Did not grab me, but I know that is a me issue being that I am a mood reader and I didn't want to force it as it is not fair to the author. I know her books are well received.

The Love Haters was an enjoyable listening experience with a fun story and some things to think about. Katie Vaughn is a video producer and the company she works for will be cutting staff. She is offered the opportunity to keep her job by heading to Florida and make a video profiling Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson. He's a coast guard rescue swimmer in Key West, who wants to remain low key. Apparently there was a viral video of him saving Jennifer Aniston's dog and he isn't pleased with his infamy. There is only one big problem, she can't swim, and will have to prove she can in order to go out on the boat and train with him. Of course spending time together is bound to have some feelings develop between them, but both Katie and Hutch have been burned by love and have no desire to get involved with anyone. Katie also finds out that her immediate boss, Cole and Hutch are brothers who don't get along. Once she arrives in Key West, she meets their colorful aunt Rue who takes her under her wing when her luggage is lost, and Hutch's rescue Great Dane, who seems to immediately love her and listen only to her or Hutch. Lying about being able to swim causes some issues, but Hutch helps her out there. There is a lot going on in this one, so buckle up when you start it.

Katherine Center's books always have an issue that one or more of her characters are dealing with and in this book it is Katie's body issues. She is always worried about how she looks and what others will think. That is what caused some of her heartbreak. Being a plus sized woman myself, I was worried about this, but I thought the author did a great job with it. Unfortunately, our society often body shames and causes these feelings to develop, so bringing it front and center is realistic in my opinion. Katie is someone who is really good at her job, but she likes to fade into the back in her dull, dark colours, so it was fun to see Rue and her gals dress her up in bright colours and bring her front and center. George Bailey, Hutch's rescued Great Dane is also a star in this story. Something he does almost caused a tragedy, but you'll have to read it to find out what that is. Hutch is a great character, as described in the story, a gorgeous male hero, who is excellent at his job and wants his family to get back together. He was so helpful with Katie when she had to learn to swim, jump out of a helicopter and more, but humble. This story has themes of body acceptance, family drama, forgiveness, reconciliation, taking chances, honesty and romance. Although I enjoyed the story a lot, the ending was a bit over the top, but pulled all the threads together. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Patti Murin and enjoyed her performance. I have listened to other books she narrated and I always enjoy her voice, expression and tone.

This book was such a fun escape and a perfect summer read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator really brought the story to life.

The Love Haters is funny, chaotic, a little messy in the best way, and made me tear up several times. Katie is trying to save her career, faking her way into a job she’s not remotely qualified for (lol at resume padding), and ends up in Key West filming a hot Coast Guard swimmer who, surprise, might be her emotional undoing.

There’s fake swimming, tension, family drama, and a massive dog named Scully, plus the kind of slow-burn romance that makes you smile while reading. It’s got classic rom-com energy but also real moments of vulnerability and growth. Add this to your beach-read list!

I received the ALC through NetGalley from Macmillan Audio and this is my review.

I was excited to dive into another feel-good romance from Katherine Center. While there were things I really appreciated, this one didn’t land quite as fully for me.

Katie heads to Key West for a last-ditch assignment to save her job and ends up working with Hutch, a stoic Coast Guard rescue swimmer, despite not being able to swim herself. There’s forced proximity, a looming hurricane, and a very lovable Great Dane named George Bailey. The setup had a lot of promise.

One thing I did appreciate was how real Katie’s body image issues and disordered eating history felt. From a personal experience perspective, her inner dialogue and anxiety were painfully honest. I get it. I really do. But for me, it felt like those struggles took up too much space in her overall character arc. It started to feel like her motivation to improve her relationship with her body was mostly centered on wanting Hutch to like her, which made the emotional growth feel more tied to romantic validation than self-empowerment.

I think some additional beta reading could have helped flesh Katie out a bit more, maybe giving her a clearer internal motivation and showing her growth outside of the romance plotline. As it was, the story leaned a little too hard on "once I like myself, I’ll be worthy of love," and I just wanted more for her.

That said, there were some bright spots. Hutch has strong grumpy-sunshine energy, the Key West setting is fun and vibrant, and the found family elements—especially Aunt Rue and George Bailey—brought warmth and charm. Patti Murin did a great job with the audiobook narration and made Katie’s voice feel really authentic.

Overall, The Love Haters had some lovely moments and genuine emotion, but I just didn’t connect with the balance of the story. I wanted more agency for Katie, more emotional growth that wasn’t tied to a man’s gaze, and a bit more tension in the romance itself. Still worth a listen if you love introspective heroines and cozy coastal vibes.

Tropes included:
💞 Grumpy-sunshine
🌊 Fish out of water
🐕 Found family
🌀 Forced proximity
🧡 Healing and self-worth arc
🏝️ Small-town coastal setting

I really wanted to love this book but I'm not in the place right now who is actively struggling with her body image. Others may find this really cathartic but I found I needed to put it down and return when I'm in a different season of life.

The narrator brought an energetic voice to the story and grabbed my interest immediately. If it weren't for the subject matter I would totally be continuing on because their narration is lovely.

Katie Vaughn makes videos. Most of them are corporate training or promotional videos. But she has a side gig where she makes videos just for herself, to put on her personal YouTube channel. For those videos, she spends an entire day and night with someone she admires, showing 24 hours in the life of a hero. So when her boss asks her to go to the Florida Keys to make a promotional video of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, she has to agree. Even though she doesn’t know how to swim. Especially since the rumors are flying in the office that cuts are coming.

But her boss Cole tells her that this is the perfect job for her. Because the rescue swimmer, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson is the same person who notoriously saved Jennifer Aniston’s dog after it had gone over a cliff and gotten stuck. So not only would Katie be making the video for the Coast Guard, she could also make her Day in the Life video about Hutch. Cole says he can guarantee her access, because he knows the hero puppy rescuer. Because it’s his brother.

When Katie gets to Key West, she meets Cole’s aunt Rue, who not only puts her up in one of her cottages, but she also buys Katie some clothes to help her out until her luggage shows up. Rue takes an immediate liking to Katie and tries to get her to add color to her mostly black wardrobe. And she reassures Katie that she knows a swimming instructor who can help her prepare for the swim test she’ll have to pass before going up in the Coast Guard helicopter to film an actual rescue.

But Katie is horrified to find out that her swimming teacher is Hutch. And having to put on a swimsuit is bringing up her body image issues. Her issues had started when she almost a teenager and her stepmother had put her on a diet. They got worse when her singer/songwriter fiancé Lucas suddenly got a lot of traction online and his career skyrocketed. Katie had gone to an awards show with him, and the online community was most unkind. And then he had cheated on her, publicly. Katie had finally started to feel better about herself, coming up with body parts she liked about herself on their near daily phone calls with her best friend and cousin Beanie.

Fortunately for Katie, Hutch is patient as a swimming teacher. And his dog, a Great Dane named George Bailey, seems to be in love with her. And Katie spends her days learning about the Coast Guard and filming at their base. But she still has to learn to swim well enough to get herself out of a simulated helicopter crash. And her ex-fiancé Lucas has written a song about how he was wrong to let her go. And she can’t help but notice that Hutch is not just a hero and rescuer of dogs, but he is also smart and funny and a genuinely good guy. And tall. And handsome.

But there are secrets between the brothers, and Katie gets caught up between them. She has to go along with Cole, in order to save her job. But she insists that Cole tell the truth, so she’s not caught up in their family drama anymore. And when a hurricane shows up, nothing matters but basic survival.

The Love Haters is a an uplifting rom com about a woman who not only falls in love with the boy, but she also learns to love herself. Katherine Center has a way of writing stories that are funny and smart but also send waves of healing and warmth through my soul.

I listened to the audio book for The Love Haters, and I thought Patti Murin’s narration was perfection. She brought Katie to life, and she read Center’s words with emotional intelligence and grace, imbuing the story with love and wonder. I adored this book and just breathed in this world with each word. This is one of the books of summer. Or fall. Or whatever season you’re choosing to read in, this will be a book that will linger in your thoughts and in your feels for a long time.

Egalleys for The Love Haters were provided by St. Martin’s Press and a copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

2.5 stars

This one fell...flat to me. It read in an overall immature tone to me, and I had a hard time caring about the two main characters and their love story overall by the end of the story.
Katie and Hutch had potential at first, but it just didn't go well.
This book had an overall workplace romance tone to it and I enjoyed that part of the story. I also enjoyed the part where he tended to her wounds in a hilarious way.
Katie just kept making terrible poor decisions to me, and I couldn't help but feel like she had an overall childish tone even though she was an adult. I empathized with her ED and body issues, but didn't like that the catalyst to look at herself differently was Hutch validating her beauty and whatnot. Also her decision to not tell the truth and to continue with Cole's facade was frustrating and had no valid reasoning behind it.

I liked that Hutch and Cole finally resolved their brother issues tho. Their backstory about their parents really tugged at my heart.

As far as the narration, I had a hard time getting into it. Great voice acting but an overall childish immature tone that took me out of the story every now and then.

I loved the dog. George Bailey was the most tolerable character.

Thank you to MacMillion Audio for the eALC, and to net galley and St Martin's Press for the eARC!

Katherine Center's books always have a way of leaving me hopeful. I say this every time I review one, but it is true. Center loves love more than any other writer I have read, and while she understands the importance of a love story, her books are much more than a romance. The main characters are often searching for purpose or trying to quiet their inner voice. I always find them relatable, but none more so than Center's newest, The Love Haters.

Katie's (our main female lead) struggles with her body image. I grew up in an era rife with pictures of women's bodies that were unattainable for most. I grew up in an era with sitcoms that promoted dangerous diets and body dysmorphia - the same era where Britney Spears, at times, was considered fat. I look back at that time and know how damaging it was to millions of young people. Watching Katie's growth and her acceptance of herself was a beautiful part of this story.

I also loved much more than Katie's lovely character arc. I loved the banter, the friendships, The Gals (one of the best parts of this book), the setting, and George Bailey. Let's not forget Hutch. He was so genuine and thoughtful. He looked out for everyone. The way Katie and Hutch came together and grew as friends and then into more was heartwarming.

If I have any gripes, it is with Cole's storyline. Some reviewers hated him, even saying he ruined the whole story for them. I didn't like him, but I have zero issues with unlikeable characters. Rather, the conflict could have been focused elsewhere. I just found Katie's actions about Cole to be a bit unbelievable for her character.

Overall, this was a fantastic read, but I do think this will be a mixed bag for people.

The audio was fantastic. Patti Murin is always an incredible narrator.

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

This book went quick for me, but I always have to be in the right mood for a romance novel. Although this book was "okay" it was a little hard for me to get on board with. I found the premise of the book to be difficult to take seriously, and the ending of the book (although cute) was really unbelievable. I found this to be the perfect "romantic comedy" book, but it clearly just wasn't a book for me.

Katherine Center knows how to write a happy rom com with likable characters (and pets) and this was no exception. This isn’t my favorite of hers but I still ended up enjoying the journey of these characters.

This was the perfect summer read for me! Funny, romantic, and I absolutely adored the main character!

This book was a little underwhelming in comparison to the author's other books and I found the FMC really hard to like. That being said, this is a story about courage. Not just the grand, sweeping kind, but the quiet, everyday bravery that pushes us to show up, open our hearts even when we feel like we simply can't go on. There are unexpected turns, a comforting warmth, and just enough romance.

Read if you like:
coast guard hero
quasi-Hollywood romance
grumpy x sunshine
forced proximity
romcoms with heart


Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

I don't know if I can read a whole book, or recommend a book, where the FMC comments on how much she doesn't like her own body so frequently... Maybe that's a new found trigger for me.

I guess it's safe to say that Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors of contemporary romances, if not my absolute favorite. I loved this story of two people who are clearly meant for each other despite their personal baggage and the obstacles thrown at them. I loved the setting (Key West), the main characters and (most of) the supporting characters. I loved the wonderful, supportive relationship between Katie and her best friend/cousin Beanie. And on a personal note, I also loved her appreciation of the overall effect of a hot man in a flight suit. ;)
Center writes with such heart and such humor, and in a genre that's overall pretty predictable, she manages to surprise me with not only the detours to the expected happy ending, but the overall themes and lessons learned along the way. That's definitely the case here, and having seen a couple of reviews from readers who didn't complete the assignment because they assumed they knew what was coming - I'll just say it's a shame they stopped reading early, because, well, you know the old saying about assuming, and indeed, they assumed wrong. ;)
I listened to the audiobook, and Patti Murin's narration was excellent, she hit all the right notes both with the humor and with the serious self-reflective moments. Overall I loved it, and I'm glad I haven't (yet) read all her backlist, because there's more for me to enjoy without having to wait for her next release. (Oh and don't skip her notes at the end - I love what she has to say about writing and reading love stories.)
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

This was such a cute story, I was really craving a summer romance, and this absolute hit the spot. The MMC is so grumpy, but he has his reasons. George Bailey the most adorable dog, and the FMC was so relatable in so many different ways. It wasn't just a fluffy love story, it really does hit on a lot of serious topics, but it also does a wonderful job of showing how the characters were able to grow from them.

🧡𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦🧡
𝓇ℴ𝓂 𝒸ℴ𝓂
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟸𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
📖𝖧𝗒𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽🎧📘..𝖣𝖾𝖿 𝖽𝗈 𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂𝗈 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝖾!
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟛.𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ★★★✮

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...follows two people, Katie & Hutch who claim to hate love…& possibly themselves

🌻𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢....First off, I LOVE Katherine Center & I will never not read anything she puts out into this world🌎, BUT this one didn’t fully entertain me like her others do. 🤨I will say the audio🎧 helped immensely so DEF go that route as it gives the story more depth with the amazing inflection the narrator does! 👏 I am usually smiling the whole time I read a KC book😀 & yes, I did that some, but it was a bit of a let down too because my expectations were high. Her covers📙 are still 5 stars for me though. 🙌The bright neon colors have me smitten. 🤩

🌞 Grumpy sunshine
🌞 Forced proximity
🌞 Coast guard/ rescue swimmer
🌞 Video journalist
🌞 Body image + self love journey
⚠️ Content warning with the body image, eating disorder content

This is a book that just brought ALL the vibes!! The audiobook sucked me in and I listened in 1 sitting! We get a tropical setting with a plot that brings the humor, the banter and all the emotions!

Katie is in Key West to do a piece on Hutch and get video content of his job with the coast guard. But of course Katie doesn't know how to swim and needs Hutch to teach her. Their banter is instant perfection.

We also get a furry friend I obsessed over.

I do want to make sure I point out how hard Katie's head can be to be in at times if body image or disordered eating is a trigger of any kind for you! Please take care of yourself first!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for this ARC + ALC
I truly had a great time with this one!

BOOK REVIEW: THE LOVE HATERS ☀️👙🌊

Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy!🤍

I really enjoy picking up a Katherine Center book each summer as they usually are such fun and heartfelt romcoms! While there were quite a few LOL moments and I the banter was great (especially on audio!) THE LOVE HATERS ultimately fell a bit flat for me. I wasn’t super invested with Katie or Hutch and felt like there was far too many references to Katie’s struggles with her body image, it was a bit redundant to me.

Overall, if you’re looking for a cute summery romcom I’d check out The Rom Commers by Katherine Center!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this was so cute! It's been a while since I've read a romance and I'm happy to dip back in with this one. It's fun and light but also a lovely story about being vulnerable. Highly recommend!

I'm really surprised that this isn't rated higher. I enjoyed it! If you are looking for an easy romance that's not too deep then this is it. It was just a good time. I listened to the audiobook and I was hooked from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.