The Love Haters
A Novel
-
-
4.5 • 28 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
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.
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This summery rom-com blends antic humor with real heart. Videographer Katie’s recent breakup was disturbingly public: Her musician ex-fiancé has blown up thanks to the song he wrote about dumping her. Oh, and there are rumors of layoffs at her company. So when she hears about a high-profile assignment to direct a Coast Guard recruitment video in Key West, she jumps at the chance. Even though she can’t swim. And Hutch, the rescue swimmer she’s supposed to profile, is the estranged brother of her supervisor. Pitch-perfect misunderstandings and complications ensue. Romance star Katherine Center has a knack for memorable secondary characters, from a bumptious Great Dane named George Bailey to Hutch and Cole’s delightful Aunt Rue and her partners in crime, the Gals. And she treats topics like online bullying and body dysmorphia with thoughtful sensitivity. The Love Haters is made to be read while on a towel next to the nearest pool.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
