I love Katherine Center’s storytelling and writing but this was a miss for me. I couldn’t get behind the main character, the storyline didn’t feel cohesive, it lacked normal KC charm, and there was unnecessary friction that took away from the story itself. The deeper themes were so heavy handed they just didn’t land for me and side characters were a miss as well.

But, I can see how others would enjoy this if you are looking for a summer time contemporary romance with themes of adventure, a fun sidekick pup, and swimming and Coast Guard training. It just wasn't for me 🙃.

I associate Patti Murin with Katherine Center audiobooks at this point!

I think she beautifully captures the essence that is the story that Center is portraying, evoking all the right emotions, expressions and intonations. As I only listened to a little bit of the book and decided to read it instead, full review will be available for the ARC.

Thank you so much to all parties involved for allowing me to read this one early ♥︎

If you’re looking for a story that combines humor, romance, and daring rescues, this book delivers all that and more. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Florida Keys, it follows Janie, a struggling video producer who must film a Coast Guard promo video to save her job. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Hutch, her boss’s heroic brother—and accidentally fall for him.

The narrative sparkles with colorful imagery: restored vintage cottages, rescue helicopters slicing through stormy skies, and the charm of Hutch’s matchmaking Great Dane. Janie’s journey is both romantic and empowering as she learns to love her body despite perceived flaws and confronts her fear of swimming in the most unexpected way—filming rescue swimmers in action.

The chemistry between Hutch and Janie is palpable, filled with stolen kisses, miscommunications (he thinks she’s his brother’s girlfriend!), and moments of vulnerability. The plot thickens with daring rescues during a hurricane and heartfelt swim lessons that bring them closer together.

This book isn’t just about romance—it’s about growth, courage, and finding joy in life’s chaos. With its vivid Key West vibes, lovable characters, and adventurous spirit, it’s a must-read for anyone who enjoys swoon-worthy romance with a touch of humor. Highly recommended!

First off I would start by saying this book gives a voice to almost everyone with how difficult self love is . You can always find something to dislike about yourself. Self love and acceptance was one of my favorite parts of this book ! It is an uplifting “ romance “ story . But I would say romance was secondary in the novel . The story line is pretty fast paced , keeping you interested. I resonated with Katie and discovering how to love yourself .

I feel like the author set out to do something profound with this story, but by doing so ends up losing the reader in the process.

Katie has self-image issues. This character is supposed to be easily relatable since we all have parts and pieces we don’t like about ourselves or are self-conscience about. But the amount of this book that is spent laying the foundation of her image issues and her path of growth took away from the better part of the story - the actual rom-com. I was bored and disconnected for about 30% of this book.

What I LOVED was the documentary angle around Hutch’s job and what Katie goes through to showcase it. I loved Rue, the quirky aunt, who provided color in Katie’s world. I loved the onion peeling of Hutch and why he is the way that he is. His backstory had me falling hard for the character.

The drama and adventure at the end of the story had me elevating my rating from 3 stars to 3.5. Even though this one fell a bit flat for me, I still enjoyed the read and won’t hesitate to pick up another one of KC’s books.

I received an advanced listener copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. The production of the audiobook was fantastic.

The Love Haters
By: Katherine Center

The vibes:
- videographer + Coast Guard rescue diver / hero celebrity
- cinnamon roll MMC
- a clingy Great Dane named George Bailey
- body image & self love rep

Katherine Center does it again!! I will never stop loving her wonderful ability to capture real life struggle, humor, and love all in one amazing story! Hutch is a new favorite—so pure—and Katie was spunky and impossible not to root for! The self love and healing body image rep was so good & needed! I plan to reread this in the future which is the highest recommendation and praise I can give 🩷

I both read and listened to audiobook for this one. The audiobook narrator was fantastic and captures the emotions so well!

Trigger warnings: body image struggles, body shaming, loss of parents, loss of partner, grief, car accident

Huge thank you to Katherine Center, her team, & NetGalley for access to this ARC in return for my honest review!

This book was such a fun, vibrant escape! I absolutely loved Katie and Hutch together—their chemistry was electric, and their banter had me smiling the whole time. Aunt Rue was a total scene-stealer, and the Great Dane? An instant favorite. Watching Katie go from a gray, routine life to one filled with color, courage, and unexpected adventure was so satisfying. It’s romantic, funny, and just the right amount of chaotic. Highly recommend if you need a tropical pick-me-up with heart.

Readers who are looking for a wholesome, clean, funny romance will likely enjoy this one! It’s an easy read with a positive message and an interesting group of characters (I want to be Rue when I grow up!). Katherine Center is a master at writing books that are so immersive that I forget about the daily stressors and can just live in her stories for a while.

The Love Haters is a witty, sun-soaked rom-com about facing fears and falling for the last person you expect. When video producer Katie fakes her way through a dream assignment in Key West, sparks fly with grumpy rescue swimmer Hutch…who just happens to be her coworker’s brother. Full of humor, heart, and heat, this is a feel-good escape you won’t want to put down.

This was another great read from the wonderful Center! As always, the characters, vibes and storyline was top tier. However, I did struggle a little towards the end. I felt like the rescue portion was way dragged out, and the epilogue was very rushed. Other than that, really really enjoyed this one. The narrator was great, loved listening along.

4.5 stars. This was only my second Katherine Center novel, so I can't speak to all her other works, but I loved this and cannot wait to read the rest of her books!

The FMC Katie is reeling after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend after he becomes famous as a singer/songwriter. On top of that, she was ruthlessly dragged by the media about her appearance, leading her to develop an eating disorder. At the start of the book, she has mostly recovered from her ED with the help of her best friend, and moved on with her life by focusing on her career, while understandably shunning the idea of another romance.

At work, Katie is assigned to make a video documentary on Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who (according to his brother, who is Katie's colleague) "hates love." She must travel to his base in the Florida Keys and follow him around at work for weeks as part of her assignment. The story is predictable in that we know this is going to be a romantic comedy about Katie and Hutch falling in love. But I really appreciated that Center is not afraid to tackle difficult topics to create messy and realistic main characters. The cliché that you must love yourself before you can love anyone else is the moral of this heartwarming story.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:
*Dogs featured as a main character
*Military MMC
*Grumpy + sunshine trope
*Coastal settings
*Fame-adjacent characters

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies of both the e-book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Once again, Patti Murin does an incredible job bringing Katherine’s books to life! And I absolutely LOVED this book! I’ve always said that Katherine Center’s books are like my therapy…they heal a piece of my soul, and this book couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

And while there is a beautiful, swoony romance in this story and Hutch is the MOST dreamy, the most beautiful love story in this book is about Katie learning to love herself. And whew. That was healing. I loved every single thing about this book from the setting to the beautiful writing to the hilarious banter, and I am so grateful for Katie’s journey. I learned so much from her.

While this light-hearted, breezy summer romance had a cute premise, Katherine Center's books are starting to feel a little Sophie Kinsella-esque to me. There’s always a quirky main heroine who finds herself in over-the-top, “slapstick” situations that are meant to be amusing. But the pages spent describing these misadventures felt forced, and became a distraction from the developing romance between the two main characters. I loved the interactions between Katie and Hutch after they were introduced, but all of the sub plots just turned their romance into a convoluted mess to the point where it felt almost non-existent. But other readers seem to love this book, so maybe this type of romance just isn’t for me anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

⭐3.75
I loved this book!

It was really intriguing to see a character who kinda thinks they are healed but in reality they have a long way to go, because it is so accurate to how healing is non linear.
I Thought the romance was cute.

Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders

DNF at 20%. I really liked the writing and the narrator but I don't want to read a book set in a red state right now with the way the world is.

I love Katherine Center and have read many of her books so I was excited to get a early copy of Love Haters. A hot rescue swimmer who does not want fame for a save and always seems grumpy, is the opitamiey of "grumpy" in a grumpy meets sunshine love troup. While Hutch fits the bill Katie missed the sunshine in the troup. While I understand it's not always a perfect match in the troup world I felt like she was a but of a downer. Negativity around her body and her life seemed forced at times, and while relatable a bit much. Overall Hutch and the older women carry the book for me. Keep it up Mrs .Center I will read all you write and so will my patronts!

Another Katherine Center win!! The love haters is an adorable rom-com with some heavy topics mixed in. Katie takes a job in Key West where she will be doing a promo for the Coast Guard, only problem is she lies about knowing how to swim. Hutch is known for being a love hater so she goes in thinking he will be just that! Katie also struggles with body image due to a past relationship and it is handled so well throughout the book. Aunt Rue is amazing. she is a bit over the top but has the absolute best intentions!! I loved the story and banter between Hutch and Katie so much and George Bailey was a true star here!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

First of all, I really enjoyed this book. I rarely do audiobooks because I’ll admit I’m not a great listener. This book really captured my attention though. I couldn’t get enough. I love Katie, Hutch, and Rue and the girls (and OF COURSE George Bailey!). Cole sucks and most of his role was just annoying in my opinion.
I have mixed feelings about Beanie.
She brings up Lucas constantly then tells her he’s not her problem any more when she reacts 🙄
Beanie sending that link to her from the gossip site KNOWING what it’d do to her really rubbed me the wrong way.

The bullying really got to me at points. The cyber bullying felt so real.

I hated the way Katie talked about herself but I relate to it well. I know how common it is for women to pick themselves apart and I’m glad she finally came to reason with it.

Then, deliberately, slowly, so no mistake could happen…. He nodded😂 killed me

the writing indicating she’s a bigger girl when the cover has a perfect tiny hourglass figure rubs me the wrong way. I can see that she had body image issues and was probably tiny and just perceived herself as larger, but it’s really a slap in the face to have your body size depicted as a nightmare and terrible and too large in a book.

Rue you queen😭 I love her so much and wish I knew her in real life. She brings out the best in everyone, and makes sure all are taken care of. She’s vibrant and beautiful and encompasses everything I hope to be as I age.

I did not see the hurricane coming but gosh what a roller coaster that was!

Despite that I have some qualms with this, it’s one of the better books I’ve read this year. It’s not just a fun romance, I felt it dealt with some tougher topics as well and I appreciate that so much, even if I don’t necessarily love how it was accomplished. There’s not a cut and dry right or wrong to everything and that’s ok, and makes this book more intriguing.

I love that in the end she doesn’t forget a single detail that needed to be followed up on, right down to the frog!

I’ll definitely be reading more Katherine Center!

[Really liked it]

This was a fun read with great characters. I especially enjoyed aunt Rue 🥰 The love storyline was just okay for me but the surrounding stories and characters made it more enjoyable. The narration of the audiobook was really good. It was easy to get into the story and made me want to keep listening. I recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished listening to this audiobook. I loved it so much! The characters are very well developed. You instantly want to root for them.
I didn't feel like this was your typical romance story. It wasn't just a love story between Katie and Hutch, but a self-love story. I really enjoyed Katie's character. Her body insecurities are very relatable, and it was great to follow along with her discovery into learning to love herself and her body.
I have an Instagram post scheduled for May 1st, a little closer to the publication date.
I will update with a link once it's posted.
Thank you for letting me listen to this book. This is my 2nd Katherine Canter book and I am quickly becoming her #1 fan.