Format:

~ 📱 Ebook: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall rating: 4.8

🔥 Slow-burn
❤️ Love after heartbreak
🫶🏼 Self-discovery
🏋🏼‍♀️ Body image
🫂 Found family
🐶 Dog companion

The Love Haters begins with Katie's coworker Cole saving her from being cut from her job by having her interview his brother Hutch for a video promo so he doesn't have to. What ensues is a fun and hilarious ride.

~ First line:
It was quitting time on a Friday, but Cole Hutcheson didn’t care.

~ Favorite line:
We’re here to be alive. To feel the sun on our skin. To breathe deep in the wind. We’re here to feel it all. To love and cry and love some more. We’re here to rescue ourselves— and everybody else— in every way that we can.

✴️ World building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The set-up was perfect!

✴️ Writing style/ flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I could not put this book down!

✴️ Character development: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
LOVE, love, love these characters! I love the banter between Katie and Hutch. Also, Rue is fabulous!

✴️ Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The web of lies seemed a little far-fetched to me, but it all came together in the end. I truly loved this story!

✴️ Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Absolutely enjoyed! I've never read anything by this author and I will definitely be reading more!

*** Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. I'm grateful for the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

Was this the best book I've ever read? No, but it also wasn't the worst. Starting with the positive, I enjoyed the development Katie & Hutch's relationship and the moments between the two of them, as well as Hutch's dog. I also thought that Hutch's aunt, Rue was such an inspiring character and I aspire to live my life as boldly and colorful as her! Now in terms of what I didn't enjoy... everything else. First thing first, this book needed a trigger warning in the beginning for eating disorder and negative body image. Not knowing that those two things were going to be the main focal point of this story, was shocking and made my reading experience so much less enjoyable. I also just found Katie to not be super likable as well as her colleague and cousin. I debated DNFing this book but Hutch was the saving grace.

In The Love Haters, Katherine Center delivers another uplifting, emotionally rich romance with her signature blend of wit, heart, and hard-won hope. This time, the story takes us from office politics to ocean rescues as video producer Katie Vaughn is sent on assignment to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer—only to discover her subject is none other than Hutch Hutcheson, the golden boy who broke her heart years ago.

Katie is everything you'd want in a Center heroine: smart, guarded, and achingly human. Her emotional armor is tight, her skepticism high—and yet Hutch, with his sun-drenched charm and quiet steadiness, starts to chip away at both. What begins as a professional inconvenience slowly turns into a reckoning with her past and, more importantly, her future.

Set against the salty air and sunset glow of Key West, the book tackles vulnerability, healing, and what it really means to choose love, even when it's scary. The romance is slow-burn perfection—filled with banter, unspoken history, and moments that feel like breathless freefalls—and the emotional payoff is deeply satisfying.

Katherine Center doesn’t just write love stories; she writes growth stories. And this one, full of warmth, humor, and second chances, is a testament to the power of letting go and leaning in.

Tropes: second chance romance, workplace tension, sunshine x guarded, emotional healing, forced proximity
Vibes: ocean breeze, flirty tension, journalistic chaos, deep-heart epiphanies

This was great! It contained the exact amount of humor and vulnerability I've come to expect from Katherine Center. But what was unexpected was how healing this was. Watching Katie face her fears over her body image AND heal from her toxic af ex? Incredible! I was crying one minute and laughing the next. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

Somehow I didn't see the conflict at the end coming, even though it makes total sense when you consider Hutch's job... I can't say I loved the turn it took, but I do love how it ended!

Thank you to Netgally for the ARC ebook. Katherine Center has quickly become an auto read author for me and I knew I wanted this new one asap. The Love Haters did not disappoint. I fell in love with the main characters. The author note at the end was so touching. Really enjoyed this book, go buy it!

“You’re like a human hot fudge sundae or something”

The Love Haters is a fun, flirty, feel-good escape set in sunny Key West, where Katie—our video-producer-turned-fake-swimmer—finds herself in way over her head (in more ways than one 👀) when she’s sent to film a Coast Guard hero who just so happens to be her co worker's grumpy brother.

This had all the rom-com energy I love: laugh-out-loud moments, quirky side characters (Rue and George Bailey = ICONS), and a FMC you genuinely want to root for! While I wish there had been a bit more romance between Katie and Hutch (and a little less repetition of “love hater”), I still had an absolute blast with this one. The perfect easy, breezy summer read!

What to expect:
🏝️ Key West sunshine
❤️‍🩹 Self-discovery
🌤️ Grumpy x sunshine
💗 Found family w/the BEST quirky and fun side characters

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katherine Center is one of my go-to authors for a feel-good, emotional, swoony escape, and she absolutely delivered with this one. I adored the story!

Katie is such a relatable main character. She’s dealing with the aftermath of a public breakup, her career is on shaky ground, and she struggles with some pretty raw body image issues. The job in Key West is a defining moment for her professional career, but Katie doesn't expect it to change her life in the multitude of ways that it does. From the moment she lands in the vibrant and sunny Key West, her journey becomes one of growth, romance, and discovering her confidence.

And then there’s Hutch. Tall, ridiculously handsome, and emotionally layered, he’s a walking rom-com dream. A member of the Coast Guard, Hutch also teaches geriatric swimming lessons. He's super swoon-worthy and very different from how his brother described him. His romance with Katie had me grinning, swooning, and even tearing up a little. The chemistry between them was fantastic, and I loved their banter. You could tell their feelings for each other were strong. I loved seeing their connection grow, and some of the things Hutch says to Katie melted my heart. Even when he's cranky, he's so swoon-worthy! lol Though they seem very different, this grumpy/sunshine pair complements each other so well.

The found family vibe is also excellent. Aunt Rue and her squad of feisty senior swimmers (aka The Gals) are just the kind of quirky, heartwarming crew I love in a book. Frankly, I was sold as soon as they mentioned doing a conga line to Barry Manilow's Copacabana. I love me some Copacabana! And George Bailey! That sweet, slobbery Great Dane completely stole the show.

There are powerful messages woven through the story about body shaming, self-worth, and learning to love the body you’re in. I could easily relate to Katie's struggles with body confidence. When your body shamed as a kid or teen, it sticks with you, as we see with Katie. I love her transformation and how this wonderful group of people who befriend her give her the confidence to shine.

The Love Haters is fun, romantic, and just a bit suspenseful as Hutch's job with the Coast Guard can be dangerous, and many characters face a terrifying storm. The Key West setting (excluding the storm lol) is dreamy, the writing is engrossing, and the characters (human and canine) are fabulous! Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

It’s @katherinecenter ‘s pub day tomorrow!

I was excited to have a beach picture of my own to use as the perfect backdrop. This book was a fun time! I’m happy that everyone gets to read this starting tomorrow 5/20 💖

I like the theme of getting your self confidence back because it’s never too late. I like the subtle/not subtle way that Rue helps get Katie out of the shadows while Katie seems to be helping Hutch in the same way.

It’s the perfect read for summer and I recommend that you check it out! Thanks so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an early look at this book.

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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #lovehaters #katherinecenter #stmartinspress #netgalley #romancereader #summerreads #2025reads

This was my first Katherine Center read and I was a bit disappointed. I did like the Rom com aspect of the book and the storyline was okay. I did just expect more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited as this was my first Katherine Center book and it was a flop. I won't be writing her off as I've heard such good things, but my first impression was not positive.

First, COLE. Oh my goodness I've never been so annoyed by a character in my entire life. I know he's not meant to be liked but honestly he just ruined my mood.

Katie and Hutch's relationship was so boring. I couldn't find it in me to care.

One of my two stars goes to Rue. What a gem of a human being. The other goes to George Bailey.

I hope my next Katherine Center read is a better one!

Happy pub week to The Love Haters by must-read author, Katherine Center! I’m so grateful to @stmartinspress for an arc. The Love Haters comes out tomorrow!

When video producer Katie Vaughn is offered a project by her co-worker, Cole—to profile Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson in gorgeous Key West, she takes it. Her company is laying people off and an assignment like this might save her. Despite the fact that she can’t even swim and lies about it. When she gets there, Hutch isn’t happy to see her. He’s furious, actually, that his brother—the same Cole who gave her the job—didn’t show up. It’s the only reason Hutch agreed to do the profile. And it becomes clear that there is some family drama Katie knows nothing about. Can she turn this project around and get Love Hater (Cole’s description) Hutch to work with her on this project?

The Love Haters is so clearly a Katherine Center book. It has the quirky characters and the ridiculous situations along with dialogue that is both somehow funny and heartfelt at the same time. And it also has darker themes like most of her books. In this one, Katie has body issues stemming from a judgmental stepmother and a past relationship. I’ve read other reviews that had issues with how this was handled, and I agree on some level. I think the subject might have been handled too lightly with solutions coming too easily. But I do see and respect what the author was trying to do.

This book features a rescue dog named George Bailey that I think readers will be charmed by, but as a person who’s afraid of dogs I had trouble with some of the interactions. Personally, I would have rather had more time with Katie and Hutch. All that said, I loved the world of this book and even though it’s not my favorite by the author, I’m definitely glad I read it.

This story centers on Katie, a video producer who takes on an assignment filming a handsome Coast Guard rescue swimmer, even though she can’t swim, in a desperate attempt to keep her job. While there is a romance in this story, that didn’t feel like the center of the plot. Katie has very low self-esteem and deeply rooted body image issues, so this is truly more about her learning to love herself, and the charming hero feels more like an afterthought. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I honestly expected a bit more.

This is a well-written book about body positivity, wrapped up in a romance.

Katie was on the verge of being fired from her job as a cinematographer when her coworker, Cole, came to her with a job opportunity that would help save her position. She jumped on it immediately, even after hearing that she must know how to swim, and she doesn’t.

The job was to film a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. She finds out that the swimmer, Hutch, is Cole’s brother.

She ends up getting caught up in lies that Cole has created while falling hard for Hutch. I loved their chemistry.

This story has some great side characters. Aunt Rue and the Gals were some of my favorites. Their found family dynamic was so perfect.
Beanie, her best friend, is someone who everyone needs in their lives. Beanie will always be there for you, no matter what, and always wants you to love yourself. I loved their FaceTime chats where Katie had to pick a body part she loved about herself and why.

Katie went through significant character growth throughout this story, which was great to see!

Another winner in my book for Katherine Center.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the eARC!
This was okay. It wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t the best. I feel like all the characters were so flat, and lacking any sort of dimension whatsoever. It was pretty adventurous, which I liked, but other than that, not a whole lot going on. It was kinda cute and quirky, funny at times, but overall the characters ruined the book for me.
I’m all for body positivity, but I do think that it was very overplayed in this one, which I feel takes away from the book being better than I wanted it to be.
Overall, it was fine. I didn’t love it or hate it, and it won’t deter me from reading any other of Katherine’s novels.

Katherine Center does it again, writes an adorable romance! Seriously, she is the queen of adorable, emotion filled romances, and I have never read anything by her that I did not instantly love.

The Love Haters is the perfect summer beach read! Katie and Hutch, two amazing characters brought together by a common thread in life, Hutch's brother, Cole, who happens to be Katie's colleague. In desperation to not be next on the chopping block at work, Katie takes an assignment given to her by Cole - to go make a training video about the Coast Guard that features his brother, Hutch, a reluctant hero.

As she finds herself in the Florida Keys, staying in a cottage provided by Cole and Hutch's Aunt Rue, and working closely with Hutch - the one thing happens that she never expected. She falls for him.

Ahh, eek, awww - that is my version of fan girling over this adorable summer read!

My feelings about The Love Hater was up and down and tossed about much like Katie and George Bailey near the end of the book. At first, the story took a while to get going for me but once Rue and Hutch were introduced, I started feeling invested in the characters and the attraction between Hutch and Katie. However, several things happened that were either annoying or unrealistic that took me out of the story and the good vibes. I loved the characters but the plot of the story just didnt do them justice.

Hot rescue swimmer Hutch meets Katie, a video producer tasked with capturing a dramatic rescue in Key West to save her job. The twist? Katie can't swim—and Hutch was expecting his brother, not her, to be behind the camera.

This story strongly emphasizes themes of body and image positivity, which I found to be more central than even the romance between Hutch and Katie. While I’ve read and enjoyed several of Katherine’s books, this one was my least favorite. I didn’t connect with the characters as deeply as I have in her previous novels. That said, it was still a solid and worthwhile read.

Make sure to read the author’s note at the end—it’s beautiful. I truly appreciated what Katherine aimed to convey: the importance and beauty of falling in love with yourself.

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

I usually love Katherine Center and was super let down by this read. The focus on the FMC's body image and eating habits was unsettling for me and not something I desired to read about for the entire book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

The Love Haters not only gives us a romance story but also an important story of loving yourself. Katie is learning how to love herself again after the very public breakup from her famous fiancé and the often ridicule from her stepmom growing up. Beanie, Katie’s cousin/best friend helps her work through her low self-esteem and confidence. Beanie is a true hype woman! I loved seeing this added into the storyline and made me love Katie even more as a character.
‘Even if we do eternally need and long and want to be seen…maybe the most important eye doing the looking are our own.’
I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Katie & Hutch & I learned a lot about being a rescue swimmer in the US Coast Guard. I do think this romance scenario would be a little far-fetched in real life. As a dog lover, George Bailey, the Great Dane was a great addition to the book too. Cole, Hutch’s younger brother & who Katie also reported to at her job was not my favorite. He had a lot of insecurities, and the lying caused too much miscommunication that was not necessary. Once I got halfway through the book, I could not put it down!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy.

Between a 4.5 and 5 stars. Up until the 50% mark, this felt like a typical summer romance. There is nothing wrong with a typical summer romance-- they have humor, banter, an atmospheric setting, and this one specifically gave rom com vibes. At the 50% mark, the male main character opened up, and the plot changed significantly. The last 50% of this book went a different place plotwise than I ever thought we would go and I loved every second. Some of the quotes at the end were beautiful. Katie struggled with body image throughout and I related to her more than once. My favorite, "It was about the deep, enduring comfort that comes from looking at your life for exactly what it is, and exactly how it's unfolded-- and really seeing it. The past can't hurt you now like it did then. The story of your life is always full of mystery. You can unfold it on a table like a map, and study it, and understand it in new ways. It's not different, but you are." This is so much more than a summer romance!