I'm a sucker for a Katherine Center book, and will read everything she writes, always! She never disappoints. She writes tough themes so thoughtfully. I really enjoyed the story between our main characters Hutch and Katie. Katie is a video producer who is tasked by her coworker, Cole, to profile Hutch who works for the Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. Hutch happens to also be Cole's brother.
There is a lot of family drama that comes up. I didn't love Cole's character, and his storyline fell flat for me. The rest of the book was really good. I loved the dynamics between Hutch and Katie.
Patti Murrin does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one at the 50% in mark. I just felt zero connection to the characters, and in turn, the romance. I also do not enjoy instalove and this one had major love-at-first-sight vibes, which just personally, is not for me. The narrator was good, but the story itself was really lacking for me.

I’ve long been a big Katherine Center fan; finding her books both lighthearted and full of emotion. I eagerly anticipated THE LOVE HATERS and was prepared to love it from page one … and I did not. The early part of the book was a struggle for me as I found Katie, the FMC, to be one dimensional. The constant negative body image references were off putting and Katie didn’t seem to have much depth beyond this issue.

But, then Katherine Center worked her Katherine Center magic and all the pieces came together in a way that rewarded me for getting through the slow start. Katie is damaged. There are many factors that contributed to her insecurities and hatred of her body and she’s fighting hard to overcome them. The MMC, Hutch, is the silent, brooding hero type. He seems to have it all, but is also harboring a heartbreaking past. These two have instant chemistry, but there’s a lot of healing that needs to happen for them to find happiness.

I loved, loved, loved many of the side characters. Rue is as vibrant as her caftans and proves that broken hearts can find joy again. Beanie is trying her best to drag Katie out of her self-hating spiral. When you toss in a massive pup with a fear of thunder and fondness for toads, I’m all in.

There are two love stories here. Katie and Hutch are obvious, but the true journey to love is between Katie and Katie. That relationship is the one that makes everything else possible. This book is heavy on body image references, so be forewarned if that’s an issue for you.

Patti Murin captures Katie’s insecurities with authenticity. Her voice brought life to this story and kept me listening through the uneven start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 is a heartfelt, hilarious, and empowering romance that will sweep you off your feet. Katie Vaughn is a relatable and endearing protagonist—struggling with self-doubt, facing her fears, and discovering her own strength in the most unexpected ways. Her journey to self-acceptance is deeply moving, and her chemistry with the guarded but swoon-worthy Hutch is pure magic. The setting in Key West is vibrant, the banter is top-tier, and the supporting cast shines—especially Aunt Rue and George, the lovable Great Dane. The mix of humor, deep emotions, and adventure (hello, helicopter rescues!) makes this an unputdownable read.

Katherine Center and Patti Murin are my audiobook dream team! Patti's narration bring the optimism and hopefulness to Katie & Hutch's character who might otherwise be misunderstood. Hutch has all the making of a grumpy MMC, but instead he come off as a reserved but kind hero of the neighborhood. Katie's character is the one that I expect people to find difficulty accepting because she is trying to overcome her thoughts of body hate. As a plus size lifer, I have the history to relate with Katie easily. But that can be difficult to get into when reading for escape. I do encourage readers to give her the benefit of the doubt because the author balances the amount of struggle and acceptance really well. The audiobook is a great chance to build empathy for Katie because the narrator really lightens the performance.

Katie is pushing past MANY fears when she dons a swimsuit and heads to the Florida Keys to film a recruitment video for the Coast Guard rescue divers. One fear is having to present her barely clothed body and weight in a professional setting. Another (arguably more important) fear is that Katie doesn't know how to swim. But her boss is on a firing rampage and she doesn't want to risk rocking the boat. And the rescue diver she's supposed to work with happens to be the interview of her filmmaker dreams - Tom Hutcheson aka the man who saved Jennifer Aniston's dog. Despite going viral on the internet, "Hutch" refused any follow up interviews. If Katie can convince Hutch to let her do a profile on him, it would make her career!

The man she meets isn't anything like she expects. He's not a grump - he's just private. In his personal life, he's friendly and helpful and everything she could want for a small town hero. The development of their friendship is adorable! And when she finally gets to see Hutch in action... you're going to swoon!

I really enjoyed this one a great message about loving yourself and loving family and I found it fascinating learning more about the coast guard.

This story truly pulled at my heartstrings with all its lovely little details - I absolutely adored it! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

Totally obsessed! Seriously, Hutch is a cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs. I mean, I was hooked on him from the start. It took me a little while to get into the story at first, but once I did, I couldn't stop listening. I was a little worried it was going to be all about Katie hating her body, but it was actually really relatable to see her grow and change. The side characters were great too, especially Rue! I want to be Rue when I grow up. She's so vibrant and loves life and her friends. I wish we saw more of Hutch and Katie together as a couple. OMG, I would have loved to get Hutch's POV! The things he said to Katie were so sweet, and I just know his inner thoughts would have been amazing. Patti Murin narrated this book and did an excellent job. Sometimes one narrator can be boring to me but I was totally engaged and thought she did a great job bringing this story to life. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend you give this one a try!

I really enjoyed the banter and the MMC. I have mixed feelings about the FMC and how her body image issues were addressed.

Sadly, this was not my favorite Katherine Center Book 🥲 I didn’t hate it but I just didn’t love it!
The FMC deals with some self-love regarding her weight and not believing she’s beautiful. It is a journey in a way that by the end of the book she learns how to love and accept herself. I found some of the things she thinks or says relatable and not triggering FOR ME. But I totally and 100% think this should be a trigger warning. It was too often how much she talked about her weight throughout the book it became too much. I do not believe the FMC’s struggle was portrayed the way the author intended :(

The romance was okay and I didn’t really connect with the characters, sadly.

Thank you so much NetGalley for my arc 🩵

Katherine Center does it again! I can always rely on her to give me a warmhearted, laugh at times and cry at others reading experience that I crave. What I wouldn't give to stay in one of Aunt Rue's rentals and hang out with the girls! Hutch is the type of hero I adore, not too sappy, but also head over heels for our girl.. Also, the narrator does an excellent job with the audio. I'll be picking up another of Center's backlist as I wait patiently for her next new release as she is an auto-read author for me. Can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. The narrators were fantastic! Story line was great, but I just really dislike when a female character is dumb.

Katherine Center is a favorite author of mine. I just finished listening to her latest, The Love Haters. It was a five star read!

Katherine Center could write her grocery list and I'd read it. The cover and vis is 100% on brand and recognizable as Katherine Center. Instantly reminded me of The Rom-Commers. I appreciated the emotional reason behind not wanting to film the day in the life video and the female main character not even asking. It was a moment of appreciation for male emotions and needs.

Solidly a classic Katherine Center novel. Heart warming, tender, and full of quippy one liners.

There is a lot of body image related trauma that I'm sure others might find relatable but unfortunately did not strike any chords with me.

The love interest, Hutch, is a military man with a crew cut and strict working out and eating routine which also didn't do anything for me.

I know that there are readers out there that will love this book and relate to the issues mentioned in it.

While this was well written and a very well rounded story I can't say it tops some other absolute hits by Center.

Goodness, I loved this book. The main character was so relatable! As always, Katherine Center perfectly combined romance, humor, and heart.

3.5 rounded up. As Katherine says in her author’s note, this book was completely about nothing but still had touching moments. With her books in particular, there is some suspension of reality. But she does a great job wrapping it up to be a story we all care about.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC.

I absolutely adore Katherine Center and have been reading her for years, so the second I could get my hands on an early listen of this audiobook, I did.

First off, the narrator? Chef’s kiss. Amazeballs.

Was this book perfect? No. Did it spend an excessive amount of time on Katie’s body image issues? Yep. Were parts of it wildly unrealistic? Sure. Did I love it anyway? Absolutely.

Hutch should have obviously been British and modeled after Henry Cavill—his golden retriever energy was off the charts. Also, the research that went into this book was evident, and I found the Coast Guard aspect genuinely fascinating.

Now, where’s the movie adaptation? Because I need it ASAP.

Katherine Center books have been hit or miss for me lately, and though this one didn’t beat some of her other bangers, I still enjoyed it! I alternated between the ebook and audio and both were good! Loved the narrator, loved the voice of the main character, and loved Hutch sm 💞

would definitely recommend this one for a cute romcom with some serious body image themes that can be relatable and a hottie in the coast guard jumping out of helicopters to save people! 🤩

I’m a huge Katherine Center fan! I have a special display on my bookshelf just for her books! I’ve loved all of her previous books, but this one just didn’t have the typical KC sparkle for me. I didn’t connect with Katie. I felt like all of her body issues really took away from any real character development. I really wanted more for her character. I think her body issues could have been dealt with in a better way.

I did love Rue and the other gals. They really added a fun spark to the story. I enjoyed the Key West location. I’ve always wanted to visit! I also learned a lot of interesting facts about the Coast Guard! I definitely appreciated all of the research that went into writing this book.

I enjoyed Hutch and really wish that we had gotten to know him better! The addition of his POV would have been awesome. The epilogue was sweet and I enjoyed how the story ended.

This story had a lot of promise, but sadly didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I still love Katherine Center and look forward to reading more from her. If you decide to grab this book Patti Murin narrates the audiobook and of course does a fabulous job! She is always one of my favorites!