Genre: Romance, Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’ve read nearly every book Katherine Center has published, and while my feelings about them often land in a similar place, I always go in with an open mind.

Usually, I don’t love reviewing books I rate in the middle, it’s easier when a book is amazing or disappointing. This one is a bit different. Overall, it was a very good book, yet certain small choices weakened the story for me, while other moments redeemed it. Ultimately, the ending of The Love Haters by Katherine Center is what pulled my rating down to three stars. But let’s get into it.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center leans more toward contemporary fiction, with what I’d call a medium level of romance. By that, I mean the romantic storyline is strong and central, but it isn’t the sole focus of the book.

Here, we follow Katie Vaughn, a videographer on the brink of being fired, who’s assigned to interview Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson for a Coast Guard promo after he rescues a dog. The catch? Hutch happens to be the brother of Katie’s boss, who refuses to do the interview himself because of a long-standing inferiority complex, consistently comparing himself to his perfect brother and other, frankly, dumb reasons.

Overall the story is strong, as much as I think some of it is dumb, I absolutely loved the characterization. Center provided situations and dialogue that is somewhat ridiculous, but I think it’s a good reminder that emotions are silly a lot of the time. Much of the plot was due to various lies by Katie’s boss and assumptions Katie and Hutch have about each other. However, I really appreciate a lot of the candid dialogue that Katie has with Hutch and his Aunt especially. I also think it’s dumb that it’s called the love haters when like yea Katie was jilted, and Hutch doesn’t date much, but it didn’t tie into the story enough other than a single sentence from Hutch’s brother.

The main reason Katherine Center’s books often land at a mediocre rating for me is her endings. I can handle a cliffhanger if it’s clarified later, but the way this one was tied up was downright infuriating. After a natural disaster shakes things up, Hutch tells Katie that what he did was a “love” action, not an obligation. I’m sitting there like, I WANT A PROFESSION OF LOVE, AND I WANT IT NOW.

Instead, the epilogue casually mentions that Hutch and Katie now live next door to each other, and that he spends more time at her house because “that’s where all the fun people are.” Cute? Sure. Cheeky? Absolutely. Acceptable for a novel tagged as romance? Absolutely not.

It’s especially frustrating because Hutch had so many sweet, thoughtful moments throughout the book that showed he cared. Then the ending just… rushes everything. I love a big, dramatic moment where perspective shifts and a couple comes together. I want to see the payoff. I wanted to hear how worried he was, I wanted him professing his love after she saved his dog. Not this rushed, half-baked wrap-up.

The ending leaned heavily on Katie’s personal growth and healing, which, on its own, is fine. Much of the book centered on her trauma and journey of self-discovery, and I get that. I don’t mind digging into a character’s backstory if it helps us understand how she loves and wants to be loved. But if that’s where so much focus goes, then I also want balance, I want an extra 30 pages showing how Katie and Hutch actually fall together rather than A SINGLE SENTENCE.

I stand by my statement that not every good writer knows how to tell a fulfilling story. Do not write a book labeled as romance if I don’t have satisfactory confirmation that the couple ends up together. That is a cardinal rule of rom-coms.