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stephaniepao 's review for:
The Love Haters
by Katherine Center
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
This was such a fun read that leaned more into comedy than romance—which surprised me as I was expecting a lot more romance. There are a lot of slapstick-style moments (ripped bathing suits, rogue dogs, unexpected chaos) that give the story its true rom-com energy. It’s very physical comedy—not so much clever banter or wit—and while that might not be for everyone, I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
Katie’s personal arc was actually my favorite part of the book. Her complicated relationship with her body is front and center, and the way Katherine Center described it as an enemies-to-lovers story between Katie and herself really resonated with me. Some readers might find parts of that journey uncomfortable or even a little triggering, but I appreciated the honesty of it and think a lot of people will see themselves in it.
The romance, though, was where this didn’t fully hit for me. Hutch is great on paper, but I wish we had seen more meaningful connection between him and Katie throughout the story. It’s a very slow burn, but so slow that it almost snuck up out of nowhere. And while I loved the Key West setting, I didn’t totally buy the setup—Katie’s assignment to film a promo video, and the idea that the shoot would take a month, didn’t really make sense. A project like that would usually have a tighter timeline and smaller budget, especially if funded by the government. Still, this is a heartfelt, entertaining story with plenty of emotional layers.
Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the digital copies.
Katie’s personal arc was actually my favorite part of the book. Her complicated relationship with her body is front and center, and the way Katherine Center described it as an enemies-to-lovers story between Katie and herself really resonated with me. Some readers might find parts of that journey uncomfortable or even a little triggering, but I appreciated the honesty of it and think a lot of people will see themselves in it.
The romance, though, was where this didn’t fully hit for me. Hutch is great on paper, but I wish we had seen more meaningful connection between him and Katie throughout the story. It’s a very slow burn, but so slow that it almost snuck up out of nowhere. And while I loved the Key West setting, I didn’t totally buy the setup—Katie’s assignment to film a promo video, and the idea that the shoot would take a month, didn’t really make sense. A project like that would usually have a tighter timeline and smaller budget, especially if funded by the government. Still, this is a heartfelt, entertaining story with plenty of emotional layers.
Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the digital copies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder