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If I had to pick a favourite author, I’d say Katherine Center! This was everything I hoped for. Incredibly heartfelt, hilarious (I legit giggled multiple times), and ok, a little over the top. But in that theatrical, charmingly silly sort of way, you know? I love that her stories never feel formulaic, and beneath all the fun, there’s always a deeply meaningful emotional core. Her writing scratches an itch in my brain every single time!
I loved seeing two really unique careers in action! Katie is a video producer begrudgingly tasked with documenting the life of Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. It was so romantic, adventurous, and unexpectedly thrilling. And Hutch was an absolute 10/10. I will say, the whole storyline from an HR standpoint is ... questionable. But do I care? No. I'm happy to suspend a little disbelief for a Katherine Center book. They are pure joy!
I loved seeing two really unique careers in action! Katie is a video producer begrudgingly tasked with documenting the life of Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. It was so romantic, adventurous, and unexpectedly thrilling. And Hutch was an absolute 10/10. I will say, the whole storyline from an HR standpoint is ... questionable. But do I care? No. I'm happy to suspend a little disbelief for a Katherine Center book. They are pure joy!
I felt Katie's journey through body image struggles and self-doubt was written with such compassion and realness. Seeing her recognize the damage of her own inner critic and slowly learn to love herself was so touching. Katherine Center always hits me in the feels with her signature message of positivity and hope. Once again, I was left with happy tears and a little emotionally lighter than before. All the stars!
(heat level: kissing only)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
(heat level: kissing only)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Extremely negative self-talk and a constant focus on a thin person's body image issues. As a fat person, I have never ever been triggered by a book before, but this one did the trick before I even reached 20%. The nonstop focus on her body, what she ate, how she looked, etc. was too much and done in a distasteful and shaming manner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia
Moderate: Grief
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Katherine Center has another hit with The Love Haters! I love her writing, which mixes humor in with romance tropes, and also covers some deeper topics along the way. This time, our female main character is Katie, who has body image issues, among other things. She’s a videographer and works professionally on business-oriented videos. She’s quite good at her job, but the company is planning on downsizing a lot and so her job is on the line. When her direct supervisor, Cole, wants her to film a promotional video for the Coast Guard, featuring a rescue swimmer based in Key West, Florida, Katie jumps at the chance, in spite of her not knowing how to swim (a requirement for the job), in the hope of saving her job/not being laid off. It turns out that the rescue swimmer in question is actually Cole’s older brother, Hutch.
Katie has major body image issues and she hasn’t worn a swimsuit in ages. A large part of this is due to a very critical stepmother, which made me really sad to read about. The other part is from being mocked on social media for her looks and her clothing choices (by fans of her ex, a rock musician). I think a huge number of women will totally relate to Katie on these topics. There is so much pressure to look a certain way, to fit into a certain size, etc. Her best friend, Beanie, tries to give her pep talks, asking Katie to think/say nice things about her body, but it’s a difficult road for Katie. (From the cover illustration and from the text, I do not think Katie is a “plus size” person, just a normal young woman who thinks she’s overweight.) Beanie also has good advice for Katie in terms of learning to swim: face your fears; do the thing that scares you. Easier said than done, of course!
I loved Cole and Hutch’s Aunt Rue, and her “gals” in Key West. The gals weren’t really delineated; they were kind of a faceless bunch to me, but Rue is delightful! With Katie’s luggage gone astray, Rue outfits Katie in colorful clothes, the absolute opposite of what Katie usually wears (black t-shirts and black jeans, for example).
I also loved Hutch, even though he seemed way too perfect at first. Learning his and Cole’s and Rue’s backstories were emotional revelations. There’s an undertone of grief below the surface for all three of them. And I also fell in love with George Bailey (ha!), Hutch’s Great Dane, who seems to have a thing for running into and knocking Katie over. What I didn’t really care for, was Cole and his approach to life, lying and his brother. Oh well. That’s a minor nitpick.
As always, Patti Murin knocks the narration out of the park!
Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end, full of interesting thoughts on the magic of stories, and learning to love yourself for yourself. “We can train our own eyes to look with kindness, and pay attention to what’s beautiful, and focus on what’s right instead of what’s wrong.”
Thank you to St. Martin’s Presss and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I was between a 3.75 and 4 star rating for this book, I decided a 4 is the rating for now.
I enjoyed the story but there were some elements that needed a touch more of sensitivity, in my opinion. I have been a fan of Katherine Center’s books for a few years now and have enjoyed most of her works, so I want to give this one the benefit of the doubt.
I liked the characters, the plot, and the romance of this book. I always appreciate a found family book, especially one like this.
***Semi-Spoiler***
The main character has an eating disorder and a complicated relationship with her body and how she looks.
I have complicated feelings about the way this was handled and I believe that it could be damaging to someone who is actively working through an eating disorder of their own.
I enjoyed the story but there were some elements that needed a touch more of sensitivity, in my opinion. I have been a fan of Katherine Center’s books for a few years now and have enjoyed most of her works, so I want to give this one the benefit of the doubt.
I liked the characters, the plot, and the romance of this book. I always appreciate a found family book, especially one like this.
***Semi-Spoiler***
The main character has an eating disorder and a complicated relationship with her body and how she looks.
I have complicated feelings about the way this was handled and I believe that it could be damaging to someone who is actively working through an eating disorder of their own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am having a hard time rating this book because I am truly just in shock. I finished it last night and I'm still not certain what I read. I was listening to the audiobook, literally screaming every time something new happened. I'm a big fan of Katherine Center's previous books and was excited to see this new one come out - and set in the Florida Keys, no less! I thought I knew what I was getting into. A lighthearted romance with a few tear-jerking emotional breakthroughs sprinkled in. And, yes, that is exactly how the first half of the book goes. And then.
At some point, and completely without warning, the book somehow shifts into a thriller with a first-person narration of my actual greatest fear that lasted 1.5 hours with me listening at 1.5 speed. I truly don't know how to properly explain the visceral experience of listening to/reading this book without spoilers, but I promise this is only scratching the surface. The main character spends hours coming to terms with her own mortality while also trying to keep an injured animal alive in a life-and-death emergency scenario. Every aspect of this emergency scenario is explained in gritty, terrifying detail and every eventuality is taken to the ultimate extreme. Surviving a hurricane on a houseboat isn't enough - we need that houseboat to go adrift at sea and eventually sink, leaving her to tread water in the open ocean. Oh, and she has an injured dog with her who is leaking blood into the water and making noises to summon the circling sharks. Every additional detail from that point of the book on only grew more and more bizarre. Even the epilogue and happy ending was strange and unpredictable. This book was a wild ride and I need to find more people who have read it so I can scream about it with them.
At some point, and completely without warning, the book somehow shifts into a thriller with a first-person narration of my actual greatest fear that lasted 1.5 hours with me listening at 1.5 speed. I truly don't know how to properly explain the visceral experience of listening to/reading this book without spoilers, but I promise this is only scratching the surface. The main character spends hours coming to terms with her own mortality while also trying to keep an injured animal alive in a life-and-death emergency scenario. Every aspect of this emergency scenario is explained in gritty, terrifying detail and every eventuality is taken to the ultimate extreme. Surviving a hurricane on a houseboat isn't enough - we need that houseboat to go adrift at sea and eventually sink, leaving her to tread water in the open ocean. Oh, and she has an injured dog with her who is leaking blood into the water and making noises to summon the circling sharks. Every additional detail from that point of the book on only grew more and more bizarre. Even the epilogue and happy ending was strange and unpredictable. This book was a wild ride and I need to find more people who have read it so I can scream about it with them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, War
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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 received a galley from @netgalley- The Love Haters by @katherinecenter; this book comes out on May 20th and I am telling you to preorder this one IMMEDIATELY! I absolutely loved this one- Katie and Huck are a great combo, but I fell in love with Rue and The Gals! Center is one of my favorite authors because her romance books are so deep- the character development and side stories feel like a warm hug and always make me feel introspective. Her characters are relatable and when you see them healing, a part of you heals too! This story is so deep and the characters work through so many complex emotions and relationship dynamics. This book is my top read of the year and I’m so excited for everyone to get to read this next month!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Toxic friendship
Minor: Terminal illness
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
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a whole, I enjoyed this. Katie is a videographer in DTX (shoutout) who gets sent to Key West to shoot a promotional video for the US Coast Guard - specifically, Hutch, who is a mega-hot super perfect rescue diver. While there, Katie finds self-love, the love of a found family, and....you guessed it....romantic love. Overall a cute, witty, and heartwarming story with a lot of fun and wacky adventures that bring some unrealistic scenarios to an otherwise mildly relatable story.
For the details: One of the main topics in this story was Katie and her view of herself and relationship with her body while dealing with body dysmorphia. It's quite prevalent, and while it is an important conversation, parts of it had me feeling a little uncomfortable with the execution. It sometimes felt a little flippant for the weight of it, and at first had me thinking she was going to find her self worth through a man - which I wasn't a fan of. It ultimately WASN'T that, but I do think it's riding very close to that line. We see how healing is cyclical, but at the same time Katie's healing journey did seem to come in fast waves (no pun intended) at times that made it sound like it was just that easy to get over something so deep. Overall, probably not the worst portrayal of body dysmorphia/self-love, but definitely not the best.
Some things I really liked: Rue and The Gals. Obviously. Rue brings the light-hearted comedic relief energy in such a fun, beachy setting that it makes me wish I could just move to Florida and hang with the local women in their 60s. Hutch and Katie were a bit insta-love, but cute (and it's a relatively short book) so l'll let it slide. I loved the overall vibes and setting of this story, and if it were a song it's definitely "S|**!" by Taylor Swift: from the vibrant colors, to the beachy feel, to the "in a world of boys he's a gentleman". Also really appreciated that this wasn't smutty!! I'm definitely not a smut hater, but lately I've been finding myself wanting less of it and so this not having any explicit scenes was actually a breath of fresh air for me. Sometimes I just want and easy romance without all the dirty details and this delivered that aspect perfectly to me. I could still feel the tension and that was just enough for me.
I would say proceed with caution and without high expections, but it's a fun story to breeze through for the summer season especially if you're by a pool or with a drink in hand!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital
ARC! All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Grief
CW: body dysmorphia, body shaming, grief