Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

This was cute, but I wish there was less focus on body image issues and more focus on romance. I really enjoyed the narration. It was easy to listen to and made me enjoy the book more than I would have without it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The setting was one of my favorites. The characters were well developed and the story line kept me turning the pages!

“‘You think I’m...a human hot-fudge sundae?’ I asked, wondering if that might be the nicest thing I’d ever heard.” 👏😆 Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for this ALC and beautiful finished copy! (Oh, and for the silk flower, iykyk ☺️🌺.)
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@pattimurin narrates Center’s books and has become one of my favorite narrators. Between this book, The Rom-Commers, and Hello Stranger, @katherinecenter is officially tied with @emilyhenrywrites as my favorite rom-com author 🥰.
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Fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity. This one had it all 💗!
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📖Basically📖
Katie Vaughn is fresh out of a disastrous relationship with a celebrity. Now, she risks losing her videographer job unless she can lie her way into an interview with Hutch, a dreamy Internet famous Coast Guard. Katie starts to fall hard, but will her lies snowball and derail everything?
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🤣Laughs🤣
Center’s books are always charming and hilarious. This one had me cracking up and choking up in turn. Real chemistry springs from so many awkward situations. (The pool scene left me in stitches 😆🩱.)
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💃🏻Body Positivity💃🏻
Loved the body positivity. This is a book about accepting and loving yourself first 💗. So many beautiful female friendships with women lifting each other up 🥹. From Katie’s best friend, cousin Beanie, to aunt Rue and her friend group, I loved watching these women support each other.
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🐶Animals🐈
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want to make me fall in love with your book, make a dog or cat a key character 🥰. George Bailey is Hutch’s rescue Great Dane and he is the sweetest dog 🥹🐸. He also drives a lot of the plot! (This dog is based off of Center’s IRL first pet with her husband 🫶🐕‍🦺.)
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Don’t sleep on this one y’all!
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The Love Haters - Katherine Center
5/5⭐️

THE LOVE HATERS follows a videographer named Katie who takes on an assignment (hopefully to save her hanging-by-a-thread job) covering the Coast Guard in the Florida Keys. Her contact is Hutch, an outrageously good-looking man who’s been described as a “love hater” for his lack of interest in dating. But maybe just maybe he’s not as antisocial as he seems?

If you’ve loved Katherine Center’s recent era of silly little romance reads full of hijinks and fun, you’ll surely love this one too. Have to be honest and say not everything in this one worked for me sadly.

I want to start with the cover because as iconic and summery it is………. it kind of has nothing to do with the story. Also, if you’re an audiobook girly, I definitely recommend that format — thank you macmillan audio for the review copy!! patti murin is phenomenal at bringing KC’s characters to life.

The last thing I’ll say is kind of a PSA/trigger warning. The book focuses a LOT on body issues. Like from page one basically. It was a bit much for me especially just since there was a lot of other things happening too. I needed more romance and less conflict I think.

Katherine Center does it again! The Love Haters is a Rom Com full of heart. I loved these fabulous and flawed characters and this story kept me hooked! The audiobook was perfection!

I’m usually a big Katherine Center fan, which is why I jumped at this one—but The Love Hater was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

I loved the premise: a woman sent to profile her boss’s brother, a Coast Guard hero, in a dreamy setting? Yes, please. And Hutch definitely won me over by the end. But the pacing dragged in spots, and I didn’t totally connect with the female lead. Some parts felt repetitive or underwhelming.

That said—the group of older women in the story was such a highlight, and the whole thing still had that feel-good, summer-ready energy.

I listened to the audiobook, and I have to say: the narrator was fantastic. She brought a lot of warmth and personality to the story and definitely helped keep me engaged when it slowed down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

The best romance of this book is the love story between the FMC and herself. The actual romance is not shabby either. ;)
Loved the audiobook narration and the plot twists. The last third of the book was unputdownable! Highly recommend.

I loved this one, Katherine Center is definitely an auto-buy author for me! The audio narration was fantastic and made it even easier to get lost in the story. It’s the perfect beach read: light, fun, and heartfelt. My only small complaint was the ex-boyfriend plot line, which didn’t quite work for me. Overall, still a really enjoyable read!

Katherine Center knows how to make you laugh, make you swoon for the characters, and root for a happy ending! Always such a good story when she writes a book

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley, for a copy of this e-arc and audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several of Katherine Center's books in the past and enjoyed most of them. This one was a hit. This is a perfect beach read. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious. I mainly listened to an audiobook and loved it. The narrator, Patti Murin, did a great job. I found myself wanting to continue listening while doing chores or in the car. The female main character, Katie, was likeable and relatable, and Hutch, the male main character, was grumpy but hilarious. The star of the book was George Bailey, Hutch's great dane. Such a fun read.

Katherine Center books are usually a hit or miss with me. This one was both hit and miss all in one. I like the overall premise of this one. The setting, the characters, and the overall plot. But the body issues felt like they took up too much of the book and were a bit of overkill.

I loved the narrator. I feel like she added to the story in the best way!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoy this author's books. This one is not the top of my list.

The main character's horrible view of her body and the way she talked about herself was not great. Her coworker was horrible and I hated him.

I did liked Hutch, the Gals and of course George Bailey.

3.75 rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and SMP for advance copies.

Thank you to net galley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy of this book. I have been a long time lover of Katherine Center’s books and this one is no different. I enjoyed how Katie arrives in Key West with a plan and yet it just all goes asunder as she is literally taken in by Cole and Hutch‘s aunt and a group of other older women who just embrace her. Katie is unaware of the history that the brothers and the aunt share and as we discover more and more about their family you fall in love with them all. The role that the Coast Guard and specifically rescue swimmers/diverse play in this book is fascinating obviously center did her homework in researching this. A solid, four star audiobook and breed and I highly encourage you to pick this one up.

The Love Haters follows Katie and her quest to save her job with one last project. She needs to travel to Key West and interview Hutch, her supervisor’s brother. At first glance, it is off to a good start. Katie and Hutch slowly begin to get to know each other and so the project. I just didn’t feel the connection and chemistry between them. Also, Katie’s body image issues were difficult to read.

Not my favorite by this author, but still one I’m glad I read. I enjoyed the setting and most of the characters, I just found it a bit lacking overall compared to her previous books.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Such a fun, feel-good read! I loved the setting, the characters, and how the story balanced humor with heart.

The narration was perfect for this book I felt like I was there. And i enjoyed every minute of this book :) 🫶

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars
This is my first audiobook review for The LitBuzz (I know–it took me long enough to get into audiobooks!), and I’m so glad I started with The Love Haters by Katherine Center, narrated by Patti Murin. It’s quirky, fun, and had me laughing out loud at the most unexpected moments.

As Center beautifully puts it in the author’s note, there’s something healing about reading stories of how others heal. While this is a romance, the real love story is between the main character, Katie, and herself. Yes, there’s the swoon-worthy Coast Guard rescue diver, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson—but at its core, this is about Katie learning to love who she is.

A quick heads up: Katie’s perspective includes her struggles with body shame and dysmorphia. Center handles this with care and respect, wrapping the heavier themes in humor and hope. I found myself smiling not at her struggle, but at the witty and resilient way Katie meets her challenges.

Now, about that romance—Hutch is a gem. Kind, humble, and on his own healing journey, he and Katie share a connection that feels real. Also, yes, there’s shirtless jump-roping, which adds the perfect dose of fun.

All in all, I highly recommend The Love Haters, especially in audiobook format. Murin’s narration captures every tender moment and clever quip, making the story even more heartwarming.

Katherine Center's "The Love Haters" is heartwarming, full of emotional depth, and perfectly balanced with humor and genuine connection. The narration was done beautifully. The pacing was a smidge slow for me - but, I don't count that against the book since I'm a bit of a speedster when it comes to plot. This is a great option for anyone interested for a contemporary romance and character-driven stories.

The enjoyable characters in this one kept me reading. The plot was more ridiculous than most of Center's other books and less believable. I felt the connection between Katie and Hutch was forced, but I did laugh out loud at some of the unexpected moments. Overall, not my favorite by Center, but a worthwhile read.

Note about the narration: Patti Murin did an amazing job at conveying the silliness and emotion in the book.

✨Review - The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Katie Vaughn has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or take a 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.

I had a love-hate relationship with this one. (See what I did there??)

Things I loved:
🏝️ The dreamy Key West setting
😂 The over-the-top comedy scenes
🥰 The way Gottman relationship therapy tools were used to promote self-love

Things I didn’t love:
🪞The way body image and eating disorders were handled - it felt very shallow (i.e. you’re beautiful just the way you are!) rather than looking deeper at qualities such as personality and talents to see value in a person (i.e. you’re beautiful on the inside!)
🙉The overuse of the miscommunication trope. It felt excessive and frustrating, and was just too much for me.

A huge thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced audio copy. All thoughts are my own.