I always love grabbing a new Katherine Center book. This one started off a little slow, and I'm not sure if it was my mood, or if it was truly a bit dragg-y to start with.
But when Katie started hanging with Hutch, it got so much better. The last 25% was VERY dramatic, and I ended up really liking it.

This is an entertaining, fun, emotional, powerful read. Hutch and Katie are interesting, relatable, wounded, strong, caring, tough, complex, intriguing, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. I loved spending time with these characters and seeing Katie’s growth throughout the course of the story. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Katie is a documentary maker. She unfortunately- gets duped by her more senior co-worker, Cole, to take lead on a documentary about the Coast Guard in the Florida Keys. She learns her focus is actually Cole’s older brother, Hutch, and from that moment on things are never the same. Katie’s time in the Keys shakes up her black and white world, forcing her to embrace color in all ways- in herself, her fears, change, and love.

This was such a fun read @katherinecenter . There’s laughter and love- but more importantly the truth around mental health and the too large role of media and social media has in shifting the opinion of ourselves.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@netgalley and @stmartinspress -thank you for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date is 5/25/25.

#2025bookchallengebook37of100
#thelovehaters
#netgalley

Perhaps I am a love hater… I was so excited to get an eARC of this book and it was an anticipated 2025 read. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into it and was hoping it would pick up. I think the big reason I didn’t vibe with this book was because of the FMC. Quite frankly, I found her annoying and immature. She wasn’t acting her age and I couldn’t get past it.

A lot of the book focused on her body dysmorphia and although I love the idea and attempt of body image representation, this one was so surfaced level and felt forced. The only process the FMC makes is because the MMC finds her attractive, told her she’s pretty and now she loves herself.

Another issue I had connecting to the characters was with the lack of connection and chemistry. Simply put, it was just missing the spark.

This was a sweet story about learning to love yourself and face your biggest fears. Katie is a documentary film maker and videographer just trying not to lose her job when her sort of boss offers her a lifeline. If she goes to Key West and does a promo video and mini documentary on his brother the hero he can probably save her from getting fired. But to do that she lies about not being able to swim, and needs to lie to his brother and aunt and trick them into accepting her and not him doing the piece. What follows is some crazy antics of her trying to figure out how to swim, and convince this “love hater” of a guy to let her make the video of him. As this is going on and also has to contend with some life long body issues from her stepmother and the internet bullying her when she was with her famous ex. The two main characters are very sweet and have some nice personal growth in their story arcs. And the sweet Great Dane, and old ladies in this book are amazing! I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Again, Katherine Center write another great book. I've noticed people don't like the self love aspect of this book. But I feel that's an important part. Especially with what the main character is dealing with. Also, the hurricane scene was really good and gave some suspense to mix in with the fluffy romance.

A huge thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book!
This was my first Katherine Center book and it definitely won’t be my last! This book was for any of us that have ever had an insecurity or felt bad about themselves.
Serious topics and struggles like insecurity, body image issues, being your own worst critic, and learning how to love yourself were written so beautifully.
There were multiple scenes that brought me to tears seeing thoughts and feelings from my own brain expressed in such beautifully vulnerable scenes with Hutch and Katie. Ugh Hutch is a real one 💕.
This did take a bit of time to get into but the passages I marked and the life lessons this book holds are worth a 5⭐️ rating.
Loved the romance.. the found family trope.. and really just everything about this!

Katie’s job is on the line as her company just got rid of a bunch of their employees. Luckily, her boss, Cole, is trying to help save her job by giving her an assignment featuring Hutch, who rescued Jennifer Aniston’s puppy from the terrifying waters. Hutch is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer and Katie can’t say no because she can’t afford to lose her job. There’s just one little problem. She’s accepted a job where she’s definitely not qualified as she doesn’t even know how to swim!

What happens with Katie is on assignment? Will she be able to learn how to swim just in time to do this piece? Will it save her job?

I really enjoyed this book and there were some funny moments and also some really touching moments. I really enjoyed Katie’s growing relationship with Aunt Rue! I also love learning random facts that Hutch knows and about Hutch’s Great Dane.

First off, I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!! This is now my 6th Katherine Center book, and I still love her witty hilarious writing but also combining real issues with humor. There were some things I didn’t love that the main character Katie did and some things she thought were a little dumb. But overall I did like her character arc in the end and really enjoyed her and Hutch’s romance. So Katie is a documentary filmmaker, and she works for a big company that is laying off a lot of newer employees, including her. So she has to make this big documentary for her boss, Cole. The doc is about coastguards, and the main coastguard she has to film it about is you guessed it, Hutch. Even though that name Hutch made me cringe almost everytime I read it lol, it turned out kinda necessary for his do gooder perfect character to have a super cliche name too. So she’s sent off to film this documentary, but she can’t swim, which I found HILARIOUS. So Hutch has to teach her to swim, but their “meet cute” was freaking hysterical because she gets knocked into the pool by Hutch’s dog, George Bailey, which turned out to be the star of the book. This Great Danes interactions with Katie were hysterical! So overall I’d give it a 4.25, def a fave from Katherine and was so much better then It’s A Love Story. Do check trigger warnings though, there are brief mentions of unaliving and deals with binge eating and body dysmorphia. But overall a really good read. 😁

This was a good story but I wish the ending was a little more romantic should I say. I just felt we didn’t get the full ending with these two. But the whole story is good. Katherine never disappoints! I absolutely love George Bailey! He made the story!

One of the things Katherine Center consistently does well is giving her characters meaningful backstories, and that really came through in this book. I also appreciated how the main character’s insecurities were portrayed in a way that felt real and relatable. As always, the humor was a highlight and added a nice balance.

This one leaned more literary fiction than romance. One area the story lacked as in the characters’ expressions of fear, they need to feel a bit more realistic and mature. There was also a fair amount of miscommunication driving the plot, which took me out of the story a little bit.

Overall, a strong and enjoyable read with a lot to love.

The Love Haters is an entertaining, funny, heartfelt novel about facing your fears and loving yourself. Katie has struggled with her weight and her body image for her entire life. After getting dumped and losing her job, she realizes how unhealthy her relationship to food and her body has become, and starts to work on fixing it. She also gets a new job as a video producer. However, her co-workers start to get fired left and right, and to keep her job, she has to film a recruitment video featuring Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

There’s a few problems with this: first, Katie can’t swim and lies on her paperwork about it, and second, Hutch is the older brother of Katie’s co-worker Cole, and Hutch is expecting Cole to be the one filming the video about him. As Katie gets trapped in the increasingly tangled web of lies, she finds herself drawn to the handsome Hutch, his sweet Great Dane (named George Bailey) who is afraid of thunder, and his eccentric Aunt Rue.

What follows is a chaotic rom-com filled with forced proximity, heartfelt longing, adventures, emotional growth, and body image struggles. It was relatable, honest, and very sweet. I listened to the audiobook, which was performed by Patti Murin, and I highly recommend it. She did a great job of blending humor and vulnerability and really brought Katie’s story to life.

Thank you to You Had Me At HEA, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan, Macmillan Audio, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC. And thanks to BookSparks for the gifted copy.

📔The Love Haters
✏️ Katherine Center
📆 May 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🐾journey of self-love
🐾body positivity
🐾Coast Guard rescue swimmer
🐾mutual pining
🐾forced proximity
🐾found family

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Love Haters.

My new favorite Katherine Center novel. Ugh! Why do I say that after I read each of her novels? Katherine Center is a hands-down, no-questions-asked, must-read author for me, and she just keeps getting better and better. I know that if I need a book to get me out of a slump, make me swoon, and give me a few giggle-out-loud moments, her books will deliver. Keep doing what you're doing, Katherine! You are the escape from reality that we as readers crave!

Katie Vaughn is on the verge of being laid off from her job as a video producer. Layoffs are happening left, right, and center at her job, and she knows she's on the chopping block next. When her manager gives her two options, get to packing or take a job hyping up the Coast Guard, she jumps for the latter. So what if she can't swim? They're the Coast Guard. Surely someone can rescue her. *Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson enters the chat* Hutch is the main ingredient for the Coast Guard's video. He's the total package. Dude even went viral for saving Jennifer Aniston's dog. This novel will have you swooning in no time. Pick this one up to find out all the different shenanigans Katie can delve into all while dragging Hutch along with her.

The Love Haters was hands down the funniest book I have ever read. I was cackling uncontrollably. I replayed the scenes in my mind again and again. They never ceased to be less funny!
Katherine Center wove a beautiful love story, not only between the main characters, but between Katie and herself. Katie’s transformation from self loathing to self appreciation, respect, and love, was inspiring and laid a roadmap for readers to follow.
This was the first Katherine Center book I’ve ever read, but it truly won’t be the last!

Katie is tasked with flying to Key West to film a promotional video for a USCG rescue swimmer by her coworker, Cole. There are a few issues here. One, Katie figures out she is filming Cole's older brother and the brothers don't get along. Two, Katie's job is on the line. Three, Katie can't swim.

This is probably my favorite Katherine Center book yet!! I loved seeing how Katie was not only filming the video with Hutch, but also learning to love herself in the process. My favorite part was the very end of the book where Katie realizes that she does love herself and her body!

I had to DNF. There was no CW and there was way too much talk about eating, body size etc. it was too triggering

I have yet to be disappointed by a Katherine Center book. She always has this one point towards the end that makes me want to cry. I love that I'm emotionally torn for the character(s). I also really appreciate that it's obvious that Katherine Center does her research. I always learn something new. In this book, for example, I learned so many new things about Coast Guard rescue swimmers and helicopters in general.

There was one part in the book where the MMC showed human decency to the gate agents at the airport who were getting yelled at by frustrated fliers because of a delayed flight. I super loved that, because I feel like, in a way, Katherine Center is reminding anyone and everyone who is reading her book to treat people with human decency. It's not the gate agents' fault that the flights are delayed.

I did almost dock a star or half, because of the ending. The emergency situation that happened was something that I kind of expected, but not the treatment. I would absolutely have cried if I was her. That was not the kind of romance I was looking to read. However, it did make me go through a slew of emotions, which was probably Katherine Center's intention. So in that aspect, I appreciated the emotional roller coaster. 5 stars!

Katie is struggling and uncertain of her future. She is waiting to hear whether or not she will be fired from her job as a video producer, her fiancé has left her and she has never felt comfortable in her own body. Having reached a personal nadir, she decides to take on a new assignment in Key West, Florida, to profile Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Little does she realize that this new project will immerse her in a new, colorful world of retired friends, swim lessons, a Great Dane and just maybe self acceptance.

I loved this book. Katherine Center has a talent for drawing the reader in and keeping you there. I read so much of this book yesterday, not being able to stop until the conclusion. A couple of misunderstandings and lies stressed me out at one point, but I patiently worked through them, knowing I was in good hands and that joy and love could not be far. Thank you again, Katherine Center, for creating an amazing fictional world, grounded in reality, for your readers. Thank you as well to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.

This is the first book from this author that I’ve read and now I’m hooked! In this book, Katie is sent to interview a USCG rescue diver to create a promotional video so she can save herself from getting fired as the company she works for downsizes. Big problem is that the diver is the brother of her boss and with that comes drama…and lots of laughs! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my review

This was an interesting read. I like the premise of the book., 2 people who are “love-haters” working together on a project. The characters were good but the Main character, Katie is so obsessed with her body image. Now don’t get me wrong. I understand that that is a big topic, but I think it took something away from the story. It took me a very long time to get into this book and to actually finish reading it. Like I said, I love the idea of it. It just needed something else.