I received digital ARCs for both the e-book and e-audiobook.

More like 2.5 stars, but Patti Murin’s narration kicks it up a notch.

If you don’t know Center by now, this is more literary romance and not romance romance, so the steam is very minimal.

Face blindness is a great and unique premise that because you see the relative story arc and outcome from miles away (not even 20% into the book), there’s no mystery to it and a real challenge to pretend otherwise. This allows various faults to come to the surface. There’s the repetition--driving the point over and over again what face blindness is, how it works (or rather, doesn’t), and how people cope with it. It’s so bad throughout the book that when the ending we saw from miles away finally happens, the repetition again as everyone, and I mean everyone, put two and two together regarding who Joe is further crushes any good will towards the characters.

Sadie’s bestie was totally clueless in terms of what Sadie needed for support and a bad friend when it really counted (but I know, it’s a way to move Sadie and Joe closer together).
Sadie’s stepsister from Hell was certifiable and I wish she had more just desserts.
And I’m surprised Joe didn’t add some things up and realize what Sadie was struggling with, to outright ask her and connect some dots.

I’m sorry to be so vague, but again, read the first 20% and you’ll have this all figured out.

This is my second Katherine Center book and I am beyond hooked!! 🥰 I cannot wait to read the backlog of all her other works.

Sadie's journey with face blindness was so interesting. Her stubbornness kept her from telling people about it, which made her life more difficult than it needed to be. I loved her journey in learning how to trust and lean on others, after a childhood without that luxury.

I don't want to give too much away, but I loved the twists and the background story in this novel. I was so mad about the original elevator scene, but guessed where it was going in the next chapter so I understood the need for it. 😅 I'm a sucker for a redemption ARC. (IYKYK 😉)

Tropes:
Love Triangle
Forced Proximity

CW: death of a parent, emotional abuse, gaslighting

A big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own.

First things first I’ve read a lot of Center’s other books and enjoyed them all. This one was a miss for me but I should have read the description and figured that out right away. I do not care for face blindness in a story - it doesn’t work for me as a plot (although I understand this can happen in real life.

I’ll definitely still read books by this author and I know a lot of people enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another delightful and captivating , heartfelt romantic novel by Katherine Center! In Hello Stranger, we meet Sadie Montgomery a struggling portrait artist who lives in a studio hovel. I am reluctant to give more details of the story because it is best to read the book "blind" There are some unexpected twists that make the ending and plot rewarding. The characters are well-developed. As in all of her novels, the reader feels good after reading the last page! The author's notes at the end of the book are informative about romance novels and the main character's health condition, Ms. Center's novels have become "must read" on my list! Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Katherine Center for an advance copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review. I truly love every Katherine Center book I have ever read and this one was no exception. The premise was extremely unique in this one and that made this one all the more interesting! This is another feel good love story and it will be available on July 11th!

Katherine Center has definitely cemented herself as one of my favorite romance authors 🥰 this is my third book by her and I have yet to read something by her that I didn’t love! (the others were How to Walk Away and The Bodyguard, I’d recommend both of those too)

This book focuses on Sadie, a portrait artist, as she’s diagnosed with “probably temporary” face blindness, so that she sees all faces as a jumbled puzzle of features. She now not only has to somehow paint an award-winning portrait with her condition, she also has to navigate her toxic family, and figure out whether she has feelings for her veterinarian, Dr. Addison, or her neighbor, Joe.

Now, I normally don’t enjoy love triangles but believe me when I say this is an extremely different kind of love triangle (iykyk) there is a bit of a twist to the book, and I actually didn’t guess it until later (I suspected but was thrown off course and then suspected again) I think that’s a testament to how well we’re put into Sadie’s pov. I do think that the twist is supposed to be guessed as dramatic irony, which to me is even more enjoyable. That being said, I do recommend going into this one blind just so you can get that full experience 🥰

Also, Katherine Center writes THE BEST romance third-act conflicts (see: The Bodyguard) and this one was no less satisfying! However, I did love the interactions between Sadie and our male lead but I wish there would have been a few more, especially after the third-act conflict is resolved. I think though that the book focuses more on Sadie’s journey and the romance is the second main plot, so it’s understandable (but I want more)

4.25⭐️s

⭐️:4/5

After a freak accident that leads portrait artist Sadie to getting brain surgery, she is left with face blindness, which seriously throws a wrench in her plight as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition she has just qualified for. While learning to live without recognizing people’s faces, she begins to form relationships with two men who are very different, and she realizes that maybe there are other ways of seeing a person other than their face.

My initial, 25% of the book reaction was not entirely favorable. I found Sadie largely annoying, due to her whole “why do things always happen to me” vibe while literally taking none of the steps necessary to stop strange or bad things from happening to her. I was bored by the rivalry with her step-sister, since it felt kinda passé. Then, I learned that a whole-ass plot point is that she has fed her 14 year old dog human food for its entire life, and I was shook. Honestly. Like, she says that she’s tired of explaining to people that he’s fine and just has “refined tastes” when they judge her for it, but I am hardcore judging her. The amount of vitamins and supplements that dogs need in order to grow healthily is exhaustive, and I just…couldn’t get over this, in case you couldn’t tell. But I digress. Once I got past my hold ups, it really was such a unique and strange storyline that I found overall entertaining. Despite being annoyed with the main character and her oddities and the kind of obvious “twist”, I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning, which I think has a lot to do with how well the last 25% pulled everything together.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Man, I love Center's work. I love her storytelling and the way she really captivates you in an engrossing story- but this one just didn't work for me. I found the main character super annoying, and while her facial blindness made for a very unique premise, she was just not working for me. But don't worry, I'll forever be a fan of Center!

Katherine Center delivers another joyful, hopeful book.

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist who just got her big break but then tragedy strikes. She suffers from a seizure in the middle of a busy street, is saved my a good Samaritan, learns she needs to have brain surgery, and then said-brain surgery has devastating effect: she can no longer see faces.

I loved Sadie. She struggles with asking for help and trusting people but she's still full of joy that's been dimmed by a lot of struggle and pain. She meets Joe, and has a lot of prejudice for him but they end up becoming friends and he brings out Sadie's loyal, happy, good-nature. The romance build is perfect. Great pace. And the character arc for Sadie and Joe is really well done. The portrait painting scene is 100%, and then the twist! I couldn't put this one down.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of Hello Stranger.

This book was both fascinating and fun! The story opens with Sadie getting knocked in the head in a freak accident, resulting in a case of "face blindness." She can no longer distinguish one face from the next, which is particularly tragic for her since she has six weeks to submit a final work to a prestigious portrait contest. She has dreamed of this forever; however, all of a sudden she finds herself unable to accurately paint portraits. Meanwhile, she has an emergency with her dog and finds herself dreaming of a possible future relationship with the vet and at the same time, spends more and more time with her neighbor, Joe, despite really disliking him at first.

As with many of Center's novels, this is a sweet, heartwarming book. Joe and Sadie's relationship from hateful neighbors to friendship to love is a delight to read. I found Sadie's journey with face blindness and her recovery fascinating. She goes through a period of discovery as she begins to learn who she is without her art as she knows it. The side characters...both her lovable friends and her horrid step-sister...add a lot to the story. Center deals with challenges like difficult family situations, loss of a parent, and physical trauma with a caring touch. It never crossed the line into being too much.

What I love about Center's novels is that they are all so unique in storyline while still maintaining the heart and warmth that we have come to expect from her. I recommend this to anyone looking for a bright, uplifting story.

Really great Rom-com with a very unique storyline!
Meet Sade, a starving portrait artist on the verge of her big break by being a finalist in a portrait contest. On her way to celebrate, her life changes in an instant. Thanks to a heroic Good Samaritan she avoids her demise.
While in the hospital she discovers she has a lesion on her brain that she needs surgery for. Great! Just when things were looking up.
After surgery she wakes to find she has a condition called Face-blindness. She can’t even recognize the people that she is close to. How will she make a living and prove she can be a great artist?
Depression, loneliness, hopelessness. She hasn’t left her apartment in some time for fear of not being able to recognize her friends or family. Until Peanut, her beloved dog, needs a visit to the vet. Dr Oliver Addison saves Peanut’s life and ignites something in Sadie. Love at first, sight?
Meanwhile, Joe her cringy neighbor, won’t take no for an answer when he offers to help Sadie with everything. She eventually finds that her first impression wasn’t who he really is.
Two men who have her heart and she can’t even see their faces.
Who will she end up with? Will she ever regain her ability to see faces? Will she be able to compete in the competition and finally get the recognition she deserves?

Thank you NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my review.

Was so excited when I received this ARC from Netgalley since I absolutely loved The Bodyguard when I read it last year!

Sadie is a portrait artist who, on her way to celebrate her acceptance as a finalist in an art competition that could be her next big break, has a seizure crossing the street.

In that instant, Sadie's life is forever changed. A surgery she didn't want, but knows it will save her life, causes a condition called face blindness. For a portrait artist, the timing couldn't have been worse.

Struggling with how to adapt to her new surrounds, Sadie finds she may actually have two friends, and maybe more, in unlikely places. Her new vet who takes care of her precious dog Peanut and a fellow tenant in her apartment building.

Dealing with the face blindness is also only one one thing Sadie has to deal with, she also has a toxic relationship with her stepsister, a stepmother she wants to hate, and a father who hasn't seem interested in her since she decided art was her dream like her mother's.

While the story was a tad predictable, it was still a very cute rom com. You get to watch Sadie evolve and grow as a person while she adapts to her new views of the world around her while also slowing falling in love.

Hello Stranger releases on 25 July 2023!

This was an really interesting premise. I’m a little torn, although I did enjoy some parts of it. Definitely had some mixed thoughts.

I wanted to love this so bad. I loved The Bodyguard and was hopeful.

Lets start with what I loved: THE ROMANCE!! It was adorable. The love interest in this book is such a doll and deserves the world.

But here were many over-the-top moments and inconsistencies that pulled me from the story and had me thinking, "yeah, right."
1) Sadie's backstory is almost cringy-sad. As is the love interest's.
2) Sadie's family was basically a Cinderella story in a way I couldn't get behind. They were very one-dimensional.
3) Sadie was quite self-absorbed. I get that she was struggling, but there was no way she is that dense.
4) The grand reveals and dramatic moments were just too much.

Final verdict: the romance was perfection and tbe funny moments were done well, but I think the author tried to mix serious and funny in a way that I didn't vibe with. I still think this book is worth a read because so many people loved it, it just wasn't for me.

What’s not to love about Hello Stranger? A beautiful book about the journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance and forgiveness,. Charming characters, and an interesting setting make this a book to savor!!

Read if you like:
🧼 Clean Romance
🎨 Artist FMC
🌀 Quirky FMC
2️⃣ Two Love Interests
🧠 Face Blindness

I really adored this audiobook and blew through it pretty quickly. I loved how the book was set up with Sadie having temporary facial blindness as a result of medical condition.

I truly loved Sadie and how stubborn she was as it reminded me of someone *cough* definitely not myself *cough* and how she had to learn the hard way to accept help and work through her strong confirmation bias about the world and those in it.

I truly loved how her love triangle with Joe who lives in her building and her dogs veterinarian unfolds and enjoyed how she just couldn’t help herself and was feeling all the insta love vibes during this tough time in her life.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my ARC.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and author Katherine Center for granting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Success was getting close within Sadie Montgomery’s reach when she had an unexpected turn of events. She became one of the finalists in the National American Portrait Society and on her way to celebrate it, Sadie had a seizure and at the hospital, the doctor strongly recommended that she had to undergo a surgery to mitigate the effects of what caused the seizure. With the competition being weeks away, Sadie initially refused to get it done, but after being explained its repercussions if she decided not to, she eventually agreed to the procedure. Unfortunately, it resulted to facial blindness, which significantly affected her entire life — mainly the one thing that she knows she’s good at — art portraits. We see Sadie go through this new phase of her life with this diagnosis, including dealing with family relationships, love life, and her own self.

My first from Katherine Center and after reading this book, I got scared for a hot minute. Scared that I might start reading more romance novels — LOL! She is dang good! I do have The Bodyguard and it is definitely on my TBR this summer. I love that prosopagnosia a.k.a. facial blindness (like Brad Pitt’s) was well-explained in layman that the symptoms the main character had was translated into the story so naturally. I like that in the presence of this particular type of blindness that Sadie was able to see unresolved issues that were existing for a long time. It made me more aware of this condition and I’ve been thinking about those who have acquired it, that it made me feel sympathetic towards them. Navigating life with prosopagnosia can be very scary, and having good support whether from a group, family or friends is essential to make it somehow bearable to go through. I learned a lot in this book and I love that it overall gives me a warm, big hug!

Thanks @netgalley @stmartinspress and @katherinecenter for the early peek at her forthcoming book, Hello Stranger. It’s out on 7/11/23.

Artist Sadie gets her big break when she is named a finalist in a portrait contest—the same one her late mother competed in right before her death. After a health complication and some light brain surgery, she becomes face blind, which is seriously inconvenient given her contest. She struggles to cope with her new circumstances and to produce award-worthy art—all while crushing on two men (whose faces she can’t see). Vet Oliver saved her dog’s life and she can just tell he’s handsome. Neighbor Joe has a habit of rescuing her and gave her the best kiss of her life. It’s a story about how seeing isn’t always believing.

The story is full of heart and love.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥
Tropes: mistaken identity, cool job, love triangle

📚 A R C R E V I E W 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date: July 11th, 2023.

➡️ SWIPE for a fully synopsis.

I REALLY enjoyed this book! It made me laugh, it made me tear up, it informed me — it was a great read!

It was very interesting, I had never heard about face blindness before, and I have definitely never read a novel of this nature.

Sadie was such a loveable heroine. She’s quirky, funny, chaotic, and down to earth. She is still figuring things out, healing from past trauma, and finding her path in life. I feel like a lot of readers would be able to connect with this character.

This book wasn’t really about the romance for me. It was about Sadie — her journey, her struggles, her triumphs. I loved her! I was rooting for her! I was laughing and crying along with her.

There is a GREAT twist at the end! There were Easter eggs all throughout the book but I missed them all because I was so enthralled with Sadie, but the shock factor was so worth it.

Thank you to @netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book!

Have you read this one? Which Katherine Center novel is your favourite?

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3.8 stars - I finished The Bodyguard just before reading Hello Stranger. This book was a bit lighter and wasn't quite as suspenseful, but I did that to myself. 😂

Katherine Center makes it easy to get wrapped up in Sadie's story and root for her as she navigates her newest challenge. This is a feel-good romance with a few twists along the way, but it was an easy read and a great way to kick off my summer reading binge!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!