Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. As with all of Katherine Center's books, you can expect a really enjoyable Rom Com but with some serious life issues mixed in. I've read all of her books and always find them so enjoyable and The Love Haters is no exception. Also, she's helped me realize that my retirement goal is to have a cottage on the beach with all my friend's living in theirs next to me and have sundown sangria and bbq every night. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and liked the characters. I liked learning more about the coast guard and just how difficult their jobs are. Good chemistry with the main character, Katie, and reading how much she changed as a person during the course of the story.

Trigger warning on body image issues, if those stories are a problem for you.

Definitely a book I recommend!

I loved this book! Katherine Center is definitely one of my favorite authors and The Love Haters lived up to all of my expectations.
Kate is a videographer and sent to do a documentary on Hutch - a never of the coast guard. The catch is that Kate can’t swim and both she and Hutch have sworn off love.
I lived the characters and although, I received a free advanced copy, I will still be buying this book so I can have a hard copy for my shelf! I loved it!

Katherine Center's The Love Haters presents a central love story with undeniable appeal. The chemistry between the protagonists, Katie and Hutch, is a highlight, drawing the reader into their evolving relationship. Center excels at crafting witty banter and emotionally resonant moments, making the romance a compelling and enjoyable aspect of the novel.

However, the novel is not without its flaws. While the exploration of body image issues is undoubtedly important, it sometimes feels heavy-handed and preachy. Katie's internal monologues on the subject often overshadow other story elements, disrupting the narrative flow.

Furthermore, the book tends to veer off on tangents. Several plot threads are introduced but left unresolved, leaving the reader with a sense of incompleteness. For instance, the storyline involving Lucas' song release and his subsequent lack of contact with Katie feels underdeveloped and ultimately unsatisfying. These loose ends detract from the overall cohesiveness of the narrative. Adding to the narrative issues is the confusing and inconsistent voice; at times Katie addresses the reader directly, while at other times she narrates the story in a more traditional third-person style. This shifting narrative perspective can be jarring and disorienting, further taking the reader out of the story.

While The Love Haters is an engaging read, it ultimately feels somewhat superficial. The novel touches on deeper themes but often does so without fully exploring them. The character development, while charming, lacks the depth needed to elevate the story beyond a surface-level romance. The novel hints at a more profound exploration of self-acceptance and overcoming past hurts, but ultimately settles for a more simplistic approach.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the book.

The Love Haters is the latest Katherine Center title. Katie Vaughn is a videographer who has been tasked with filming a promotional video for the Coast Guard featuring Tom "Hutch" Hutchinson, a rescue diver based in Key West. Hutch thinks that the videographer will be Cole, his brother, but Cole sends Katie. The catch? Katie doesn't know how to swim, yet she is supposed to do everything the divers do to qualify to follow the rescue team.

The Love Haters wasn't my favorite Center book, by any means. Katie's "self-loathing" was annoying. Her ex-fiance is now a music star, and he cheated on Katie with another musician. Katie now "hates herself" and thinks that she is "ugly." Of course, Hutch is the most dashing man ever to live, and Katie doesn't feel adequate.

The body shaming and feud between the two brothers takes up most of the novel, and then when Katie is supposed to evacuate the Keys due to an incoming hurricane, she turns around and goes back to save Hutch's great dane. The entire novel was just too far fetched for me to enjoy.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy of this title.

Read the book along with the Audible - just fell flat for me. I didn't connect with the characters at all. I will forever be a fan of Katherine Center but this one just wasn't for me.

I always look forward to reading the latest Katherine Center book every summer... but unfortunately, I had to stop reading the love haters. the body image issues were seriously mishandled & it was very hard to read about the toxic relationship she had with herself. as the love haters is pitched as a romcom, (& comes across that way in the blurb) with no content warning for the deeper issues at hand, I was unaware that the body issues was going to take such a front seat in the storyline.

Heartwarming, insane, a wretchedly hilarious time.

The levels of insanity in this book make this a PAGE TURNER like one day read because I had to finish it immediately!

Hutch and Katie are SWOON

The Love Haters are funny, sharp, poignant, and romantic. Katherine Center is at her best.

Katie was as relatable as she was funny, and trust me, she’s funny. 

“Was it the best kiss in the history of humanity?
Um…yes.” (GOLD)

Hutch was THE book boyfriend of the century, your go-to hype person, your silent but comforting partner, and did I mention HERO?!

Also let’s have an honorable mention for Rue, the Gals, Beanie , and of course the star of the show George Bailey.

Hot take: Dogs are more important than people

The Love Hater shows you that the best revenge is living life, and what a beautiful life Katie ends up having. # Goals.

I can always depend on Katherine Center to deliver a book that will make me smile, leave me feeling happy and hopeful. I loved this one. The tension was really up there with the main characters while of course keeping true to her low/no spice writing. I love that she can do that and still evoke the same emotions of longing and feet kicking. This book was so fun and the dog was the icing on top. Thank you to NetGally and St. Martin's press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

i am a sucker for a good romcom with the sweetest tension & off the charts banter. i’ve come to expect both those things with katherine center’s writing - and this book absolutely delivered. i am not normally a fan of single pov, however the way center involves the reader in the actual story by narrating to them instead of at them is really special.

there was a heavy emphasis in this book on body dysmorphia. i think the topic was handled really well when introduced. the tactics/strategies to help katie open her eyes to the beautiful body in front of her were really well done. i thought it was important to acknowledge the impact the media & others’ opinions have on our self-esteem & this book did a good job of that. i will say that i was not expecting it to carry through so much of the main narrative. though i know this is not an issue that simply goes away, it eats into every aspect of your life, i did find that it was inserted almost too much & pulled me out of the story in some places.

i really liked hutch’s character. he was so kind & attentive, showing katie the respect & praise she deserved all along. when he noticed the pie piece in her eyes, i was a goner. his character’s backstory was a great way to give him depth without giving him his own pov & i thought that was very well done.

the book had a lot happening in it - it seemed like the characters lived entire lifetimes in the span of 400 pages. it was an engaging read, though there were some bits in the middle that lost me a little. overall, i enjoyed the story, not my favourite of hers but i still absolutely love her writing style.

When video producer Katie has the chance to save her job by filming a promotional video for the U.S. Coast Guard, she should be excited about the chance. And she is--except for the little fact that she lied about being able to swim. Despite this wrinkle, she takes the job anyway, and soon becomes entangled with the main subject of her video: Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Throw in a cast of colorful supporting characters, a Great Dane named George Bailey, and hijinks ensue.

This was another delightful read from Katherine Center. The writing (all from FMC's POV) was dramatic in the best way, and I really enjoyed it. The supporting characters were fun, and I loved the scenes with the dog. The book loses points for relying on miscommunication tropes, but overall the plot was fun and frothy, a great beach read. I will give a heads up that there is a lot of Katie's internal narration that deals with body image issues, past eating disorders, etc. and that can get a bit long-winded at times, and didn't seem to totally fit in with the otherwise fun, beach-y vibe of the book. I felt like the rest of the book made up for that, though, and there is a real emotional core running through this. Enjoyable and recommended for fans of the author's previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story. This is a great summer read. I'm a big fan of Katherine Center's books. I'm excited to see what she writes next. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️

I’ve read and enjoyed other Katherine Center reads, but I did not like this one. The FMC was way too insecure for me to enjoy being inside her head. I’m all for characters having things they struggle with, but her struggles were her whole personality or at least maybe overly focused on to where it took away from anything else that might’ve made her unique. Our MMC, while absolutely fascinating in theory, fell flat, and I couldn’t find a sliver of chemistry between the two main characters. Insta love trope 100%. The side plots were weird and didn’t hold my attention, like I couldn’t care about the job situation.

With that being said, I did enjoy some things. A few of the side characters were brilliant. George Bailey absolutely stole the show for me, and I loved Rue’s colorfulness. I also liked the attempt to showcase a self-love love story.

Readers who enjoy stories that could be movies with all the wild events, tropical settings, and insta-love may enjoy this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted e-book!

I am a huge Katherine Center fan, so I was very excited to read this one. Overall, I really liked it. The main characters were great, and I loved their chemistry. The ending was a little “out there” but entertaining!

It took me awhile to get engaged with this one; I felt the second half was stronger.

But still a really solid read overall.

Katie Vaughn is still reeling from her last and very public break up from rock star ex-boyfriend Lucas. So, when Cole Hutchinson convinces Katie to go to Key West to film a video about a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer – sure Katie said yes for it was better than losing your job. When Katie heard that it would require a video of said rescue swimmer on a helicopter over the ocean and jumping out of the helicopter a little panic set it. Why? Katie does not swim nor wears a bathing suit. And why Katie when Cole was requested? Plus, why wouldn’t Cole jump at this huge opportunity after all Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson, aka a Pup Daddy just happened to be famous for saving Jennifer Aniston’s darling pup and his brother?

Katie’s journey to Key West is twofold, while it helps to save her job .. maybe only temporarily, it forces Katie to face those self-doubts that she fears most about herself and maybe find someone else to occupy her heart.

Overall, The Love Haters was a sweet and quick read with much of wit and charm that always draws me to Center’s stories but I felt it had more emphasize on some very heavy topics of body shaming, loss of love and being bullied by the media – which that is not a bad thing it just was not what I was expecting. While there were some great moments between Katie and Hutch, I felt their chemistry just felt a little off. What really fell short for me was the whole family dynamics between Cole and Hutch.

Being the big fan of Katherine Center I was so excited when I was awarded an advance copy of The Love Haters .. I mean I have read all of her books. This book just did not knock me over, so, it grieves me to rank this novel with only 3.5 stars.

Thank you, Katherine Center, St. Martin's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy. I’m a fan of Katherine Center’s writing but will admit it’s been hit or miss for me. “The Bodyguard” was a five star for me and “Hello Stranger” was a two. That said, “Love Haters” felt like a mix of both books.

One of the best things is the way that Center writers direct to the reader. Katie, at times, genuinely is talking to the reader as if we were a friend. However, that strong voice also became a downside as SO MUCH of the book was focused on her body issues. I struggled to not DNF early egg use there was just so much body hang up and nothing else. The resolution to that - a boy (Hutch) telling her she was pretty - really ruined any strength in that plot line.

Her co-worker, Cole…let’s just say he’s a walking problem. When he comes to the main book location, I just can’t with his lies. It was quite cringe, There were also a lot of places where the book could have used tighter editing. For example, at one point she said the dog’s nails were as thick as yarn. Yarn is everything from gossamer fine thread to thick, thumb wide roving in size. When Hutch starts to gush how she is a song jingle you don’t want to remember but can’t help, the whole passage could have been cleaned up to feel more like actual speech.

The saviors of this book were definitely Rue (would LOVE a full book on her, the life she’s lived, etc!), the dog and the out of reality ending. That was setup quite well through the book. The epilogue was so only for readers I’m pretending it wasn’t there!

Katherine Carter has done it again! I loved her previous books and had to jump on this one. This is exactly what I needed and I had such a great time reading this book; her books always give me a fun, cute good time. And this would be the perfect summer read.

There were some more “heavier” moments, but I think yet again they are written about in a manner where it flows naturally. And having it mixed in with the fun humor and banter fit perfectly.

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a sunny, big-hearted romcom set against the vibrant backdrop of Key West, where healing, humor, and unexpected romance collide. Katie Vaughn, still licking her wounds after a humiliatingly public breakup, is trying to keep her job afloat when she’s handed a high-stakes assignment: profile viral Coast Guard hero Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson. The catch? She can’t swim—and Hutch is his brother’s sworn enemy.

Thrown into a world of ocean rescues, island locals, and emotional baggage, Katie finds herself untangling more than just her career. As she fakes confidence (and swim skills), she starts to discover what bravery really means, not just in love but in self-worth. Hutch, with his brooding exterior and surprisingly sweet heart, becomes a compelling foil—and yes, romantic interest.

What really steals the show, though, are the supporting characters: George Bailey, a gentle Great Dane with the best name and the biggest heart, and “The Gals,” a group of meddling, margarita-loving retirees who provide some of the funniest and most tender moments in the story. The blend of quirky humor and emotional growth is where this book truly shines.

While it may not reach the emotional highs of some of Center’s earlier novels, The Love Haters is still a delightful ride—funny, heartfelt, and full of that signature warmth her readers love. There's even a laugh-out-loud scene involving a splinter, a dog, and Katie’s backside that had me in tears. It’s a story about facing fear, learning to speak up for yourself, and embracing love, even when it’s inconvenient.

This one’s perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine dynamics, forced proximity, dogs with great names, and romcoms that leave you smiling.

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a breezy, romantic escape set against the sun-drenched charm of Key West. The story follows a woman sent on assignment to create a promotional piece for the Coast Guard, and while she’s there, she finds more than just scenic backdrops—there’s love, personal growth, and a handful of quirky characters along the way.

Having visited Key West myself, I was especially impressed by Center’s vivid descriptions of the setting. From the laid-back island vibe to the roosters strutting through the streets, the setting felt authentic and immersive. It added a delightful sense of place that grounded the narrative and brought it to life.

The characters were mostly likeable, with enough warmth and complexity to keep me engaged. However, I felt the story moved a little too quickly in parts, leaving some moments underdeveloped. The pacing made the emotional arcs feel slightly rushed, which lessened the impact of what could have been more poignant scenes. Additionally, the use of first-person narrative—while intimate—wasn't my favorite, and at times, it pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in.

Overall, The Love Haters is a light and enjoyable read, perfect for fans of contemporary romance who appreciate a vivid setting and a touch of adventure. While it didn’t completely win me over, it still offered a sweet, tropical escape with heart.

Katherine Center has done it again. Another book that I didn't want to stop reading. I was pulled in by the unique careers of each main character and the reason they were pulled together. I would like to have had more depth when it came to back stories and why there was conflict between some of the characters. Maybe there is a sequel planned. Some of the scenes that happened "off camera" I would like to have seen play out in "real time" instead of an explanation of what happened later. I did appreciate the addition of the main characters body issues and the way she worked through it, but again, more depth was needed. All in all another solid story from Katherine Center.

Sadly this book wasn’t for me. I think the FMC’s lack of understanding of so many things was supposed to be charming, but for me it was just frustrating. I appreciated how her body issues were handled, but overall I could not connect with her.

Hutch was fine, but I didn’t feel very invested in the romance. I think if this had focused more as a women’s fiction and her loving herself more, I would’ve liked it better. The little third act plot twist (if you can call it that), was also completely unnecessary.

Most of this is most likely my issues, and wouldn’t bother other readers. But something that is definitely a me thing, is I don’t like reading about hurricanes. So I did not enjoy that all.

2.5 stars