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emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve read all but one of Katherine Center’s books and I have to say this is my absolute favorite! I appreciate that she writes closed door romm-comms. It’s rare to find a solid closed door heartfelt funny romance novel.
I feel like Center’s writing has really evolved. The Love Haters tackles multiple serious issues as her previous novels while still keeping true to her humor and lightheartedness and of course pulling at your heartstrings.
This particular story focused on self love which, seriously, we can all use more of. The FMC, Katie, is so critical of her body she struggles with naming a body part she loves or even finds beautiful. She is “scared” of wearing swimsuits and covers her body as much as she can. Her wardrobe consists of black clothing to draw the attention away from herself and hide. She meets a woman named Rue who is a free spirit, showers Katie with colorful clothing and shows her how to enjoy life. There is also a male love interest, Hutch, who appreciates Katie and helps her with her self discovery.
Katie is such a relatable character with the dark wardrobe and the constant struggle of loving and accepting herself which is difficult due to the criticism woman experience on their figures daily. Center seamlessly weaves the combination of self discovery and humor. I love that the story wasn’t focused on Katie changing her body but rather loving it.
4.5 stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Center and St Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 0/5
Romance, Women’s Fiction
First Person POV | Single Narrative | FMC - Katie
Setting: Key West, FL
How dare Katherine Center write this masterpiece. She has a way with writing stories that are both lighthearted and deeply meaningful. This is such an entertaining and delightful story that beautifully balances themes of self-discovery, family dysfunction, friendships, romance, and career challenges. She doesn’t shy away from exploring complex family dynamics or mental health obstacles, and she does so with a level of depth, realism, and humor that make the characters so much more relatable.
The romance between Katie and Hutch was slow burning and swoonworthy, mixed with tension and misunderstandings. Their chemistry was great and definitely had me wanting more of their passionate moments.
There’s also the love story of Katie and herself. This is a huge theme in the story, with big emotional revelations and a bff who only wants the best for her. Everyone needs a friend like Beanie!
Lastly, the Author’s Note at the end was absolutely beautiful and took the words right out of my mouth.
Oh and how could I forget Lucky?!? I love the little side stories that add to the main storyline and make it all the more entertaining and relatable. The random tidbits of information was fun to read and learn about too. I learned so much from this book, on so many different levels.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing me this advanced reader copy of the book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
Romance, Women’s Fiction
First Person POV | Single Narrative | FMC - Katie
Setting: Key West, FL
How dare Katherine Center write this masterpiece. She has a way with writing stories that are both lighthearted and deeply meaningful. This is such an entertaining and delightful story that beautifully balances themes of self-discovery, family dysfunction, friendships, romance, and career challenges. She doesn’t shy away from exploring complex family dynamics or mental health obstacles, and she does so with a level of depth, realism, and humor that make the characters so much more relatable.
The romance between Katie and Hutch was slow burning and swoonworthy, mixed with tension and misunderstandings. Their chemistry was great and definitely had me wanting more of their passionate moments.
There’s also the love story of Katie and herself. This is a huge theme in the story, with big emotional revelations and a bff who only wants the best for her. Everyone needs a friend like Beanie!
Lastly, the Author’s Note at the end was absolutely beautiful and took the words right out of my mouth.
Oh and how could I forget Lucky?!? I love the little side stories that add to the main storyline and make it all the more entertaining and relatable. The random tidbits of information was fun to read and learn about too. I learned so much from this book, on so many different levels.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing me this advanced reader copy of the book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a fan of Katherine Center, I'm sad I didn't connect more with The Love Haters. (I think others on here & other reviewing sites have already pointed out that the title of this book is odd at best and doesn't really align with the content). I kept looking for the spark that I usually feel in reading a romcom and I unfortunately have to say that I didn't feel it in this book. Her characters usually feel rich and emotional but they fell flat for me.
The basic synopsis is that our female main character, Katie, is a videographer worried about the latest round of layoffs at her firm. She's given an opportunity that she thinks may hold a layoff at bay - taking an assignment to shadow a U.S. Coast guard rescue diver in Key West, FL even though she, herself, cannot swim and is slightly terrified of anything water related. She meets Hutch and he's well... he's perfect. He's attractive and athletic and though a bit brooding by nature, he thinks Katie is pretty and by the second day he's giving her swimming lessons. As with any other Center novel, though, there's a lot more than is apparent from the surface. Which is when things get a little bit... sideways for me.
Katie and Hutch are both beautiful people who don't believe they're beautiful, so they need a quirky character trait. Katie unfortunately gets my least favorite character trait to convey complexity - body image issues that have been so well honed over the years that she nearly has a panic attack looking at a bathing suit. If you have a history of disordered eating, I imagine this novel would be fairly traumatizing to read, so please heed that content warning. Hutch, while a seeming caring, chill guy, reads hot and cold for no apparent reason all the time.
I really thought I understood the plot of this one until the last 25% - where it escalates into something that felt out of a different novel entirely. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing so much as that it felt completely out of left field and disconnected from what we'd been reading for much of the book.
Writ large, I was entertained (there was plenty of banter and moments of character growth and I did learn a lot about the coast guard) but it felt a little loose and sloppy for Katherine Center, who I consider up there with the best romcom authors. The Rom-Commers was one of my favorite romance novels of 2024, but this book - and these characters - missed some of the magic.
As a fan of Katherine Center, I'm sad I didn't connect more with The Love Haters. (I think others on here & other reviewing sites have already pointed out that the title of this book is odd at best and doesn't really align with the content). I kept looking for the spark that I usually feel in reading a romcom and I unfortunately have to say that I didn't feel it in this book. Her characters usually feel rich and emotional but they fell flat for me.
The basic synopsis is that our female main character, Katie, is a videographer worried about the latest round of layoffs at her firm. She's given an opportunity that she thinks may hold a layoff at bay - taking an assignment to shadow a U.S. Coast guard rescue diver in Key West, FL even though she, herself, cannot swim and is slightly terrified of anything water related. She meets Hutch and he's well... he's perfect. He's attractive and athletic and though a bit brooding by nature, he thinks Katie is pretty and by the second day he's giving her swimming lessons. As with any other Center novel, though, there's a lot more than is apparent from the surface. Which is when things get a little bit... sideways for me.
Katie and Hutch are both beautiful people who don't believe they're beautiful, so they need a quirky character trait. Katie unfortunately gets my least favorite character trait to convey complexity - body image issues that have been so well honed over the years that she nearly has a panic attack looking at a bathing suit. If you have a history of disordered eating, I imagine this novel would be fairly traumatizing to read, so please heed that content warning. Hutch, while a seeming caring, chill guy, reads hot and cold for no apparent reason all the time.
I really thought I understood the plot of this one until the last 25% - where it escalates into something that felt out of a different novel entirely. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing so much as that it felt completely out of left field and disconnected from what we'd been reading for much of the book.
Writ large, I was entertained (there was plenty of banter and moments of character growth and I did learn a lot about the coast guard) but it felt a little loose and sloppy for Katherine Center, who I consider up there with the best romcom authors. The Rom-Commers was one of my favorite romance novels of 2024, but this book - and these characters - missed some of the magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Misogyny, Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail