“…I just suddenly understood in a whole new sun breaking through the clouds way, that even if we do eternally need and long and want to be seen, maybe the most important eyes doing the looking are our own.”

Fun dialogue ✔️
Lovable characters ✔️
Sunny, funny story ✔️

If loving Katherine Center novels is wrong, I don’t wanna be right. The queen of the summer rom com is back with another great story featuring a young woman overcoming personal obstacles and a hunky hindrance in a setting I wanted to stay in.

Dallas based video producer Katie Vaughn accepts a gig to profile Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who is both a reluctant participant and the brother of her coworker Cole. Cole has inside intel that this could be the only thing to save her from an impending layoff, so off she goes to Key West. There she is met by all-business Hutch, an adorable Great Dane, and his Aunt Rue and her cadre of friends. Her monochromatic existence is suddenly saturated with life and color and fun, but will her limited skill set and her reluctance to face old fears get in the way of a successful outcome?

In the author’s note Center writes one of the most accurate and heartfelt explanations of romance storytelling; why we crave it, why we need it and how it can change us. It’s probably no coincidence that I read my three favorite KC novels during some specifically dark times for me personally. The unapologetic way that she writes about joy and struggle and hope cannot be denied and readers who appreciate how she subtly layers some non-frivolous topics in, will be rewarded with the magic. The Love Haters floats to the top tier of my Best Of KC list… yep, I’ve read them all.

Patti Murin returns to add her impeccable narration to the story!
Especially for Emily Henry fans who are looking for a beachy read many will be dishing about.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Love haters is the love story I didn't know I needed! Yes, there is a love story between the two leads, Katie and Hutch and it has the typical moments that you will expect from a rom-com. (The ripped sexy black one-piece swimsuit may be my favorite) Aunt Rue and her girls add a splash of color and George Bailey will have your heart at first leap. However, there is another love story that plays throughout the book - a story of self-love and being rescued from yourself. This storyline was totally unexpected, but so lovely to read and so easy to connect with.

If you love stories of second chances, chosen family, overcoming loss, battling inner demons, and choosing self-love all tied together with a great big rom-com bow then this book is for you! Katherine Center is an auto-buy for me and The Love Haters will definitely be added to my bookshelf.
Also, be sure to read/listen to the author's note at the end.

I listened to the audiobook in conjunction with reading the book. The narration by Patti Murin was wonderful as always!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I gave this book 5 Stars

4⭐ The Love Haters is the second book I've read from Katherine Center, and once again, it was once again a hit! It was the perfect romcom to set the mood for summer. And it's even more than just a romcom, I feel like Katie's (FMC) journey to healing and self-acceptance is an important one and is well depicted.

My reading experience was a combination of both the ebook and the audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley, St-Martin Press and MacMillan Audio for the ARC and ALC.

Katie’s life is a disaster. She has been burned by love in the past and is in danger of losing her job. Her coworker, Cole, has an idea to send her to the Florida Keys to profile a rescue swimmer in the Coast guard. The catch - the rescue swimmer, Hutch ,is Cole’s s estranged brother, and since Katie can’t swim, she isn’t exactly qualified for the job.

I have been a been a big fan of Katherine Center in the past, but her newest book fell flat. It’s a rom com that truly isn’t funny or romantic Additionally, Katie has significant body positivity issues, and this was a main focus of the book. I can’t imagine too many women sitting around the pool, the beach or lake, and wanting to read about another woman’s body issues. For me, this was a huge miss. That said, I know many women will want to read this one, so we’ll buy it. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book, hoping she can rebound from The Love Haters.

Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Center, and Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this audio in exchange for an honest review. Patti Murin’s narration was truly exceptional!

Amazing! Katherine Center continues to understand the assignment-there’s a reason she’s one of my favorite authors! Every one of her books holds a special place in my heart, and this one is no exception. I know I say this every time, but this is my new favorite… until the next one comes out, 😂.

Center masterfully handles deeply emotional and sensitive topics with just the right balance of love, joy, and humor. The Love Haters is so much more than a romance! it’s about honesty, facing our fears, self-acceptance, and, most of all, love!

As with all of Katherine Center’s books, I wish I could go back and experience it for the first time all over again. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and it deserves all the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !!!!!

“The Love Haters” is a delightful addition to the Katherine Center’s literary universe. As an avid reader of hers since “Things You Save in a Fire,” I’ve always been captivated by her storytelling.

While my personal favorites remain the previous novel and “Hello Stranger,” “The Love Haters” struck a perfect balance as a middle-of-the-road romance. It’s a heartwarming and indulgent tale of love with a touch of unnecessary conflict and a lovable dog. What more could you possibly want in a romance novel?

While this book may not have left a profound impact on me, it certainly brought me a sense of joy and entertainment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy. 💖

I loved nearly every second of listening to The Love Haters. Patti Murrin does an amazing job of bringing Center's story to life and drawing us into the lives of Katie and Hutch (and Aunt Rue!) On top of the evolving relationship between our two MCs, I enjoyed the arc of Katie learning to love herself, too, even though all of her negative talk of body image at the beginning bothered me a little bit. On top of the relationship stories, I enjoyed the descriptions of Key West, the charming ladies revolving around Rue, and the Coast Guard shout-outs. This was the perfect book to get me hyped for summer reading recommendations and I look forward to recommending it for months! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for St. Martins and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars

First , the audio was fenomenal. I enjoyed a lot and the narrators did a great job in it .
Now the story, this was beyond cute and adorable, omg 😱. I loved this story. I adore that is this two people finding their way back to being themselves and their journey. The romance was cute and relatable. I love all the ild ladies meddling and trying to work their magic on this two . Overall it was a fun , funny and heartfelt book and totally love it .

I really enjoyed this book! Katie’s body image struggles and self-love journey were relatable and added depth to her relationship with Hutch. However, my favorite moments by far were the funny and heartfelt interactions between Katie and Hutch’s aunt, Rue, along with the time spent with Hutch’s dog, George Bailey.

That said, I felt like the pacing towards the end seemed off. I also wasn’t a fan of Cole’s character; the drama he created between him and his brother felt forced, and I believe there were better ways to move the plot forward.

I did listen to the audiobook, which kept me engaged all the way through. Patti Murin did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

Overall, I recommend The Love Haters to anyone looking for a quick rom-com to read this summer!

What to Expect:
🌺 forced proximity
🌺 0/5 spice
🌺 found family
🌺 lovable doggo 🐶

⚠️CW: eating disorder, body image, body shaming⚠️

A huge thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Thank you so much to Netgally for the audiobook ARC of ‘The Love Haters’ by Katherine Center!

This was my first read by Katherine Center despite owning multiple copies of her books and I could not have experienced a better first impression of Center! This book was such a fun concept and the absolute perfect summer read!

This was such a fast paced story with the perfect amount of literary fiction and romantic mix. There were heartwarming scenes, funny family drama, and amazing friendships!

The only parts that made me doc it a star was the fact that the brothers fight did seem a little immature and underdeveloped at certain times. It felt very unrealistic that two grown adult men would react the way they did after reuniting after years apart. I also felt like the body imagine issues took up too much time at certain parts of the text!

Sweet romance set in Key West. Katie takes an assignment hoping to save her job and meets Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hutch, his "aunt" Rue, and her group of elderly girlfriends. I loved the inclusion of Hutch's Great Dane named George Bailey! Unfortunately, the attraction between the male and female leads was underdeveloped. I did think the beginning spent too much time on Katie's body image and lack of self-confidence, although it continued to impact the plot. Once they began evacuating for a hurricane, it became predictable but still had a sweet ending.

There is a lot of hate being thrown out already for this book and it is mindblowing to me, but to each their own. This is only my 3rd book to read by Center, and I just love her writing. Her FMC is funny, relatable, and vulnerable. Katie grew up in a household where she was made to feel insecure, so in a lot of this story, we see those insecurities come out and see her work through some of them. As we dig into her story we also are digging into Hutch's story. Hutch is our MMC, though this is told through Katie's POV entirely. she is sent to Florida to do a story on Hutch, who famously rescued Jennifer Aniston's dog and is in the Coast Guard. Katie was sent to make a promo/recruitment video for the Coast Guard, and this left her in the Florida Keys for about a month to research and make videos about the rescues that the Coast Guard does. Katie is sent to do the project because her coworker doesn't want to be around Hutch, and that's because it's his brother and they had a falling out. So she is staying with Hutch's aunt Rue. Rue is a sweet older lady with eccentric tastes and a big heart. Plus, the narrator is amazing and brings everyone to life in such a spectacular way.
What I especially like about Center's books is that not only do we have our main romance plot we also have underlying themes. This one is not only a story about finding love, but different kinds of love, love of your friends, family, dogs, and especially yourself. Center doesn't shy away from the hard things but she does approach them with some humor. I laughed a lot while reading this; I also cried, though I desperately tried not to. I think a lot of people with relate to Katie and her steps in learning to love herself, especially living in a society that tears her down. It can be hard for people to see their beauty when the world is telling us what all of our imperfections are. I think the author's notes are almost as good as the book itself, where Center talks about her inspiration, how important romance books are, and the introspection and happiness that the genre can bring. I know I love to disappear into a book and this one made me very happy.

As per usual, Center writes an emotional, relatable love story. I couldn’t help but fall a little in love myself with our MMC and FMC. I wanted to shake all the negative body image out of our FMC for basically the entirety of the book, but I’m glad our MMC was there to do it for me. The family drama is tiny bit far fetched, but within the context of the story you can understand and excuse it. The premise is fun. And the execution is genuine and enjoyable. I devoured this in one sitting. Would highly recommend as a fun summer read.

A Katherine Center book set in my favorite place in the world? I truly couldn’t resist if I wanted to! This is a love story about a filmmaker and a rescue swimmer, but also a love story about a woman learning to love herself. Katie has been sent to Key West to make a promotional video for the Coast Guard and her subject, Hutch, is the definition of a hero and happens to be a scientifically perfect specimen of a man. She can’t help getting close to him during the interview process, despite complicating factors like not knowing how to swim and her boss’ ulterior motives.

Watching Katie learn to love her body when society and important people in her life have made her hate it was incredibly powerful and I’ll be revisiting those bookmarks a lot in the future! Reading about her falling in love with the keys and with Hutch was honestly just icing on the cake.

The audio was also excellent and I’ll be looking out for this narrator in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the advance audiobook of The Love Haters by Katherine Center. I was really excited to dive into another one of Katherine's novels. The narrator of the audiobook did a nice job. Unfortunately, this storyline didn't quite live up to my expectations. At around the 50% mark, I found the plot to be more engaging and enjoyed the developing relationship between Hutch and Katie. I think getting to hear more about Hutch's past made me more invested in his storyline. However, I was disappointed by the focus on Katie's body insecurities, which felt like an unnecessary addition to the story and took away from the storyline. The ending also seemed a little wild for me, and it felt more of a Hallmark Film. While this book wasn’t my favorite, it won't deter me from reading more of Katherine's work in the future.

AHHHHHHHH so good. Nothing like a friendly broody hero MMC. I’d love to meet a Hutch of my own. This is filled with twist and turns and omg! Cole and Sully?!

Another good read from Katherine Center. While this wasn’t my favorite Center book it was still well done. Great characters and a good plot. While predictable, an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

The Love Haters may be my favorite novel by Katherine Center yet (or at least right up there with The Bodyguard!). I loved this story and the characters so much!! Let me tell you...be prepared to swoon!!! Patti Murin is back with another fabulous job as the books narrator, and I hope she continues to narrate many more books by Katherine Center to come. Did I mention how fabulous she is?? Overall, I could write an essay about how much I loved this book and I think everyone should add it to their must read list for the summer of 2025! I can't wait for Katherine's next book!

I can always count on Katherine Center to deliver a book with incredible love stories. Her books are full of the most unexpected plot lines and I devour them every single time.

Rating - 3.75/5 stars!
Katie Vaughn is down bad. She’s fighting for a job at her mid-level company as a video producer, still reeling from her ex-fiancé’s betrayal, and her confidence is basically nonexistent. But when a career-saving opportunity sends her to Key West to profile Tom "Hutch" Hutcheson—a hunky Coast Guard swimmer (hello, sir), things start to get interesting.

What I Loved:
- A kooky auntie subplot? Say less. This book was full of fun, chaotic energy, and I was here for it.
- A matchmaking Great Dane that keeps pushing the MCs together? ICONIC.
-The setting—Key West! I took a girls' trip there recently, and it was so fun to be transported back.
- You can tell Katherine Center did her research on the Coast Guard—I actually learned so much.

Katie as an MC:
She struggles with body image—something many of us can relate to—but I appreciated that by the end, she found a sense of self-acceptance.

Katherine Center's Writing:
I loved the premise of this book. It had so much potential with the storyline. But I found it to be very choppy from scene-to-scene. I always felt like I was missing information because the picture hadn't been painted - just retold. I have only read The Bodyguard from KC so I can't be sure if this was book specific or it's just her way of storytelling.

Final Thoughts:
This was an easy, fast-paced read—perfect for the beach with a drink in hand. Fun and flirty!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. It publishes May 20th, 2025! (less)