Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Every book I read by Katherine Center is better than the last. And this one definitely fit that bill. She takes some that may appear ordinary and makes it extraordinary.
Kate Vaughn needs to save her job. So when the opportunity to follow famous coast guard Tom "Hutch" Hutchinson presents itself through her coworker Cole, she takes the leap. Never mind she can't swim and the assignment requires her to learn what coast guard rescue swimmers must endure to become part of, she'll do anything to make sure she keeps her job. Even present just a few lies Hutch and his family/friends. She'll need to face her fears to do well but can she also open her heart to be happy?
I loved Kate's character. She grows so much during this book. She starts out trapping herself in lies to get where she needs to go. But as she progresses she learns the things she needs to learn in order to survive her assignment. She also learns to open up and let her heart feel things she never thought would come up on an assignment with the Coast Guard. She creates relationships with those around her and finds a found family she was never looking for. Her biggest change is the confidence she gains about her body. Eating disorders are no joke. They literally become your entire personality and without therapy can overtake your life and become all you are. Center does really good job of showing how this disorder forms who Kate is. I could feel her anguish over this throughout the book. Often times these things come across as not realistic for me but I could feel just how hard it was for Kate's character to grow and change in this area. Center promotes body positivity in a realistic and relatable way.
Hutch, oof. Definitely a new book boyfriend for me. He's so much more than what he seems on the surface. His sibling rivalry with Cole is just what I would picture happening with two brothers who always seemed to be competing with each other. Though I think the competition was more on Cole's end than Hutch's. I appreciated Hutch's wanting to be out of the spotlight and just do his job. After all, his job is to save lives and that is what made him famous. But why should he be any different than the others who do the same every day?
I always worry about single POV romances. So many times I am wishing I could see what is going on in the other character's mind. But Center does a good job showing all the characters through Kate's POV. And of course Kate's insecurities are so much easier to understand when you're in her mind. The experience of the story through Kate's POV is perfect. I loved the banter Kate showed us with all the characters. Plus we got a great perspective on Hutch's found family and how they care for him.
The romance was a little bit of insta-love for me, thus the drop in my rating from 5 to 4 stars. There was some good organic growth but I feel like it happened too quickly.
As for the side characters, there is nothing like being in the middle of a bunch of older ladies talking about men, love, and so many other things. And Rue, gah, she cares so much for Cole and Hutch despite the circumstances under which they came into her care (won't give spoilers here but it will make you tear up). I low key hated Cole. I still can't forgive him for how he acted and I'm not sure how Kate and Hutch do!
The show stopper was George Bailey, Hutch's Great Dane. This dog is full of personality and fun. I just could not get enough of him and I loved how he formed a relationship with Kate.
But let's talk about Patti Murin. I absolutely adore her and will listen to anything she narrates. I love her inflection, her tone of voice, how she voices all the characters so distinctly, and the pace she sets. She really is perfect for Center's books and I hope she will always be the narrator for them.
As with all of Center's books, I was sad to be done with this one and almost immediately wanted to pick it back up and start again. That is the sign of a good book that burrows itself into your heart and makes a home there. If you are looking for a feel good book that promotes self love, digging into who you are, and learning to accept your perfect imperfections, Center gives it all!