As much as this pains me this one is a DNF at 32%

I seem to either LOVE or hate Katherine Center books and this one was just not doing it. As much as I wanted to feel sympathy or empathy for Sadie, I just could not. I could also see where this book was going from a mile away and after reading some spoiler reviews I just did not feel like sticking around. 2023 is the year of reading slumps so if I cannot put a book down I just walk away. I know I will read more of her books in the future and who knows maybe after a few months I will pick this one up again but for now it is going to be a pass for me.

This is my first Katherine Center book, and unfortunately it was a miss for me. The premise is super interesting: Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, has to undergo an unexpected brain surgery which results in acquired face blindness. Suddenly she can’t recognize anyone, even people she’s known her entire life. Even worse, she’s supposed to complete a portrait for a major art competition, but how is she supposed to do that when she can’t even recognize her own face?

I will say I liked the overall message of this book, and the beginning was promising. My main issue, however, is that this story relies entirely on a variation of the miscommunication trope. Sadie decides not to tell anyone about her face blindness, except for her best friend and her immediate family (and even that was done rather unwillingly). This results in SO many misunderstandings. I realize there wouldn’t be much of a plot without this, but it was so frustrating to read. And I think Sadie comes off as awfully immature because of this. She’s selfish and whiny and unwilling to ask for help, and being in her head with the constant self-pity got old fast. She’s experienced trauma and I should’ve been rooting for her, but instead I found her super unlikeable.

The side characters were okay and I actually liked the love interest, but I would’ve liked to see Sadie’s issues with her family addressed more than just at the end. I also couldn’t get over how over-the-top evil her stepsister Parker was, and I found it highly unbelievable that Parker basically ruined Sadie’s life as a teen with zero repercussions.

I seem to be in the minority with this one, but I’m still willing to give the author’s other books a shot! This one just wasn’t for me.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

I’ve yet to read a Katherine Center book that I didn’t love. She has a genuine ability to make us laugh through the worst of times. She makes a romance novel fun. Hello Stranger is no exception.

Sadie is an artist. Truly a starving artist. She makes her money commissioning portraits on Etsy. Sadie lost her mom as a teenager, and she’s never quite recovered from it. So when she’s accepted as one of ten finalists to a portrait contest, she’s overjoyed. Sue, her best friend, decides it’s time to celebrate. Sadie barely agrees, but she dresses in her favorite dress - that once belonged to her mom - and heads down to the closest little grocery to pick up some cheap wine.

But as life is insanely crazy, Sadie realizes she has no money to buy the wine. A cute stranger offers to buy the wine for her, even though she insists that he not. As she’s walking home, Sadie ends up having a medical emergency that leads to the discovery of a malformed vessel in her brain. Which means brain surgery. Which Sadie most definitely doesn’t have time for.

Surgery it is, only once the surgery is over, life does not go back to normal. Sadie is faced with challenges she never expected. Then there are others who come along to try to make Sadie’s life better. But can she accept help when she’s never wanted to depend on anyone?

Such a terrific story about someone battling more than just a physical issue. Sadie is struggling with much more than that. Katherine Center makes us want to slap Sadie upside the head a few times, and hug her about a hundred others. It’s a really good piece of chick lit.

NEW FAVORITE FROM THE QUEEN!!

I love how Katherine always goes for something realistic yet fiction! She just blows me away with each book I’ve read from her so far.

In this novel we learn about Sadie being a artist and she just won a knock out round and is now the top 10 (or 5 i forgot already) in the contest! When she’s about to party with her bestie sue and their friends Sadie goes to a grocery store and gets some snacks and booze, but when shes about to pay she realizes she forgot her wallet and then some dashing man has swooped in and pays for her while also flirting it up.
Whenever Sadie goes outside to cross the street she’s still in a trance and she freezes in the street and wakes up in the hospital to find out the worst news of her life, that she needs to have surgery on her brain which leads her to face blindness!

From here on everything doesn’t seem perfect for Sadie and we go through everything with her, learning about her past, her evil step sister, her family in general, and her struggling with the contest, heck maybe even love!

Spoilers:
Okay so peanut, is such a cutie and I’m sure the whole time he was probably looking at Sadie like “bi*ch how can you not tell this is the same guy I like!?”

Parker can F off she’s so evil!! I never thought I would hate another character so soon after Carval lol.

Lastly i fount it weird that “Joe” never told Sadie about his name or anything?? Like bro- but other than that I loved this book so much!!

I’ve watched my fair share of kdramas where the character has prosopagnosia and so I think of myself as some of an expert on the topic and when I tell you this book delivered on all of the goodness, I mean it.

This book is fun and yet surprisingly deep. The characters that inhabit are complex and colorful and so endearing you can’t help but open your heart to them before you’re fully aware of what you’re doing. It was, in a word, a delight to read and inhabit its pages.

I fell in love with Sadie and Joe and even Peanut and their journey was one for the ages. It was a tender journey, full of bumps and surprises and a message that I frankly needed to hear. It’s okay to need help, you don’t need to do everything by yourself and it’s okay to let people in. They might just surprise you, so why not take the risk and see where it leads?

It was an honor to come along for the journey and I can’t recommend this book enough if you want a read that’s fun and tender, that can make you laugh but at the same time move your heart. There’s also a cute dog, a face blind portrait artist and a handsome man who’s helpful to a fault and where can you ever go wrong with that?

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖

Hello Stranger
@katherinecenter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5
Pub Date: July 11, 2023

Katherine Center delivers hope and perseverance yet again with Hello Stranger! I just can’t get enough of the feel-good, sentimental works with endearing sweet characters (except for Parker!) that are promised with ever Center story.

Sadie the struggling artist… Peanut the senior dog… Oliver the charming vet… helpful neighbor Joe… they are all there in this one!

Hello Stranger includes Center’s signature writing that is evocative and poignant, effortlessly drawing readers into the lives of relatable characters. I loved the “in defense of romance” in the author’s note most of all!

Special thanks for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was SO good. Our FMC, Sadie, is a portrait artist about to get her big break when a surprise medical emergency turns her worlds upside down. Suddenly unable to perceive faces, Sadie is thrown into an unfamiliar world where she recognizes no one and is unable to do what she loves: paint faces. Add in not one but two potential love interests and Sadie has more on her plate than she an handle.

This was sweet, enlightening, funny, angsty, and ultimately hopeful. I enjoyed the plot and how the novel played out, and thought the writing was excellent. There were some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and I really loved that the author pulled those off in such an effective way. And of course, as with all of my top reads, this had both an excellent cast of secondary characters AND an amazing epilogue. 4.5 stars.

Katherine Center can do no wrong! Another cute romance and fun summer read. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

I generally love Center, but this was a total miss for me. I found Sadie to be an incredibly frustrating character, and the plot hinges MIGHTILY on the fact that no one can have a real life conversation. I won't get into it because of spoilers, but I was frustrated instead of relieved at the ending, and found it hard to believe that so many things could be so conveniently missed for the sake of keeping the reader in the dark. I'll definitely pick up Center's next work, but this one didn't connect for me.

This story is slightly weird and funny. Sadie gets a medical diagnosis that turns her life inside out. Readers will track her as she tries to live in her new reality. She has some struggles and mishaps as she tries to fall in love. Through some fun characters the story winds down to a happy ending.

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.