I’ve said it before, and I will continue to say it. Katherine Center’s books are a balm for the soul. You will walk away lighter and inspired after reading one of her books. It should come as no surprise that this was a five star read for me.

Katie is offered an opportunity that may just save her job. However, it requires her to swim, and guess what? Katie can’t swim. But she is very resourceful. It turns out that this job will change her life.

Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson is a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He is also the subject of the job opportunity that Katie has been given. She is going to create a video to promote what Hutch and his co workers do. Hutch’s brother Cole is the one who arranged this opportunity.

Tim and Katie have a lot to work through in this book. From outside meddling to battling their own personal demons.

And like always, the ending is the best part of the book with Katherine Center. She leaves you with so much hope.

I absolutely adored Katie. I can relate to her body issues on a very high level. I appreciated her honesty and candor. I truly enjoyed her journey in this story.

I adored the other characters in this story too. Rue, Beanie, and Rue’s Girls were fantastic. I had a lot of mixed feelings about Cole. That was to be expected - he made a lot of decisions that affected the people around him.

Katherine Center writes real characters with very relatable real-world problems. They are always unforgettable. And every story is different. This one is no different.

This was the first story by this author that I listened to on audiobook. It was wonderful! Patti Murin does a wonderful job with this story. She is Katie. This was a fantastic listen.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this one! This is one of my most-anticipated reads of the year. This one didn’t disappoint. If you are a Katherine Center fan, you understand. If you are new to this author, this is a great place to start. But be forewarned, you will want to read every one of her books. The result - absolute joy.

I had the ALC and ARC for The Love Haters by Katherine Center and I really had a good time with this book. Our FMC, Katie, has not dated in a year, and is still recovering from the trauma of her all to public break-up with her famous ex-fiance. On top of that, she is in danger of losing her job due to lay-offs at her video production job. She is convinced by her colleague, Cole to take an assignment to profile Tom 'Hutch' Hutchinson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Katie omits telling Cole that she can't swim and takes the assignment and heads to Key West.

Cole has booked Katie into a cabin owned by his Aunt Rue, and Aunt Rue is a sweetheart who basically adopts Katie and is constantly giving her brightly colored clothes and swimsuits. Katie tries to be invisible - when she was engaged to her ex they attended an awards show together and Katie was savaged by the internet trolls for being fat, old and ugly. She is none of those things but when hundreds of thousands of people are dumping on you, it is easier to believe them. Needless to say, Katie has body image issues. So brightly colored clothes and swimsuits are things she has avoided. Just like she avoids scales and mirrors. Aunt Rue arranges swim lessons for Katie and, of course, the swim instructor is Hutch. Things go awry when Hutch's adorable rescue Great Dane, George Bailey, tries to jump into Katie's arms. It must be said that George Bailey is a fantastic character. He seems to know that Katie and Hutch are made for each other before either of them knows the other's name.
George Bailey is not the only matchmaker in Key West. Aunt Rue and the gals - women retirees who like their cocktails, swimming and meddling - and not necessarily in that order.

I loved the love story. It made me happy. And, actually made me laugh out loud.

The book's narration was completely on point. Patti Murin does a stellar job as narrator from the perky voice as Katie, to the husky Hutch, and Aunt Rue, too. What a fun time!

I need to thank Net Galley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the advance copies. This book releases May 20th.

The following is my review for the digital copy I received an arc of. I enjoyed it so much I was delighted to be given the audio version . The narration did the story justice!

Katherine Center has a way of creating stories that feel like magic, and this book is no exception. Katie, the main character, is stuck in a job as a documentary videographer, paying the bills but far from following her true passion of showing life behind the scenes. When her boss promises her job security if she takes on a special project, Katie tells a little white lie and ends up leaving her life in Texas—including some painful social media embarrassment—to head to Key West.

From the moment Katie arrives, she feels completely out of place. Her all-black wardrobe stands out in the world of bright colors, sunshine, and her quirky, stylish landlord who insists on giving her a makeover. As Katie adjusts, she’s surrounded by a cast of lovable characters: a handsome and serious hero, a clumsy but lovable Great Dane, an uplifting cousin, and a group of supportive, matching making new friends “The Gals” who become her cheerleaders.

Through their help, Katie starts to break down her walls of self-doubt and discovers confidence in herself—her work, her body, her friendships, and even her love life. It’s an inspiring story about finding yourself, embracing change, and letting the unexpected lead you to happiness.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves stories about second chances, personal growth, and a touch of romance. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read in one sitting, and as always, I’m already waiting for Katherine Center’s next masterpiece! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this free advanced audio copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really enjoyed this one! I liked the characters and Hutch the most, obviously. The ending was so good and had me on the edge of my seat. The conflict was silly but it was resolved well! Took a star off because there was just too much body dysmorphia for me.

I listened to this on audio and the narrator was fantastic! Her voice was enjoyable and I think I listened to it in a day! It’s really great!

As usual, Katherine Center hits it out of the park! This is a cute and fun romantic comedy. Katie and Hutch are extremely dynamic characters. And there are so many minor characters that shine in this story as well. I loved it!

I listened to this as an audio book and loved it! Now, to be fair, I LOVE Key West, so the story gets bonus points before it even begins for taking place there. I'm struggling to figure out what to include in the review that won't be a spoiler, because there are some good twists and turns along the way. The story has romance, work drama, swimming lessons, a goofy Great Dane, a fabulous, caftan-wearing older woman, & more. There we go. That should be enough to convince you to read it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audio book!

Katie is a video producer whose job is in jeopardy. Her coworker, Cole, offers her a job to profile “Hutch”, his brother, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who resides in Key West. In fear of losing her job, Katie accepts. There’s just one catch... she can’t swim. Once Katie arrives, she is swept up into Hutch’s crazy family dynamic, which includes his gigantic Great Dane, who loves to jump up on her at the most inconvenient times.

I actually can’t decide which Katherine Center book is my favorite. The characters are so relatable, and you can actually FEEL the ups and downs of the emotions of the characters. I think my fav scene was the mishap with the swimsuit during training. Truly one of my worst fears when swimming or going in the ocean *insert laugh cry emoji*

If rom-coms are up your alley, adding this book to your TBR is a no-brainer! I can’t wait for the next Katherine Center rom-com!

Thank you, NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I am a Katherine Center stan. I really enjoyed the story line of this book. I felt as if I was learning in real time with Katie. Hutch was a great MMC and Cole was truly unsufferable as he was supposed to be. Truly my only complaint is that there wasn't enough of the romance. I wanted to see the relationship between Katie and Hutch develop more! I felt like we got more of the relationship between Katie and George Bailey then them. The body image representation was SPOT ON. I truly appreciate how Katherine Center always nails the insecurities of her characters.
3/5 stars!

Loved this narrator. She was so fun to listen to. I
Enjoyed the plot. But did not love the whole brother lying stuff.

Rating: 4..0
Review:

Delightful is the first word that pops into my head when thinking about the characters Katie and Hutch in The Love Haters. If you have previously read from Katherine Center you know exactly what to expect and it delivers. Her writing paired with narrator Patti Murin performance makes sometime serious topics light and breezy. As Katie starts to love herself. Her cousin is such a champion for her in a real way.

I will say it's may be best to spread out reading of her titles as I recently read the Romcommers as the characters read pretty similar to me.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for a free listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past―now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim―but pretends that she can.

Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. Next stop: paradise! But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good-looking man she has ever seen . . . but maybe a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue―along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue―along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

In her next release, Katherine Center gives us a fun, hilarious summer read that has a meaningful underlying message about loving yourself and continuing to grow.

Katie Vaughn is a video producer at a company that is undergoing serious layoffs. Her coworker presents her with an opportunity: wait around to be the next person laid off or go to Key West to make a video profile about a Coast Guard rescuer, Tom "Hutch" Hutcherson. Hutch is her coworker's brother, and he's not exactly thrilled Katie is here instead of his brother. On top of that, Katie isn't qualified to be here - she can't swim, but she doesn't admit that until she's there, which immediately puts her and Hutch at odds. But Katie's time in paradise might be exactly what she needs to not only help her with her job, but give her a chance to deal with her past and overcome her fears.

I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a perfect summer read - Florida, swimming lessons, an adorable giant dog, two love-opposed people fighting their feelings - what could be better? This title also has underlying themes of struggling with grief and body image (content warning here). I thought Katherine did a good job with these heavier themes and balanced them with lighter moments that are very true to her style.

Overall, I think this was a fast and easy read that is perfect for summer!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

More like a 3.5 rounded down. It's should have been a 4, but I just can't do it.

The first 70% of this book was the sort of delightful romcom that I have come to expect from a Katherine Center story. The last 20% was an exciting and fairly believable wrap up.

But then there is that 10% which is some of the worst, most utterly infuriating, nonsensical writing I've ever read from Ms. Center. The third act break up is utter crap in this book. It makes zero sense and there is no purpose to it. Almost the entire section could have been left out without it really affecting the outcome of the story at all. And in the end, a terribly loathsome character gets a pass for TRYING TO SELL HIS SUPPOSED GIRLFRIEND TO A ROOM FULL OF STRANGERS because of "childhood trauma". Sure it was "just a kiss" but the book skims over the character's misogyny to focus on his lies as if those are the only problem with his messed up personality. There are multiple scenes within that 10% of story where the female lead should have punched him, where he DESERVED to be hit, and it never came for extremely convoluted, nonsensical reasons.

I wanted to love this book, and parts of it were truly great, but that 10% puts this at the bottom of the Katherine Center barrel for me. It didn't make sense and it didn't belong in this story, and ultimately, it was that much more frustrating because I know the author is better than this.

I love Katherine and her writing. But unfortunately this one fell super flat to me. My main issue was the amount of times her insecurities were brought up. Now don’t get me wrong I love books about body image and body positivity. But i feel like that topic was so heavy in this story it didn’t really seem to fit and overshadowed the whole story between Janie and Hutch. I wish Jamie loved herself a little more and wasn’t so hard on her image. But Her feelings are exact feelings I feel and so relatable but her execution of the topic fell flat. But she loved hard and she was able to overcome so many fears and obstacles and for that I admire!

The Love Haters is one of those rare books that feels like it was written just for me. I loved every single thing about it. This isn’t just a five-star read, it’s an infinite-star, recommend-to-everyone-forever kind of book.

Katie, the main character, is incredibly relatable. Her journey of self-love, guided by thoughtful and heartfelt conversations with her cousin, gave the story surprising emotional depth. And her quirks (like not being able to swim despite working with the U.S. Coast Guard) made her feel so real, so human.

And then there’s Hutch. Oh, Hutch. He might just be my favorite male main character of all time. He’s the ultimate cinnamon roll: golden retriever energy wrapped in a grumpy shell, with heroic moments, a caring heart, and a straight-shooter personality that completely won me over. Katherine Center’s writing brings him vividly to life - I could picture every expression, every small gesture.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Broadway’s Patti Murin, which was a dream. Her performance was so heartfelt and compelling that I refused to listen on anything but 1x speed. Every inflection, every pause, every bit of storytelling kept me engaged.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listen in exchange for my honest review. I’ll be shouting about this book for a long, long time.

Thank you NetGalley for the early release of the audiobook! Love Katherine center but this one was not my favorite done by her unfortunately. The fmc struggled with her body which is highly relatable but some of the scenes just were a bit much in my opinion. Still worth picking up.

I was so excited to receive one of Katherine Center’s books as an ARC—I’ve loved so many of her previous novels and fully expected this one to be just as great. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Right from the start, I struggled to connect with the characters. They felt unlikable and flat, and I found myself quickly losing interest. I rarely DNF books (maybe six or seven in the past two years), but sadly, this one made the list. The thought of listening to eight more hours just felt like a chore.

Looking for a summer beach read? If so, “The Love Haters” is for you! The story follows Katie, a video producer, as she heads to Key West, Florida to film a video for the Coast Guard. The star of the film is none other than Tom Hutcheson, a stoic and private man who has sworn off love.

What follows is a (mostly) light love story. Can Katie conquer her long-held negative beliefs about her appearance and self-worth? Can she get Tom (a.k.a Hutch) to open up for the camera in order to save her job?

I thought this was an enjoyable audiobook. I will say that, despite a slow start, the romance still felt too “instant love” for me. It also reads like a Hallmark movie in book form, especially since there is very little spice.

As a swimmer, I appreciated learning about the rigorous training that the Coast Guard goes through. My random favorite detail? The statement declaring that they’re called fins, not flippers. 😉 My swimmer heart was so happy.

If you like low spice romances, this would be a sweet one to bring on your summer vacation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

I really enjoyed this story, and thought parts of it was very funny. I read some of the other reviews that didn’t enjoy some of the themes of the book, but I didn’t have an issue with that. The story was cute, there were handsome sounding men in it, and it was set in Key West. What could be better?

I enjoyed the narration as well!

This book was absolutely ridiculous and I thoroughly enjoyed it! If you’re looking for a fun light and airy romance that doesn’t need to be taken seriously this is a great book for you! The story started out a little slow for me in the beginning, but once she got to Florida, it picked up and was very cute. The author clearly did her homework when it came to the MMC‘s career and well, parts of it were flat out ridiculous - like the house boat floating away when the dog would not leave- I really enjoyed reading this book!

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Okay, so let's start with the premise. Katie (fmc) gets hired to go to key west and make a mini docu series on the coast guard and do a profile on a rescue swimmer. Hutch (mmc) is described as "frowning is his only hobby", and is made out to seem like he will be quiet, standoff-ish, rude. I found this was not the case at all. If anything, Hutch is giving major golden retriever energy. Another main theme of this story is body dysmorphia, low self confidence, and childhood trauma. So read any trigger warnings if you need to before reading!

Katherine Centers writing is fun, not too serious, a little cheesy as times, but I would recommend if you're looking for a fun and quick summer romance. I don't think I would say that I loved this book, but it did keep me entertained.