Quick Synopsis

A new rom-com where Katie pretends to be the girlfriend of one brother to line up a career-making gig profiling the other, Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson. She ends up falling for Hutch, but he thinks that she’s the one woman he can’t touch.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past―now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim―but pretends that she can. 

Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. Next stop: paradise! But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good-looking man she has ever seen . . . but maybe a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue―along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last. 

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue―along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

Book Review

The Love Haters is Katherine Center’s newest romance novel that follows filmmaker Katie as she takes a gig to hopefully keep her job. Cole, her kind-of-boss, assigns her to make a promotional film about the Coast Guard starring none other than his brother, Hutch, a viral hero who rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Katie accepts the job not disclosing that she cannot swim.

I am typically a Katherine Center fan. I like that her books feature characters that are full-fledge women who have their own lives outside of romance. The plots of her novels usually feature the protagonist overcoming an obstacle, healing from trauma, or growing. Yet, the synopsis of The Love Haters does not disclose what Katie’s issue is, since it is not part of the central plot. And herein lies the issue that forced me to put aside the book unfinished.

While I understand the need for trigger or content warnings, I have always been someone who skims past them to avoid plot spoilers. I also do this because I have never needed them. (Thank you, therapy.) However, The Love Haters desperately needs a warning (or at least inclusion of Katie’s struggle in the synopsis). I have seen very few reviews that are not positive for this book, and I feel like I have a duty to warn readers who could be potentially harmed by picking up the novel.

At least the first 20 percent of The Love Haters focuses on Katie as she takes the Coast Guard gigs and begins her stint in Key West. During this time, there is a near constant focus on Katie’s body and her body image. There is descriptive and extremely negative self-talk, while the narration also makes it clear that Katie is a thin person. She is 130 pounds and upset that her thighs touch. As I mentioned, the focus on her body is relentless, detailing Katie’s body, what she eats, how she looks, etc. I found it is done in a way that is both overwhelming and shaming.

I usually feel an obligation to finish books that are gifted to me by publishers, and I do not DNF easily. However, I felt like I need to put The Love Haters aside for the sake of my mental health. I have never ever been triggered by a book before, but this one did the trick before I even met the love interest. I want to make clear that this is not the first book I have read that deals with these topics, it is the first one I read that did so in a distasteful manner. Center desperately needed a sensitivity reader or two prior to publishing. If you have never experienced negative thoughts about how you feel in your body or how you look, you may not notice it. However, if you have struggled with your body image, eating disorders, etc. I would recommend steering clear of The Love Haters.