I love Katherine Center's books. I received Hello Stranger as an ARC and then went back and read her entire bibliography, so I was very excited to see this one. It definitely wasn't my favorite and falls in the middle of the road, but it wasn't bad.

I feel like there was too much body shaming/self body-shaming of the main character. I know part of it is that she's learning to love herself and that I'm guilty of this myself, but it just made reading this love story a downer. I also have a personal hate of the dating brothers trope. (I know she didn't actually, but still). It's just icky for me.

Katharine Center once again delivers a lighthearted rom com that is the perfect type of story for an audiobook. She is a very consistent writer so you tend to know what to expect with each book - this is a positive for this type of book when I need a break from heavier stories.

First off, the narrator was terrific! I imagined that is exactly how the main character, Katie, would have spoken.
I am a big fan of this author. Her books always fit into the rom-com category, as does this latest one. The dilemma for the main character, Katie, initially involves her potential job loss which further develops into a series of humorously developed sidelines. Love hits every aspect of the story. So, of course, there are many ups and downs that the spirit of love can eventually conquer.
Center's writing style includes pathos and humor and moves along at an impressive pace. The characters are ones whose fate you feel invested in and hope for the good guys to find fulfillment in each other, which, they inevitably do. Truly enjoyable!

The Love Haters is a sweet story of finding love and romance in an unexpected place and time. While the set up of this rom-com is fun, and I typically adore Centers’ novels and characters, this one fell flat for me. The main characters, Katie and Hutch, feel underdeveloped and thus, it was hard to feel as connected to them. Katie deals with body image and disordered eating in her past, but the treatment of these issues was a bit hollow, like something that happened to her in the past, rather than an intimate part of who she is. Other than not liking wearing a bathing suit (who does?!) this part of her doesn’t really emerge in her characterization through the story. This seemed inauthentic to me.
Hunter (Mmc) is lovely, but is pretty flat and only really starts to take shape towards the end.
The two minor characters, Beanie and Cole, are just not that likable and didn’t provide the fun energy and humor expected.
That said, there were dreamy settings, adventurous outings that were secretly dates (fun!), and cute rom-com moments that still made for an enjoyable ready.
This is a generous 3.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The Love Haters completely swept me away! This was my first Katherine Center novel, and now I can see why her books are so beloved. I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ARC, and the narration was smooth, heartfelt, and kept me hooked from start to finish.
This closed-door rom-com follows a video producer trying to save her career by taking on a big assignment—only to unexpectedly fall for her colleague’s brother. But the romance is just one piece of the magic. This story is full of love in many forms: romantic, familial, self-love, and friendship. It’s uplifting, funny, and emotionally resonant in all the best ways.
What struck me most was the powerful and compassionate way it handles body image. It’s a must-read (or listen!) for anyone who’s ever struggled with self-worth or confidence in their skin. Katherine Center delivers a message that is both empowering and deeply moving—especially in the final chapters.
Beautifully written and perfectly paced, The Love Haters is one of those rare books that makes you laugh, feel, and reflect. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4.25⭐️
Pub day: May 20

This is the second book I’ve listened to recently that has focused on body positivity and it has been amazing! In Center’s new story the main character, Katie, has been down on herself for years, thinking negative thoughts and struggling with an eating disorder for a year. Her journey shows her slowly but surely finding things she loves about herself. She eventually recognized how powerful her thoughts are and how important it is to prioritize seeing herself as the strong and stunning human she is.

I honestly love every book I’ve read by Center. She creates thoughtful character arcs, always has an adorable pet to love, and provides both witty and humorous moments alongside very contemplative ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Big thanks to Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley.

This was such a fun read! I was so excited to get this one because I had been anticipating it for a while! I love Katherine Center and this made me love her even more. It made my beginning the summer era!

Katherine Center brings her signature mix of charm, humor, and heart to a story about what happens when you've written off love… only to have it show up and challenge everything.

This book had all the classic Katherine Center ingredients: ​g​reat banter, characters you want to root for, and that signature emotional warmth that ​f​eels like a warm hug. I loved the premise — two people who've sworn off love getting tangled up in exactly that? YES PLEASE.​ Anddd a hunky Coast Guard rescue swimmer? Sign me up!

​The story also heavily focuses on the FMC's body image. The FMC's journey toward accepting her body felt refreshingly real, especially in a genre that often glosses over those insecurities. KC doesn’t turn it into a dramatic plot point or a makeover moment—instead, it’s woven gently into the story as part of the character’s emotional growth.

Overall, another solid KC!

Audio Re-Read May 2025: I enjoyed this even better on audio. Narrator, Patti Murrin, was a perfect choice for Katie. My only minor complaint with my first read through was that this is lighter on romance and heavier on women’s fiction and Katie’s personal growth. The second time through, the subtle romance is more apparent since I know what is coming. I also always recommend reading Katherine’s notes and acknowledgments and I love that she does the narration herself. Getting a glimpse into her process is fascinating. I get to meet her in June at the book tour for this book and I’m so excited. Also, does anybody else want to see both the documentary and A Day In the Life that Katie shot with Hutch? Because I do!

Original Review:
4.5 stars rounded to 5. If I can say one thing about Katherine Center books, it is that she makes you feel things. I get so pulled into her stories, falling in love along with the characters and this story was no different. She had me at Coast Guard rescue swimmer who is also supposedly a grump and I knew I would enjoy this book. While that actually played less of a part of the story than I expected, it was a great set-up.

I loved Katie and Hutch but Rue and the Gals were a great addition to the build of their relationship. Both Katie and Hutch (as well as Cole for that matter) have STUFF and this story was less of a romance and more about the personal growth that Katie has with herself. The found family trope is strong and the healing that others found in the book was also a lovely read.

George Bailey and his parts of the book added so much humor. I highlighted several situations with him and I loved how he was woven into the story. Great Danes are gentle giants and the sweetest dogs.

While there is plenty of swoony moments where Hutch just says or does the most romantic thing, this was definitely one of Katherine’s books with a more Women’s Fiction focus over romance. I tend to prefer a stronger romance plot so that was slightly disappointing to me personally. It is still a great read that I would recommend to new readers of her books and if you are already a fan, you will find all of the things that we love most about her books here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. The thoughts and opinions of this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy. I was excited to be approved for the new Katherine Center book.. I really love her writing. This book was on my most anticipated releases for the year.. It was a solid read and I really enjoyed it.

This is another great story from Katherine Center. I loved Katie and Hutch and especially George Bailey. Though honestly this could have used some trigger warnings. There is some kind of traumatic weather related stuff near the end (those there is a HEA) and ALOT of body image and diet culture talk.

Adorable—excellent via audio. The last 1/4 of the book had me very anxious and the bigger message (the one that is bigger than a love story with a man)from Katie towards the end was perfection and nice to hear.

Will definitely share that readers should not skip the author’s note at the end.

I love Katherine Center and I was so excited to listen to this book! This book is the perfect book to read or listen to over the summer. I enjoyed the characters, the humor and of course the romance. The writing was great and all that was missing was the beach I wish I had been on when I read/listened to this.

Katherine Center is an author I can always count on. Her books are always entertaining and funny. The Love Haters was no different. I loved the narration. I loved the storyline. Thank you, Netgalley for the chance to listen.

I just finished the audio of The Love Haters. It’s was a solid 3.5 star read for me. A super scum easy listen that would make a perfect beach read. The setting was the most charming little retirement community of “The Gals” in Key West Florida. Never had I ever wanted to go poolside with octogenarians so much!
I’m not sure if it was the audio narration or the storyline it’s self, but something about it seemed a bit… too silly at times? Even during the serious parts, the tone made it seem like it was on the edge of a joke. The silly, light hearted tone made it hard to really connect with the deeper issues woven in.

This was a new author for me. I was expecting a little more romance and less body-image/disordered eating issues. The body image stuff was really hard on, and as someone who has always struggled with that myself, I just didn't want to read it in what I thought was going to be a feel-good rom-com. As far as spice goes, there was none. This is strictly a little meet-cute love story. It was definitely funny at times, and I found myself laughing a bit at some of the antics between the main characters. Overall, I didn't hate it, but it was just ok for me.

I’m actually very glad I did the audio to this book! I’ve read a few books by this author and she is normally a hit or miss for me. This book probably would’ve been a miss if not for the narrators. They had the most comforting voices that kept me in the story even tho I wasn’t all that interested. This book deals with body image insecurity which most women deal with so it is very realistic in that sense but the extremes in which the main character went through were too much for me. I enjoyed hearing about Hutch way more than Katie. Although this was not my cup of tea there will be someone out there who loves it.

Thank you #NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC of #TheLoveHaters by Katherine Center!

Katherine Center knows how to deliver a meaningful story, and The Love Haters is no exception. I appreciated the strong themes of body positivity and self-love woven throughout Katie’s journey—it’s rare to see a rom-com spend so much time on a character’s relationship with herself, and that part genuinely resonated with me. Katie is a video producer who ends up in Key West to profile "Hutch", a Coast Guard rescue swimmer (and her co-worker’s estranged brother), in a last-ditch effort to save her job. The catch? She can’t swim—and pretends she can. What follows is a tropical tangle of lies, swim lessons, stolen kisses, and George Bailey the Great Dane who believes he's a lap dog.

While I loved the setting, Hutch, and the zany cast of side characters (Aunt Rue and "the gals"), I struggled to connect with Katie. Her constant self-deprecation became exhausting. I understood it was part of her arc, but it felt repetitive and, at times, emotionally heavy in a way that slowed down the book. And honestly? I was baffled by her best friend, Beanie. She’s Katie’s biggest champion and body image guru, yet she repeatedly drops emotional gut punches about Katie’s ex-fiancé—with little to no awareness of the damage.

Overall, while I appreciate the book's message, the execution didn't fully land for me. The romance took a back seat to self-discovery in a way that felt uneven—and the character dynamics (especially between Katie and Beanie) didn’t always make sense. If you’re a fan of character-driven rom-coms with emotional weight and minimal spice, this could still be a hit. For me, it was a thoughtful story with great moments... just not quite the perfect fit.

I'm not sure why someone like me who doesn't like or read romance novels or rom-coms likes Katherine Center's books so much but I do! Her humor, a realistic story line, some twists in the story - she can just tell a great story with such heart!

Katie is a video producer and it looks like she has two really bad choices - get laid off or take a job profiling a Coast Guard rescuer. Obviously the latter sounds better, except that Katie can't swim and this is her co-worker's brother. She very reluctantly takes the job and heads to Key West, Florida.

Pick up a copy to read by the beach, or listen to this great audiobook as you dream of being on a beach with the warm wind on you - you won't be disappointed!

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy of this e-book and audiobook.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center audiobook was a fun and light listen. I really enjoyed the story and was captivated by the narration. This was my first Katherine Center book and I look forward to reading more from her. Thank you netgalley for the ARC audiobook!!