Katherine Center's books tend to be hit or miss for me and unfortunately, this one leans more toward the miss category. The premise was intriguing - an artist diagnosed with "probably temporary" face blindness and has to distinguish people based primarily on voices and characteristics recognizable from previous interactions (clothing, etc.). The main issue that I had with HELLO STRANGER was that I didn't like the main character at all. Sadie is very immature and most of her problems with the face blindness could have been avoided if she'd just spoken up and asked for help! I also found it to be a bit predictable and repetitive, with choppy dialogue. Even though this one fell flat for me, I will continue to read Katherine Center's books since there are several that I have loved.

The author's note at the end of this book should be required reading. Just saying.

A warm, delightful, and silly romance that I disappeared into from beginning to end. When you understand the destination, you can just enjoy the journey, and I did! I'd highly recommend this to my friends who read and like Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Ashley Poston, Talia Hibbert, Lynn Painter, etc. and who read and enjoyed Center's wonderful The Bodyguard. The characters and community of the book are warm and enveloping, and even for those who may need to suspend their disbelief it's totally worth it! Sadie and Joe are likable and you will find yourself rooting for them even as they tangle and unravel in sometimes maddening ways.

Hello Stranger is another winner from Katherine Center! Pick up this perfect summer read and meet Sadie, an up-and-coming portrait artist with a complicated family background. Fans of Center will enjoy getting to know and understanding the cast of supporting characters through Sadie’s eyes as she recovers from a brain injury. I have read many of Center’s books and truly enjoyed Sadie’s story of self-discovery. I highly recommend Hello Stranger to lovers of chick lit that includes romance, a little mystery, and family drama. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite romance writers! Hello Stranger definitely lived up to her standards. The best part of her stories are the characters but I also love that I learn so much reading her books. In this story we learn about Face Blindness which Sadie acquires after brain surgery. She doesn’t see faces, not even her own. It is an amazing journey waiting for her brain to fix itself, especially for a portrait artist. Sadie learns techniques to live with it in the meantime but also learns a lot about herself and how she deals with stressful situations. A book you never want to end.

What a sweet, unique romance from a talented author! I loved the writing and the premise of this book as well as the characters and the relationship development. This book is a great palate cleanser after reading a heavy novel or a thriller.

While I had never heard of face blindness until I read this novel, you better believe I was Googling that. The author clearly did some research, and I appreciate that. Sadie has some daddy issues as well as a struggling career as an artist and now a diagnosis of face blindness right before a major portrait competition! If everyone looks like a stranger to her, then how could she possibly win this competition?

Sadie's little dog Peanut means the world to her, and when her ultra sweet and hot veterinarian saves Peanut's life, a little bit of a spark happens between them. She also takes a liking to her neighbor, Joe. After a bit of a love triangle and a twist at the end, you will end up with all of the warm and fuzzies. Wait for it!

Special thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly, I am mad at myself. This book has been on my kindle for months and I kept skipping it to read other ARCs. But perhaps I read this at just the right time, for me. This book had everything I could want. Swoony parts, self-doubting parts, angry parts, self-realization parts and definitely happy parts.

Sadie is kind of on her own, determined to prove herself. Her past hasn’t been that great and you can see why she can only rely on herself. But something big has happened – she has made the spot in the top ten finalists as a self-portrait artist. This is it – her big break! Next thing she knows, she has a “probable, temporary” condition known as face blindness. This does not bode well, especially since she paints faces for a living. Now she is left to rely on her other senses, not to mention the improbable timing of two men that seem perfect for her…. If only she could see their faces.

Gah! If I write anymore, I will tell you the whole dang story. I knew that after reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, that I ABSOLUTELY had to read this book. This book was everything. I felt every single let down and also every excitable moment with Sadie. You definitely need to one click this book, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Katherine Center never fails to delight me with her books. I love the feel-good romance and the knowledge that the book will leave me with a smile on my face. I adored her author's note at the end where she talks about the joy of reading romance novels and that is the attitude I always have when I start one of her novels.

This one is not perfect, the main character Sadie really annoyed me with her absolute iron clad insistence to not accept help from anyone. I felt like that was very immature and her growth comes pretty late in the story, but props that it does occur. I saw the twist coming from a mile away, but it was still fun and absolutely satisfying when it does.

When I first read that this book dealt with prosopagnosia (face blindness) I rolled my eyes and said "not again" because this seems to be a popular plot point these days. However, the way that Center uses it and describes it in this story made it completely plausible and was a very effective and intriguing premise. I understand it in a way that I didn't before.

Sign me up for the next Katherine Center book because I'm totally here for her thoroughly engaging and delightful stories. I listened to this one partially as an audiobook and Patti Murin's narration was wonderful for Sadie. She gives the story the exact amount of lightness and humor.

Sadie Montgomery is finally getting her big break - she is a finalist in a portrait competition. But just a few weeks before her final portrait is due, she finds herself with a rare condition called prospagnosia - aka: face blindness. She can’t recognize the faces of people around her - even ones she has known her whole life. Doctors tell her this is probably temporary, but with a portrait to draw, she doesn’t have time for this! To make things even more complicated, she develops crushes on both Peanut’s vet and her neighbor Joe - what’s a girl to do?!

I have never read a Katherine Center book before but I can see why she is so popular! She crafted several multi-dimensional characters, executed a plot in a way that was incredibly true-to-life (ie: it’s messy and complicated and you learn some lessons along the way). This story was one that was just fun to be along for the ride. And major “book boyfriend” alert in Joe - I mean, he loves animals, he is sweet, funny and rescues Sadie from her evil stepsister - does it get any better than that? This book was filled with sweet romance, puppy snuggles, and “found” family; in a lot of ways, it was like a warm hug! I am a big thriller reader, so this is pretty far from my usual picks, but I am SO glad I picked this book up!!

Thank you to Katherine Center, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! “Hello Stranger” releases July 11th!

I was surprised by this book. I assumed it would be your standard lighthearted romcom, and while the story fits the bill it also provided a lot of emotional depth and we really got to see the main character, Sadie, struggle. Sadie is a portrait artist who has a seizure at the start of the book that leads to her needing brain surgery. When she wakes up she discovers that she has developed a condition that causes her to be unable to discern faces, so, she essentially has face blindness. This is a major problem for a portrait artist that is a finalist in a competition that could be life-changing. There is also a lot of family issue that Sadie has to navigate through as well as the budding relationship she is creating with her neighbor who has been dubbed the nickname "Helpful" by the property owner. I knew early on what the twist was going to be at the end but I don't feel like that made the story any less compelling.

Katherine Center does it again with a cute read perfect for a beach vacation this summer. I love how Katherine did the classic Rom Com characters but with an original story line. Did I guess the ending? Of course! But in what cutesy chick lit do I not want a happy ending tied up perfectly with a bow? Will always recommend a Katherine Center book to friends and will continue to read anything she writes.

While I wasn't a fan of Center's previous book, this one was great! The plot was very unique and the characters were realistic and heartwarming.

A humorous yet poignant view of a struggling portraitist and her startling diagnosis after brain surgery. Readers will "see" Katherine Center's Sadie though the foggy lens of face blindness. Through therapy with Dr. Nicole, Sadie and readers learn about confirmation bias, how to let friends help, and how to face tough truths about life, ourselves and healing family hurts.
Another recognizably memorable reminder of Katherine Center's ability to help us see ourselves in the reflections of others. Find truth and hope in Hello Stranger.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I have seen lots of friends post about their love for Katherine Center books and now I understand the hype! While I was able to predict how things were going to go about halfway through the book, I loved the premise of the story and following Sadie as she navigated the adventures of face blindness following brain surgery, especially as a portrait artist who relies on being able to paint faces. I'm also emotionally attached to Peanut and he has to live forever. This may have been my first Katherine Center book, but it certainly won't be my last. Highly recommend this one for a fun summer read.

I'm a huge fan of Katherine Center and this may be my favorite of all of her books. There is such a strong readability factor that I found it hard to put down. The relatability of Sadie's thoughts stands out as a highlight that made her really likeable. Saying things like "did I just break my brain?" after she falls or referring to her face blindness as "this face thingy" were hysterical because they felt so real. I adored that the woman who detests help falls for the helper. I thought it was interesting that removing her ability to see faces makes Sadie hyper aware of other (shallow) ways she takes in people's appearances. It really speaks to not judging people, on appearances or first impressions (like the unfortunate elevator conversation). I also really loved that the first face she sees is not just her own but her younger self. It's like she has to acknowledge her past self before being able to move forward.

Perhaps better than any author I can recall, Katherine Center has a talent for mixing a nourishing love story with real life challenges, making for a satisfying feel good, feel everything read. I don't love the misunderstanding trope but did enjoy that it was called out and the bit of mystery and surprise that it gave to the story. I'll call it frustrating fun. I chuckled when Sadie referred to wanting to yell to the characters to "just talk to each other".

To directly borrow from the author's note, "this story really created fantastic anticipation.". The author's note in and of itself was a gem that put words to why I love romcom novels. Spoiler alert! I realized part way through that it was very likely that Joe was the vet and the Good Samaritan. It was a fantastically fun realization and made me look forward to the reveal. The two giveaway hints for me were the vet's extreme reaction to the breakup, and her thinking Hazel 1 and 2 were two different people. Then the other questions I had melted away as everything made sense if Joe was Oliver. The only remaining question was why the two names, which was enough to make me wonder if I was really right or not in my prediction (which was perfect by the way... if I was too certain that I had it all figured out it would have been less fun).

Hello Stranger is my favorite romance of the year so far.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 11, 2023

Katherine Center is one of my go to authors and this one did not disappoint. I will say that I didn’t overly connect with the main characters and I was able to predict pretty early on what was going to happen, it still gave all the feels one is used to after reading a Katherine Center book!

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist that has just been selected out of thousands to create a portrait painting for a chance to win ten thousand dollars. This is her big break! Cast off from her family after her mother dies and her father remarried, Sadie has been a struggling artist and this prize money can help her keep her independence.

As Sadie gets ready to paint the portrait of a lifetime, she has an accident leaving her with a condition known as “Face Blindness”. This means Sadie can see people and details but faces appear to be puzzle pieces. How can a portrait artist paint portraits without seeing faces?

While Sadie struggles through her diagnosis she meets two men (Joe from her building and Dr. Oliver Addison the new sexy veterinarian taking care of Sadie’s dog Peanut) who she connects with but cannot properly see their faces. Using recognition tips and tricks from her doctor Sadie spends time getting to know both through her other senses.

Sadie has limited time to paint her winning portrait and determine which of the two men she cares about is in it for the long haul, all while struggling to put the pieces together of all the faces she loves.

This was a four star read for me! I enjoyed learning more about this unique condition and loved the way it was weaved into an epic love story! This is perfect for any rom-com fans out there!

#NetGalley #hellostranger #katherinecenter

Hello Stranger is a great summer rom-com! Katherine Center knows how to write a romance with just enough of a twist that the book is unique but still checks off every box that a good romance book should have. I really enjoyed that the book talked about different coping mechanism's Sadie had to use to help her adjust to face blindness. I look forward to reading the next Katherine Center book!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Hello Stranger was my first book by Katherine Center and I loved it. The main character Sadie is faced with a condition that causes face blindness while having to navigate everything in her life in a way she’s never had to before. I loved the romance arc of the story and Sadie learning to rely on other senses to identify the people in her life. The descriptions for how Sadie explored her art while trying to produce portraits in ways she never had before really resonated with me and will stick with me long after putting this book down. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

This was a cute, albeit super predictable, story from Katherine Center. It’s not my favorite of her books but it was an enjoyable read. I struggled to ever really feel the chemistry and connection between Sadie and Joe, and the seemingly one sided infatuation with Dr Addison wasn’t overly believable.

I mostly listened to the audio of this book which is narrated wonderfully by Patty Murin. Her voices for each character are excellent - I especially loved how she portrayed Parker!

I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This story uses an interesting concept to delve into some heavy topics. What do you see, do your really see other people for who they truly are, and how do you see yourself? The concept of facial blindness as the hook was really unique, and I found myself googling the subject to learn more.
Very enjoyable novel that can provoke some heavy thoughts about perception.

Well, she did it again. Is Katherine Center a romance wizard? I think so.
Throughout the whole book I was thinking, “How can this woman write something that feels familiar but new, predictable but in the best possible way?” Then I got to the end and read the Author’s Note (I LOVE when an author includes an authors note), and she talked about just this thing. Predictability in romance books that she renamed as “anticipation” because of hope. And we all need the hope of something good to look forward to. Just as all beautiful writers do, she put my exact feelings into words.

The uniqueness of Sadie’s situation was thrilling. And I just loved the male lead (trying to give no spoilers)! Also, the way things played out with Lucinda was so satisfying. I could not have wrapped up the story any better if I ever tried.

This may not have been my favorite KC book (because I don’t know what could beat The Bodyguard, in my opinion), but it was so solid and so good. I seriously have never seen KC go wrong!