I am always down to read a book by Katherine Center. I have enjoyed pretty much all of her books, and the covers get me every time! I was able to get an audiobook to listen to from the publisher and Netgalley. The narration was well done, and I liked listening to the story in this format. It was engaging and I feel like if I would have read it I don't know if I would have got through it as fast. Although I did like this overall, I wasn't in love with it which is disappointing for me to say.

The first half was definitely better. I enjoyed getting to know Katie and understanding her situation with work, her ex, and the body image issues she has dealt with and still does throughout the book. There was a lot going on but also at the same time not really. Some of the topics felt a bit rushed or just looked over and didn't get the time that they needed. Most of the side characters I felt needed more time on the pages and could have been fleshed out more to add to the lives of the MCs and give more context, especially since one is an aunt, and the other is a brother. I did like the aunt though because she was just so fun! Getting closer to the end there was miscommunication. Miscommunication is not my thing, and I dislike it so much. One of my least favorite things to read about.

Overall, this was good for the most part. I'm sure there will be those who enjoy it more than me!

I want to start off by saying that I have loved Katherine Center's books. I can tell that she really researches the topics she writes about and the effort really shows in her writing. Her characters are always multi dimensional.

I enjoyed the beginning of this story and learning about the coast guard rescue missions. It was also interesting to hear from Katie's perspective about her body image issues. When Cole got involved towards the end of the story, that's when things started going wrong for me. I did not enjoy his involvement in the story and felt that he was incredibly immature and selfish. It made the story go in a different direction and with the history he had with his brother, it felt cruel. I did not enjoy this and it spoiled the book for me. I did like the ending and how everything came together but the Cole storyline really took this in a different direction for me, one that felt unnecessary.

I really enjoyed the narration by Patti Murin and as usual she did a great job voicing these characters. She really put the right depth of emotion in to them and made the story more exciting for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this ARC.

⭐️: 3.5/5

George Bailey is the true hero and main character of this book, full stop. He was the most interesting and sympathetic character, and the one I cared the most about. George Bailey is a dog.

Ok, but being so serious, George Bailey was the best part of this book, and he’s what kept me invested in the last 20% or so. Katherine Center’s books are always a little hit or miss for me, because something about the trope of the girl who is prone to such unlikely accidents that inevitably charm the MMC gives me the ick. Like, the whole point of this book is that Katie couldn’t swim, so did she really have to fall into the pool and almost drown SO many times? Like I get that the absurd situations are part of the genre, but sometimes it goes a little too far.

I always wish all rom-coms that aren’t dual POV, were dual POV, and this one was no exception. I think being in Katie’s head was a little much at times (read: eating disorder and body dysmorphia TW) and her sudden ~realizations~ felt a little glib to me. I would’ve liked to hear from Hutch.

There was a point in the second half where I started to like the character of Katie, and I thought that was the turning point of the book where I’d be like “oh yeah, I can root for these characters,” but then she went and got SO much more annoying, and I just couldn’t. This was also such a slow burn of a book when it came to the actual romance aspect of it, with a lot of like, weird lying and random tropes interspersed.

Ultimately, I’m so glad that I had the ALC in addition to the eARC, because listening to it I think helped me enjoy the story a lot more. It was definitely popcorn-y and fun, and listening helped me mentally skim over the aspects of Katie that really bugged me.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
This was a cheesy but enjoyable story about a coast guard hottie named Hutch and a videographer FMC named Katie.
Katie needs to keep her job, so when her co-worker, Cole asks her to go to Key West to do a day-in-the-life-of video of a hero coast guard named Hutch because Cole doesn’t want to do it… she has no choice but to figure it out and make it happen.
Can’t swim? No big deal. Fake it til you make it. Or whatever.
The story is told through the POV of Katie. We get to fall in love with Hutch along side Katie and swoon….He is a keeper. And how about that rescue Great Dane. 🐕 🥰
Cole shows up in Key West and pulls some dumb crap and I was annoyed with the lies and fake relationship yada yada.
I got over it.
There is self-worth/body image dialogue throughout the book, which is wrapped up nicely in the end.
Hurricane comes and bet you can’t guess what Hutch does in the end. 🌀 Predictable.
Book boyfriend worthy. 🙌🏻💜

It wasn’t my favorite KC book but it was enjoyable and I would recommend to anyone who likes clean romance. Slow burn. Forced proximity.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this arc book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Release date: May 20, 2025

I think I have a crush on a fictional man named Hutch who, despite being an swoon worthy rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard, is also sweet, thoughtful, kind and humble. I also fell head over heels in love with George Bailey-- a rescue great dane who quite literally stole the show!

There are also themes of body image, self-realization and grief through the story-- heavy topics on their own, but weaved delicately through the storyline by Katherine Center. KC has always the ability to create an inviting world with her storytelling, creating characters that you love to love, and romances that leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The Love Haters is no exception.

As always, Patti Murin does an exceptional job narrating the story and bringing the protagonist, Katie, to life. Her narration captivated me from the beginning, and held my interest straight through until the end. Murin has a gift for narrating and I always look forward to productions featuring her!

When Katie's coworker Cole comes up with a scheme to help prevent her world from crashing down around her, Katie leaps for it... And straight into the arms of self doubt. With a cousin that seems to be able to quote one too many self help books (don't we all have this person in our lives, With a loveable dog and a sexy pararescue swimmer, who couldnt help but swoon their way through this story?

2.5 stars, rounded up. This book focuses on Katie, who was recently cheated on by her ex and ends up with a job filming her coworkers brother, Hutch, who is a coast guard. This book was very slow to start and I felt focused a little too much on the FMC self-image and insecurities in the beginning. The last few chapters is honestly when it got better for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters as much as I wanted to :(

I liked the ending though!

I listened to the audio of this and thought the narrator did an amazing job! I didn't feel bored at all.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio of this book. All thoughts are my own <3

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Superb writing and storytelling from this author, yet again! This time, readers are treated to Katie, who cannot swim, but finds herself in the vicinity of water and rescue swimmer, "Hutch". She goes to Key West to profile him for work on behalf of her coworker, Cole, who is also the brother of Hutch. Hutch is a stud, but has his own issues, much like Katie.

This book brings all sorts of fun things melded together really well. The characters do not outwardly seem like they'd be a match, but they click and the chemistry is very real. There are also some great themes here, such as confidence and self-worth, and this is applied to both characters. Secondary characters are also pleasant here, and I loved the addition of the dog. Readers will laugh and feel deeper feelings, which is just a hallmark of this author, and that is why she is an automatic read for me and should be for you, too.

The audiobook version is also a great way to read this book. The narration was clear, as is the case with all of this author's books, and the narrator was able to deliver the appropriate emotions and delivery throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After falling in love with The Bodyguard and enjoying The Rom Commers, I was excited for this new release from Katherine Center, but unfortunately, The Love Haters fell short for me. I was not expecting Katie's body image insecurities to be such a large part of the narrative. I enjoy when romance and women's fiction novels can balance heavier themes with romance, humor, and hopefulness, but Katie's body image insecurities felt overwhelming in the first third of the book, so I hope the final published version of the book provides clear trigger warnings.

My main disappointment is that Katie and Hutch had the potential to be another charming romance, and while they did have some cute interactions in the beginning, there was a lot more telling than showing, before keeping them apart for almost the entirety of the second half of the book. Katie tells us about how it's so fun and easy to talk to Hutch, but we get minimal dialogue between them as they start getting to know each other. It was missing the playful banter I loved so much from The Bodyguard, so I couldn't see how Hutch fell for Katie so hard so quickly. Then, the second half of the book keeps the two apart because of a frustrating, manufactured conflict, all thanks to the irritating Cole. Their eventual reunion was sweet but very short, and it was difficult to root for a couple we barely got to see interact on the page before things started to go awry.

It is still a quick read that has some of the signature sweet Katherine Center moments that I love, and Patti Murin once again does great with the audiobook narration to make it more engaging. Consuming this as an audiobook added to my enjoyment of the story. Rue was such a vibrant, fun character that felt like a breath of fresh air every time she showed up, especially with Murin's narration, and I loved all her reactions with Katie. George Bailey, the dog, also had some very aww-worthy scenes with Katie and Hutch. The epilogue left me feeling warm and fuzzy, as Center's epilogues usually do. I hope we see more humor and on-page development again from Center's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook!

Another heartwarming read from Katherine Center! I love the interactions between Katie and Hutch. You can tell that the author does a lot of research when writing her books. The details adds so much to the story.

I listened to this audiobook and the narrator did a fabulous job of bringing the characters to life and making the story entertaining.

I am a huge Katherine Center fan but this book I needed more from. I found the book to start off a bit slow. It did pick up and I still enjoyed it but had to give it four over five stars.

I haven’t read all of Katherine Center’s books (yet) but I am working on it. I found this one entertaining and thoughtful. I love the friend that wanted Katie to find self love. I loved George. I am a sucker for any book supporting the rescues of animals. Hutch was typically perfect but I could’ve maybe done without as much of the brother. All in all an enjoyable rom com. I’ll be reading more of her books for sure.

The Love Haters was such a fun ride! The banter was sharp, the chemistry was undeniable, and I found myself genuinely rooting for the characters. It had the perfect blend of humor and heart, and the fake-dating trope was done really well. I knocked off one star just because a few parts felt a bit rushed, but overall, it was a super enjoyable read. If you’re into rom-coms with sass and sweetness, this one’s worth picking up!

The Love Haters beautifully explores the theme of self-love and the honest, often uncomfortable realities of how we view ourselves as women. There were moments that made me squirm while reading — but I think that was the point. It highlights the tough truth that while we would never let someone we care about speak so harshly about themselves, we do it to ourselves constantly.

Katie’s journey toward self-acceptance is one that we could all benefit from. I loved the balance of laugh-out-loud moments and genuinely sweet, heartwarming scenes. Rue, in particular, is the kind of person we all aspire to be — confident, supportive, and real. Rue, Beanie, and even Hutch play such important roles in helping Katie find her footing, each offering their own kind of encouragement.

Beanie stood out to me as such a good friend, constantly encouraging Katie to find just one thing a day to love about herself. That simple, persistent reminder felt really powerful.

Honestly, this book felt more like a story of self-love and friendship, with a little bit of romance sprinkled in — and I loved that about it.

This was the first novel I have read by Katherine Center, and I am not usually a romance reader. However, I saw so many people recommending The Love Haters and Katherine Center's previous work and I decided to try it. This was a very cute and easy to read story about two unlikely people who are unlucky in love coming together and finding their person.

As a tried and true Katherine Center fan, I'll say The Love Haters was "ok." The plot was slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it because things picked up towards the end. There were some funny quips throughout that kept me going and Patti Murin's narration was great as usual. Overall, I felt myself searching for more chemistry between Katie and Hutch. At times I found myself wanting more of a story about Rue or Beanie instead of Katie as the FMC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to preview this book!

ARC REVIEW:

2.5 - I really wanted more from this book. I genuinely had zero interest in both FMC and MMC and the writing didn’t have much substance. I listened to this on audio but if I had read the physical I probably would have DNF’d and picked it back up at a later time. Just wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t really consider it a romcom - it just happened to have some romance in an average story about a girl with insecurities.

Katherine Center is just a genius. I have never had a book of hers I didn't LOVE. She is hilarious but also her stories are so poetic. I am so thankful I got to listen to this one early!!!

🎧 Audio Review 🎧

I had high hopes for this book, I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away by it like I thought I would be.
I am not a fan of females leads with no confidence, especially when they only gain confidence from how a man makes them feel. I mean I get it but I just need stronger leads. I wanted to love Katie and understand her body issues but it felt shallow in a way, she thought about body image in herself and others more than anything.

The first half drags a bit, with a lot of buildup but not much happens. I think Avery’s growth is a big part of this book but at times it feels more like ticking off a list of romantic tropes. I did enjoy the slow burn romance and the snarky banter. The characters share some sweet, fun and heartwarming moments that kept me going.

Besides all that I enjoyed the plot and if your looking for something light and easy with a fun dog, this might be a great summer read for you! Fans of rom-coms that don't mind a familiar storyline, this one is for you.

The narration was good, I always enjoy Patti Murin!

The Love Haters covered a lot of topics which included to body negativity, cheating ex, job in peril and facing your fears. We have Katie that goes to the Keys to do a special video on Hutch who is special coast guard. Hutch also happens to be her co-worker's estranged brother.

There a lot that I enjoyed this book:
- George Bailey, the Great Dane rescue dog
- Rue, Hutch and Cole's grandmother
- Katie facing her fears
- the complex relationship between Rue and Hutch and Cole

There were a few things I felt distracted me from loving the story:
- Cole, he seemed so self centered and his relationship with Katie seemed distant and odd
- there was a lot of stuff with coast guard that felt a bit too much
- I didn't buy the romance, I wanted Hutch's POV. At times, he was too closed off.

Patti Murin did a great job with the narration. I could feel the tense moments when Katie was weathering the storm with George Bailey.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this.