It took me a while to get into The Love Haters, but once it clicked, I found myself enjoying the ride. The premise is a little far-fetched—Katie, a video producer who can’t swim, is suddenly off to Key West to profile a hotshot Coast Guard rescue swimmer. But if you’re willing to suspend disbelief (and forgive some questionable life choices), there’s a fun, sunny rom-com buried under all the chaos.

Katie is endearingly messy, and while I didn’t always agree with her decisions, her inner struggle and growth felt genuine. Hutch is a classic grump-with-a-heart-of-gold, and their banter brought some solid charm. Aunt Rue and the Great Dane added a nice dose of warmth and humor.

The pacing was a little slow in the beginning, and it took a while for the romance to really sizzle—but once the story found its footing, I was rooting for the characters. The mix of beachy vibes, family tension, and emotional honesty ended up working surprisingly well.

Not a perfect book, but it’s sweet, chaotic, and a bit deeper than expected. If you’re in the mood for an imperfect but heartfelt rom-com with a dash of adventure, The Love Haters might win you over too.

I adored this book and am so so glad I read it!! I loved the main character so much. Did she have a lot of personal hang ups and body issues? Yes, but so do most women and I could totally relate. I loved all the characters, actually. The story really pulls you in and doesn’t let up!! This is a true love story - and not just with the two main characters, but also one of self love. Yes, I would 💯 recommend this book. I believe any woman with self loathing tendencies should read this. This was the first book I’ve read by Katherine Center and it will not be my last. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job. I would like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for giving me an ARC (which did not sway my opinions or review). 🧡

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of The Love Haters by Katherine Center. I really enjoyed this one—it’s heartfelt, funny, and full of the emotional depth I’ve come to love from her writing. The narration was fantastic and brought the characters to life in such a warm, relatable way. The story perfectly balances romance with personal growth, and I found myself smiling, tearing up, and rooting hard for the main characters. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is real, and the message about love and vulnerability really hit home. The Love Haters is a feel-good listen that’s both smart and emotionally satisfying. I didn’t want it to end!

Another winner by Katherine Center. This book was fun! I enjoyed the Coast Guard element weaved in. A fab summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Another sweet story by Katherine Center. The backstory was really intriguing and hit the heart right on. Aunt Rue and her friends were the best! I wish there was a little more development at the end, but I really enjoyed from start to finish.

The narrator does a GREAT job with the audiobook as well!

Rounded up from 4.5 stars. Would have been a 5 if not for the lying situation with Cole, it just didn’t feel realistic for Katie to go along with that.

First of all, trigger warning for anyone actively struggling with disordered thoughts about their body. The overall theme is extremely body positive and loving yourself and your body, but the character for sure struggles with this in the beginning and needs to overcome it. If you are triggered hearing someone talk about themselves in a negative way, even if you know it’s going to come around, skip this one. Because it’s a major theme.

All of that out of the way, I really did enjoy how Emma came to value herself, and the role Beanie played in making her really think about it more. It’s something I am sure a lot of people can relate to, and I loved the idea of having to name things you specifically love about body parts.

The romance is fun, and just like previous Katherine Center books, witty and quick. Sometimes I feel like she is inside my head and can imagine my internal dialogue saying the exact same things.

It’s a love story, but not just a romance, a self love story as well, and I really enjoyed 95% of the book. I know there needs to be some conflict, but I just was not a fan of Cole’s role in this story and the ability he had to shake everyone up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Update 4/19

I was lucky enough to be able to receive an ALC of this book as well and it was so much fun to be able to hear the audio after loving the book!

Patti Murin did a fantastic job bringing the story to life and it was just as I had imagined it when reading the first time.

This will be one that is added to my library and will become something I re-listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance audiobook copy of The Love Haters in exchange for my honest review!

This book follows Katie, on a quest to save her job that her coworker Cole says in jeopardy, and travels to Florida where she meets Hutch, and works on a project. Both Katie and Hutch have sworn off love and Hutch happens to be Cole's brother...so why didn't Cole take the project?

Katie does video work and on the side does day in the life profiles of people. Cole lets her know her job is on the chopping block and she should also do a day in the life of Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who also famously saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. There's a lot of history that gets unraveled...trust me.

Katie also has body issues. She once dated a now famous singer and the internet was not kind to her. I didn't get the picture that she was never that large, so I was annoyed for most of this book. Weight was a constant theme. As someone who has struggled with her own weight, I was just screaming to stop, you aren't even that big!

It did make me reflect on how I am with my own weight. I'm just like Katie, expect I don't moan and groan about it daily with my best friend. With Katie's past love and her body issues, she has sworn off love. Hutch, for reasons unknown to us, has also sworn off love. Do they get flirty? Yes. Does Hutch's aunt and her friends start to play sly matchmaker? Maybe...and oh do I love them so!

There is a little hurricane drama that spices things ups, along with family drama. This book really has a lot going on that is all connected. What made me absolutely LOVE this one was Center's note AFTER the book, which delved a little into how we should love ourselves and I had tears. All the annoyance I had felt, my perspective completely changed. Katherine Center, never stop writing your books, you are a once in a lifetime gem.

5 stars. It's a romance with a fantastic story along with some Coast Guard action. Absolutely one of the best books I have read in awhile! Pre-order this ASAP!

I love Patti Murin as the narrator she did a phenomenal job with all the voices.

Issues. Too many celebrity name drops. The FMC having body dysmorphia was not it for me. She was too obsessed with her weight and honestly it was annoying.

Katherine Center adds another enjoyable novel to her growing collection. Well written and easy to read- a great way to spend an afternoon.

Audiobook Review of The Love Haters

This book is so intricate that even the dog has a backstory and depth! That’s the kind of care and heart this book carries also I didn’t know I wanted to be called a hot fudge sundae until now, but here we are.

This book makes me want to wear more color. It’s healing in the most unexpected, gentle way. It made me appreciate myself more and love myself a little deeper. There’s so much warmth written through these pages! It’s the kind of story that just feels good.
Yes, there were moments where my brain thought, “that would never happen,” but my heart always responded, “but it totally could.” And honestly, that’s the magic of this author. I believe in the world she’s created, I buy into the fantasy and doesn’t that make it an extraordinary piece of art?

Katherine Center never fails to draw me into her love stories. You always can kind of guess they’ll end up together but the ride is always SOOO good. Add in some adorable doggy love as well and I’m hooked. I never knew I needed to read a coast guard romance more. Add the terror of someone dealing with hurricane. Ah! It was so good.

Time after time Katherine Center hits it out of the park with a humorous, romantic, and heartfelt story with a cast of fantastic characters.

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Katherine Center can do no wrong! I have loved all of her books and this one is no different. A perfect summer read.

OK, I'll confess. I love Katherine Center books. Both the female and male characters are so loveable. I'll also confess that this is only my second favorite of her books. (The first is How to Walk Away and I still think about Ian). But Hutch in this book is a really close second. His parents are gone and his brother is self-estranged. He's avoided relationships. But he gets sucked into doing a documentary on his work as a rescue swimmer with the US Coast Guard.

Katie wears black or charcoal all the time. She isn't in love with anything about herself, except maybe her work talents. She had been engaged to a local singer, but he'd hit the big time, had an affair, and their relationship was over. There was no way that a hunky rescue swimmer might ever be interested in her.

There are some sections of this book that maybe were too coincidental. But I finished the book, full of happiness, love, and contentment. It was exactly what I expected. I recommend reading the author's notes and her acknowledgements. They are a perfect complement to the story.

The characters only share a kiss or two so its suitable for almost any reader. There is drunkenness and mentions other people having love affairs.

I have both the e-book and the audio book. The narrator is just perfect for this story and its characters.

“Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time. That’s what life is for.”

In a last ditch effort to save her job, Katie Vaughn takes on an assignment in Key West. She is highly unqualified for the project, but is determined to make it work. Along the way she meets Hutch and bonds with his aunt and dog. Katie must somehow come clean about her motivation all while encountering various mishaps.

I’ve been a huge Katherine Center fan for a while, so I was excited for this new release. I will say that I was hesitant after seeing mixed reviews. The book did get off to a slow start, but overall I did enjoy the story. Center’s trademark humor came into play and the FMC was a bit of a loveable mess. I had a love/hate relationship with the MMC though and that along with a few annoying plot points brought the rating down for me.

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for gifted advanced copies (audiobook and ebook) of this title.

This wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center book, but it still had her signature charm - heartfelt themes, likable characters, and just enough emotional depth to keep things moving. If you’re already a fan of her writing, you’ll find familiar elements here, but it may not stand out as one of the strongest.

One of the biggest themes in The Love Haters is body positivity and body awareness, and it’s very front and center. I appreciated how openly it was explored and how it shaped the main character’s growth and self-acceptance. That said, it does get a little repetitive at times, so if that’s not a theme you’re particularly drawn to, just be aware it’s a big focus of the story.

The plot has some fun moments—Katie, a video producer who can’t swim, ends up profiling Hutch, a literal rescue swimmer, and fakes her way through it. There’s also a whole subplot involving her coworker Cole (who’s also Hutch’s brother), a meddling boss, and a tropical Key West setting with all kinds of chaos.

Hutch himself is… well, pretty much perfect. Even his brother calls it out. He’s kind, capable, attractive, and owns a massive rescue dog. While I didn’t totally connect with him the way I have with past Katherine Center love interests, I still enjoyed his dynamic with Katie. And I absolutely adored Rue, her deep backstory of how she ended up in the brothers's lives shows she is a truly good person.

The subplot with Katie’s ex-fiancé felt a little unresolved to me. It’s set up as if it’s going to play a bigger role, but it kind of fizzles out and doesn’t really tie back into the main plot in a meaningful way.

Overall, The Love Haters was an enjoyable read. The narrator for this was fabulous. It was fun, heartfelt, and full of that Katherine Center hopefulness. It didn’t quite hit the emotional highs or have the same impact as some of her other books for me, but it was still worth the read!

Narration 5 stars.

The story was.. cute, but there were almost too many little twists and clumbsy/rescue opportunities. More so than a love story (PG btw) it’s a story about loving yourself. Which is FINE but soooo much of this was her overcoming her body image issues that the plot was almost filler.

4.5 ⭐️🧡
As someone who has struggled with body image and insecurity all my life, this one hit me hard. I really felt connected with Katie and her inner thoughts, even when they felt silly or crazy. I didn't love the whole "web of lies" subplot, but I liked Hutch and Katie and Rue and the girls so much that it didn't bother me. As someone whose husband was in the military, I liked all the Coast Guard info also.

Katherine Center is my romcom queen. While I didn't personally enjoy one of her more recent novels, this one flet like an old friend. I will eagerly read anything she puts out there. 🧡

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.

3.75 rounded up

What I find dependable about a Katherine Center book (especially her more recent ones) is that 1) they are just lighthearted and fun, and 2) you can count on the FMC to learn something important about themselves. In this realm, The Love Haters did not disappoint. I felt so connected to Katie and her body image struggles, and I loved watching her fall in love with her own body. It was so akin to my own struggles with how I look and being my harshest critic, and it was so important to me that Katie found love for her body because of her change in mindset not because of what a guy told her. While I know body image topics can be a touchy subject, I think it is important to note that--like so many other issues--everyone can present a little differently. Not all anxiety looks the same and not all body issues present the same either. For my part, I thought Katherine did an excellent job talking about it in this book.

That being said, the actual romance in the book was a bit lacking for me. It felt a bit shallow, and while Katie, the narrator, tells us that she and Hutch spend all day every day together for weeks, we don't actually get to see much of those interactions, which left the story feeling a bit insta-lovey for me. I loved Hutch--and his dog--and I did like him and Katie together. I just wish I could have seen more of their actual fall. And while I certainly don't mind a miscommunication trope if done well, I didn't like this one very much. It felt as though the characters chose miscommunication rather than it just happening unintentionally, and then even when that was resolved, it just stacked and had me screaming, "didn't you learn your lesson!"

I DID however love the dramatics of the end of the book. I like a little excitement in my romances, and that definitely bumped up my rating, even if it was a tad outlandish. Hutch's job as a rescue swimmer is such a bada** career, and I loved reading about it.

The audiobook was narrated by Patty Murin and, as always, she was fantastic! She fits Katherine's lighthearted writing style so well, and I love the different inflections she gives to characters.

Overall, it was a cute Katherine Center story.

Katherine Center has a way of pulling your heartstrings like no other!
I listened to the audio after reading a digital arc and I must say the audio made it even matter. The narrator was fabulous and really captured our characters perfectly.
This tale focuses on two characters who stumble into a romance while they aren’t even looking for love. In fact, both are pretty firmly in the anti-love camp when they begin working together.
The Coast Guard aspect was fascinating, and the Key West setting was the perfect backdrop for this one. I wish I could head there on vacation and visit a place that has all the charm of the Starlight, the vacation rental where Katie stays.
Center is a master of weaving emotions into her stories, I alternately laughed and teared up at the circumstances the characters faced.
I highly recommend listening to this delightful beach read.
Thank you to Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen an early copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.