The Love Haters, Katherine Center
The Love Haters, Katherine Center
14 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The Love Haters
A Novel

Bestseller

Author: Katherine Center

Narrator: Patti Murin

Unabridged: 10 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/20/2025

Synopsis

“Patti Murin skillfully narrates this engaging romance, capturing a wide range of emotions…Murin deftly adapts her narration to match the shifts in tone.”—AudioFile

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 Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

About Katherine Center

BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads' Best Books of the Year, and many more. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls her summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, “a shot of pure joy.” The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is now a Netflix original starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

About Patti Murin

Patti Murin is an acclaimed, Audie Award–nominated audiobook narrator celebrated for her vibrant, emotionally resonant performances. She has brought to life bestselling novels written by blockbuster authors Christina Lauren, Katherine Center, Jodi Picoult, among many others. Known for her sharp comedic timing and ability to embody complex characters, Patti specializes in contemporary romance and women’s fiction, and would love to explore all of the genres. She is a self-proclaimed and proud book nerd who routinely reads 200 books per year for pleasure. She is also a highly lauded musical theatre actor who originated the role of Princess Anna in Disney's Frozen on Broadway, and took a turn in the bubble as Galinda in Wicked. Keep an eye out for her on the Hallmark Channel in one of the many movies she has made!

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on May 23, 2025

I'm a devoted fan of Katherine Center, and I think I’ve only rated one of her books less than 5 stars. Unfortunately, this time, I’m reluctantly lowering my rating to 3 stars. This is my first three-star review for the author, and yes, this is an unpopular review alert! Don’t get me wrong—this is a......more

Goodreads review by ellen on March 31, 2025

thank you to netgalley for providing this arc! unfortunately having to DNF this one at 44% 🥲 i usually absolutely adore katherine center's books so this one is so sad for me. i personally found the fmc to be really hard to read from - there is a HUGE TW for body image/disordered eating in this one an......more

Goodreads review by Jayme on May 20, 2025

Soundtrack: The Song “Heart and Soul” Best heartwarming moment: The Flowers 🌺🌼🌺 Best Heartbreaking moment: Chapter 22 DO NOT PEEK! 🫣 Whenever I get the opportunity to read a Katherine Center book early, I move it straight to the top of my TBR pile! I love the ✨JOY✨ that her books usually bring. But thi......more

Goodreads review by ashlyn on May 20, 2025

Maybe I’m a love hater… This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and… I’m so disappointed. I knew 20 pages in that I wasn’t going to vibe with this book because the FMC was so annoying. I was literally gaslighting myself into thinking it would get better. BOY WAS I WRONG. She would state the......more

Goodreads review by naz on May 21, 2025

If you can take anything from my review, I hope it’s this: I liked it enough to laugh, enjoy some moments, and obviously finish it… but it didn’t HOOK ME like her other books 😕 First things first! I really hope the publisher added a trigger warning page (I only read the ARC), because the FMC struggle......more

Quotes

“Katherine Center’s latest romance is madcap, laugh-out-loud, and adrenaline-packed—but with a tender center: the reminder that our first love story always needs to be with ourselves.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 NYT bestselling author

"A documentary unites two people who are jaded about love in the sparkling latest from bestseller Center (The Rom-Commers). Fearing impending layoffs, Texas-based videographer Katie Vaughn gamely agrees to an assignment from her supervisor, Cole Hutcheson, to fly to Key West to film a profile of his brother, Hutch, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The assignment is complicated both by Katie’s inability to swim, which she failed to disclose to her boss and which makes joining Hutch on rescues impossible, and by her intense attraction to her subject, who, like her, has been burned by romance. The pair grow closer as both open up about their pasts, but their budding romance is forestalled when Cole shows up and ropes a reluctant Katie into a fake dating scheme. Add in the threat of a severe hurricane, and Center builds to a dramatic grand finale. She also surrounds her lovers with a colorful supporting cast, including Hutch and Cole’s Aunt Rue, who’s on a mission to add color to Katie’s dull wardrobe, and Great Dane George Bailey, who smothers Katie with affection. Striking a perfect balance of comedic moments and emotional authenticity, this may be Center’s best yet." --Publishers Weekly

Awards

  • Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
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