[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.

I really enjoyed reading this, but I was left a bit disappointed with the love story aspect. I also felt like it was pretty self-deprecating in a bad way for Katie. Though she ends the story with a much more positive self image, I feel like a trigger warning should be issued for body image/dysmorphia issues as well as car accidents and substance abuse. Overall a solid 3.5 stars - thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I love A Katherine Center book. The audio is great. Very well done, very entertainiNo. Great book for summer.

I think the first 25-30% of this book was a bit drawn out and slow, then all of a sudden it was classic Katherine Center and hit on every level, every emotion and everything I love about her books.

This story was so well done! From finding love, but finding out how to love yourself...I absolutely loved this entire thing. I loved the sweet doggo, Rue, and Hutch oh dreamy mcswoony Hutch!

This is KC at her finest!

Thank you to Macmilan Audio for letting enjoy this ARC of The Love Haters. This was my first book by Katherine Center.
This story follows Katie and Hutch. I enjoyed the end progress of their story but I felt the beginning was very slow. I almost stopped listening around 40%. It was a great romance story, but there wasn't anything special about it.
The supporting characters were there but I wish there was a bit more of them. We got a bit extra of Rue, but I would've loved more Beanie and WAY less of Cole.
The beginning was difficult with how much negative self talk there is. I appreciate where the author was taking the idea, and where it ended up, but it just felt like a bit much at once. I know that self love can be a touchy subject.

This was a quick listen and again I did enjoy it.

I was so lucky to get an advanced audiobook copy of The Love Haters.

This was my second book by Katherine Center and I really enjoyed this one. This book is about Katie whose job as a video producer is on the line and Cole send her to do a promo video for the US Coast Guards. The only thing is she can’t swim and the guy she is following is Cole’s brother Hutch, who is not only a hero but is also a total catch. Katie also experiences issue with her body. I felt it was so relatable as a woman who also at times has experienced some type of issue with my body, I loved that she has her best friend and cousin Beanie to really help her see herself in a different light and really love herself.

I really did love the relationship between Katie & Hutch and honestly I would have given the book 5 stars but I was being greedy and wanted more of there relationship. I wanted to see more of those cute moments together and watch them fall in love more.

I also really enjoyed the narrator of the book, Patti Murin. Her narration kept me engaged for the entire book.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & Katherine Center for the advance copy of this book.

This one had so much potential! I will say if you enjoy full trajectory romance with back stories, big character development, insecurities, etc you will enjoy this! For me, I like my romance books with some comedy, more unserious, a bit spicy and I love a confident woman!!! That is why this one was only a three star read for me but I overall enjoyed, apart from all the fluff in the book (especially the beginning — get to the romance!!!)

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the narration was fantastic and I think listening to this definitely made me enjoy it more than if I had just read it.

Thank you for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this title via NetGalley.

To no one's surprise, and like all of Katherine Center's books, I absolutely loved this one. It had so much heart and warmth, and I lovedthe setting and all the side characters. Fantastic in audiobook format.

A note for the author and publisher: Even though they're not triggers for me, I really do think there needs to be content warnings for death of parents (off page) and the discussions throughout the book regarding body image and eating disorders.

This wasn’t just a cute romcom journey but a journey of self love. Katie is recovering from a public breakup when she finds out her job is on the line. In attempt to save it she is sent on location to make a recruitment video for the coast guards. Her trip involves an enthusiastic Great Dane, a colour loving Auntie Rue, a group of meddling ladies and rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson 🔥.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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🏝️ beach town
👙Body positivity/self love
🐶 dog is the real star
👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏽found family and friends

"Love stories make us better at love. In all directions. And getting better at love, of course, means getting better at life." -- Katherine Center

It boils down to this: Katherine Center is a phenomenal author. I have yet to read something that I haven't enjoyed! I feel like her characters are very easy to connect with; there always seems to be something that is relatable and "real life".

Katie Vaughn doesn't know where Key West is on the map, she doesn't know how to swim, and she knows next to nothing about the US Coast Guard. When her work colleague, Cole, presents her with a career opportunity that involves all of these things and might save her from getting laid off from her current job, those will just have to be minor details for the time being. The other small problem is that the job is to film rescue swimmer, "Hutch", who just happens to be Cole's brother, who is expecting Cole to come do this project and has no idea that someone else, who can't swim and doesn't know what his job entails, will be taking his place.

Sound like fun? IT IS! Full of found family, love of animals, grump + sunshine, witty comments that will have you snickering out loud, great side characters (Beanie, Rue) and of course, your much-loved HEA.

When you meet George Bailey, you'll realize why he's my favorite character!

"Yeah. It's like, I know what a supermodel is...and I know that I don't look like that. But I just love all of my... everything... because it's mine."

Katie does have some body image issues that she will be working through, and this may be triggering for some. I think this is the portion of the book that is very relatable. Romance is wonderful and beautiful but it's not perfect. Yes, Katherine gives us some of those "perfect" scenes, but she also gives some reality. Many women struggle with body image, and I think it was worked into this story very appropriately.

Thank you, Katherine Center, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC (kindle and audio) in return for my honest opinion!

Synopsis: Katie Vaughn travels to Key West to film a profile of Tom “Hutch” Hutchinson for the U.S. Coast Guard. There just happen to be a couple of issues - Hutch turns out to be her boss’s brother. And Katie can’t exactly swim. Though their attraction to each other is undeniable, there may be too many roadblocks to overcome for their happily ever after.

Thoughts: Okay you guys, I really really love Katherine Center, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. I ended up giving it four stars because her writing is phenomenal, and there are definitely aspects that I enjoyed. Hutch is a really great MMC, and his Aunt Rue is fabulous - their whole backstory is really intriguing. And of course George Bailey the dog is a real standout character. The tropical setting is also well done. What didn’t work for me was the intense focus on Katie’s body image and eating disorder. While I love to see this representation, it was dealt with a little heavy handedly. That being said, this is not a bad romance at all and I still recommend checking it out! A note on the audio: I read the physical book for this one mostly, but I did want to check out the audio so I could let you guys know how it was - and it’s great! Patti Murin never misses!

Read this if you like:
🛟 workplace romance
🛟 forced proximity
🛟 found family
🛟 self-image
🛟 adventure
🛟 dogs

Ok- in true Katherine Center fashion, this was a sweet, fun romance with a lot of heartwarming moments!

Katie Vaughn, a videographer & documentary film maker, gets a career-changing opportunity to profile a Coast Guard swimmer named Hutch. The catch? She can’t swim and isn’t qualified for the job, but she decides to fake it. It’s clear from the start that a romance is bound to happen between Katie and the swoonworthy, “perfect” hero Hutch.

From the upbeat, quirky old Aunt Rue and her friends who love swimming & sangrias, to the sloppy and loveable Great Dane George Bailey, to a caring best friend, you know we’ve got a cast of unforgettable characters!

While I really enjoyed the setting in Key West and the behind-the-scenes look at documentary filmmaking, the focus on Katie’s body image and eating disorder struggles felt a bit too heavy and wasn’t essential to the plot. I appreciated Katherine Centre’s explanation in the end, about why she writes her stories & characters the way she does, and I felt it did bring a “why” to why this topic was explored so heavily. It’s something to be aware of for readers who may be sensitive to these topics.

For fans of:
💙Fake Dating
💙Miscommunication
💙Forced Proximity
💙Tropical Setting
💙Quirky, loveable supporting characters

Be sure to add this one to your Katherine Center collection - it arrives May 20!

Thank you to the author & publisher for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version early!

This book was just SO sweet 🥰💛 I can totally see why everyone’s been raving about this author, and I was so excited when I got approved on NetGalley for this upcoming release on audiobook 🎧📚

It was light and fun 🌴😄—but it also had just enough drama to keep me fully engaged 🌀👀. I loved how naturally everything unfolded… nothing felt forced, and the pacing was perfect! 🕰️✨

Katie’s self-confidence struggles were so relatable 😔💬 and made me want all the good things for her. Watching her find and love herself was so fun. 💘🛟 Hutch was the perfect MMC... just like I like 'em -- grumpy, guarded, but totally soft underneath 🥵🧊🔥 Their chemistry was just the right mix of tension + sweetness 💋🫶

This book also reminded me how much I love it when people who don’t start out as your people slowly become your people. ❤️🏡 This was my first from this author, but it definitely won’t be my last!! 😍👏

#bookstagram #thelovehaters #audiobook #ARC #netgalley #romance #grumpysunshine #foundfamily #selflove #upcomingrelease #comingsoon #booklover

Was this an ad for the coast guard? Either way, I loved it. Katherine Center can do no wrong. Much more than a traditional romance, but learning to love yourself. Absolutely loved it.

4.5 Stars!

This book was great in so many ways, and was just what I needed to read after a streak of psychological thrillers.

This book is a good clean romance novel with a meaningful and powerful message and relatable characters in a dreamy setting. I appreciate a romance that I can unabashedly recommend to anyone who comes into my library: from teens to grandparents and everyone in between.

This is a love story about falling in love with yourself as well as a classic girl-meets-boy. The book takes place in the Florida Keys amongst a group of colorful retirees who are always cheering on our MCs.

I loved the side story of body positivity and learning to be your own biggest fan. All-around feel-good happy ending love story with plenty of tension, excitement and uncertainty to keep you flipping those pages!

I flipped back and forth between the audio book and ebook, and enjoyed the book in both formats. Great narration. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this more than I did because I love Katherine center so much BUT I did feel like this had more potential than what we were given. Rue was the star of the show 100%. I didn’t love the insecurities of the FMC but it was nice to see her come full circle in the end. It just didn’t hit the spot or have the cute quirky banter we usually see with KC’s books. But I will also say, they are all living the dream in the keys and I’m so jealous of that!

The audio of this book was very well done and I enjoyed the narrator’s style.

This book was very cute and sweet, the romance took awhile to get going. I like the style of this author and this book made me giggle and it was deeper than the cover makes it out to be.

The relationships between all the characters is what makes this book. AND THE DOG. If you don’t love dogs you may not care for some major plot points.

Overall I only took away one star because the MCs refused to communicate AND spoiler
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They don’t get together UNTIL THE EPILOGUE. I needed more time with them actually together.


Anyway. I read the audio really fast and enjoyed it

Rating: 5⭐️/5

Such a perfect, meet-cute, rom com. I loved Katie as a main character and her internal dialogue was relatable and refreshing. Not the perfect “it girl” but a wonderful character arc with Katie finding her confidence with a little encouragement from Hutch and a wonderful cast of support characters including some older gals, especially Rue.

The Love Haters had me laughing, crying and feeling warm inside. A little mix of military man, he saves her, brotherly dynamics and the FMC overcoming her internal battles, The Love Haters is a fabulous new romance.

Specifically for the audio, the narrator was fantastic for this with the perfect wit and how I imagined Katie being! Well done.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"The Love Haters" is my second Katherine Center book (in a row!) and I gotta say, girl knows how to write unattainable yet down-to-Earth MMC's. The concept for this one was fun: documentarian (Katie) ends up going to Florida to try and save her job by working with an notoriously private but heroic Coast Guard rescue swimmer (Hutch) despite not knowing how to swim. Both of our main characters have sworn off love and/or are considered "love haters" yet manage to find love and community in the Keys, with the help of Hutch's colorful aunt Rue.

This book was full of twists and turns -- a lot of meddling side characters (and one very stubborn dog!) helped give this book it's fair share of drama and intrigue, I read/listened to most of it in two long sessions because I wanted to find out how everything came together.

That being said... this book felt like it needed another round of edits. I understand this what I read was an ARC, but it went beyond that. The characters spoke very literally and the dialogue often felt stiff. Further, the style of the book, written almost like a journal entry/speaking directly to reader, felt oddly casual. I understand this might be a stylistic choice (and some people may love it) but it wasn't my cup of tea.

(Mild spoilers ahead to ground my critique),
Lastly, there was a lotttt of talk about body image and self-worth in this book. This by itself is not bad -- I'm midsize, and I love seeing "normal" body representation, I just felt like a lot of this book was centered around self-love in a stilted way. At the end of the book, the author described it as a sort of enemies-to-lovers with the main character and her body and honestly that did make me understand the motivation more, I just think it felt heavy-handed. Plus, both of the main characters had a "who could love me and/or find me attractive? Absurd!" moment that just felt a little unnecessary. But again! This is just me!