cw: death of a parent, medical content
what you’ll read:
👋 an emotional storyline that comes with a romance
👋 a main character dealing with sudden face blindness
👋 katherine center’s typical romance alongside hard life situations and sprinkled with her humour
👋 closed door romance

overall I enjoyed the story but not so much the romance and didn’t find this one compared to the bodyguard which I adored.

👍🏼
- I love how this is a romance but it also really follows our FMC and how she is navigating a new diagnosis and her resulting new life
- there were a lot of humorous moments that I enjoyed
- her dog was so sweet and I was just so in love with peanut
- I loved that Sadie is an artist! It was fun to see her painting and work with Joe to make her portrait perfect for a competition she was entering
- the ending was perfect. I got everything I wanted from the end
👎🏼
- I wasn’t super invested in the romance. i’m not exactly sure why, I think it was a bit slow, not slow burn but just slow to realize their feelings
- there is a twist that I guessed and that ended up leaving me unsatisfied with the way it was done
- kind of related to the above point, a lot of the story I found very unbelievable and I just couldn’t get past that

similar book recs:
🎨 evvie drake starts over by linda holmes
🎨 float plan by trish doller
🎨 life’s too short by abbey jimenez (I have not read this one but it gives similar vibes)

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I knew by seeing the cover of Hello Stranger that it would be uplifting and fun, an easy rom-com, and I was right! I truly enjoyed the light reading, and the down to Earth and relatable characters. What I was not expecting, other than the big twist at the end, was the thoroughly interesting part of the novel about facial blindness and the intriguing and deep emotional parts that went with it. This is what really pulled me in, kept me utterly engaged and interested, and made the book even more memorable to me. I had never heard of it before and it was interesting to read and learn about. I welcomed and appreciated the note about prosopagnosia at the end of the book, it was fascinating to me. It made me appreciate how the author took the topic that clearly was well researched and weave it into this delightful love story.

I couldn’t put this one down! I loved the heartwarming story and the characters and somehow fell even more in love with it after reading the author’s note about why she writes romance. Her focus on hope and healing is so special and very much needed and appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Katherine Center ranks up there as one of my favorite authors and I have enjoyed the majority of her novels, but I feel like this one fell short. Everything started off strong with Sadie - a portrait artist who has a seizure, gets brain surgery, and then develops prosopagnosia (face blindness), but then I felt like parts of the plot just got confusing. I found myself going back a few times and rereading paragraphs, because some of the actions just did not add up. Katherine does an amazing job of detailing what Sadie was experiencing, but there was something missing. About 75% of the way through, I started to pick up on the "twist", but honestly by then, I was ready for it to be over. I know I won't love every book from my favorites authors, so I'll put this one behind me and look forward to Katherine's next release.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second novel that I have devoured from this author, and I am officially a fan. What I love about her stories is that they are so unpredictable, and you get a nice surprise in the storytelling.

Sadie is a portrait artist who just learned she is a finalist in a contest for her art. She is so excited and confident that she can win the first prize. She wants to celebrate with her friends, but that is thwarted as she is injured in an accident that changes her life.

She learns that she has "face blindness" and is devasted as she has to submit her portrait soon to the judges and the rules require a live subject. She is able to see everything except for faces, and now she must depend on her other senses to recognize the people around her. This is where the story got more interesting, funny and at times uncomfortable.

Sadie is determined to complete the portrait because her late mother was an artist and had also wanted to win this contest. She misses her mom and is still grieving. She is estranged from her father who appears cold in the beginning, and she has a challenging stepmother and an evil stepsister to deal with.

Sadie also meets Oliver and Joe and in spite of her inability to see their faces, she feels she has a connection with both and the distraction of the attraction keeps her optimistic. Their stories are very sweet, and you are just hoping that Sadie will get her happiness soon.

Sadie evolves in the storytelling from a young woman with limits to a woman who went through a life change and found her courage and love herself. I wanted to give Sadie a high five by the end of the story, she was a great character.

Katherine Center does emotion in romance novels so so well. About The Bodyguard I said, "come for the bodyguard romance and stay for the emotional development of the male protagonist." In Hello Stranger, Sadie's emotional development really shines. Her relationships with herself, her family, and her illness were all very well developed.

I'm not a crier (I swear!), but both Hello Stranger and The Bodyguard made me tear up. (In the best way)

The disability representation in Hello Stranger was fantastic. I really enjoyed experiencing Sadie's journey with being newly disabled (though that is not a term she ever uses herself) and learning to approach the world in new ways. I think her story will be very relatable to those who have developed a chronic illness or disability later in life. It certainly was relatable to me.

One thing I wish was addressed was Sadie's relationship with her best friend. I thought Sue didn't always treat her the best (which Sadie seemed to be aware of), but she doesn't really stand up for herself. One other thing is that by virtue of the structure of the story, you don't get to see the main characters exist and grow together as a couple that much. But I don't think the story lacks for it.

Also - this is absolutely a Cinderella retelling and no one can tell me otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up.

After an accident leaves fine artist Sadie face blind, she struggles to cope and navigate her flailing career while possibly falling in love with two men.

I enjoyed this one but it’s not a favorite of mine from Center. I feel like there was too much build up and explanation of the face blindness that felt repetitive, and the whole story is a big miscommunication. While I sympathized with Sadie, she was also a very selfish character who never thought about anyone but her own problems.

There was still a lot to enjoy! I loved Joe’s character and how well he took care and supported Sadie — he’s a great book boyfriend. I also loved the found family element with the Kims and the bit of family drama from Sadie’s family. I think I was expecting more character growth but it was a lot of telling and very little showing in the end.

Mixed thoughts on this overall but I think many will enjoy. Center’s author note at the end is 10/10 as she highlights the joy of romance books so keep reading once the story ends for that gem!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the AERC of this book.

This is the second time I am reading a book from Katherine Center. I enjoy this book more than the first book I read. This book have a great plot and really a fun read.

Sadie's story is unique and cute.

Will totally recommend this purchase.

I really enjoyed the takeaway message of this book! While the romance and banter made me grin, the mystery of Sadie’s condition and situation kept me interested. And a huge bonus for me was learning about facial blindness. I love the opportunity to learn something new while enjoying a story! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Hello Stranger!

Katherine Center just has a way of writing a book that makes your heart swell. And this book, that I devoured in less than a day, is no exception.
Hello Stranger is the story of Sadie, who gets the best news of her career immediately before waking up in a hospital bed, and needing surgery that causes her brain to swell, rending her brain partly broken and unable to continue with art as she knows it.
During her recovery, her dog gets sick and she quickly determines her vet is her future husband. But he blows off her date and she ends up spending time with her bad-boy neighbor.
Oh Sadie. She pulled on my heartstrings, what with the aging dog and continually grieving her mom. I really enjoyed Sadie.
I really loved this book.
Thank you Katherine Center for continuing to write and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early.

Katherine Center is one of my auto-read authors, and I am always excited when I see she has a new book coming out. Hello Stranger lives up to my high expectations, with a twist that I was not expecting. I literally couldn't put the book down, and read it straight through in one day.

The concept of face-blindness is difficult to comprehend, but Center has brought it to life in this new novel. As always, her characters are easy to like, the love interest(s) are swoon-worthy, and the supporting cast is well-fleshed out. Her novels are also relentlessly hope-filled, and Hello Stranger is no exception. You can't help but feel optimistic during and after reading this book!

I especially enjoy the author's note that is included in the book, where Ms. Center talks about why she (and we) loves romance novels. It really struck a chord with me, as I find myself leaning back into romances when I want to get away from the stress of the world for a while. They are the truest escape I know.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. The opinions in this review are my own.

At first the medical parts had me a bit against the odds on this one… but the plot was cute (even if you figure it out pretty quick).

Fun and happy, feel good vibes that I didn’t expect to hit me. The novel moves at a very face pace. It melds together many worlds while highlighting real life problems. I enjoyed it!

Sadie Montgomery is ready to celebrate after qualifying as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition, an accomplishment which mirrors her now deceased mother’s achievement some years prior. She also sees this as her chance to finally prove to her father (and herself) that her art is a worthwhile endeavor. But before long, that’s about all she sees.

In the blink of an eye, Sadie wakes up in a hospital room, her diagnosis a rare brain disorder that must be operated on ASAP to avoid an even worse injury than the one she incurred. While Sadie has every intention of putting the surgery off, her estranged father insists she must take the condition seriously. Knowing that time is of the essence, Sadie times it all so she will be able to recover and still pursue winning the much needed $10,000 prize. But after the procedure, she develops a rare complication that results in a lack of facial recognition. Known as facial blindness, the artist in Sadie is ironically rendered useless until the condition improves, assuming that it does at all. Given her newfound impairment, Sadie has no choice but to wait it out. But while she’s waiting, she someone manages to find herself torn between the attention of two very different men, both of which she clicks with despite being able to see them. They say love is blind, but in Sadie’s case nothing can be more true.

Hello Stranger is the latest rom com from one of my favorite authors, the incomparable, @katherinecenter. I had no idea face blindness aka prosopagnosia was a real condition til now, perfect fodder for romantic hijinks. While I found her best friend Sue to be repeatedly selfish and her stepsister Parker to be cartoonishly evil, this just added to the escapism of the story for me. Growing up, rom com movies were my jam. These days they are like an endangered species.

All things considered, Hello Stranger provides hope that there are still love stories out there worth seeing. 😉

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was very intrigued and this is my second read from Katherine. I ended up shocked with how much I really enjoyed it considering at the very beginning, I felt iffy about whether or not I was going to get into the story after chapter 1-3
Sadie was a great character and I loved her development as well as the relationship she worked out by the end of the story with Lucinda and her father. I absolutely adored peanut I loved the moments between him and Sadie. The comfort he gave her was so cute.
Joe and Dr.Oliver Anderson !?!? I knew there was gonna be a twist. I just didn’t think it was gonna be that they were the same person!!! I knew that either one of them was the good Samaritan that had helped her out in the beginning of the story, but I did not know it was the same person😂😭 I loved that she ended up with them both lol the vet and helpful/once weasel of a guy. I also really enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Kim care for Sadie they were in the sense for me parental figures for her. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and how much Sadie learn about herself throughout her experience after brain surgery as well, as reminiscing about her mother. Beautiful job! Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

Another fantastic book from this author!
Great plot and characters.
Really enjoyed reading this!

Sadie Montgomery gets the best news and worst news on the same day. On the positive side, she's a finalist in a very prestigious art competition that will help her finally show her family that she chose the right path in life. On the negative, she's got a brain issue that could kill her if she doesn't operate immediately. So she gets the operation thinking she'll have time to recover and paint, except she wakes up with face blindness, meaning her eyes see people's faces but her brain can't interpret them.
The story follows Sadie as she navigates her new reality, her desire to still paint, and a new perspective on a neighbor that leads to some perfectly swoon-worthy moments. We get to see her messed up family history heal a little bit, how hard she's worked and continues to work to make her life, the people who are there to love and support her, and get some positive thinking points to go along with it.
The romance is sweet and supportive, and even though the big twist is obvious from the very beginning, it's also incredibly satisfying. It's a relationship born of support and friendship that will give even the most cynic person a little dose of hope.
I loved everything about this book, the least of which is that it helped me realize that I quite possibly have mild face blindness and it explains so much. Aside from that bit of personal TMI, it's a wonderfully emotional story that had me caring about Sadie from the get-go and left me with a positively giddy feeling of all's right with the world.
Kudos to Center for crafting yet another wonderful novel.

Delightfully happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the wonderful read!

The concept of Hello Stranger is unique as I do not recall reading a story involving face blindness before, so I was excited to try it. The story follows 29-year-old Sadie Montgomery who is struggling in life. She constantly wants to prove herself to her father, who seems disinterested in her life. She has a rocky relationship with her stepmother, Lucinda, and has an evil stepsister, Parker. As a struggling portrait artist, she does not have funds, so she is lucky that her best friend, Sue’s (Soo Hyun) parents have an extra space in their building that she gets to live and work in for free. She believes her life may finally be turning around when she discovers that she is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition for a chance at $10,000. Unfortunately, she faints and ends up in a hospital where she walks out with a face blindness condition that may or may not get better. The story follows her life as she tries to adjust to this new way of life.

She ends up meeting a guy who lives in her building, Joe, who does not leave a great first impression. Luckily, he shows her a different side of himself and the two end up closer. When Sadie’s furry best friend, Peanut, gets sick, she rushes him to the hospital where she meets Dr. Oliver Addison. This adds even another obstacle in Sadie’s life as romance may be in the cards. This was an interesting addition and how it ends up does make sense, however, some of the details were lacking in how all the pieces should fit together. The relationships that are formed between Sadie and each suitor was well-done as they fit Sadie’s ridiculous nature.

As a character, Sadie was not likeable, for me. Some readers may enjoy her or find her more tolerable, but I found her selfish and narrow-minded. It was already odd to me how Sadie was almost 30 and struggling extremely with finances yet did not even bother to work part time to earn money while she continued to pursue her dreams. While I sympathized with her journey, the story does center around her character helping her or getting to know her, but she never seemed to reciprocate. Her character though does experience some growth, which was great, although I wish there was a little for her friend Sue. She seemed to lack empathy as Sadie is going through a lot and it was as-if she didn’t care. Since I was lucky enough to read the ebook version and listen to the audiobook, for me, the audiobook did help make the characters a little more bearable, but not the best. I think some of this story needed more work in the details, but I still loved Center’s writing style. Overall, I loved the concept more than the execution, but I think many readers will love everything. I look forward reading more from Center in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy before publication in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sadie Montgomery is an up and coming portrait artist who just placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. Next she’s in a freak accident and wakes up in the hospital and finds out she needs brain surgery, which she tries to put off. After having the surgery, she awakens to find out that she has a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. From here she tries to come to terms with her new normal and figure out how to stay in this competition because she really needs the money. She also has a strained relationship with her Father and Stepmother and her psycho stepsister. And wow, she’s a real piece of work! Sadie ends up in an interesting love triangle with her beloved dog Peanut’s Veterinarian and her hot neighbor. What follows is a really interesting look into this condition and how she learns to cope with it. Of course wires get crossed and several misunderstandings occur. Sadie can’t really trust her instincts right now, her brain just seems broken. I enjoyed seeing how it all played out. I did have a lot of it figured out, but it was a story filled with hope that explored some themes of loss and grief as well. Overall, I really liked this one a lot. Katherine Center is an author I can always count on for a good romance book! I will continue to read her work in the future.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I’m a big Katherine Center fan, and if you’re also one, I really think you’ll enjoy this. It’s her classic feel-good, happy vibe we keep coming back for!

The story was very unique, which is hard to do in romance! Yes, we’ve got some tropes, but there was more to the story.

There were times I found Sadie shallow and self-centered, but in a way, it made her more…real. Human even.

I dare say, I enjoyed this even more than The Bodyguard!

First off, I loved Sadie & Joe's chemistry and the whole idea of this story ... BUT -- I didn't feel a connection with this book. I felt like Parker was an afterthought, thrown into the story, the character development wasn't what I had expected/hoped. Overall, this book fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc with my honest review