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Have I become a Love Hater?. Not a chance! I absolutely love…LOVE!❤️

The premise:
Katie Vaughn is about to lose her job as a video producer. Her only hope is accepting an assignment that will take her to the Florida Keys. Gee, that doesn't sound so bad!
Katie is tasked with putting together a piece on a headline making Coast Guard rescue swimmer named, “Hutch”. He’s super cute, loves animals, (having saved Jennifer Aniston’s dog) and the internet instantly falling in love with him. Sounds perfect, right!? Well…not so fast!
The job does require some filming on and over the water in the rescue helicopter, and guess what...Katie can’t swim! Details, details! That’s not going to stop our Katie!

My thoughts are a bit mixed.

Let me explain:
There is a strong theme of body positivity throughout this read. And while I was happy to see its inclusion, it overshadowed most of the read.

The romance itself also fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t care for Hutch’s character, and felt he was cruel in how he spoke and treated Katie. Why she would want a man who treated her this way was beyond me! There was nothing endearing about this man.

The saving grace for me was Rue, the feisty “aunt” who raised both Hutch and his brother! I wanted to move to Florida and move into her condo complex. Drinks by the pool, ladies!😎🍹

And of course, I can’t forget George Bailey, the Great Dane! I’m in puppy love!❤️ (He actually displayed more love than our leading man Hutch!)🙊

🎧: With having both the digital and audio versions, the audio won out! I would definitely recommend that format! Patti Murin was exceptional as always!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio

This was my first Katherine Center book and I loved it! I rated it 4.5 stars! Just Katie’s personal growth alone is such a beautiful journey, as someone who has struggled to love my body, the way she overcomes it is so lovely. There is a mention of an eating disorder, so trigger warning for that. On to the development of her relationship with Hutch, I love this couple so much. They really bring the best out in each other. I adored this lively, colorful cast, I wish I had an aunt like Rue! George Bailey of course, gets an honorary mention as a wonderful, chaotic addition to this story. I’ve always wanted a Great Dane. Now for the plot, the entire premise had me hooked from the first chapter. Katie, not being able to swim, takes a job making a recruitment video of a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard just to save her job, and the focus of said video is her superior’s grumpy, perfect brother. What could go wrong? This book was so fun, and the audio narration was great!

After the implosion of her engagement, Katie is struggling a bit with her self worth. Now her job is on the line, and she has two choices. Lose her job, or take a gig making a profile of “Hutch.” Hutch is a coast guard rescue swimmer and has had some time in the spotlight, and hates the spotlight. Katie doesn’t know how to swim, but doing a profile for someone that hates the spotlight, and doing it in bodies of water won’t be a problem right?

A main character with my name is so fun! I do have to start by saying that I hated how hard Katie was on her body. It didn’t feel like that was handled in the best way, though I know that 90% of women have felt that way about themselves at one time or another. I really loved Hutch, and the tension between him and Katie was fabulous! Cole…well I don’t want to get into my feelings on him! While I enjoyed this one overall, I had higher hopes for it.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy of this book!

Another great rom com beach read from Katherine Center!
The slow burn romance between Katie and Hutch is sweet and romantic as is the location, Key West. George Bailey and Aunt Rue add comic relief and are lovable canine and human supporting characters.

The narration by Patti Murin is excellent and really adds something special to the story.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a rom com.

This is 8th Katherine Center novel and she is an ALWAYS a must read for me.

Great romcom about a girl who learns to love herself, finds love and a wonderful guy and his dog George Bailey!

A story about healing that allows you to immerse yourself in the story/main character and truly understand how/what she is feeling.

Thank you, MacMillan audio and NetGalley, who provided me with an advanced reading/audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really love Katherine Center books. You can always count on a light, contemporary romance that explores an important topic. The Love Haters’ focus is on body positivity and the challenges facing the book’s main character.

The Love Haters starts off strong. I loved the premise, the characters (especially Aunt Rue), the humor and especially Great Dane, George Bailey. Even the “hot topic” was an important exploration of an issue that many (most?) women face. The first half of the book was exactly what I needed . . . an affable, sometimes laugh-out-loud story to escape from the challenges of real life.

The second half went off the rails a little bit. It was still entertaining, but didn’t have the same magic as the first half. I won’t get into specifics. But let’s just say the "lies and secrets" trope makes me cringe.

The Love Haters is still a fun read when you need something light-hearted to get your mind off the world.

The Love Haters was a fun read that kept me coming back for more! The characters were well developed and likable. The setting was perfect for a summer read!

So much more than a charming "boy meets girl" romance, though don’t get me wrong, the romance is adorable and full of those swoon-worthy, feel-good moments Katherine Center does so well. But what truly sets this book apart is Katie’s journey to loving herself.

Watching her heal, grow, and reclaim her sense of self-worth was inspiring, uplifting, and genuinely thought-provoking. It’s a love story in the truest sense, one where the most powerful relationship is the one she rebuilds with herself.

If you're looking for a feel-good read that balances humor, heart, and a strong message about self-love, The Love Haters is the book for you.

I don’t DNF often, especially not this far in, but I had to call it at 40%. I enjoyed The Bodyguard but didn’t love it, so I was curious to give this one a try. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hold my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun read that leaned more into comedy than romance—which surprised me as I was expecting a lot more romance. There are a lot of slapstick-style moments (ripped bathing suits, rogue dogs, unexpected chaos) that give the story its true rom-com energy. It’s very physical comedy—not so much clever banter or wit—and while that might not be for everyone, I found myself laughing out loud more than once.

Katie’s personal arc was actually my favorite part of the book. Her complicated relationship with her body is front and center, and the way Katherine Center described it as an enemies-to-lovers story between Katie and herself really resonated with me. Some readers might find parts of that journey uncomfortable or even a little triggering, but I appreciated the honesty of it and think a lot of people will see themselves in it.

The romance, though, was where this didn’t fully hit for me. Hutch is great on paper, but I wish we had seen more meaningful connection between him and Katie throughout the story. It’s a very slow burn, but so slow that it almost snuck up out of nowhere. And while I loved the Key West setting, I didn’t totally buy the setup—Katie’s assignment to film a promo video, and the idea that the shoot would take a month, didn’t really make sense. A project like that would usually have a tighter timeline and smaller budget, especially if funded by the government. Still, this is a heartfelt, entertaining story with plenty of emotional layers.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of this book! The narrator was fantastic.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of The Love Haters by Katherine Center Narrated by Patti Murin in exchange for an honest review. It publishes May 20, 2025.
First off, Patti Murin did an excellent job narrating this book, she always does great!
As always, Katherine Center brought us a wonderful story that touches on so much. I especially loved the author’s note, which I really appreciated.
This book was so sweet and inspiring, but also informative! I learned a lot about the Coast Guard, and really appreciated the way things were explained. I loved the setting, the character development, the relationships, all of it! I highly recommend this one!

Wow. So where do I even start with this book? I guess I just say Katherine has done it again! I am a huge Katherine fan and read all her books so this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. It did not disappoint.

Our female main character is relatable and her struggle with self love and food was such a great addition to this romance. So many of Katherine’s books have an element of self discovery while falling in love and this story has a similar nature. I loved that her knowing about these issues and her feeling healed was just her way of coping and finding a way to survive for so long that messing with her routine (her outfits, her location, her daily activities) really pushed her outside her comfort zone and made her reevaluate herself. And our male main character!!! He was so sweet. I loved that he was so attractive yet so humble and kind. Genuinely he came off like such a sweet soul I want him in my life. His disbelief and shock at her ability to not see herself clearly was such a sweet moment and I loved that he didn’t know what to do the entire book to show her he cared. Everything was fantastic. I cannot wait for her next book and I know I will be reading this again.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet summer romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

I would have liked this book so much more if A) there wasn’t such blatant on the page eating disorder or B) there was an authors note at the beginning giving me a heads up.

Katie falls into (and tells) a few lies that get her a job she’s far from qualified for; profiling the rescue swimmer who saved Jennifer Anniston’s dog. Hutch is sweet and grumpy, but he will do anything for the people he loves. Add in a funky aunt, a thunder-phobic dog, a phone hiatus, and an impending hurricane and you get The Love Haters.

I loved most things about this book. Hutch? Dreamy. Rue? Funky and fresh. George Bailey? The best. I just wish Katie’s struggles with her body would have been approached a bit differently.

The narrator did a great job, I loved listening!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ALC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’m no stranger to Katherine Center’s novels, so when I was given the opportunity to read this book early, I was excited. It has the typical Katherine Center witty rom-com banter, which I adore. Based on the title, I was expecting a grumpy x grumpy trope, but you never really felt that at all. I really would’ve liked to have seen that more. We can understand why the FMC might be but not the MMC.

I really enjoyed the underlying theme of learning to love yourself and your body as is. However, the FMC’s journey through major body dysmorphia and a likely eating disorder feels like it was glazed over and resolved a bit too easily. I would’ve liked to see that explored in a more meaningful way.

Overall, I really loved the unique perspective of a documentary filmmaker vs coast guard rescue swimmer. It feels like something I haven’t seen in a story before, so that was nice. The Gals were a nice touch and some comedic relief. And the big lovable gentle giant, George Bailey was *chef’s kiss*. It doesn’t seem I’ll stop recommending Katherine Center’s books anytime soon!

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I walked around all day with my speaker listening to it. The narrator is great. I talked with her, I got mad at her, I laughed and smiled like a fool with her. I love Katie and I might be in love with hutch. What a great body positive love story!

I only have a few comfort read authors, and Katherine Center is one of them. I’ve read every one of her books, and I expect disappointment each time, but I never get it (hope for the best, but expect the worst and all that). I still hold Hello Stranger as my favorite Center book, but this one comes to it closely. The Love Haters is number two in the most recent grouping of stories, which I think has a jilted theme, with Charlie from The Rom-Commers not believing in love and Cole having similar aversions to the feeling as well. I love seeing what new spin on all the romance tropes I’ll find in Center’s books; this one’s got some clever ones for sure.

Two things readers can most definitely expect in a Katherine Center rom-com are actually funny comedic parts and seriously emotionally hard-hitting aspects. While Emma has to lie to keep her job (she can’t really swim) and suffer a notoriously grumpy and video-resistant film subject in the meantime. Though Cole has a bristly exterior, he seems to be a giant softie to everyone else, especially the older ladies who hang out at the pool, his aunt, and his giant ninny dog. The irony made comedic gold and the dog took the cake.

Characters in Center books are no less awesome, and usually the side characters have some serious appeal that threatens to overshadow the mains, which happened here in spades. Cole’s aunt needs her own book or something, and I need an origin story of ninny dog in the form of a picture book stat.

Just about everything about this book tugged on the heartstrings. If Katherine Center keeps writing, I’ll gladly take regular breaks from SFF books to come back to the real world. But just for a bit. I must be about my magical business.

Murin’s narration the voice matched so perfectly the tone of the story and the characters. I read this as an ebook first and then listened to the ALC. The narration didn’t change a thing about the story; it only enhanced it, as any good narration should.

Overall, 5/5 for all of it. I love Center’s writing, and her romance has the added bonus of the complete lack of explicit sexual content.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the DRC and ALC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

Katie Vaughn, video producer, accepts a job to profile Hutch, coast guard rescue swimmer even though she cant swim in order to save her job. Not only cant she swim, she hasn't worn a bathing suit since middle school, and her insecurities about her body are only one of the obstacles in this rom com set in Key west. We have family issues between the subject of her video and his brother, who also happens to be her coworker who got her this assignment, an old boyfriend who's songs play on the radio and whose fans shame Katie on social media, and a group of lovable older ladies led by Hutch's Aunt Rue and a great Dane named George Bailey that round out the cast.

This novel has Centers usual fun cast of characters, and I really loved the character of Rue and her friends who gave this a found family element. I also enjoyed the adventure element we got toward the end, and Katies journey of self discovery and improved self worth. George Bailey was also a fun character to read as well, and any support of dog rescue in a novel gets a thumbs up from me. All in all The Love Haters in another enjoyable Rom Com from Katherine Center. Its not my favorite of hers, but I still found it a nice addition to her library.

I listened to the Audio read by Patti Murin who delivers another solid performance. I had no trouble differentiating the characters and she does fine with the male voices as well as the female, making listening to the book an enjoyable experience. Thank you to Net galley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audio book.

First, Patti Murin is a wonderful narrator, and I probably wouldn’t have stuck with the book if not for her. But sadly, Love Haters fell flat as a romance,. It just didn’t give me any butterflies despite having promise and some fun side characters (Rue, the dog). Everything to do with the bother Cole was so convoluted and he was such an off-putting character, I also noticed a repetitive “like” writing quirk where the author was constantly describing things as “blah blah blah, I said, like blah blah” or “he shrugged like blah blah”

Katherine Center at her best—The Love Haters is everything I wanted and more! This book had me laughing, swooning, and completely invested in Katie and Hutch’s journey from start to finish.

Katie is a mess in the most relatable way, and Hutch? Oh, I am obsessed. Their grumpy/sunshine dynamic was perfection, and the found family vibes—between Hutch’s eccentric Aunt Rue, his lovable Great Dane, and the whole chaotic Key West setting—made this story even more special.

Beyond the romance, I loved how this book explored self-love in such a meaningful way. Katie’s personal growth, facing her fears, and learning to trust herself again made the story even richer. And let’s be real—Katherine Center never misses when it comes to lovable characters and heartfelt, feel-good storytelling. Loved the audio version, it brought the story to life in such a loveable way!

Thank you to MacMillian audio and author Katherine Center for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for a honest review.
What does a Great Dane, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer and a blogger have in common? Water.
When Katie’s work superior told her he had the perfect job for her and bonus she would get content for her blog she wondered what the catch was.
Hutch, the most famous Coast Guard swimmer in the Florida Keys, was tasked to star in a recruiting video. When Katie arrived in the Keys she found out she was going to need to swim in order to be able to ride in the rescue helicopter. Her teacher, turned out to be Hutch, who brought along his Rescue dog George Bailey, What happened next just set the tone for this amusing and heartwarming Rom-com.
As Katie overcomes self doubt and body positivity with the help of Rue, Hutches elderly aunt, and her crew, she finds out there is love out there if you are just willing to take the chance.
This book kept me engaged and wanting to hear more of this madcap story. Ms Center hits this one out of the park I give it 5 stars