Katie ends up in Key West to do a cover story for the US Coast Guard recruitment campaign and her subject is rescue swimmer, Tom Hutchinson aka Hutch, who is the 'most scientifically good-looking guy' she has seen. The small catch, she doesn't know how to swim and also her superior at work, Cole - is brother to Hutch, and she might have just landed in the middle of their sibling drama and possibly drowning a couple of his lies. What ensues is swimming lessons, helicopter drills, swimsuit mishaps, and even a hurricane.

Here's what I loved about this one. Consider this a content warning, but a major part of Katie's character arc involves her body positivity journey. It may be a trigger for some but personally I loved how Katherine depicted it. The friendship between Katie and Beanie (her best friend) was so endearing, the way Beanie helps Katie discover things to love about herself (or her body) made me also pause and reflect. I might not realise but I do think like that about myself many times and their exercise gave something to think about. The other thing that I enjoyed is the beautiful found family of Hutch, Rue (his aunt), and George Bailey (Hutch's rescue Great Dane) - these made up for some sweet, funny and emotional moments.

Let's talk about Hutch and Katie, shall we? Katherine's books have a sweet chemistry between the leads and I loved how Katie and Hutch noticed things about each other in such short time, opened up about their anxieties or struggles, and somehow made it through the unfortunate lies. This is ofcourse a closed door romance but there are some sweet and swoony kisses, hilarious moments and banter, some very sweet gestures.

This was all good except for a few things. Cole - umm, I did not like this guy. I wanted to smack him! And the thing that I wish was done differently was maybe the climax - I cannot exactly explain but I needed some more passionate or emotional response from Hutch at the end, during the rescue. Just a teeny tiny bit more.

Key West, Coast Guard rescue swimmer, a Great Dane named George Bailey, and Katherine Center behind the pen. What else do you need?!

Video Producer, Katie, is on the verge of getting laid off, so in hopes of saving her job, she takes an assignment to do a profile on Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. Problem is Katie can't swim, nor is she the only person Hutch said he'd do the profile with - his brother, Cole. Such a fun, summery read!

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

I'm a solid fan of Katherine Center and this one filled my yearly desire to read something only she produces. I love to go in knowing sort of what I'm getting, liking the story I've read nothing about in advance, and finishing it in a few hours. She always delivers.

The Love Haters is everything I adore about Katherine Center’s writing—witty, heartfelt, empowering, and full of charm. The characters are vibrant and deeply relatable, and the slow-burn romance had me hooked from the very beginning. Katherine’s signature blend of humor and emotional depth shines through every page, making it impossible to put this book down.

What really sets this story apart is the beautiful message about self-worth, second chances, and refusing to settle—for love, for life, or for yourself. I laughed, I teared up, and I closed the book feeling completely satisfied. It’s the kind of story that reminds you love is worth fighting for—even if it means standing up to the "haters."

If you’re a fan of smart, feel-good fiction with a strong heroine at the center, The Love Haters is a must-read. Katherine Center does it again!

This one was really enjoyable! Katie is requested for an assignment when one of her coworkers has to back out, only she isn’t qualified to do it. She is filming the life of Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer… but she can’t swim.

Learning about Hutch’s job, and watching Katie overcome fears was really fun. Hutch is a bit of a grump, and definitely a love hater, but it was enjoyable to watch him and Katie acknowledge their issues and work through them. The characters were soooo lovable, his aunt and dog… OMG!!! Love. I hate miscommunication, and with when and how it came about it drove me a little crazy. Thankfully it got cleared up in the sweetest, stupidest (in a good way), most dramatic way possible!!! IYKYK!!! I loved every minute of it. Truly, Katherine Center knows how to write a book, this one was a lot of fun.

Katherine Center’s latest romantic comedy revolves around a troubling romance and sibling rivalry. Katie Vaughn, with a less-than-stellar romantic history, is skeptical about finding a worthy partner. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes inexplicably drawn to a new client.

With Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson as the client that could make or break her career, Katie finds herself in the middle of the issues between Hutch and his brother Cole, who is actually her coworker. Could it be true that Hutch is truly a “love hater”, thus making it very unlikely that Katie’s instant attraction to him could go anywhere? Before she can even think of romance, Katie must play her role as someone who can swim. Between her pretending that she knows even the slightest thing about handling her herself in the water, Katie finds herself living another lie while around Hutch, and she has a lot at stake.

This one-sitting read was easy to enjoy as I loved Katie and her resonant attitude. Hutch was the ideal hero, and was just the sweetest when it came to the devotion that he had for his rescue dog, a very fortunate Great Dane he named George Bailey. Then we have Hutch’s sweet Aunt Rue, who really made a wonderful impression on Katie.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This was so delicious. I love everything she writes! It is so funny and romantic. Katherine center is the rom com queen!

A fun and captivating romance. This was a page turner that I could not put down. Important and interesting twists were always happening amidst the witty, lively dialog. A wonderful read! Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Enemies-to-lovers but make it grown. It’s witty, heartfelt, and gives big second-chance vibes without dragging the angst too far. I laughed, I swooned, I highlighted a few lines that called me out. Katherine Center knows how to blend messy emotions with heart.
“Hating someone is just loving them backwards.”

I don't know its me or if it's her writing but something has changed. I have loved reading her prior books. But her latest books have been such disappoints. I love stories where authors tackle hard topics and in this case, the FMC recovering from eating disorder and her view on her body image was too much. At times, it was just too much and because of that, I sadly could not finish this book.

Katherine Center has easily become one of my favorite authors. While I did enjoy Katie and Hutch’s story, I hated the way the main character was so insecure about herself and her weight. She couldn’t even find anything to like about herself. This made the love story a little unbelievable for me because she had to constantly be reassured and according to everyone else in the story she was beautiful. Just felt a little off for me. I did enjoy the banter and relationship between the two main characters other that that.

I thought this book was cute but a bit of a slow start for me. Katie was very relatable in her issues. I could’ve shaken her at times but also hugged her. My first Katherine Center read!

DNF at 15% sadly😭

Okay so no hate to this book and to the people who enjoyed it. I could get a feel about what the book was going to be about (eating disorders) and the story line just wasn’t for me. This is something I just couldn’t connect with and the FMC and her journey. Does this seem like a more of a healing/self help with some romance? Eh kinda, maybe if I stuck with it, it might have gotten better. This is definitely disappointing because I have read a few Katherine Center books and absolutely loved them.

*Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author, Katherine Center for the ARC!*

After not enjoying the past few Center books I was hesitant to read this. I ended up enjoying it. I thought the events the FMC experienced were well written, and I enjoyed the body image issues used by the author to fully flesh out the FMC.

Like many other reviewers, I thought this book had an adorable, summer-y premise and I was enjoying it initially.

But, I fall into the category of reader that probably needed a trigger warning on the weight/food/body image content. And, had I known, I wouldn’t have requested the title so someone else could enjoy the ARC (I believe many, many readers will enjoy this!).

Let’s talk about the positive side of the body imagine content: yes, it hit too close to home for me personally - BUT that is also the mark of good storytelling: it was relatable, with details I recognized. The obsession with calories, the food noise, the changing your wardrobe…it was accurately portrayed, and didn’t feel like a frivolous plot point. And there were early hints of healing.

And knowing the genre, and knowing Center, I trust this has a happy ending - not just in love, but in body image.

As always, I’m thankful for this opportunity and am wishing SMP and Katherine Center the best with this release - which has all the makings of being THE “Summer 2025 Read,” it just simply wasn’t a good idea for me to continue with this book.

I am truly amazed at how Katherine Center not only comes up with incredibly inspiring, funny yet moving storylines, but also is able to weave such important empowering messages into the plot which only makes the reader empathize so much more with the characters. The Love Haters will inspire you, make you laugh and want to hug yourself.

Katie Vaughn works at a video design company, and she also has a small YouTube channel in which she posts inspiring stories of a day in the life of a hero. But unfortunately for Katie who has had the worst year of her life, it's about to get even bleaker.

After the love of her life, a musician who suddenly hit stardom and they then became engaged decided to cheat on her with a gorgeous, skinny LA girl, Katie has spent the last year drowning her sorrows in black clothes, lots of ice cream and a great deal of beating herself up. Something her best friend Beanie is trying to help her with.

Now, a co-worker Cole has just informed her that the manager of the company is cleaning house and massive layoffs are coming. He knows for a fact she is on the hit list. BUT he has a job for her in Florida in which she will spend time with a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer named Tom "Hutch" Hutchinson. Now, here are a few important facts...Katie can't swim, and Katie will not be putting a bathing suit on. Of course she takes the job!

Her first introduction to Hutch is spectacular with his Great Dane, George Bailey barreling into her at a pool and causing needed attention to her ahem, backside. Of course, he immediately realizes she can't swim and insists on giving her lessons. Did I mention Hutch is a sexy god?

But she begins to fit in as a part of Hutch's family, his Aunt Rue whose housing she is living in as well as her clothing store which she continually brings beautiful bright clothes for Katie, much to Katie's embarrassment.

She also soon discovers that Cole who got her the job is Hutch's brother so what's that about? And Hutch is pretty angry at Katie because Cole was supposed to come to Florida for a family reunion of sorts with Rue.

But when Katie discovers she is being dissed on social media she wants to go back home and hide forever, but it is Hutch who changes her mind, again ahem.

Unfortunately, their developing friendship seemingly ends when Cole decides to make an appearance and tells a few lies, lies Katie cannot at this point shed light on. Now, Katie has once again lost out not only a terrific job but someone she could see herself with.

Take a trip to Florida with Katie and Hutch and of course George Bailey and read about their amazingly funny adventures as a woman who thought she knew everything about herself learns she knew nothing. The Love Haters will have you wanting more of these two pretty dysfunctional people who teach each other lessons about life.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sPress #KatherineCenter #TheLoveHaters for the advanced copy.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. Her writing pulls you right into the story and will have you laughing alongside our main characters. She writes fun romcoms while addressing different disabilities, illnesses, or aspects of mental health. This book follows Katie who is working on a Coast Guard recruitment video while falling for the video's leading man. Her inner voice is very self-depricating and I think it could be triggering for those who have struggled with body image issues or disordered eating. The main character's journey in this book was about learning to love herself and her body and this element has a very heartwarming conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital ARC of this book.

not my favorite Katherine Center read but it was good! I am still looking to be WOW'd like I was with The Bodyguard....

What a sweet book. An incredible heroine learning to love herself and a swoony, grumpy hero. Katherine Center has yet to let me down! This was so funny and heartwarming. Most definitely worth a read and no spice, if that’s your jam! But don’t think the Coast Guard rescue swimmer with a rescued Great Dane named George Bailey won’t have you kicking your feet! 🥰

As always this was another excellent book by Katherine Center. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I was not expecting the emotional turmoil that happened near the end of the book and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to figure out how it would end. The emotional journey and growth these characters went on was incredible and I love this book immensely! Highly recommend!