Katherine Center never fails to deliver hallmark-esque romance books that also hit on hard topics. I loved how body positivity was portrayed in this book. It made me wish that everyone had a friend like Beanie, who is supportive and encouraging without ignoring Katie’s feelings. While I didn’t get as sucked into the love story in this book as I did in “The Bodyguard” or “The Rom-Commers” I still rooted for them and enjoyed hearing their story. I also always love listening to Katherine Center’s acknowledgments and hearing about the extensive research she does for her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced listen of Katherine Center’s newest book in audio format!

Patti Murin’s narrations of some of my favorite romance authors’ books is always comforting and like listening to an old friend tell a story. Her narration of The Love Hater’s is no different!

Video producer Katie takes an assignment following Hutch, a Coast Guard member that’s gone celebrity status after a famous rescue involving an actress’s golden retriever. Hutch wants no part of the lime light but agrees only because he thinks his estranged brother, Cole will be the one completing the task. To Hutch’s surprise, Katie shows up in his place and the two begin to form a friendship and perhaps a little more than that too! With vibrant Aunt Rue, a massive Great Dane, and a hurricane thrown into the mix, this book made for a perfect light-hearted beach read. An adorable love story without all the spice.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 out May 20 from @macmillan.audio thanks to @netgalley.
I saw Katherine Center at the Texas Book Festival and I thought she was a delight. I still think she is a delight. I am no longer #romancecurious. I have also confirmed that I am still not in my romance era. I have no idea if this was a good romance story. It was precious. A bit too precious for me, but here we are. I was glad to have the audio and speed it up to 2.5x. 🖤

Katherine Center will always be one of my go-to authors for romance and this book just proved why. I loved the premise, the setting, and the cast of characters (particularly Rue). But, this was more than a love story. It dealt with grief, body image, found family, and more. I will say that I felt this had less romance than normal, but I didn't mind that because I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and wanted to see how things would play out for them.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing the e-ARC and ALC for me to review.

This was cute, but it was my least favorite Katherine Center book. The FMC had severe body insecurity which obviously played into the story, but I feel like it didn’t need so much of it. However, it did make me want to be less monochrome with my wardrobe and have more of a Beanie mindset rather than a Katie mindset. The whole famous ex-boyfriend was a little odd to add in there, but maybe that’s just me. I give this book 3.5⭐️

2.5 stars rounded up. Unfortunately this was my least favorite Katherine Center book. While the story itself was cute, I did not like that it took approx. 71% of the book before the characters had an actual connection. It felt like the characters barely knew each other, Hutch was super cold/distant the whole time, and the miscommunication was frustrating. When you have no spice in a romance (which is totally fine), you need to make the emotional connection really strong, which was just not the case here. Also, check trigger warnings.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have loved Center’s previous work, read all but two of them, so I was stunned with this one. The crude language and attitudes of the characters was a huge surprise. It was not the fun and wholesome romcom that I’ve come to expect from this author. I abandoned it at 56% because it was just so bad. I’m not sure what happened here, but it was a train wreck.

The Love Haters is ‘enemies to lovers’ but with a girl and her body. This is heavily focused on body image which may not be for everyone but it definitely hit me at the right time in my postpartum journey.

This book wrapped me up in a cozy hug. I loved the characters and their sweet story of falling in love with each other while Katie falls in love with herself. It was so healing.

Favorite quotes:
“He’s the first person in history, including me, to notice the real color of my eyes”

“She really has let herself go. How glorious”

This was my first Katherine Center book and I loved the blend of family, romance, friendship, and humor. Katie was a relatable main character and I loved following her evolution as the story unfolded. I also enjoyed the character development in Hutch, who was much more than met the eye. The setting of Key West was perfect and now I want to visit!

Katherine Center has again delivered a heart felt women’s friction story that will keep you reading. The plot develops at the right pace to keep your attention but keeps you wanting more. The characters are well developed and it’s easy to picture the plot on my head. This is definitely a must read.

Uhhh I wanted to love this! It fell short for me.
For a romance it did not deliver the “feels”. It was find of boring if I am being honest. I kept with it, hoping it would get better, but it did not. I didn’t feel the characters in the story were developed enough to connect with the reader.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc for my honest review.

I adore Katherine Center's rom-coms, and unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me.

Katie is worried about losing her job when her co-worker, Cole, asks her to take his place and be the video producer of a profile of "Hutch" a rescue swimmer based in Key West. Slight problem - Katie can't swim. Second problem, Hutch is Cole's brother and the two don't get along.

Katie takes the job, has to learn to swim and is blown away by the good looks of Hutch. She comments on his looks repeatedly throughout the book - so many times that I got really tired of reading about it. Katie has body image issues, and it felt like these were exploited quite a bit through the book. The heartwarming side of the story is when she realizes she is beautiful, but it felt a little forced and that she only believed it was true because of Hutch.

There are lots of obstacles thrown in the path of true love, especially when a hurricane hits and Katie is stranded with Hutch's dog.

I liked a couple of the supporting characters, especially Hutch's Aunt Rue and the dog! I really disliked Cole, and his family drama - some of which was so manufactured that I was disappointed - so that damped the second half of the book for me. I didn't feel much chemistry between Hutch and Katie either.

The setting in Key West was good, as was the adventure in the helicopter and the hurricane incident.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a nice job. The voices were distinct and the pacing good.

All in all, it was still a light and fun read, but I enjoyed the other Katherine Center books that I have read, more than this one.

I would like to know how Jennifer Aniston feels about this book. This is the 3rd book I have read by Katherine Center now, and I think it will be my last. Her writing style is just not for me. I was pretty bummed because I felt like I had a lot in common with the FMC and the personal struggles she was having, but outside of that I felt no connection to any character in the book nor to the story that was taking place. Everything felt very...exaggerated and very unrealistic.

Overall, this just wasn't for me.

DNF’d at 64%. Just couldn’t push through anymore and I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I just couldn't push through anymore.

I love Katherine Center's writing. I always find myself in her female characters, & with the FMC Katie, I found myself again. This is a fun, quirky & entertaining ride about Katie Vaughn, a video producer who takes on an assignment from her coworker Cole that revolves around his brother, Hutch. She's not exactly qualified to follow a Coast Guard rescue swimmer (she can't swim), but that doesn't stop her. Through her time with Hutch, she unravels the sibling rivalry that exists & it all comes to a head with her stuck in the middle.

Katie's insecurities & journey towards body positivity are ones that I fully relate to. I really loved her inner dialogue & her vulnerability when sharing her struggles. Her relationship with Hutch is a slow burn that progresses naturally & has some hiccups along the way (especially when Cole comes to visit). This story is a fun ride that captivated me from beginning to end. The adventures Katie goes on with Hutch, alongside some wonderful supporting characters (Aunt Rue is a favorite), just brighten some more emotionally deep moments.

🎧 Listening to Patti Murin narrate brings the humor and charm of this story to life. Her empathy for these characters really comes through in her narration.

Overall, this story is another example of Katherine Center's incredible gift of weaving together complex characters in a gripping story that is both emotional, lighthearted, and thought-provoking. I truly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

💖 Enemies to Lovers
🌊 Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer x Video Producer
🏡 Forced Proximity
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶 Found Family
🌴 Key West Setting
⚡️ Sibling Rivalry
💕 Self Love Journey
☝🏻 Single FMC POV

Katie, a video producer and her co-worker Cole, make a deal for Katie to fly to the Florida Keys to be given an opportunity to interview Hutch. The love hater also known as Hutch is actually Cole’s brother, a coastguard rescue swimmer. Katie was given the task to film Hutch for a day in the life video for the company she works for and for her YouTube channel. Unfortunately, Katie lies to get the assignment and is forced to learn how to swim before her boss, Sullivan finds out.

Tropes: Grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, found family, men in uniform, he falls first

Triggers: Talks of suicide, social media bullying, body dysmorphia, grief, death

I’ve really enjoyed this audiobook. It was witty, laugh out loud funny, and adorable although there were parts that dealt with more serious topics. Patti Murin really did an awesome job narrating the book.

The stars of the story for me though aren’t Katie and Hutch, it would have to be Aunt Rue, George Bailey and Lucky. Aunt Rue reminds me of Jennifer Coolidge wearing caftans with bedazzled sandals in the Florida Keys. George Bailey and Lucky are best friends forever.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Love Haters isn’t my first introduction to Katherine Center, but she’s still a pretty new author to me. I’m still up the air about how I feel regarding reading any more of her work, but this was a cute, quick read.

Some things that made me smile:
* George Bailey & his toad
* Aunt Rue in general
* Handing out flowers along Duval
* Brotherly fist fights

I struggled a little with the title. Unless I missed something, Hutch “hating love” really wasn’t ✨that✨ big of a theme. It was addressed in the end, but to be the entire title kind of confused me.

In reality, this book was mostly about overcoming an eating disorder and finding love along the way. I don’t feel as though I’m the best to speak on the subject of eating disorders, but the entire thing just felt off. Especially how it was “resolved”.

I liked the rock star concept for the ex, I just feel like it wasn’t that fleshed out and could have been a great addition!

Cole’s aloof attitude made me want to shake him. Yes, he clearly has (unfounded) contempt for his older brother, but the way in which he handled the entire video project and subsequent interactions just made him come off as self-serving and highly unlikable. Maybe it’s because I’m an older sibling 😂

The Basics:
US Coast Guard//Video Producer
Florida Keys 🏝️
CW: eating disorder
1st Person POV
Standalone
🫑/🌶️
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC 🤍🎧

I found myself thinking about this book every day. This wonderful, humber, perfect man. The FMC with realistic body issues and a messy workplace environment. The most perfect dog ever 🫶🏼🫶🏼 I wanted to know what was happening but didn’t want to listen to it because I knew it would be over soon :( My first Katherine Center book and I will definitely pick up another!!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc🥰🥰

Katie has had a terrible year and now she's in threat of losing her job. When one of her superiors, Cole, throws her a bone and gives her an assignment in Key West filming a promo for the coast guard with Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson, Katie knows she can't turn it down. One thing though: Katie cannot swim. Oh also it turns out that Hutch is Cole's brother and they have had some sort of falling out so tensions are high between them.

Once Katie arrives in Key West and begins learning about Hutch and his life and job, she doesn't see the unhappy person that Cole painted for her. Rather someone kind and thoughtful.

Katherine Center has become a top author for me. The way she takes some tough topics and weaves them into a story is close to magic. This time around we're talking about our relationships. Not just what we think of as our normal relationships but the ones with our bodies. How oftentimes we are our worst critics. In Katie's case social media did a pretty good job of "helping". Especially after she came into the public eye when her now ex-fiance became a famous musician upon going viral.

Then we have Hutch who is kind and caring but also closes himself off for reasons that are not immediately apparent and which I won't reveal here.

Once Hutch and Katie are together you feel like everything is right, it just clicks into place, this is how it's supposed to be. But there's still quite a few obstacles in the way with quite a few of said obstacles stemming from Katie's job.

Patti Murrin has narrated a few Katherine Center books that I've noticed (or possibly all of them I'm not sure), but she does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and really making you feel the emotion running through the story. I don't know if I would have had as many teary-eyed moments if I were only reading the words on the page and not hearing the vulnerabilities coming through my speakers. But this is also true of the lighter moments as well. The narration is done exceptionally well.

I rushed through this book as I tend to do with all of Katherine Center's books. There's just something so comforting and reassuring every time I read one of her books. I know that there's going to be some kind of hardship, but I also know that everything will work itself out in the end.

I will never not love Katherine Center’s romance novels!
Without a doubt she is my go to for a summer romance read. A can’t miss for me when a new one comes out.

‘The Love Haters‘ is emotional and enjoyable, dealing pretty heavily with self love- more so than the romance between the two leads. Katie has been burned and struggles with seeing herself as anything special, Hutch has a martyr complex and refuses to prioritize his own happiness. The draw between the two is immediate but the build is very slow burn.

In all honesty I can’t say this was my absolute favorite of Centers novels - that honor still belongs to ‘Hello Stranger.’ The characters are lovable and realistic but the plot is a bit predictable at first and then the twists at the end (while fun) are a little bit odd. I still had a wonderful time reading, and I absolutely must give full marks for binge-ability. I couldn’t stop without finishing. Even though this isn’t her best, in my opinion, it’s still dang good and a flawless beach read.

The audiobook is wonderful as well. I don’t think the actors could have done any better. Pleasant to listen to and easy to follow, 5/5!