4.25 stars

I quite enjoyed this book. As the writer states in her note at the end of the novel, she likes writing about love stories because of the anticipation of what’s to come followed by the satisfaction when it actually happens. There was more going on in this book than I initially expected there would be. I also found myself baffled by how the protagonist couldn’t put certain clues together, but in the end, I suppose it was more realistic that she didn’t. I also had a range of feelings about the protagonist’s relationships with her family members, and even if I didn’t love all of the choices, I do think they were largely believable. All in all, this book was different yet still similar to my last one by the writer, and I’m glad I was able to read it.

This is my second Katherine Center book, and while it was enjoyable, I did find it a little TOO predictable. Sadie’s face blindness was an interesting plot point, but it was too easy to see the things that she couldn’t and where the story would end up. Love Center’s writing style, though, and I’ll continue to read anything she writes!

Such a sweet story! This is my first book I have read by Katherine Center and after reading this book, I can’t wait to read her other books. Hello Stranger is such a unique and heartwarming story. I foresaw the big twist but it was still entertaining to read the surprising end. It was a fast and enjoyable read that had me feeling various emotions throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I have been sitting on this for a few days and I think I am finally ready to rate this. First of all thank you Netgalley for sending me this ARC to review!

I went into this book blind, I have The Bodyguard sitting on my shelf and have heard great things about Katherine Center so I was excited to read this one.

Sadie is a portrait artist that just got accepted as a finalist in one of the most prestigious contests. Unfortunately she has a seizure and a good Samaritan saves her in the nick of time. While in the hospital she learns that she needs to have brain surgery and she is resisting it because of her contest. Her father forces her to get the surgery - which makes sense once he explains to her why- but unfortunately after she learns that she has what is called acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia - aka face blindness.

There are two romantic interests in the story - which is highly predictable as to what is going to happen but I think the reason I didn't love this story is Sadie. Instead of seeming fiercely independent she seems rude and selfish. She "never needs help" even though she is struggling to stay afloat, living in an an attic, and failing at basically everything she does. She is also incredibly judgmental, especially to Joe at first (one of our love interests) and her stepmother who actually seemed like she was trying to connect with her.

I did enjoy the wild family dynamic -enter evil step sister- but the ending with her family seemed too easy with the amount of drama and awful things her step sister did to her when younger and things that she found out her father said.

The ending with the love story wasn't bad but I do wish there was more focus with the romance. Again she was obsessed and in love with her vet, but also she liked spending time with Sam, and it was easy to see where it was going and how Sadie lacked any proper judgement because her ideas and vision (naturally) were skewed.

I may be in the minority on this one but I just didn't love it. I will definitely be reading her other book though to see how I feel!

I received a copy of this book as an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Katherine Center's books are a great choice when you want something that will pull you into the story from page one, keep you turning the pages, and leave you feeling hopeful and good about the world. This one is perfect for summer reading, or any other time when you just want to relax, or when you are tired and need a story that is easy to follow, yet not completely mindless. I read this one in 24 hours - not my norm these days - and it provided the escape that I needed. Highly recommend. Closed door for those that appreciate that in a romantic story (of which I am definitely one!).

The Queen has done it again!
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for this delightful ARC copy of Hello Stranger.

As per usual, Katherine Center has brought us a sweet as syrup rom com with a unique twist in the form of a MC, Sadie, who suffers suddenly from a condition coined as “Face Blindness”.

As Sadie navigates her already tumultuous life as a portrait artist, with a rocky family life, sick pup, and impending contest deadline, this new condition of hers only adds to the already frustrating situations she is trying to thrive through.

Of course she meets a few dapper gentleman along the way. Some before she goes face blind, some during, and sorting out who is who, and which man is her future husband, even though she can’t quite make out his face, makes for a fun, witty, interesting love story of sorts.

I love the banter between Sadie and Sue, her best friend. I adore the witty dialog between Sadie and her building man whore, Joe. It’s truly top tier rom-com conversation. I found myself giggling out loud on multiple occasions. The plot was fun, and quick. Nothing drug on and on as some do. The moral of the story was heart warming. Sadie’s positivity is infectious and inspiring.

I also especially loved the author’s note in the end, Center gives you a look into her love for romance novels, and she lays out perfectly the reason why I have to separate every other book I read with a romance in between. Because it fills me with hope and positive anticipation, which, let’s be honest, in today’s world, we could all use a healthy dose of!!

5 stars! Her buttery smooth reads, with funny characters and captivating humor, once again lands Katherine Center among my favorite of all authors.

I LOVED THIS BOOK 😍🩷 This is my first Katherine Center book and I will definitely be back for more.

This book is the true definition of "love is blind". It shows that without looks, it is easier to judge someone's character based on their actions. First impressions matter but they aren't always what they seem.

This story was just so lovely. I felt for Sadie and it was very much a story where the audience knew what was going on but the MC didn't. I just wanted to yell at her the entire time but having never dealt with face blindness, I'm as oblivious as her friend Sue.

Lastly, the author's note at the end of the book was beautiful. Something all rom-com lovers need to hear. "Believing in love is believing in hope."

Romantic comedies have been my thing lately. I think I’m looking for the warm, fuzzy escape they often bring. Hello Stranger takes warm and fuzzy to another level. It’s unique and like no romance I’ve ever read before.

Sadie is a struggling artist living with her elderly beloved dog and trying to figure it all out. After an accident and surprise medical diagnosis she has to figure out how to see the world in a different way, literally, all while navigating complicated family relationships and potential loves.

Sadie is a relatable and likeable character. Dr. Nicole is someone I want to call right now so she can give me all the answers. And Joe is a dream. Oh, and I almost forgot Mr. Kim! The characters in this book are just perfect. Well, except for the evil ones of course.

What a wonderful, hope-filled, romantic read. My favorite Katherine Center so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

I have come to truly love Katherine Center’s writing style. She is an auto but author for me. Hello Stranger was a very sweet touching read. You follow Sadie who is a struggling artist striving to live her life how her mother would have. Her father remarried and her step mother and step sister are the pure definition of evil. However during her first big chance at a break she falls ill and needs immediate brain surgery. Afterwards she can no long make out faces. Her dog peanut is the only thing she can see, and she is a portrait artist. You follow her journey into getting to know two men who she quickly falls for but cannot see. In a twist of events she might not have to choose between the two and will still not only love them but learn to love herself.

I love everything Katherine Center writes. The Bodyguard was one of my favorite books of 2022 and now this is one of my favorites for 2023.

Hello Stranger is the newest romance by Katherine Center that follows Sadie, a bubbly artist who is about to get her big break when she finds out she has the opportunity to compete in an art competition. Then life really takes a turn when she has to have a brain scan after a near death experience and finds out she needs brain surgery. After her brain surgery, she develops face blindness where everyone’s face is jumbled and she cannot recognize even her closest friend. While her doctors assure her it is probably temporary and just because of the swelling in her brain, this leads Sadie down a spiral that may end with her finding just what she never knew to look for.

I have not previously read anything by this author but I always hear the most amazing things so I was highly anticipating this book. The premise sounded unique. I have read one other book about a character with face blindness and found it really fascinating. Unfortunately this book was a huge letdown for me. The first 20 percent felt extremely rushed as it tried to set up the overall story. I found Sadie to be a very immature character as well. Her best friend was the worst and did not take Sadie’s face blindness seriously especially when Sadie really needed her. Sadie had an evil stepsister who felt like she was plucked from Cinderella because she felt so cartoony. All of the romantic conflict was very predictable and the miscommunication was atrocious.

I could go more into the story but it would spoil it. There were some clever parts and I did enjoy the last chapter when everything was wrapping up. The author’s note at the end really showed how much time and research went into making this story as medically accurate as possible.

But this story requires a huge amount of suspension of disbelief because of how convenient everything had to be to fit into this story. This was probably a one and a half star read for me personally but I’ll round up for Peanut.

I loved The Bodyguard and Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center, so I was very excited about this new book, Hello Stranger. Unfortunately I didn’t love it, although many advance readers have.

It’s the story of an artist who specializes in portraits and suddenly, after a “minor” brain surgery, she can no longer see people’s faces. I had never heard of such a thing before, but apparently this “face blindness” is a real condition, sometimes permanent and sometimes temporary. Luckily for Sadie, the doctors feel it’s a temporary situation for her, brought on by post-surgical swelling that “should” go away. In addition to this face blindness, Center also has Sadie dealing with long-term reverberations of her mother’s death and continued bullying by her step-sister, Parker - which seemed a bit excessive to me, as they are in their late 20s, but childhood/teen trauma runs deep. Even so, I didn’t much care for Sadie, the main female character. She didn’t seem very likable, and as she was the main voice of the book, she seemed very immature. I had to suspend my disbelief as Sadie didn’t recognize people’s voices, even people she interacted with on a regular basis (other than her best friend, Sue). I did anticipate the twist in the story which involved two men she was interested in, but that’s okay. As Center says in an author’s note, she prefers to use “anticipate” as opposed to “predictable” and I get that. I just wish I could have enjoyed the journey to the anticipated HEA more than I did.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was nicely narrated by Patti Murin.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

After a debilitating accident, Sadie, an artist, has to learn new ways to interact and essentially to see. Throughout the story, Sadie has a series of adventures and interactions with a variety of interesting people.-including possible love interests. Dealing with her injury and a difficult family situation, the question becomes will Sadie get her vision back? Will she fall in love? Will she be able to continue with her art? This book will answer all of these questions with a surprise at the end. Like me, hopefully you will fall in love with Sadie (and Peanut) and her steps and missteps for a satisfying and dare I say extremely touching read.

This book was so unique and I have to start with saying that I absolutely adored it for so many reasons. The character development for the main lead character was so well written. The last line of the book made me emotional.

I loved how this story involved romance, but so many other topics too. It had me so curious about face blindness and I found myself constantly trying to put myself in Sadie’s shoes. And the way Joe supported her throughout the entire process without even knowing was so heart warming. This is definitely one of my favorite books from Katherine Center. Also, the cover aahhhh!!

My only critiques were that I wish there was a bit more character development for her step family. And Sadie’s instant obsession with the vet right away was a little bit cringy. Like, she did NOT need to break up with him, they did not date whatsoever lol. And last, I wish it was explained why his jacket said Joe. But these are just small little things I picked up while reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC - I read this one in a day, I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait for publication day!

I know this is supposed to be where I gush how much I loved this book. I did. I completely and utterly loved it. But I honestly can't find the right words to describe how it made me feel - so I'll just leave it as this - this book will give you something to look forward to.

I’ve been binge-reading Katherine Center’s books in recent weeks, so I was thrilled to get approved for an ARC of Hello Stranger from NetGalley. Like all of Center’s books, this one is literary comfort food at its best: characters you root for, creative plot line, worldly wisdom, and pacing that makes you unable to put the book down. I had forgotten that reading could be so much fun. Another thing that I enjoyed about Hello Stranger is learning about face blindness. It is not a condition I had heard of before, and the author clearly did her homework by constructing a clever plot around it. Life lessons about confirmation bias and allowing others to help were well incorporated too. An added bonus is the author’s essay at the end on the joy of reading romance novels. Don’t miss it.

Love love love this author! I have given so many of her books 5 stars. This one was good but slightly predictable and got old pretty fast. I also felt like some of the story line seemed a little too far fetch. With that said, I was glad to be learning of a brain issue that I previously hadn't heard of.

Love this RomCom! Katherine Center has done it again with this cute story, fun characters with wit and charm, and overall a great summer read! Can't wait to listen to the audio of this book. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

This was a very cute love story. There was drama, romance and even an evil stepsister. It would have gotten 5 stars but the self questioning was too much.

Did you like this book? Yes.
Are these questions annoying? Also yes.

But looking past those I can honestly recommend this book to you.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC on exchange for my honest review.

I like Sadie's character and all that she went through in this book! This book has plenty of humor and also lots of growth and discovery. I liked the facial blindness aspect as we learn how Sadie has to notice other things, and I also liked the veterinary aspect!! This is a great Rom Com, if you are in the mood for a cute story with fun characters and of course some struggles and misunderstandings, this book is for you!