A unique and fun love story with lots of great dialogue, interesting characters, and plenty of self-love. This is a great summertime read, and the audiobook narrator voiced the story perfectly.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite romcom authors so I was very excited to receive an ARC of The Love Haters.
The story line is predictable but relatable, the characters are annoying, lovable and at times laugh out funny.
This is a good story but not one of Center’s best. I still will recommend it as a great read.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audio copy.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I think Katherine Center may be my new favorite author. The characters were all so relatable and I loved how the relationship between the two main characters developed. Katie's process through self-discovery was so inspiring and the true message in this book is how to really love yourself. The audiobook narration was a perfect fit for the story and will definitely check out more from Patti Murin.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Katherine Center’s writing always feels like a warm hug, so funny, heartfelt, and real. I saw so much of myself in Katie and loved every second of her journey. The banter and romance were perfection!

Also, I listened to part of this on audiobook and LOVED it. The narrator totally nailed Katie’s personality and brought the story to life. If you’re into audiobooks, this one is a must. Such a fun experience!

If you need something uplifting and relatable, definitely add this to your TBR!

Content Notes: reference to disordered eating and body image issues, parental death (off page, in the past)

Dear Katherine Center,

Katie Vaughn is a film-maker. She works in mid-level video production, mostly making corporate/promotional videos, while, on the side, making short, six-minute documentaries about a day in the life of a “hero”. A recent shakeup of the company she works for has made everyone’s job precarious. There are rumours that a third of her department will be laid off and she’s desperate not to be one of them. Her immediate manager is Cole Hutcheson. He gives her the assignment of making a recruitment video for the Coast Guard featuring a rescue swimmer in Key West, Florida -Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson – who is also Cole’s brother.

There is clearly some estrangement between the brothers. Cole is extremely resentful of how “perfect” Hutch is. Hutch became internet famous some years before when he rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog. Hutch is gorgeous and he rescued a dog. I mean, what’s not to love? The video of the rescue went viral but Hutch did no other media about it, preferring to be as out of the spotlight as possible. He’s only agreed to do the recruitment video because he believes Cole will be the one coming to Key West to make the film. Only, Cole doesn’t want to go and is sending Katie instead.

Katie knows this is her chance to save her job. Cole suggests she try to convince Hutch to do one of her YouTube documentaries while she’s there as well. There’s a big problem with the plan however: Katie can’t swim. Telling Cole that will be the kiss of death to her job though so… off she goes to Florida.

In Key West Katie stays (at a discounted rate) at the Starlite Cottages operated by Cole and Hutch’s Aunt Rue. Rue is colourful and bright and sunny and has collected a number of women of a certain age who live permanently in four of the Cottages. In addition to renting out the remaining six for an income. Rue also owns Vitamin Sea, a boutique which sells beachy Florida clothes. Katie’s flight is a disaster so she arrives with no luggage and covered in someone’s Venti latte. The thing is, Katie is not a colourful girlie. She used to be but she was dating, and then engaged to, a musician who struck it big and when Katie accompanied him to the Grammys, the internet savaged her. After that, Katie began starving herself to try and fit social media’s ideal of beauty. Her eating became very disordered until her best friend and cousin, Beanie, staged an intervention. Also, her fiancee cheated on her while he was touring and they split up – and the internet blamed Katie of course. Katie is now healthy and less worried about her body but she stopped wearing colours and patterns after the Grammys incident. She wears black or shades of grey. So, Vitamin Sea is a very confronting place for Katie.

Katie was also traumatised as a child by her stepmom’s dumb ideas about female beauty, which explains why she hasn’t worn a swimsuit since then.

Of course, Katie has to learn to swim to be able to do the documentary. Part of the requirements is being able to demonstrate the ability to escape from a submerged helicopter before she’s allowed to go up in one with the Coast Guard. She has to be able to swim. And to do that, she has to wear a swimsuit.

“Look,” I said, “normally I’m fine. I don’t go anywhere near swimsuits, and I’m fine.”

“A life spent avoiding bathing suits? This really does sound like a phobia, right?”

That sounded a little strong. “It’s not a phobia,” I said. “It’s a normal female reaction to having an ordinary, imperfect body in a world overrun by Photoshop and AI.”

“Normal for you, maybe.”

But I defended myself. “The point is,” I said, “I’m here for work. I’m here to film a kick-ass promo and save my job. I’m not here for a swimsuit competition! Or to sign up for some kind of Sports Illustrated parade! Or to release my thighs out into the wild!”

But now Beanie was googling. “Question,” she said. “Do you know that it’s crazy to be afraid of a swimsuit?”

“Of course I do!”

“Well,” Beanie said, “at least it’s not psychosis.”

“Beanie!” I pleaded, glancing at the time. “This is serious.”

“I am serious. What you’re describing really sounds like a phobia.” She got quiet for a second. “And I’m just double-checking, but I’m pretty sure the cure for phobias is . . . yeah. The cure for a phobia is to do the thing you’re afraid of.”

“To do it?”

“Yeah. The fact that you’re afraid to put on the swimsuit means you have to put on the swimsuit.”

I dropped my shoulders. Classic Beanie.

“It’s called exposure therapy,” Beanie went on. “You have to do the scary thing over and over until it’s not scary anymore.”

“But . . .” I said, trying to make my voice sound reasonable, “I don’t want to.”

I stared at the swimsuit, and it stared back.

“Look,” Beanie went on. “Before, you were just scared. But now, you have a diagnosis from the internet. And a higher purpose. Now,” she said, like this changed everything, “it’s a hero’s journey. You are conquering your own long-held fears.”

As it happens, Hutch has a weekly swim class with the gals at Starlite Cottages and Rue bustles Katie into the next one. Before you know it, and after an unfortunate incident involving splinters, Hutch has agreed to give Katie swimming lessons.

Hutch is not at all what Katie expected based on what Cole told her. He’s not grim and taciturn at all. He’s friendly and talkative and obviously very close to Rue. He’s over at the Cottages for dinner most every night.

Katie and Hutch have a bumpy start only because he was expecting Cole and is every disappointed Katie showed instead. Honestly, Cole is basically an ass but he’s not all terrible. Just… mostly, for most of the book. Ultimately, we find out that there are reasons for Cole’s bad behaviours. Not excuses, but explanations and there is hope for him by the end. Probably.

As Katie gets to know Hutch and Hutch’s enormous dog (George Bailey – who is responsible for the splinters incident) and as she spends time with Hutch at work filming the video and outside of work, learning to swim and socialising with Rue and the Starlite gals, they become very close and my eyes were starry on their behalf. While the story is told only from Katie’s POV, it’s clear that Hutch is deeply smitten. There is plenty of dialogue and banter that lets us know how he’s feeling. It’s also clear that Hutch thinks Katie is sexy and gorgeous and magnetic. Katie would say that Hutch is objectively extremely handsome and, while she feels better about her body than she used to, she doesn’t see herself the way Hutch does.

Hutch sees Katie. He, alone, notices what colour her eyes are (seriously) and the little “pie piece” of brown in one of her eyes. We romance readers recognise that what that noticing is. Beanie does too.

“I knew it!”

“Knew what?” I asked, with that feeling of suppressed hope you get when somebody else might think the thing you also keep wanting to think.

“He likes you!” Beanie shouted.

I gasped. “He doesn’t!” I said, my voice all scoldy. But I had to turn the phone camera away while I squinted an unbidden smile off my face.

“He noticed your pie piece, and he redefined the color of your eyes,” Beanie said. “I don’t think it’s up for debate.”

“I don’t have time to debate, anyway,” I said. “I’m late to go drown in a helicopter-crash simulation.”

“That’s today?” Beanie said.

“That’s today.”

“You should definitely almost drown,” Beanie said. “But not all the way. Just enough so he has to give you CPR.”

“Hanging up now,” I said.

“Make him put his mouth on you!” Beanie ordered, as I tapped the red X.

I also loved the secondary love story about Katie coming to love her own body and appreciating it for it’s beauty and function. Beanie challenges Katie to list things about her body she loves and to defend why she does. It’s something Katie struggles with at first but she gets better at it. By the end of the book, she loves her body because it’s hers.

I enjoyed the stuff about the Coast Guard and rescue swimmers and about documentary making, all of which were clearly well-researched and felt grounded in reality. (May I just say, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer is a very uncontroversially heroic kind of job and that’s becoming increasingly rare. It was so nice to have no conflicted feelings about Hutch’s job.)

Cole and Hutch eventually work out what’s at the heart of their issues and begin to resolve it and that was poignant and meaningful and gave Cole unexpected nuance. (Which he really needed because he was so often an ass.)

I loved the ladies of the Starlight Cottages, especially Rue, adored Katie and Hutch and melted over George Bailey and his “thunderphobia”. Right up to about the 75% mark, I was just so delighted by the book. It has the humour and personality I’ve come to expect from Center and the romance was building to something very swoony.

And look at you!” Hutch gestured at my whole vibe, and then he took a few steps closer. “You’ve got that—mouth, and those . . . lips. And you’ve got this—I don’t know—brightness that radiates out, and, this effect on people.” Hutch was closer now. “I can’t figure out what it is, but it’s something about the way you laugh, or maybe the curve or your neck, or . . .” He paused, just inches away now, and took in the sight of me. “It’s just a fact. It’s just reality. You’re just . . . You’re like a human hot-fudge sundae or something.”

But. Then the thing happens which forms the basis of the conflict and is what keeps them apart romantically until the denouement. And I didn’t really like it. I can see why it was there. I can see the work it did in the story. But I didn’t like it. Without giving away too much, Cole tells a story that is not true and, for reasons, Katie goes along with it. Katie goes along with some things which felt to me like they were there only for plot purposes. The drinking contest infuriated me. I actually yelled out loud at one point during the listen.

I did enjoy the last section which was mostly just Katie and George Bailey until Hutch comes along and does what he does best. That part was very exciting and tense and high stakes in a way that made sense in the story and, it fortunately didn’t have anything to do with Cole.

Of course, things do get sorted out and Hutch learns the truth, as well as the reasons for the lies and we do get our HEA.

The narration, by Patti Murin, is again fantastic. She is just so perfectly suited to read Katherine Center novels. Murin gives voice to Katie’s quirky humour and the closeness of Katie and Beanie. I could hear the devotion Hutch (and even Cole) has to Rue and Murin’s light and shade – when it came to the death of Hutch and Cole’s parents, Katie’s childhood and relationship history were pitch perfect.

Probably 85% or more of The Love Haters was excellent. 10-12% was very good and the rest had me disappointed or gritting my teeth in annoyance. It makes the book a little hard to grade but I’ve landed on a B+, as opposed to a straight up A (which is where the book was heading until the thing). I’d still recommend it because what was great was really great but the core of the conflict didn’t work that well for me. It’s possible the reason for that is all me though so YMMV readers.

That first 75% and that last 10%? SO. GOOD. Worth it.

Grade: B+

Regards,
Kaetrin

I know when I pick up a Katherine Center book, I’m in for a treat. What can I say about The Love Haters? Love, love, love! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this book - from cover to cover, it was just a delight to read.

Read this one if you like:
🧡 Relatable characters
🧡 Summer romcom
🧡 Fun banter
🧡 Bright colors

Sometimes romcoms feel controlled by the tropes. And sometimes they get stuck in a trope and lose the importance of the story. This never happened in The Love Haters. Ms. Center rarely took the romance trope/route that I thought was coming. This is a romcom about love - loving yourself, your friends, your found family. Finding yourself and what makes you happy.

While I think this would be a fantastic pool/beach read this summer, I highly recommend the audiobook read by @pattimurin . She’s just fantastic and really brings Katie to life. I just didn’t want this one to end.

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

Katherine Center never misses. Every book she writes manages to crack my chest wide open, skewer my heart, and heal some long lost insecurity I’d become resigned to accepting as permanent.

Beyond a beautifully crafted romance, poetically written with embedded adventures and side characters you just wish you could call your own family, The Love Haters takes on an underlying message of self-love and how we deserve to not only accept ourselves—but to love ourselves for who we are, what we look like, and the life we’ve lived without any amount of shame.

On the romance front, I loved the give and take of Katie and Hutch’s relationship. Sensing his growing feelings for her from the very first moment, but her hesitancy around him because 1) she had yet to love herself enough to recognize someone else might be able to love her too after her very public break up with her now-famous ex-boyfriend, 2) she was there for work, and 3) her coworker had called his brother a “Love Hater”—meaning no matter how attractive she found him, it wouldn’t go anywhere.

But each one of her reasons falls away the more time she spends in his town filming him as he demonstrates his “heroic” ways and she learns more about what makes Hutch tick. But I think what I truly loved is that he only has one reason to stay away from her—and it’s because of a lie his brother, Cole, tells him: that Cole and Katie are dating.

…EXCUSE ME??? Thank goodness the truth comes out eventually! I was STRESSED. But MAN is it worth it in the end!

“You’re like a human hot fudge sundae.”

I don’t know if I could ever truly rank my favorite Katherine Center novels, because I love them all so much—and even if this isn’t my all-time favorite, I still thoroughly loved it and enjoyed getting lost in this Key West town with Katie, Hutch, and Hutch’s dog, George Bailey.

And I thoroughly LOVED the audiobook! I was enraptured!

Tropes:
- Opposites attract
- Workplace romance
- Stolen kisses
- Daring rescues
- Fake dating
- Self-love
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Coworker’s brother
- Lovable dog
- Phenomenal side characters

3.5 (rounded up)

The Love Haters was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While it wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center book, I liked it more than her last one, The Rom-Commers. The beginning was a bit slow and almost lost me, but I did enjoy the narrator and by the halfway point, I had found my rhythm and a smile.

Katie Vaughn, our narrator, really grew on me. I found her self-deprecating humor both relatable and painfully real, especially her struggles with body image and swimsuit anxiety. (Girl, same.) Her inner monologue was equal parts over-the-top and charming, and more often than not, I found myself rooting for her.

Then there’s Hutch. The dreamboat. The supposed love hater. He might be “scientifically good-looking,” but he also had depth and a tragic backstory.

We also have several side characters. Some were fun and some were just not like-able at all. Cole was the absolute worst. And the boss? Big oof on both of them. The good news they don’t take up much space but enough to annoy me.

George Bailey, the rescue pup, completely stole the show. The Key West setting was a delight, and I really enjoyed Aunt Rue and her group of spirited gal pals. They brought extra charm to the story.

This is a very PG read with no spice, but it has heart, and plenty of adorably corny moments. It juggled a lot of tropes, including fake dating, forced proximity, miscommunication, and past trauma, and at times it felt like a bit much. Still, the story managed to come together in a heartfelt way.

Was it believable? Not particularly. But honestly, I didn’t mind. It’s fiction, and I was happy to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. Despite a few bumps, it left me with a smile.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and Katherine Center for the advance listen copy in exchange for my honest review.

It’s a yes for me.💜

DeAnn @deannsreadingriot

[The Love Haters]

Thank you to Katherine Center, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martian's Press for the gifted ALC and ARC.

Katherine Center NEVER fails me!! No one sets a scene like she does and no one can make me laugh as hard as she can. I found myself cracking up and also thinking about life while listening to this book. Katherine has this special way of making you take a close look at topics that other people shy away from but balancing it perfectly with humor.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.”

Katie and Hutch were such a fun couple. I loved them both together as a couple and separately as individuals. Katie is working through some major body image issues. (If you have triggers around body image or eating disorders, take a closer look before you proceed. Take care of yourself.) I love how she begins to love and appreciate her body after some major traumas. And Hutch was so grumpy but also such a good man underneath. I thought they had so much chemistry and I enjoyed their back and forth so much!

Don't even get me started on the Rue, the gals and the most lovable Great Dane. (plus the toad!) They brought so much to the story.

This is such a fun, easy read that I had so much fun with!

Grab this one if you love:
✨ Small Beach Town
✨ Boss's Brother
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Coast Guard Hero
✨ Body Image Struggles

📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🎧 Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥Spice Rating: 🤍

🎧 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼...
Patti Murin was incredible at narrating this audiobook. The book is written in first person and she was the most perfect voice for Katie. She brought even more humor and heart to this already fantastic book. I enjoyed it so much!

Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ spicy content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla

I was so in love with Katie from the beginning. She was relatable and imperfect and I wanted her to have it all. Then the author went and threw in a Great Dane named George Bailey who is scared of thunder and I was over the moon.

I love the authors easy writing style. It makes it so easy to gobble up the book. Along with a great setting and great characters, I had this finished in no time.

Katie and Hutch have great chemistry. There was never a moment I wasn’t rooting for them. Of course they might come in second to Katie and George. I’m a sucker for a dog in a book but I’ll give mad bones points when the dog is more than just an accessory and is part of the story.

I loved learning Hutch’s backstory and finding out what made him grumpy. There were so many little surprises as I found out his whole story. And it kept making me like him more and more. If that was even possible since I’m also a sucker for a military man.

The multiple conflicts standing in Katie and Hutch’s way felt a little much or maybe a little out of character for the beginning. It derailed my perfect read a smidge. It’s still a fun read. The romance, the journey, the laughs. A perfect book to start out summer.

Patty Murin narrates the audiobook. Her voice and sound really meld together with Center’s characters and story. She was able to nail bringing it all together and really fit what I’d expect Katie to sound like.

If you’re a romantic comedy fan, this should be a part of your summer reading or listening.

This was a fun book! I loved Hutch and Katie and of course George Bailey. I also loved the message about self acceptance that was in the book as well. This was my first Katherine Center book and it is safe to say I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future!

Great audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator- I liked her quirkiness. I also have the kindle version and I read it in my head differently- so this added a bit more personality, which made it more fun. That’s not to say the characters didn’t have personality, because they definitely do!
This was cute and different and I learned about helicopters and coast guards. I do enjoy Katherine’s books- they’re always enjoyable and this was no exception. A satisfying ending, and humor sprinkled throughout. Would recommend to anyone.
4.5/5 rounded up to 5

Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors since starting my book binge experiement. I admittedly have not gone into the back catalog, but The Bodyguard, Hello Stranger, The Rom-Commers, and now The Love Haters are all 5 star or beyond reads for me and I hope you as well! What I loved about The Love Haters (and to keep this spoiler free) was feeling really seen whilst reading this book and the amazing author’s note at the end that brought the story full-circle for me. Add characters that jump off the page and into your hearts, set in the world of video production and the Coast Guard. Oh and did I mention that Katie our heroine has a past storyline that could even be a prequel? The fact that the author had the character grow from this previous relationship as the story begins and her growth throughout the book is just one of the highpoints of this story. If you are a fan of Katherine Center, I do not need to convince you to read this amazing story. If you are new, and looking for sharp dialogue, amazing side characters, and an amazing story about family and relationships, add this book to your TBR list now! I did not want to put this book down and can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on The Love Haters

So much love and zero hate at all for The Love Haters by, Katherine Center!

Every single Katherine Center book I’ve ever read has left me feeling so hopeful? Affirmed? Glad to be alive? Just straight up happy and high off of human empathy?? And The Love Haters is no exception. The love story between Katie and Hutch is fun and sweet and touching but the love story between Katie and honorary Aunt Rue is exactly the kind of found family, intergenerational friendship that I personally eat right tf up. The most important love story here though, is the one Katie learns to have with herself 😭

Katherine Center always writes an antagonist that beautifully informs the main character of exactly who they are and how profound their capacity to overcome and to love and be loved is. In this particular story, there were multiple antagonists actually, the shitty ex-boyfriend who let Katie get eaten alive by public scrutiny, Cole, the most realistically lacking in self awareness foil to Hutch, the MMC, and lastly, Katie’s own poor relationship to herself and her own body. A theme that is unfortunately, relatable to most and universally worth reading for the self healing to be had.

A ton of fun, no spice, and the loveliest HEA. Five Stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Also, I listened to this one on audio and just the hugest shoutout to Patti Murin. She always brings something so special and true to life to her performance that I can’t quite put my finger on. Whenever I listen to an audiobook narrated by her, it just feels like a long extended catch up with a friend telling me a really great story. Love that for me lol.

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me listen to this one!

#katherincecenter #pubweek #mayrelease #thelovehaters #booksta #bookreview #katherincecenter #romcom #pattimurin #narraror #greatbook #greataudiobook #romancelover #foundfamily

I adore Katherine Center's novels—each one wraps you in a warm hug of love, joy, personal growth, and emotional discovery. The Love Haters is no exception. Yes, there's a charming romance (Katie + Hutch = swoon), but the heart of this story is really about Katie falling in love with herself. #selflove

Read this if you like:
✨Body image struggles
✨A touching grief journey
✨Found family dynamics
✨A lovable Great Dane named George Bailey
✨Romance tropes: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and a sweet, closed-door vibe

🎧Narration Note: Patti Murin absolutely shines as Katie. She brings every ounce of self-doubt, humor, and heart to life in a way that makes you feel like you're right there with her on this journey. The audiobook is a total winner!!!

👍 Final Verdict: Funny, deeply emotional, and full of heart. Whether you read or listen, you’ll walk away smiling, with a little more love for yourself, too.

(3.5 stars) Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the ALC! #MacAudio2025 Thanks, St. Martin’s Press, for the arc!

I’m a Katherine Center super fan! While THE LOVE HATERS didn’t jump to my new number one favorite by her, as her new releases usually do—I’m not sure anything will ever beat THE ROM-COMMERS for me. I had fun experiencing the story.

My full review is on Goodreads and StoryGraph. If you want to know why this book didn’t become my new favorite, it's hidden under spoilers in the posted review.

I like Center’s books because she always has outlandish plots that *could* happen, lol, but they feature characters who deal with real struggles and issues that you can connect with. Katie, a fantastic name and the FMC, struggles with body dysmorphia and image issues. Many of her thoughts were relatable, as someone who has also struggled with this for her entire life. If only I could find a helicopter rescue swimmer to help boost my self-esteem…

(spoiler) The one aspect that I didn’t care for was that we found out Katie’s ex had cheated on her, which is why the relationship ended. I don’t like infidelity in books, but when it’s a previous relationship, I’m fine with it. Hutch, the MMC, and she discuss honesty and trust in relationships. Then she pulls a stunt with his brother and a fake relationship and lies to everyone, including Hutch, about her feelings for him. Fake relationships are one of my favorite tropes, but not if they’re hurting people or implying cheating, which this one did both. After enjoying the book, it was a real bummer for this to happen in the last 25%. (spoiler)

I did read a little of the arc, but as soon as I received the ALC, all I did was listen to the fantastic narration by Patti Murin. She is one of my auto-listen narrators—I don’t have to know anything about the book; I just need to know that if she is narrating, I’m listening. Murin was an excellent choice for Katie’s voice and inner monologue. The emotions and insecurities came across wonderfully, and you can hear Katie’s growth throughout the book as she gains confidence.

The book's star is George Bailey, the Great Dane, lovable pet of Hutch, the MMC. I would love more books about him, his life, and his toads.

Even though this wasn’t my new favorite by Katherine Center, I’ll still be first in line for the next one! Her books make me happy, especially when read by Patti Murin on audiobook!

Oh Katherine, you did it again!
You grabbed my heart from the very first chapter and gave me all the feels.
Katie’s struggles with body image hit so close to home, and her brave journey toward self-acceptance was beautifully done. I adored Hutch, Aunt Rue, and yes, there’s an adorable rescue dog!
This story was pure perfection from start to finish. All the stars!

Kathrine Center writes it, I read it.

These characters were so fun to read about and I just want more. The plot wasn’t necessarily unique, but I do think the execution was.

And while I couldn’t connect with anyone in the story, I still felt like I understood their actions and how they felt.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the ALC and @NetGalley for the ARC of Katherine Center’s The Love Haters. All opinions are my own and yes, I read them both because that’s the way I love this author and her frequent narrator, Patti Murin.

I wouldn’t be surprised if at the bottom of every rainbow there is a Katherine Center book. Her books are a pot of gold, so valuable and rich with their humor, banter, creativity, research, lessons that don’t feel like lessons, quotable quotes, and of course, love.

The amount of highlights I made in my Kindle version is RIDICULOUS. Reading through them is like reading the entire book again, and I’m not complaining. I highlighted entire conversations, not just one-liners. This book has it all- even action, adventure and weather drama! Katie gets an assignment to profile a helicopter ocean rescue swimmer for a recruitment video, and along the way she meets The Gals (who I want to buy a place next to and become a Gal) and Hutch, the rescue swimmer himself. I was laughing, I was bawling, I was gasping.

Narrator Patti Murin, what can I say? Her voice is pleasing to the ear and her emotions are pleasing to the heart. She is top notch, top shelf, first tier, in the A Team of audio narrators and is the perfect match for Katherine Center’s words.

If anyone is keeping up with my challenge of what is mentioned more in the books I read -HGTV, who I worked with, or Dr Phil, who my husband worked for, I gained another HGTV mention with this book (thanks KC)! I do realize that no one is keeping up; not even my husband, who isn’t aware of this heated rivalry.

4/5 stars
10 hours 32 minutes at 1x on audio
Location: Texas and Key West in Florida

This story had it all. It was serious at times and funny in others. It was sweet and fun. The female main character had a lot to learn about herself and I appreciate that this romance had substance to it. There were flawed characters that had learn and grow. Readers who like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry would enjoy works by Katherine Center.