I've said it before (and I'll probably say it again): if you want a fluffy romcom, Katherine Center will not disappoint.

Also: solid narrator, and not a great cover given some plot points I won't go into.



Review copy provided by publisher.

I really liked this book! The story is a very sweet romance that highlights issues with body image and comparison between brothers. It dives in deep (pun intended) to the world of the Coast Guard, which was pretty interesting. I also liked the character of Rue as the almost matriarch keeping everyone together. I did not really see the point of the scene where she is stuck on the boat alone. It felt drawn out. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book! The narration itself was also pretty enjoyable. I was able to differentiate among the male characters, which I sometimes find can be difficult with a female narrator.

It's a thin line between love and love-hating.

This book was so cute! Loved the tension and banter between Katie and Hutch! The last few chapters were my favorite. They were exciting and heartwarming. I loved all the side characters including the dog! This was a beautiful story filled with humor and love!

Read if you enjoy:
💘forced proximity
☀️grumpy sunshine
💼workplace romance
🎭family drama
🐶 animal sidekick
📍Key West, FL

“𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬.”

The world is such a better place with Katherine Center in it. Her novels are sweet, kind, quirky in all the best ways and her characters are so loveable.

Love Haters brings together the video producer Katie, the Coast Guard rescue, Hutch, and the loveliest dog and aunt ever! It is full of love and color and joy and as always, relatable human conditions and quirks. You know that things are going to work out for these characters, you're rooting for them the whole time and you cheer loudly in the end even though you knew it was coming.

Along the way you scold them, you cheer for them, you laugh at them and you shake your head at their silliness. And then there's the author's note and you fall in love all over again. As I said Katherine Center is a gift.

The audio and ebook of this are equally enjoyable and it's extra perfect when you get to go back and forth like I did.

with gratitude to netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I like Katherine Center so I was excited to get this audiobook. I liked the narrator a lot, she was a wonderful pick for this main character and she really brought the story to life. Katie is sent to Florida to do a video on a rescuer swimmer named Hutch. She tries to ignore that she doesn’t swim as she desperately tries to save her job from massive layoffs. When she gets there and finds her swim instructor is the feature of her video. Of course they have a meet cute and then things get heated and then complicated. The characters are cute and I enjoyed it, although I got tired of the body insecurities of Katie. Overall this was a fun rom com that I enjoyed. Definitely the feel good fun time that I needed right now.

Well, color me officially obsessed. The Love Haters was my first Katherine Center book, and now I’m questioning all my life choices up to this point. Fake dating? Check. Found family? Double check. Grumpy-sunshine? Absolutely. It’s like she read my rom-com wishlist and said, “Challenge accepted.” The chemistry between the characters is electric, and their banter is sharp enough to cut glass (and make you laugh out loud in public).

Now let’s talk about Patti Murin. She doesn’t just narrate audiobooks, she performs them. If audiobooks had a Hall of Fame, she’d have her own wing by now. Her comedic timing? On point. Her swoony moments? Dangerous. If she ever reads the phone book, I’ll probably swoon.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a book that’s funnier than your favorite sitcom, more heartwarming than your grandma’s hugs, and swoonier than... well, you get it—this is it. Katherine Center knocked it out of the park, and now I’m just over here binge-reading everything she’s ever written. (Sorry, real world, I’ll get back to you after I’ve finished this author’s entire catalog.)

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This slow burn romance was about so much more than just love. Katie, is on a self discovery journey when she ends up meeting Hutch, her coworkers brother, on her work assignment. The story had the perfect mix of serious topics that both Katie and Hutch were dealing with and funny topics like Hutch's dog tackling Katie and them finally bonding during a Hurricane. There was a little bit too much miscommunication on Hutch's part for my liking with him just not saying what he was feeling, but they figured that out in the end. I loved Rue and her influence on Katie and George Bailey, the dog, was my favorite character! The narration was great.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love and next might be her career. That is why she accepts a gig from a coworker, Cole, profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a coast guard rescue swimmer. The only problem is she can’t swim, and her coworker is Hutch’s brother and they don’t necessarily get along.

I love Center’s ability to write a novel that has both humor and a deeper story. I appreciated the emotional growth and physical journey that Katie goes on during the story. George Bailey and Aunt Rue were great side characters and loved the colorful Key West setting. Over a great easy read that had both humor and heart.

Huge KC fan, Huge!

& she certainly delivers with her upcoming release, The Love Hater.

Katie is faking, it until she makes it. As a video producer, she’s on the potential chopping block as her company looks to reorganize. When her boss offers her, a job filming an advertisement for the Coast Guard, she jumps at the opportunity. Until she learns she’s going to have to swim, in the ocean, and potentially jump out of a helicopter. As someone who doesn’t swim or wants to be in the middle of the action, this is not what Katie signed up for. However, she’s doing what she can to ensure she keeps her job, even if that means having to follow around the super buff, nice, and handsome Coast Guard Hutch – who also happens to be the brother her boss doesn’t seem to get along with.

While there was less love-hating and spice than I originally thought there would be, there was still plenty of witty banter and chemistry between our leads. I think this might be my new favorite Katherine Center book, but let’s be real, I say that almost anytime I read her books. I loved the beachy and dreamy Key West backdrop, the summer vibes, Rue and her vibrant friends. There is also plenty of deeper themes such as body imagine and grief. All these themes are typical of a KC novel and will make this a perfect vacation and beach read that is fun but also has substance.

However, I didn’t entirely love Katie’s ex-boyfriend’s plot line. It felt like it would be so much more a part of the story, and I honestly would have preferred it to be gone from the book. I felt just like a filler piece.

That said, that was really my only note and the reason why I gave this a 4.5 rounded down to 4 stars. BUTTT after thinking about wishing the story wasn’t over or that a movie gets made of this book ASAP, I decided to give it a nice 5 stars! Because let’s be real, I rate books on vibes, and The Love Haters gave me all the happy summer vibes, and I’m here for it!


The Love Haters comes out May 20, 2025. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my:
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This book deals a lot with disordered eating at the beginning. I'm DNFing at 8% because it's a lot for me. This trigger warnings wasn't anywhere in the the description to prepare me. It's just something that personally can be triggering.

I did enjoy the narrator and typically enjoy Katherine's books. This isn't a reflection on either of them.

Katherine Center’s The Love Haters is a heartwarming, funny, and tear-jerking slow-burn romance that totally hooked me. Patti Murin, the narrator, was spot-on as Katie. Her voice and delivery were very engaging. Overall a solid rom-com!

Katherine Center can do no wrong. I will take no criticism. This book was perfection. I absolutely adored Hutch and Katie. Katie’s character had incredible growth. Rue was the sweetest. I despised Cole and George Bailey was hands down my favorite character. I felt like I was in the story with these characters. I loved everything about this sweet story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another romcom from Katherine Center. I was a die hard Center fan with her earlier writing and I still enjoy her stories but this one was a little too out there for me. It was just fine- nothing memorable about either of the main characters. I felt like the love story was secondary to the personal issues of the female lead. She had major body image issues that were keeping her from really enjoying her life. It was sad! Plus the ending was so strange and far fetched that it kind of brought down the whole book.

I will always pick up a Katherine Center book but I miss her old style!

As far as the audiobook- it was well done and easy to follow.

Katie Vaughn really needs her job as a video producer so to avoid being laid off, she accepts an assignment that her boss Cole offers her-and “omits the truth” about her lack of swimming skills!

The assignment: Profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The reason Cole offers her the job? Cole is Hutch’s brother and they don’t get along.

So, Katie packs her bags and heads to Key West. She will worry about a swimsuit later - Katie's character talks a lot about body image and being self-conscious which could be relatable, but did start to come off as annoying and would've loved to see more confidence growth from the character.

Not my favorite by this author, but will still pick up anything she writes!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.

Choosing to DNF a book at 75% is never fun, especially when you were really enjoying the story up until some truly bizarre plot points made continuing completely impossible.

The first 3/4ths of The Love Haters is great! Katie is a director who is forced by a coworker into taking the job of creating a recruitment video for the US Coast Guard even though she can't swim. This brings her down to Key West, where she encounters a wonderful cast of characters and Hutch, a very handsome rescue swimmer. It was all so lovely, and the main characters were full of depth and had such interesting backstories. When the pushy coworker (who also happens to be Hutch's younger brother) makes a surprise appearance in Florida, everything goes off the rails in such frustrating, unpleasant, and completely out-of-character ways that I was unable to continue on with the story. Katerine Center has written many books that I have enjoyed and I would basically recommend any of them over this mess.

It is worth noting that the audio production is excellent, and I really enjoyed this narrator a lot!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is hands down my favorite read of 2025 (and possibly my favorite of hers)! I couldn’t put it down and was laughing out loud from start to finish. Katie’s emotional journey felt so real and raw, and I was right there with her through every high and low. The way Center brings her characters to life is unmatched—I felt so connected to Katie and her internal struggles. I cried, I laughed, and by the end, my heart was so full. This book is everything, and I cannot recommend it enough! 🩷

Thank you to Katherine and her team for the audio ARC — The Love Haters comes out May 20, and it’s an absolute must-read! ☀️

The narrator did a good job telling the story and working with what she had.

Overall the characters were enjoyable to read, except for the main character, Katie. Part of this could be the narration and partly how she was written. The story revolves around her body issues after getting negative press, but I think the way it was written more depressing versus trying to sympathize and relate to the character.

I could read some chemistry between Katie and Hutch, but it came off as more friends caring for one another and not in love.

The story had good elements to it. What felt like would be a bigger part of the storyline ended up reading more of a side story. Maybe there was too much the author was trying to put into the story and the main focus got lost.

This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book and I have loved her stories prior to this one.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook arc.

I was lucky enough to receive the ARC and ALC so let’s talk about them.

ARC: This is a very unconventional love story… as it’s mostly about our main character Katie learning to love herself as well as Hutch. I honestly don’t think it only falls into the category of romance but also maybe Lit Fic or Women’s Fic. There was a very strong message about loving yourself and your body. There is definitely a lot of talk of ED and body dismorphia.

That being said I did enjoy myself. The story got a little too goofy for me in the middle but the end brought it all together.

ALC: I really enjoyed the audio. The narrator was great and I have nothing bad to say. I reccomend the audio if you’re an audio person.

Thank you to Katherine Centers, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy.

Had many ups and downs with this book as I read. This is my first Katherine Center book, and I will say I loved her voice throughout the story. Her writing is very descriptive and easy to breeze through. However, I was not a fan of Katie. In the beginning, chapter after chapter detailed her issues with her body to the point where being deeply insecure was her only character trait. The first few chapters were difficult to get through for that reason. But overall, the story was cute, light, and easy to read.

4.5⭐️ As someone who has suffered from BDD her whole life, I very much related to Katie. This is a story about love from so many angles. Loving partners, friends, animals, and at the end, loving yourself. Was the plot absolutely silly and unrealistic? Absolutely. But for me it was a relatable rom com and another great read from Katherine Center.

I enjoyed the audio for this book. The narrators voice was soothing and made it easy to get lost in the book. Her pace flowed and at one point I thought maybe there was someone else, as she did a great job with all of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.