This was such a fun summer rom-com! The main characters were both very likable, not to mention hilarious. The author did a good job of keeping this one light and fun while also discussing some important things, such as the main character’s relationship with her body. Overall, this would be a great poolside read! The narrator did a great job as well!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for early access to this one. I love that Patti Murin narrates Katherine Center's novels, and I enjoyed her narration, as usual. However, this book had a number of things that didn't work for me.
First and most importantly, I do not understand how this book could be published without any content/trigger warnings about the body image/disordered eating that the female main character describes in pretty clear detail for almost a third of the book. Second, she is described unable to love herself in her body - until a man (finally) tells her she is beautiful. Ick - that felt like such a silly and cliche way to "solve" all of her serious issues. Last, the miscommunication in this one made me almost rip my earbuds out and give up. I persevered, but I don't think I should have. Bummer, because I've enjoyed some of the author's other books (although not as many as I thought when I look back at my ratings). Here's hoping next summer's release will be a better fit for my reading tastes.

The Love Haters is a quirky, fun story of Katie and Hutch - both jaded by love, and both perpetually single, thrown together by a plan of brotherly avoidance that ends in a happy ending.

This book was a fun read - there is a great cast of characters that are dynamic and fun, and a few will pull at your heartstrings. Katie is a young woman trying to rediscover herself after heartbreak, and Hutch is carrying the weight of his heroic job on his shoulders. The last chunk of the novel is, quite frankly a little crazy, and I was so relieved to read their happily ever after.

The reason this book was only a four star for me was because of how heavy handed one of the themes throughout the story was. Katie has a body-positive storyline that, for face value is a great critique on our society. However, it was really over done. There were certain scenes (especially toward the end, right before the big finale) where I felt like this particular plot point had no business being in the story. It was quite off putting - I wanted to be able to get behind it fully, but the way it was over done made it seem more annoying than a necessary part of the story.

The audio is really easy to listen to - I really liked the narrator. I liked how she managed to capture Katie's quirks while she read. It was clear to listen to and easy to follow, especially at 2.0 speeds. I'd listen to something by this narrator in the future.

It took me a little bit to get interested, but ultimately ended up really enjoying this. My first, but definitely not last, Katherine Center book. I 100% recommend this.

DNF

I didn't realize that this was going to have a major theme of disordered eating. I love that Katherine Center doesn't shy away from difficult topics, but the way Katie's body image and disordered eating was introducted was too much for me.

I think it would be really helpful for publishers to include trigger warnings, especially for topics that can trigger unhealthy behaviors, like disordered eating and suicidal ideation.

I wish I could write this review without leaving a star rating, because I don't think that authors should *not* write about disordered eating, but for my personal taste, it's not something I enjoy reading about.

Im usually a fan of Katherine Center’s charm but this felt like a cheap rom com version of Evelyn Hugo without building any connection to the characters. I think the scene where the dog sets them up is supposed to be cute but it came off unrealistic and cringey. I’m also so over the trope of “omg I didn’t know I was attractive” - 2.5 rounded up

Another great Katherine Center read! This one might be my favorite! This is such a lighthearted and funny rom com. I loved Katie and Hutch. I also love the underlying message about just loving yourself. The cast of characters, including the dog, were all so great, I enjoyed them all. I think that Katie’s character is so relatable which had me even more hooked.

Katie has two choices, get laid off from her videographer job or take a job profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson who is a stud rescue swimmer in Key West. Her coworker assigning her the job, Cole, just so happens to be Hutch’s brother, who he doesn’t get along with. The next problem is, Katie can’t swim, which is one of the requirements for the interview. Swimming lessons, conga lines, helicopters, a giant rescue Great Dane, and of course a bit of romance make up this fun read!

I truly love every Katherine Center book and I highly recommend you read it!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the ARC & ALC. ‧₊˚⊹

♡ Let me tell you the best parts of the book:
* I loved that Hutch lives on a houseboat! ⛵️
* The research into coast guard search and rescue and glimpse into what their training programs look like was cool 🪂
* George Bailey, the most loveably exuberant pup 🐶 🐾

Cole as a character was despicable and annoying and the fact Katie goes along with his lies just made no sense. This was missing the rom and the com! 😩

However I did love the audio narration of this and credit that for propelling me through to the HEA!

TW: Katie had a lot of body insecurity, eating issues, and while I can relate, it took up so much of the book space. The solution was to talk with her bestie about fave body parts…love herself. The authors note helped a bit to understand her thought process.

I was all set to give this novel 4 stars-a decent rating, and indicative of an enjoyable, romantic story. And then two things happened. First, the epilogue. If you are a romance reader, you know I am not giving anything away when I say the HEA is very satisfying. Katherine Center says this herself in author's notes of earlier books (ALWAYS READ HER AUTHOR'S NOTES...more on this in a sec) but the MC's journey to loving herself and her body is a message that I didn't know I needed. She is plagued with body image issues throughout the book and the message that comes through at the end is not only uplifting, but worthy of remembering when we all experience those inevitable times of self-loathing. This becomes a central part of the ending, and it couldn't have resonated more with me. Then, the Author's Note. I think it was her Author's Note in Hello Stranger that left me breathless and in tears when she talked about the relevance of romance and stories about love. Her message touched a nerve and gave me the courage to boldly proclaim my love for this genre. If you haven't read the Note, you should. The Author's Note for The Love Haters struck a similar chord. I hope it does for you, too.
And now for the synopsis-Katie is a videographer/storyteller who is sent to Key West to profile the lifesaving efforts of the US Coast Guard, in particular the dreamy "Love Hater" Hutch. Katie's job is on the line, and Hutch, while eager to help Katie, is shy of the attention. Katie is embraced warmly by Key West, a fun-loving group of ladies she meets at her rental, and by Hutch's dog, a lovable Great Dane named George Bailey. Katie is likable and when things turn for her just as she is getting close to Hutch, you will sympathize with her.
While this is probably a 4-star story, the factors above easily made it a 5 star for me. Katherine Center can do no wrong and is a must-read ASAP for me.

The Story: I highly enjoyed this story, at its core, it’s about a woman reclaiming her life and rediscovering who she is and the value she holds after being in a relationship that caused her to feel perpetually less than, due to circumstances surrounding it. On the surface it’s a funny story full of heart. The small town Katie ends up in, after taking an assignment to save her job that she’s not fully qualified for, is quirky and full of fun side characters. Hutch is her boss’s broody brother, also known as the job assignment and their dynamic through the whole book is so sweet, it made me smile the whole time. She ends up helping him to open up, and he ends up helping her to see herself in a more positive light. Also he has a (BIG) dog.

The Audiobook: As a Broadway girly, I have been a fan of Patti for some time, I adore her! And while I knew she narrated audiobooks, none of them have made it off my TBR until now, which I realize was a mistake. Her narration is wonderful! I thouroughly enjoyed this audio and Patti’s performance in it. If you know me, you know I judge a lot by the voices outside of the main character and she fully delivered. She breathed life into all of the other side characters in fun and unique ways that made them really stand out from eavg other., making them feel like their own

This is a very cute and funny rom-com. Wonderful narrator. I was sorry when it ended because it did have laugh out loud moments. Made my commute seem MUCH shorter. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the complementary audiobook. This review is my own opinion.

The Love Haters is the story of a woman, who can’t swim, who gets put on assignment to film a coast guard rescuer. I love @katherinecenter books so much. Just like all of her books, this book was filled with snarky one-liners and pop culture references mixed in with such honest emotions and swoonworthy romances. The most likable characters with so much dimension and so much humor peppered throughout that this book was just like a warm hug. I laughed out loud and I found myself smiling while reading it. I loved it so much that I alternated between the audio and my kindle because I didn’t want to put another book into the mix.

This book needs a content warning! The eating disorder and body issues that are talked about in this book should be not be a surprise for a reader, there should be something written at the beginning of this book to alert the reader to this.

I didn't love how the body issues and eating disorder were handled in this book and when you start the book pretty heavy with covering the issue that it seemed to be handle with too much levity.

I ddi like Hutch and I love Katie's friend and of course the dog. I did not care for Cole and his lack of respect of care for Katie. I especially didn't like when he was trying to force people to kiss her without her consent at all. I also didn't care for the lie he came up and that Katie went along with it even if it was short lived. This book had all the makings a great story, but didn't hit as well as I had hoped.

I also felt like the narrator wasn't the best choice for the content and it didn't come across in the right tone at all.

This was such a fun read and definitely binge worthy book! I couldn’t put it down and was able to knock it out within two sittings!
I loved the fmc, her quirky personality, and how the author brought to surface her very real and heavy insecurities to light.
I really enjoyed this “cute meet” and the whole will they, won’t they. The fmc was honestly just so relatable and real. The mmc had such a rare and exciting career and totally gave that strong, masculine, silent hero vibes!

This was my first Katherine Center book and I’m a fan!

I was so excited to receive this ARC- I love Katherine Center, I love a good romance, and I love a creative and artsy cover. I just knew this book was going to be it for me, especially after reading The Rom-Commers. Unfortunately, it was not what I expected. It's categorized as a romance, however, there isn't much romance to it. It's more of a rediscovery and self-acceptance book, centering around Katie's image insecurities and body dysmorphia. There is a hint of romance in it, between Katie and Hutch, which was very cute but also very lacking.
Overall, I do think this is a good book. The plot was great, and I loved Katie's growth and how she learned to accept herself and appreciate what she was born with. I just wish there was more romance. 3.5 stars rounded up!
Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Katherine Center for this ARC!

Katherine Center is easily one of my auto buy authors. I absolutely love her books. At times this one hit a little too close to home with the body issues, but I love that Katie was able to work through some of them! I loved Katie's relationship with her bestie. My bestie and I have been friends for over 20 years and it felt like reading about us. As someone who can't swim this book made me laugh.

What can I say about Hutch?/ Katherine really knows how to pull at your heart strings and make you fall in love with the characters. I absolutely adored him and his dog!

This story is classic Katherine Center. Our heroine, Katie, has been dumped in a mud puddle as per usual, but she crawls out and absolutely owns the most cinematic rom-com ending of a Katherine book yet (and I’ve read them all, twice). Between the mud and the triumph, there’s laughter, self-doubt, swimming lessons, a dog that holds so much of the plot in his paws, splinters, bright colors, house boats, the coast guard, meddling old people and a love hater. The narration and audio production are immaculate.

Is it far-fetched? Sure. But as Katherine tells us over and over again, it’s fiction, but we believe it anyway. We love love and we believe in love.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the ALC via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center is a heartfelt contemporary romance that delves into themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the complexities of love. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Key West, the novel follows Katie Vaughn, a videographer grappling with the aftermath of a public breakup and looming job insecurity. When offered a chance to profile a heroic Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hutch Hutcheson, Katie sees an opportunity to revitalize her career. However, complications arise as Hutch is her coworker's estranged brother, and Katie harbors a secret—she can't swim.

Center masterfully crafts a narrative that balances humor and emotional depth. Katie's journey is not just about romantic entanglements but also about confronting personal insecurities and embracing self-worth. The chemistry between Katie and Hutch develops organically, enriched by their shared vulnerabilities and the colorful cast of supporting characters, including Hutch's Aunt Rue and my favorite character the affectionate Great Dane, George Bailey.

While the novel offers a satisfying romantic arc, I'm finding myself wanting more than a fake dating scheme. For me, this felt contrived and detracted from the story's authenticity. Additionally, the portrayal of body image issues lacked the nuance required for such a sensitive topic.

Despite that, The Love Haters is a compelling read that combines the charm of a romantic comedy with the introspection of personal growth. It's a testament to Center's ability to create relatable characters and engaging narratives that resonate with readers. The audio narration of Patti Murin definitely added to my reading enjoyment.

I’ve always loved Katherine Center’s writing, and The Love Haters was no exception. Her storytelling just flows, making it super easy to get lost in the book. The humor really stood out—I actually laughed out loud when Katie pretended to be a mannequin to avoid Hutch seeing her. That moment was gold! The supporting cast was fantastic, adding even more charm and depth to the story. And Patti Murin’s narration? She was spectacular! Her delivery was hilarious, expressive, and made listening to the book an absolute blast.

This book was not for me and not very satisfying as a love story. Most of the book took place in the main character’s head. There was little dialogue between main characters or actual time spent together on page. We’re just told that they spent all their time together and got to know each other without reading it… It also was more of a self-love journey than a love story. I didn’t think the characters felt real and I didn’t connect with any of them. The first half was rushed, the second half was absurd. I appreciate that Katherine Center books typically have growth in the main character and an interesting setting or job. It technically had both of those, it just wasn’t written in a way that worked.