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.

This was such a charming and lovely novel. Katie was such a relatable and down to earth fmc that I really loved and appreciated. Hutch was the biggest sweetheart with the best sense of humor.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio version. I loved this story of being afraid but going for it anyway. Loving yourself and finding the family you need.

It took me a while to get into this book, however in the end the story won out and I liked it. It is the second book by this author that I have read and while good it did not measure up to the first one. As the book went along I got into the story more and liked it more. There were some scenes that did make me laugh out loud and the story was good. There were characters I really liked that were fun and interesting and some that I did not like as they were shallow and predictable. The narrator did a great job with an easy to listen to voice. All in all it was a good quick listen.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a heartwarming and emotionally charged novel that explores love, healing, and self-discovery. Center’s writing is witty and relatable, and she does an excellent job of blending humor with deeper, poignant moments that explore vulnerability and the complexities of relationships.
While the romance is at the heart of the story, it’s also about personal growth and finding one's way through emotional turmoil.

The narrator also adds a special touch to the novel, bringing the characters and emotions to life in a way that feels authentic and immersive. Their voice is engaging and full of personality, capturing the humor and depth of the story perfectly. The narration enhances the emotional beats of the book, allowing listeners to feel the tension, humor, and growth between the protagonists even more deeply. Fans of contemporary romance with a touch of humor and heart will find The Love Haters a delightful read or listen.

Romcom
Close proximity
Body infected
Little fake dating

Characters
Hutch
Katie

Thais was an easy read. Quick story with quirky characters. I enjoyed the side characters ( the older ladiies) I loved the cousin, beanie who was a great champion. Everyone needs someone that can lift you up. The brother was annoying.
I was enjoyed the story for the most part. It was fun and mostly lighthearted. There was a lot of focus on body image.
This is a quick one do there wasn’t much of a relationship development between Hutch and Katie.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listener copy of The Love Haters! 💕 I was so excited to get my hands on this book and listen to it as I was driving down to Florida myself for spring break!

My thoughts 💭:
I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of “The Lover Haters,” offering insight into the worlds of videography and the Coast Guard. Told from Katie’s perspective, the narrative really captured her healing journey after a breakup while she faces new challenges with Hutch.

Though I loved Katie’s POV, I wished for a glimpse into Hutch’s thoughts. At times, he felt one-dimensional, especially during their romance, and his perspective would have added valuable depth.

Hutch’s Aunt Rue was my favorite character, embodying the carefree spirit I admire in older women. Her support for Hutch and encouragement of Katie regarding self-image struggles was genuinely heartwarming.

Katie’s journey toward body positivity struck a chord with me, resonating with the societal pressures many women face. However, the family drama between Hutch and Cole sometimes distracted from Hutch and Katie’s relationship. I also found Katie’s participation in the “fake dating” trope frustrating as it strained her connection with Hutch. I wanted to shake her for deciding to weather a Category 4 hurricane in a houseboat! 😅 I did appreciate her heart though for George Bailey 🐶.

This book had many great elements—dynamic characters, romance, and a heartfelt message on learning to love your body for all it has carried you through —but it could have benefited from greater cohesiveness. Overall, if you enjoyed Katherine Center’s previous works, you’ll likely enjoy this one too, especially with its beautiful Key West setting and Coast Guard adventures. While it ranks #3 among her three books I’ve read so far, it’s a delightful spring break read.

3.5 Stars ⭐️

Nothing but love for The Love Haters!

Katherine Center has done it again, not because it's an adorable romance (cuz it is), or because it’s a fun and entertaining story (cuz it is), but because it’s such an honest look at how much emphasis we put on looks and body in our world. Katie is such an honest portrayal of woman struggling with body image and her cousin Beanie is the friend we all need. Patti Murin di a great job on the narration.

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

New Troupe the Lying brother.

This was a joy to listen to on audio. Katherine Centers books never disappoint. They have a great format and flow to listen to on audio. This story had great character development and growth, and it was well-paced to keep the reader interested. I also learned a few things about the Coast Guard. I loved the aunt, she has so much personality.

This was really cute. I pushed my rating up because of the ending, which was exciting, unexpected and dramatic. I really liked the characters and found the subplot surrounding body image to be thoughtful and well done. One of Katherine Center’s strengths, in my opinion, is making all the characters interesting and well thought out, not just the main characters. This is a great choice for people who prefer closed door romances. I enjoyed the audio. The narrator brings Katie’s character to life and her tone of voice adds to the comedy.

Katie, a video producer with her career hanging in the balance, has been sent to the Key West to profile Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The only problem is that swimming is required for the job, and Katie wasn’t completely honest about her ability to swim.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

Love Haters is the new romcom from Queen Katherine Center. It follows Katie, a video producer who lies her way into a job, and the video’s subject, Hutch. As Katie gets trapped in a lie and faces many adventures, the two grow closer.

I always love Center’s emotional romances and this one is a great mix of comedy, drama, and romance. Katie and Hutch are immediately lovable and you can’t help but root for them. Another hit that is excellent on audio.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Katherine Center's romance novels. Every character always feels so fleshed out, and even if there is something in the plot that feels like it's a little too unlikely, Katherine is able to make it feel real.

Katie had a horrible stepmom and internet trolls that gave her some horrible body image problems. But she has a great best friend and a new Aunt Rue that both help Katie to feel more confident in her skin. I really like how the book takes Katie on a journey of how to recover and move away from her body issues with concrete actions while also showing us a variety of ways that life can knock you back down, even when you are making progress.

George Bailey, a giant rescue great Dane, is the main reason that our romantic couple, Katie and Hutch, get together and keep having romantic interactions with each other. We don't ever actually find out why Geoge Bailey is so smitten with Katie when he doesn't act that way around anyone else, but without him, there would have been no relationship. Both of our main characters don't believe they are in any way special and don't believe anyone could be interested in them, even when those around them keep telling them otherwise. Because the dog is used as a way to get this couple together over and over, it makes it harder to believe this couple can actually make it on their own, besides both being physically attracted to each other.

The Love Haters did not have the greatest start for me, as lying about knowing how to swim for a job that requires one to swim is not at all funny. However, our main character immediately tries to remedy this and miraculously learns to swim in less than a week. I'm not sure exactly what the cover of the book has to do with the story, but it is pretty and colorful. The title also was not a great fit, even though it was tried to be forced onto some of our characters by others who didn't really understand what they were going through.

The other Katherine Center books I have read have stayed more in a positive, happy place than this book. The tension with Cole and all of the lies causing so many complications I did not love. I hate it when the lies of others are part of the reason a couple doesn't work out. The stress Katie goes through in learning to swim and during the hurricane made this rom-com much more suspenseful than I usually prefer my rom-coms to be. There are definitely silly moments, but it is hard to be uplifted by them when there are so many other emotions pulling me down. I never wanted to give up on the book, but it was not as strong as some of her others for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC.

Although entertaining and enjoyable, especially with Patti Murin as the narrator, I wish there had been content warnings on body image and eating disorders. I think a lot of people may appreciate seeing that before going into this book.

♾️⭐️
Format: 🎧

The Love Haters is a romance but not just with the swoony MMC.

At its heart, it’s about self love and the messy, nonlinear, beautiful journey of learning to see your worth after a lifetime of being told you’re not enough.

Katherine Center has this incredible way of writing stories that go deep. Her books always explore self worth, personal growth, and all the honest, raw parts of being human and this one was no exception.

One moment in particular hit me so hard I had to pause the audiobook and just sit with it. Katie is reflecting on her relationship with her body, and the grief of realizing how long she’d treated herself with unkindness.

<i> “What does that old song say, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone… the very real, very immediate prospect of my body, the one I picked on and complained about and denied for so long suddenly just not being there… it saturated me with a sadness so deep, so cellular, I’d never felt anything like it before. Grief for a body that it turned out I loved all along… I should have loved all of my everything, because it was mine.” </i>

I also loved the mention of the Gottman Method! I’ve learned about it in my own therapy journey, and it made the story feel even more intentional and grounded.

And while Hutch is 100% a swoon-worthy hero, what I appreciated most is that Katie’s growth didn’t come from him. She didn’t need anyone to make her feel whole or beautiful she found that within herself. The romance is sweet, but Katie’s relationship with herself is the one that truly shines.

There’s a twist halfway through that I did not see coming, and I loved watching Cole and Hutch work through their family dynamic. And Rue absolutely stole the show. Katherine Center always gives her side characters so much personality, they feel just as memorable as the leads.

TL;DR: This is a feel good, heartfelt romance with a strong (and perfectly imperfect) FMC who faces her fears, grows into herself, and finds love along the way. It gave me all the swoony, inspiring vibes—and with the Key West setting, it’s the perfect summer read/listen. 🥰🌊🏝️

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katherine Center for the ARC!