This was such a fun summer romance! A heartfelt story about loss, friendship, love, facing fears and learning to love yourself. The setting takes place in the Florida Keys and follows Katie who is a video producer to cover a profile story of Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. There is a lovable great dane named George Bailey that stole my heart. There were several side characters that I loved and had so many layers like Ru.


The audiobook was narrated by Patti Murin. I love her voice and telling this story from Katie’s point of view. Patti is the voice of most of Katherine Center’s previous books and she really does such a great job. Great emotion and tone setting the stage of the story through hard subjects as well as the comedy moments in the story.

ALC review
Publication day 20 May 2025
“The Love Haters” by Katherine Center is a contemporary romantic comedy.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Katie is a video producer and needs to do a profile on Hutch, a Costal Guard that went viral after rescuing Jennifer Aniston’s dog. He also happens to be her work colleague Cole’s brother. Also, Katie lied about knowing how to swim.

This is a love story, but with an emphasis on learning to love yourself. It is also about loss and grief and the importance of friendship.
There is still a romantic part, that I enjoyed a lot, but it is not the main focus of the book. Also, there are many hilarious moments and very sweet characters. Please be aware that there are some serious topics discussed that can be triggering, including mention of eating disorder, body shaming, and death of parent.

I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Patti Murin. She manages to play well all the characters and made me enjoy the story even more. There is also an emotional author’s note at the end.

Katie is a relatable character that has many insecurities, especially regarding her body.
The trip to Key West pushes her out of her comfort zone, with the help of Rue and “The Gals”, a group of sweet 80 year old ladies.
Hutch is a grump on the outside, but has a gentle soul. And his love for his dog makes him irresistible. I loved the way he treats Katie. Even if there is no spice, there is tension between them and a lot of chemistry.
The only character that I did not like was Cole, as he used both Katie and Hutch and is a selfish and jealous man.

If you like summer books with good writing and relatable characters, I recommend this book.

The minute this book officially hits the shelves, I will be buying it. Until this book officially hits the shelves, I will be recommending it to everyone and anyone who will listen- willing or unwillingly.

Although this was my first “beach read” of 2025, Love Haters was so much more than the average fun, light, relaxing summer read. Along with being laugh out loud hilarious it was also, ugly cry emotional. The tears that fell throughout this book weren’t only from the heartbreak (of the past) but also just from the inner turmoil of the MFC.

I truly do not know a single woman who cannot relate to Katie Vaughn throughout some point in their life. The inner dialogue of this woman, was just so spot on. She was insecure in such a real, honest way. Even if you don’t have the same exact insecurities as her (a lot of which I didn’t) having ever had any insecurities at all, you will feel her feelings and emotions in your soul. Not to mention she is funny, and witty and the perfect amount of self deprecating. I loved being inside her head.

Then there is Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson. The super tall, super sexy COAST GUARD RESCUE SWIMMER. (If you have ever seen The Guardian with Ashton Kutcher, you know just how sexy that can be.🥵) This man is quiet and reserved, and strong, and mature, and goes around saving dogs and teaching little old women how to swim. He wear aviators unironically, takes his job very serious, and makes his whole life around helping people (and rescue animals 🥹) and demanding zero recognition. To say he is a swoon worthy dream boat, would be an understatement.

This however, is where I have major beef with Ms. Katherine Center. How are you going to give us this gorgeous specimen of a man, have us screaming, crying and kicking our feet when we find ourselves upon a little “one bed” moment and then….. not give us a little (or a lot) of spiiiiiiiiiiice!! 😩💔

I know super spice isn’t Katherine’s thing (unfortunately) and I totally respect that. But come onnnnn. Howwww can you give us this mannnn. This beautiful, protective, heroic man and not even the teeny tiniest mention of “a bulge” or a “discreet adjustment”. Not even a “is that a phone in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?!”. It’s truly heart wrenchingly, devastating. ☹️

In all seriousness though, even without the steam, me giving it such a stellar rating and going on and on should really tell you how much I loved this story (smut slut for life) - this book was amazing and I will be recommending it… realistically until I find the next book worth insistent recommending. Easy 5/5

As for the Audio- Another solid 5/5. Patti Murin was perfect. Her inflections, and the personality she put into the characters were spot on throughout.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance 💖💖💖💖
Spice 🫑

Thank you Katherine Center and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the summer vibes in this book! Our MC, Katie, was going through an acceptance stage in her life after a public breakup. What I enjoy most from a Katherine Center book are the messages and inspiration of self love, with a side of romance and funny situations. I think this definitely delivered a sweet, lighthearted beach read. The silliness and cute factor was really there and I was imagining myself in Key West on the beach reading this story. The relationship between Katie and Hutch, even though set up his brother, felt very organic and realistic. I had a good time overall with this read!

Audiobook narrated by Patti Murin, with a personalized note by the author, was fantastic. I loved Patti’s delivery and the charisma she added to Katie and all the characters.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the free review copies.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio. I love anything Katherine Center writes. This book was fun, funny, charming, and entertaining. I loved it.

It’s all love and no hate for The Love Haters!! Thank you so much St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

This is such a delightful story about healing, friendship, and learning to love yourself first. As in all of Katherine’s books, the character development and growth are brilliantly executed and most inspiring. The Key West setting is a fun change of pace, and the side characters are (mostly) charming (really not a fan of Hutch’s brother, but I think that’s the point).

I especially loved the rescued Great Dane, George Bailey, who’s terribly afraid of thunder and obsessed with Katie. And Hutch… he just might be my favorite of KC’s heroes yet — big hearted, genuinely kind, and SO down bad for her.

I can already tell this is one I’ll be re-reading for years.

Read for
-coast guard hero
-struggling filmmaker heroine
-a big old scaredy cat of a Great Dane
-learning to love yourself
-strong female friendship
-found family
-Key West setting

Audio: Patti Murin is a legend for a reason and bring’s Katie and Hutch’s story to life o vividly. Plus, it’s so cool to hear Katherine herself read the author’s note. A fantastic one to check out on audio!!

This was my first Katherine Center book and I have to say I am a fan! The heroine Katie does seem to have many hurdles to overcome and at times it felt a bit repetitive or long winded but overall a solid read. I wish we could have heard Hutch’s POV especially when it came to his issues with his brother and dealing with his grief. I feel like it would have given more depth to the story. While there are some heavy themes (body image being one) it was an enjoyable read (well listen since I did audio haha). This book has definitely solidified that I need to read more Katherine Center!

It's an amusing, charming, sweet romance with fun characters set in an amazing place (Key West! 😎). It has plenty of banter and silly moments, but I didn't click with this one as much as I have with Center's other works. It felt underdeveloped, like just scraping the surface on a lot of plot points (some with quite serious themes, too). Either way, it was a breezy, entertaining read, and fun from start to finish.

Such a cute and relatable romcom. It was so funny and yet emotional in just the right ways. Hutch and Katie were so cute and this was another hit from Katherine Center for me.

Oh my goodness, this audiobook was literally PERFECTION. I had already read this e-book copy, but I actually think I love the audio version even more because they really brought it to life! I love Katherine Center, she NEVER disappoints!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advance readers copy audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

On the surface The Love Haters is a rom com but in true Katherine Center style it’s so much more. With a relatable protagonist and characters facing real issues. While remaining light hearted and with plenty of humor body imagine, self love, grief and loss, and familial relationships are explored. The narration was enjoyable and enhanced the story.

This book was started with us meeting Katie Vaughn, a talented videographer who is scared she is about to loose her much loved job. When her coworker Cole asks her to head to Key West to interview coast guard her Hutch she decides it might be a great idea and just what’s needed to save her career.

She arrived in Key West and fell in love with everything, Roo who is Cole’s aunt, the island, the people, and let’s not forget Hutch! Of course nothing goes to plan which gives us a fun storyline.

I thought all of the relationships were done well and I enjoyed all of the characters. My favourite thing about the book was seeing Katie falling in love with her body and who she was as a person. She struggles so much with how she looks or appears to everyone else when we first meet her but by the end of the storyline she is happy in her own skin. Isn’t that what we all want?

Fun storyline, lots of laughter and a very easy read.

Loved the authors note at the end.

Another good read from this author, it’s not my favourite of hers but I did enjoy it.

I was lucky to receive both an early Ebook and audiobook which I read going back and forth between the two. I thought the narrator Patti Murin did an outstanding job of bringing each and every character to life along with the great storyline .

“I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

I knew going into this one that I would love it as I had already read the book. I absolutely adore Catherine Center. The narrator, Patti Murin, completely brought the story to life. She was the perfect voice to tell this charming, heartfelt and amazing love story. It was also well produced. I didn’t need to speed up or slow down the reading speed. It is definitely an audiobook that I would re-listen to again in the future.

This was a charming and endearing novel that I loved and highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Katherine Center. It’s wonderfully, well-written with an adorable cast of characters, including eccentric Aunt Rue and George Bailey 🐾. 💗
This is SO much more than your average rom-com and ideal for females of all ages!! We all struggle with self-esteem issues at some point in our lives.
This story tackles several complex issues in a honest way. Katie, the protagonist, uses humor as a coping strategy which often lightens the mood and adds humor to the story. Katie and Hutch have undeniable spark between them and their sweet, budding romance is inevitable. You can’t help but fall in love with both of them.
The Key West location was close to my heart and the cover is absolutely adorable!!
The epilogue and author’s note are must reads.
My fellow readers I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one.” Abraham Lincoln
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Love Haters
audiobook ARC review 4.5⭐️
Narrated by Patti Murin

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC. This is my first Katherine Center read and I devoured this cute and funny rom-com. Patti Murin does an excellent job narrating this story, her voice fits perfectly for the character.

Katie and Hutch have such great chemistry and the events that take place are hilarious. George Bailey is the silliest Great Dane lol he definitely stole the show.

Tropes:
Grumpy sunshine
Forced proximity
Funny side characters
Key West setting 🏝️
MMC Coast guard
FMC Video producer
Clean romance

I'm always a sucker for a good love story, but I also love when there's an important underlying message, and that was the case with The Love Haters. When the main character, Katie, talked about her self-negativity and body image issues...yeah, I felt that. I saw myself in her so profoundly at times that it made me cry. (Especially the ending where she has the conversation with herself on the boat. Not going to give away any spoilers. I'll just say it made me sob). The hero, Tom (aka "Hutch") is something special too. I mean, he serves in the military as a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard, so he's like an ACTUAL hero. But, thankfully, he's not one of those alpha male heroes who think they're God's gift either. Hutch is kind, thoughtful, and humble, but he's also a fierce protector when it comes to the people he loves. So, honestly...how could you NOT love this man? The two of them together make such an endearing couple. I should add there are plenty of wonderful secondary characters too. Hutch's Aunt Rue is precious, and his dog, George Bailey - oh my goodness! Adorableness overload! I just wanted to crawl inside the story and snuggle with him.

I switched back and forth between listening to the audiobook version and reading the digital book version, and I enjoyed both of them. Patti Murin is an excellent narrator. And what can I say about my girl, Katherine Center? I just love her. She's a truly amazing writer, and it's such a joy to read her work. I always add her new releases to the top of my TBR list, and I highly recommend The Love Haters.

This is my first Katherine Center novel and I was not disappointed. Only reason this story isn't a 5/5 is because the voice actors male voice was not my favorite.

This story was so much more than an "enemies" to lovers. As someone who has always struggled with body image issues, this story helped heal an inner part of myself. "I know what a supermodel is, and I know I don't look like that, but I just love all of my everything because it's mine." Sometimes we get too caught up in our own heads and it's okay to have our friends guide us for a while.

Also, Hutch is swoon worthy in every aspect and his golden retriever vibes are to die for.

Thank you Net Galley & Macmillan audio for the early preview!

I REALLY LIKE THE NARRATOR OF THIS BOOK, it’s so nice to listen to a good narrated book
The message of this book is strong and powerful
Big love

Katherine Center is one of my top favorite authors, yet I am still so surprised with just how very good Love Haters is. It is laugh out loud funny, genuinely insightful and charmingly romantic. Patti Murin gives an excellent narration. My favorite book of 2024 so far!

I've seen other reviews of people saying they didn't like this book, and they're allowed to feel how they did, but I don't know what they're talking about. Maybe it's because I can relate a lot to Katie's struggles with her weight and appearance and her deeply-rooted insecurities that she had to be more or less to be loved, but I flew through this book so quickly. I loved it. I loved all of it and wish there were more chapters so I could live in the story just a little bit longer.

People that are saying they didn't think the story had much romance read a different story, I think, or are used to different kinds of romance novels. Sure, this wasn't history's greatest love story ever told, but I definitely felt many moments of tension and anticipated the main couple getting together. I also just adored Hutch and his desire to take care of people to the best of his abilities; as someone whose love language is acts of service, he made me swoon.

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me and I have been eager to read The Love Haters since I saw it announced, so when I was able to get an audio ARC, I just about screamed. This made my year, honestly.