Katherine Center does it again! The Love Haters was so fun!

The story follows Katie Vaughn, a video producer trying to save her career while navigating a hilarious and sometimes heartfelt web of lies. Sent to Key West to profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson who just so happens to be her coworker’s estranged brother. Katie pretends she can swim (she really can't), which naturally leads to some funny and chaotic situations.

Between conga lines, hurricanes, and swim lessons, this book strikes a fun balance of romance, self-discovery, and laugh-out-loud moments. (And MANY loveable characters!) Hutch’s grumpy charm, a lovable Great Dane, and the vibrant backdrop of Key West make this an ideal beach read.

Katherine Center is an author I automatically buy. I have now gone through her entire catalogue, and even her least favorite book is still a fantastic read. The home runs continue with The Love Haters. 

To start this off, I know there have been some complaints about this book. Trigger warnings are for self-image and different body image disorders. I get the criticism, but I think it was handled well here, and the main characters’ self-issues helped the supporting characters shine. 

The story follows Katie and Hutch. Katie has been burned by love and had a very public breakup when her now-famous boyfriend cheated on her. The tabloids and gossip magazines slammed Katie, and it was what started her body image issues.

Katie is sent to Florida to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch. Hutch also comes with a very lovable Great Dane! There were so many motives by so many characters as to why Katie was sent to profile Hutch and what happens once she is down there. There are a lot of reveals that make you feel for both characters, as you just want them together. 

Katherine Center has a knack for creating supporting characters that enhance the story. The main supporting character we will all love is Hutch’s aunt Rue. She is the mom/aunt/friend we all want in our lives. 

Katherine Center delivered another book that I couldn’t put down. I look forward to every one of her releases, and this one was no different.

It was an easy read but I didn’t love it. A lot of discussion around body image and lack of confidence, making the female main character seem so out of touch with the reality of her situation. I enjoyed the male main character and his found family situation with Aunt Rue. I listened to the audiobook which was well done and it kept me engaged through the internal dialogue that just wasn’t for me.

As with all the Katherine Center’s books, I LOVED this story. It was unique and refreshing. It would have been a 5 star for me, but then the advice part towards and at the end got too wordy. I wouldn’t want to get rid of that, just condense it a bit more. Otherwise amazing book! I went in expecting there to be more fight between the H/h before getting together, and I am so glad there wasn’t. It was a happy surprise.

If you’re looking for an easy beach read/rom-com for the summer, this book is an excellent choice! Katherine Center never fails to write a unique storyline, and I almost always read her books in 1-2 sittings. I listened to the audio for this book, and I loved it— the narrator did a fabulous job. I also love how much research Katherine put into this story… she legit visited with the U.S. Coast Guard and rode in their helicopter! How cool! Also, one of my favorite characters in this story is George Bailey. If you know, you know…

The Love Haters is a fast-paced, engaging enemies-to-lovers romance with sharp dialogue and great chemistry. The characters are well-developed, and the emotional moments land perfectly. A fun and satisfying read for romance lovers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Romance)

✨The Highlights✨
. Tropical Setting 🏝️
. Coast Guard Rescuer 🛟
. Self Love
. Workplace Romance
. Closed Door 🚪
. Single POV

👉🏻 Swipe for audiobook review

Narrator: Patti Murin
Length: 10h 33m
🎧 Recommend it

Patti Murin was fantastic! She brought so much warmth and personality to Katie’s voice, really capturing both the humor and vulnerability in the story. Her performance made the characters feel even more real, and the emotional beats hit just right. A great listen for poolside lounging or a sunny walk—highly recommend!

✨The Feels✨

Ahhh, I wanted to love this one so much, but I just wasn’t getting the butterflies! Clearly my reviews are deeply scientific and not at all based on whether or not I get those fluttery stomach feelings (ha), but the romance just fell a little flat for me. That said, it could totally be a me thing, so don’t let my lack of swoons sway you!

I did really enjoy the dreamy tropical setting—it’s a perfect beach or poolside read—and the coast guard element was super interesting. You can tell Katherine Center really did her research; it felt like I got a behind-the-scenes pass, and I loved that. I also adored the MMC, Hutch—he was such a sweetheart—and his dog, George Bailey, and Aunt Rue were absolute delights. I just struggled a bit with the FMC; there was a lot of inner dialogue about body image and insecurity that I found hard to connect with at times.

So, while this wasn’t a five-star romance for me, there’s still a lot to love here—especially if you’re looking for a heartfelt story with a sunny setting, sweet characters, and a tropical backdrop.

✨The Spoiler-Free Details✨

When video producer Katie Vaughn fakes being able to swim to land a career-saving assignment profiling a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West, she doesn’t expect to fall for Hutch—her subject, her coworker’s brother, and a so-called love-hater.

I absolutely loved The Love Haters! I couldn’t put it down from the moment I started. Katherine Center has such a gift for creating characters you instantly care about and relationships that feel real, layered, and emotionally resonant.

What really stood out to me was how the story explored so many different kinds of relationships—between friends, family, romantic partners, and most importantly, the one we have with ourselves. There’s humor, heartache, healing, and hope all woven seamlessly together.

It’s uplifting, honest, and full of heart—everything I look for in a great read. I’ll be thinking about these characters for a long time. Highly recommend!

So I enjoyed this! I hadn't read anything by Katherine Center before and I'm not sure I would have picked it up if it weren't for getting the audiobook ARC from NetGalley (although I might have been tempted by the gorgeous cover and sprayed edges!) but since I started listening to it, I was pretty hooked. It's about a videographer who is sent to interview and film a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West, Fla. I really adored the MMC and I especially adored his doggo, a Great Dane named George Bailey. (Bonus points for being named after the main character in my favorite Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life). I liked the little community in Key West with the MMC's aunt, Rue, and all her retired ladyfriends. The book had more "adventure" than I expected but I mean, I guess I should have seen that coming considering he's a freakin' coast guard rescue swimmer. Enjoyable read!

I adore this book with all my heart. I absolutely love the detail that went into all the relationships that this story has in it. I honestly had to keep reminding myself that these were fictional characters and I don’t know them in real life. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to say “oh, something similar happened to my friend Katie when she met Hutch” in casual conversation. Katherine Center hit it out of the park with this one! So well written!

This was a quick and easy read. It kept me entertained and I enjoyed the storyline. However, I felt that the romance part of the book was forced. The chemistry and banter were not felt through words, making it hard to connect to their relationship. It felt like Katie, the main character, was looking for perfection in herself, her life and in a relationship, which is incredibly unrealistic. The characters were just blah, which I think is my issue with the book. I just didn't love any of them. There were heavy topics in this book that I think should have been given more seriousness - body image issues, grief, infidelity... They were mentioned often and front and center in the book, but there was no depth to the conversation surrounding them. Overall, the book was fine. It moved quickly, I enjoyed the plot, but I wanted more from all the characters. I am a huge Katherine Center fan, so it is very possible that my expectations are unreasonable! If you are looking for a quick summer read, try this, my opinion is not a popular one! 
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader and audio copies.

4.5⭐️ I could relate to Katie so much throughout this book. I’m not always a fun of enemies to lovers, but this one I loved. The way the story unfolded, watching Katie grow, the development of the characters, and all the laughs make this a must read. Thank you NetGalley for the Arc audiobook copy. I loved how the narrator helped bring humor to the story.

Copied from my review on Instagram.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center comes out tomorrow 5/20! Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC & SMP Romance for the arc. I love to tandem read books when I can so it was great to have both formats! There will be some spoilers! 🚨

Quick audiobook note, it’s narrated by Patti Murin and I always enjoy her narration. It’s a good choice if this is your preferred format!

Friends, I don’t know how to review this book 🤣 I finished it on Tuesday last week and I intentionally left it for last of the 5/20 arcs I needed to post about. Some relevant information, I have enjoyed all of KC’s books that I have read except for The Rom-Commers last year, I hated that book. This one… I didn’t quite end up HATING it but I don’t like it either.

What I didn’t like: pretty much everything.

Like most people, the big ick for me was Katie’s body dysmorphia, not that she had it, but the way it was written and addressed. If this is a topic at all triggering to you do not read this book. It is constant and throughout the whole book. Anyone can have body image issues, so I take issue with reviews that seem irked that a “pretty & skinny” girl is written like this. The problem is the way KC wrote it, it’s never addressed in a healthy way, and turned into comedic relief at times.

The bar scene. So problematic in so many ways. It was weird, and misogynistic, and even Katie pissed me off with her inner monologue about the drinking contest.

Literally everything about Cole. Sorry about your childhood trauma and all bro, but you suck.

Why I didn’t hate it as much as I hated the Rom-Commers. Damn it, KC sucked me into the romance in the second half and I was also NOT PREPARED FOR THE END OF THE BOOK. I was invested and stressed. The synopsis like off-hand mentions hurricanes, (“Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue”) a hurricane does happen FYI.

However, it’s not enough to save the book it’s still terrible in comparison to her older books. Literally how did the person who wrote The Bodyguard and What You Wish For write this.

The Love Haters by Katherine Centers
Contemporary romance.
Katie Vaughn is on the brink of losing her job. People are getting laid off left and right. When her coworker Cole asks her to travel to Key West to profile a Coast Guard with a famous rescue to his credit, Katie can’t say no. The video producer job will get her out of town and direct line of her boss, hopefully saving her job. Yes, she lies and says she can swim to get the job but figures she can learn easily enough. Going a day or two earlier should be sufficient.
Katie meets Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson and Aunt Rue and finds her style of dress changing, swim lessons scheduled, and helicopter issues she never expected but it’s all unexpectedly tempting. And colorful.

🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook which is narrated by Patti Muran. The performance is engaging and brings the characters to life. I clearly heard the various of Katie throughout sick as trepidation, joy and concern. I listened at 1.5 to more closely match reading and conversation speed. I try to read both formats together when possible as I find it gives me the best depth from the story.

The first half of this book had me cracking up with laughter over and over again. I highlighted so many passages I found utterly amusing.
I’m not fond of lying and Katie does a fair amount of it to keep her job. I had to forgive that, specifically because of the job pressure.
My favorite piece of Katie’s concern was having to disclose her weight for the helicopter. I so remember my horror the first time I took a tour in Hawaii and had to do the same.

Enticing and delightful.
4.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

It really isn’t the start of summer without a Katherine Center book in my hands!

I am a HUGE Katherine Center fan and really enjoyed her latest, The Love Haters so much!

I did an immersive read of this one and really, really enjoyed Patti Murin’s narration. She very much brings the characters and story to life and if you can, I highly recommend the audio!

Center has a way of writing layered romances where there is always something special and unique about her main characters. I really enjoyed getting to know Katie and found her to be incredibly relatable. She is struggling with her body image and I really, really loved the way Center explored that in the story. Center talks about it a bit in her Author’s Note which I really recommend you read as well.

I found Katie and Hutch’s story to be one of my favorites of Center’s. Hutch is a coast guard rescue swimmer who went viral saving Jennifer Aniston’s dog and is a real heart throb! You get to learn all these interesting facts about the coast guard and Hutch is teaching Katie basically how to swim so there are many, MANY hilarious moments between them that had me laughing out loud. I think the bathing suite fiasco is my favorite moment and when you read that part, please message me so we can laugh together! I loved so many of the side characters, Rue being my favorite, and the Key West Setting. I also, really really loved Hutch’s dog George Bailey.

This book is a warm hug and the perfect summer read! I really can’t wait for you to read it!

4.5

*Audiobook ARC Review*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
No Spice

‼️TW: Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphia, Self-Hate, Grief, Illness of a Family Member‼️

Katherine Center’s “The Love Haters” is far more than a conventional love story. It’s a deeply layered narrative that explores love in its many forms—romantic, familial, self-directed, and even the kind of love that grows from grief and brokenness. This is a story not just about finding someone else, but about finding yourself, redefining your life, and learning to love the very body and soul you’ve spent years rejecting.

At its core, the novel offers an honest, often raw portrayal of mental health struggles—particularly body dysmorphia and self-hate. The protagonist’s journey is unflinchingly real, allowing readers to see how these issues don’t just fade when healing begins. Instead, Center masterfully shows how they linger, complicating relationships, perceptions, and self-worth. The way she threads the toxicity of the internet—how cruel it can be, how much damage it can do—adds another layer of truth that many will find both familiar and painful.

But amidst the emotional heaviness, Center’s wit and warmth shine through. The book is full of unexpected twists, sharp humor, and moments that both surprise and delight. It never falls into predictability, making it an engaging, page-turning experience from start to finish.

The story of Hutch and the loss of his parents is especially heartbreaking, adding a powerful dimension of grief and resilience. This thread of sorrow is balanced beautifully with the theme of found family—characters coming together not out of obligation, but out of love, necessity, and shared healing.

The final chapters carry the emotional weight of the entire story. They are grief-heavy, yes, but also profoundly heartwarming—a reminder to live fully, love deeply, and cherish every moment. And knowing that Center spent time at a Coast Guard air station lends authenticity and grounding to the novel’s setting, especially for those unfamiliar with that world.

“The Love Haters” is a story for anyone who’s ever felt at war with themselves, who has grieved deeply, or who has longed for a second chance at joy. It’s about learning to stop hating your life—and start loving it instead.

“You can look around with your own eyes. You can find your own details. Notice for yourself what matters—and decide what it means.
It’s as true as it is life-changing.
But the only way to do it is to do it.”

This one just did not grab me. I have loved all of Katherine Center’s books but this is my least favorite thus far. I did LOVE the Great Dane representation, though.

I found myself very annoyed at the main character and her negativity about her body. It was just too much, so much so that it became distracting to the story. And the chemistry between Tom Hutcheson, this supposed adonis, and Katie Vaughn just wasn’t there or believable. I do understand a bit more about Katie after the author’s note, though. I see what the author was trying to do.

The audiobook, on the other hand, was fantastic! Read by dual narrators it was laugh out loud funny at times. They both did a great job of harnessing the angst, but also the evolution, of the characters. A great listen!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC and ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Love Haters by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5 Stars)

I was so excited to get an ARC of Love Haters—I’ve read a bunch of Katherine Center’s books and usually love her blend of heart and humor. The setup for this one is super fun: Katie, a documentary filmmaker recently burned by love (her ex is in a band, which says a lot), gets assigned to profile Hutch, a heroic Coast Guard rescue swimmer who went viral for saving Jennifer Aniston’s dog. The catch? Katie doesn’t swim. Like, at all.

There’s a lot to like here. The story digs into body image and self-acceptance in a way that felt honest and refreshing. I liked that it wasn’t just about loving your flaws in a cheesy way, but really about learning to see yourself differently—beyond just “I like my earlobes,” as Katie says.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it—the narration worked well with Katie’s voice and brought out the humor and emotion nicely. That said, while I enjoyed the story, it didn’t quite hit me the same way as some of Center’s other books. It was sweet, light, and had some great moments, but not a new favorite.

✨ Thanks so much to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and Macmillan Audio for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Always grateful for the chance to read early! ✨

Thank you, @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy. #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 315 / Genre: Romcom
Audiobook Narrator: Patti Murin
Duration: 10 hours 33 minutes
Release Date: May 20, 2025
🥳#HappyPubWeek!🎉

Katie Vaughn is a video producer on the verge of being let go. As her company is cutting staff left and right, her co-worker Cole makes her an offer she can’t refuse. He sends her to Key West to produce a segment on the day in the life of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Said swimmer is Hutch, Cole’s hot, brooding older brother. Before she knows it, she’s learning how to swim, wearing colorful caftans, totally enveloped in the brothers’ family, and fake dating one of them.

This was such a cute and funny love story with great characters. I loved all of it except for the suffocating body positivity messaging, which I’m all for, by the way, but it was just way too much. There were all these long, boring soliloquies about how much she loved her body now and will no longer take it for granted. OK, I get it. Accept yourself, nobody cares what other people think. Awesome. But then I went from agreeing with her to just wanting her to shut up already and get back to living her life. So that turned this 5-star romcom to 4 stars for me.

Patti Murin did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

This Katherine Center did not disappoint. I love that her books are easy reads.

Katie's job is in jeopardy, and she will do anything to save it. Even lie about not being able to swim. No big deal right?? Well it is when the only way to be allowed to video with a documentary on a specific Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. Katie's c0-worker Cole has a brother who is "insta famous" for saving Jenifer Aniston's dog. The part Katie doesn't know is that Cole and his brother Hutch haven't been talking.

This book is about more than romance. It is about learning to get out of your shell, putting your true self out there, mending broken bonds...and of course love.

Fav character - George Bailey a rescue dog