From the publisher:
It’s a thin line between love and love-hating in the newest laugh out loud, all the feels rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center.
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.“A documentary unites two people who are jaded about love in the sparkling latest from bestseller Center . . . Striking a perfect balance of comedic moments and emotional authenticity, this may be Center’s best yet.” —Publishers Weekly
Katie works for a small documentary production company. When her boss, Cole, assigns her to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson—a Coast Guard rescue swimmer based in Key West—she’s told the project is a recruitment video for the Coast Guard. What Katie doesn’t know is that Cole’s motives aren’t entirely professional: looming layoffs mean he’s hoping to keep her on staff, but more importantly, Hutch is his estranged brother. And they have a complicated history.
Katie has only one hesitation: the job seems to require swimming skills she doesn’t actually have. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, she fibs and says she can swim, figuring she’ll deal with it later.
Upon arriving in Key West, Katie learns she’ll be staying with Hutch’s Aunt Rue, who owns a cluster of seaside cottages. Rue also rents to a circle of lively, divorced and widowed friends—the “gals”—who quickly take Katie under their wing and become invested in both her assignment and her personal life.
When Katie meets Hutch, she’s floored—he’s the most attractive man she’s ever seen. Struggling with body image issues and lacking even a bathing suit, she’s relieved when Aunt Rue, who also owns a boutique, steps in to outfit her… though Rue’s idea of what Katie needs is a bit different from Katie’s own.
Hutch ends up tasked with teaching Katie to swim, and as they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly. Hutch’s lovable rescue Great Dane, George Bailey, also takes an instant liking to Katie, adding some heartwarming humor to the mix.
But Hutch, like Cole, has his own baggage when it comes to relationships. Eventually, the simmering tension between the brothers boils over in a dramatic confrontation, leaving Katie caught in the middle. Yet through the chaos, they all manage to navigate their personal struggles and find their way to a happy ending.
This was a fun, breezy read—maybe not quite up to the level of Center’s earlier novels, but still a cut above the average romcom, warm, funny, and full of heart. Maybe not Center’s best, but definitely a feel-good romcom worth curling up with for the weekend.
5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center. St. Martin’s Press. ISBN: 978-1250283825. 320p.
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