talked in over a year because of some wedding mishaps. Cole is overly confident and a smidge narcissistic, but I appreciate him for trying to get people to see the type of person Hutch is. Katie's cousin- Beanie gave Katie the best advice, Katie is supposed to make a list of things she genuinely loves about her body. Things Katie thinks are beautiful, not things that Katie think other people would see as beautiful, but HERSELF. Beanie was seriously the best even though you only get a few glimpses of her. The Love Haters could have been an amazing book if it focused more on the female main character loving herself instead of always looking for negative things she hates about herself, but it was still a wonderful story nonetheless.

I usually love Katherine Center for her reliable romcoms. This one was not great. The main characters did not hook me and to be frank, I didn’t like them at all. The FMC focused so much on her body image, it went from the potential to focus on society’s pressure for women’s bodies to look ‘perfect’ to just being downright annoying. I’m not hearing anybody talk about this book and I’m understanding why now.

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

Getting a Katherine Center book on NetGalley is like winning the lottery for me - I have been a fan of her work for many years and was so excited to read this one. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! This is probably my favorite Katherine Center book ever. You have no choice but to fall in love with both Katie and Hutch (Rue and George Bailey, too!) and their love story. I could not put this down. I also was given the audiobook version, and that was fantastic as well! I will definitely be buying the physical version of the book for my shelf.

Thank you again for the ARC!

Katherine Center always manages to hit the sweet spot with a rom-com. It’s not a genre I gravitate too, but I have loved every one of hers that I’ve read.

In this latest book, Katie Vaughn, our main character, lands a journalistic assignment in Key West and her job is on the line. She will be filming Hutch, a hero in water rescue, and he just happens to be her boss’s older brother.

Katie is staying in a small group of vacation cottages full of retired women that welcome her into their group. Everything about the job is perfect, except for the relationship between Katie and Hutch, which is further complicated by the meddling of her boss.

I just loved the story and throughly enjoyed the addition the older women and of delightful George Bailey, who won my heart throughout the story. Great summer read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this to other readers.

🛟ARC Review🛟

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @StMartinsPress/ @smpromance /@katherinecenter for the digital ARC of this book!

Oh Katherine Center you’ve done it again. I’m so lucky to have received this ARC, as I have received her other books in the past few years. I fall in love with the world she creates and the characters that come with that world every time.

I will be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this one as much as her others when I read the synopsis. I’m so glad that was completely unfounded.

A woman who doesn’t know how to swim doing a story on a rescue swimmer in order to keep her job? Genius. I really liked Katie. I liked hearing her backstory as it was revealed through the book. The same came be said for Hutch. I always seem to love the MMCs in Center’s novels… they are flawed but wonderful and Hurch had such a great backstory too.

A wonderful read as usual!

📚The Love Haters by Katherine Center: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 ~ 4.5 stars (4 on Goodreads)

The Love Haters by Katherine Center releases on Tuesday, May 20th.

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Before I started reading this, I had seen a lot of great reviews. I was excited to start it and thought the premise sounded cute. But this ended up being a big disappointment.

At around 6% in, we learn that Katie, our main character, struggles with an eating disorder. However, it’s not acknowledged as such. We only ever see the words weight, skinny, starvation, and dieting. No mentions of therapy, body dysmorphia, or eating disorder. It’s handled so flippantly that it actually felt shocking. This becomes a theme throughout the book, with her having issues wearing a swimsuit and needing to be weighed before getting on a helicopter. Her cousin Beanie is supposed to be a helpful, supportive source, but gets she all of her information from self-help books and tells Katie she needs “exposure therapy.” It feels like a joke and it’s badly done, and the “resolution” to this might be even worse.

There are no trigger warnings at the beginning, and while I know some people consider them spoilers it’s easy enough to just skip that page. In 2025 there is absolutely no reason there aren’t trigger warnings for something this sensitive. And there’s nothing in this book that even makes up for it. It’s trying way too hard to be funny and it isn’t. There are weird hyperbolic exaggerations of time. Katie’s ex is mentioned too often, but he only comes up trigger her issues with her body which is terrible. There are descriptions for dialogue and gestures that are so unnecessary. And don’t even get me started on how unhinged the plot gets or the fact that there’s barely a romance.

I know how much people love Katherine Center, but the way this book handles eating disorders is so insensitive. It’s disappointing coming from an author this big. I hope that the finished version will take into account the trigger warnings for eating disorders and body dysmorphia, not to mention death of a parent/spouse.

Of course this was a 5 star read. I loved the premise, the vulnerability of our heroine, the grumpy/sunshine vibes, and the dog - omg - he was too much, but in the best way possible. It is always an entertaining and educational read with heavy emotion and some humor thrown in with KC's books and this was no different. I think I read this one in 2 days and enjoyed every page.

I am such a huge fan of Katherine Center, and I really enjoyed this book! I felt myself being so immersed in the Key West setting. Katie and Hutch were really cute, and I loved the way this story blended women’s fiction with romance in the perfect Katherine Center way. The story had me laughing out loud and on the edge of my seat while also exploring deeper themes like body image, comparison, grief, forgiveness, and fear. I also loved the authors note at the end - make sure you read it!!!

This is the perfect book to pick up laying on the beach or by the pool! Thank you so much for the arc!!!!

Content: no spice, infrequent mild language

I wanted to love this. The writing draws you in and is so easy to read that it just keeps you invested. The story, however, was not my favorite; it felt bogged down with body positivity and self-esteem issues that felt overdone. I loved the dog and the romance but otherwise, this one didn’t work for me.

I LOVED THIS. I couldn’t sleep last night so I started this and read until it was time to get up and loved every second of it. Well worth how tired I will be all day.
First off, I’m a big fan of the different jobs in this book, they are fun and exciting. I honestly loved the characters too. Except Cole for the most part but you’re not supposed to like Cole for a good chunk of it anyway. I really loved that working through body image issues was a constant throughout the book while also not giving you an actual size of her.
This book did have quite a few very emotional parts that I absolutely cried during but overall it was just the perfect amount of sweet. I’m a big fan and it’s a great book to binge read.

Here are my scattered thoughts:

I kind of liked how Katherine put a focus on body image in this book. It’s a very common issue and I feel people might connect with it.

There is also another issue of grief but it felt more like a side issue when it’s really a pretty heavy one.

The end irked me. It didn’t feel strong enough, that’s the best way I can put it without giving away too much.

I also wanted more tension between the Katie and Hutch. It felt a little too insta-lovey.

But, it was cute and would make a good beach read. It definitely made me want to go back to Key West.

Katherine Center is a must read for me. Most of her books are 5 stars, and while I enjoyed this one (4stars) I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I usually do with her writing. I thought this was enjoyable, a light read (although some heavy trigger mentions). I’d recommend this to Katherine Center fans but just know it hits a little different in comparison.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve loved all of Ms. Center’s stories, but this one didn’t come across as fun or as interesting as previous stories.

I loved Rue, Hutch’s aunt and her friends, known as The Gals. They are a lively bunch of retirees living in Rue’s bungalows who swim, drink cocktails, meddle and provide great entertainment. George Bailey, Hutch’s Great Dane was a scene stealer! Descriptions of the settings were vivid and easy to see the places in my mind.

The cover doesn’t seem to represent the two main characters. I’m not real sure about the romance between Katie and Hutch and it seemed a bit tepid.

I did NOT like Cole and his whole attitude about sending Katie on a trip to film and produce a story on his brother, Hutch – Tom “Hutch’ Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Both Hutch and Aunt Rue were expecting Cole to visit and work. When Cole finally shows up, he’s a jerk. Cole and Katie’s boss is something else also so when she and Cole arrive, It’s a bit over the top.

The ending was interesting but a bit odd and I wasn’t expecting something so extreme.

I love Ms. Center’s stories and look forward to reading more of her work.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new story.

If you are looking for a fun, easy to read, summer book, look no further. Katherine Center has gotten you covered! The Love Haters is the perfect romantic comedy with the perfect main character… George Bailey (just kidding, but am I). Katie and Hutch are the perfect duo, the fake dating, enemies to lovers, slow burning is chef’s kiss! Katherine Center does a good job at showing Katie’s body image trauma healing journey. Hutch, a Coast Guard God, had me wanting to make a special trip to a Coast Guard Station during my next beach trip. This is not my first Katherine Center’s book and it won’t be my last!

This is for your book club if you are looking for:
- Romantic Comedy
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to Lovers
- Easy to read
- Funny
- Miscommunication Trope
- Body image trauma representation

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review. The book will be out soon! May 20th!

I loved this book so much. It is a clean romcom, with plenty of angst and want. I didn't need anything more than Katherine Center gave me. This story was really a story of growth for our FMC. Her internal dialogue really grew and evolved, and this book really highlighted how toxic our own internal dialogue can be. She doesn't need him to confirm she is perfectly fine the way she is, although he is completely head over heels for her....

I highly recommend this book. It honestly had me looking at myself a little differently. Has me questioning how harsh I talk to myself, when I should be the kindest to myself first. Thank you so much for this book Katherine Center.