I adored The Bodyguard and adore this newest book by Katherine Center just as much. A fun, heartwarming read with an unique premise. Loved it so much! 5 Stars!

Thank you to #netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This is my third book by this author, and while I look forward to reading more, I have to say this was my least favorite of the three. The banter between Joe and Sadie is spot on. However, other aspects of the book took away from that for me. Parker was just awful, shame on the parents, the best friend was all over the place, sometimes helpful and other times detrimental to Sadie, and I had a hard time getting over some of that. The second half of the book and the ending flow much better and redeem the first half.

HELLO STRANGER - KATHERINE CENTRE
4⭐
PLOT - Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist whose luck might change as she is selected as a finalist in a competition but one day she has a seizure and needs to be operated leaving her with partial face blindness . Now we have Sadie a portrait artist who can't differentiate one face from another . While sorting this mess and her estrangement from her father she falls for her neighbour and is obsessed with her dogs vet. She might need to figure other ways of seeing and accepting help from least expected sources.

MY THOUGHTS -
I loved the premise and how one has to suddenly adjust to this new problem still maintaining and living your current life.
Sadie as a character inspite of hardships she faced was good hearted but I wished she stood up for herself even more esp with her father.
The plot of face blindness in a rom com was very well done with some serious issues also being discussed
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Hello Stranger releases July 11, 2023

1.5

<b>There’s a good chance this has spoilers.</b>

Sadie, a portrait artist, placed as a finalist in a contest where the grand prize is $10K.
Her best friend Sue (also an art major) proposes that they must celebrate.
That same night, Sadie has a meet-cute with some man at a grocery store as he’s about to pay for her wine and dog treats since she forgot her purse.
Immediately following this, Sadie has a seizure in the middle of the road which lands her in the hospital — turns out she has an inherited condition and needs brain surgery — but as a result of that, she’s left with something called prosopagnosia (face blindness).

Truthfully, I was ready to DNF this at chapter 3 after that inclusion of such a fatphobic conversation that Sadie eavesdropped on in the elevator, which was <I>so</I> unnecessary to add, AND to find out later that he’s the love interest? get wrecked.
> “Oh, my god, she’s so fat. I thought she had to be pregnant, but no. She’s just unbelievably obese.”
> “Belly fat for the Guinness book, I swear. And she does that thing where breathes like she’s choking. It’s hilarious.”
> “She did that thing where she planted her fat ass right in the middle of the mattress and then she rolled on top of my face. I almost suffocated, I swear—under a mountain of blubber.”
And ok, yeah, it turns out this was about a dog and not a woman, but that fact isn’t made clear until 70% and by that point, your formed opinion about this man is either leaning one way or the other.

I’m struggling to understand why KC can’t find it in herself to write supportive female characters (I had an issue with this in The Bodyguard too).
1. The whole Cinderella-esque inspired evil stepmom and stepsister was something I was not expecting and quite frankly did not need. Parker was straight up malicious and I hated every time she was on page. These characters are too old to be behaving this way.
2. Sue — how is it that she just “kept forgetting” that Sadie had face blindness?? Like, hello? It’s quite ignorant. She did not feel like a best friend at all. Like sure, yes, go elope and live your best life but also she did not seem supportive in the slightest given the fact that Sadie just went through something so traumatic and life altering. Not even that, but throwing her a surprise party and then leaving her to fend for herself the entire time while being unable to recognize anyone, even after promising that she wouldn’t leave her side? That’s so selfish.

The whole Dr. Addison/Joe thing straight up made me want to rip my hair out.
Sadie was delusional to be planning a whole ass fictional wedding when they weren’t even dating.
You’re telling me that even when she got back her full vision, she was unable to remember who he was and that he helped move her into the building? That just speaks to who she is as a character, and it’s not saying great things tbh.

The romance here was lacking in every way imaginable, especially for a title that is supposed to be in the romance genre. This should have been left as a family saga since Sadie and her late mother shared SO much in common — it would have been great to dive deeper into her grief and reconciliation with her father, which was entirely rushed over.

I’m 0/2 for KC novels and you’d probably have to pay me to read anything else.

I am so sorry but I DNF at 30%.

I automatically requested this title on NetGalley because I love Katherine Center. I had no idea the premise included face blindness. I don't know why, but it's my least favorite premise in romance. That's on me, though, and not the author.

I feel like it's impossible to write this plot without being contrived or overly cliché.

I hope other readers love it. For me, I needed to stop.

I really enjoyed this one!! I think that Katherine Center writes really great stories, and her love interests are so compelling.

I’ve seen some people not like Sadie and I could definitely see why, but I think she was real. I like a protagonist who is a mix of annoying and likable. It’s very me.

The mix of Sadie’s story and relationship with Joe were told well. And i adored Joe. Also the twist was too good.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is...another masterpiece by Katherine Center. I generally stay away from Romance or Rom-Com novels that are too saccharine - it just isn't' for me and I find myself eye rolling my way through. After reading this description I worried that perhaps I wouldn't connect with the character or her experiences. I WAS WRONG! From the opening lines I just loved this story and even when I had a sense of what was coming the tone and writing was so well executed that I didn't even care and just enjoyed.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist taking after her own mother who she lost at a young age. She has just gotten a major break in her career and is getting ready for a night celebrating. As she's crossing the street she suddenly experiences a stroke and ends up in the emergency room. She learns that she has a rare brain disorder and has to get surgery asap. She is reluctant to move forward with it as she is on deadline but her surgeon father insists - and as she's coming out of the operating room she realizes that she can...no longer see faces. What follows is her experience navigating this major turn with the help of her friends and neighbors...and lovers?

Hello Stranger is charming, it's sweet, it's wonderful. I BREEZED through this in less than 24 hours because I was just having such a good time. Don't miss it!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy - Hello Stranger will be out 7/11/23.

Katherine Center's writing is total comfort reading for me. She writes in such a way that is so easy to read. I find myself reading along and then I'm hit with a great observation on human nature that surprises and delights me. Hello, Stranger was no exception.

This story follows Sadie Montgomery through a sudden health crisis that leaves her with "face blindness." For a person going through life, this would be a difficult challenge. For a portrait artist like Sadie, this would seem impossible to overcome.

I enjoyed getting to know the main character, Sadie (even if she was a tad annoying at times), and her world. Sadie struggled to cope with a lot of health challenges, suppressed trauma, and uncertainty. Watching her grow and learn from her struggles was satisfying without feeling too tied in a bow. Did I have the "twist" figured out after I read the book blurb? Yes. Did I care? No. The journey is the delightful part.

As a Katherine Center completist, I eagerly await her next release!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a review copy of this book.

5 stars for sure! I just love Katherine Center's novels, and this one was just what I needed to read! Sadie is so like-able, and I was rooting for her immediately. She became a friend, and I missed her as soon as I put the book down (with a big smile, of course). It's a sweet story written cleverly and expertly. Please don't ever stop writing, Katherine Center!!!

A HUGE thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this one! Such a fun read!!

I really loved the premise of this one! The whole face-blindness thing really made for a unique and dynamic love story. I love how all of Center's books have that extra layer of...trauma? probably not the right word but we'll go with it. Her characters are just flat, broke, down on their luck, looking for love characters. They have very real, very tangible problems, and it's what makes her one of my favorite romance authors. I found Sadie to be a bit much at times, but I loved how I totally expected the romance to go in a different direction than it ultimately did.

Oh and Peanut was the star of the show.

🛼 I loved this book! I loved everything about it!

🎨 First, I’ve always been curious about prosopagnosia (face blindness) and how it impacts a person. I feel like this story gave me a great primer on how prosopagnosia impacts a person’s ability to recognize people and how they learn to cope with it.

🛼 I loved Sadie’s tenaciousness! When her face blindness clearly impacted her ability to paint portraits, she worked to find alternative methods. When her family created personal issues for her, she found solutions. She plowed forward despite adversities, and I loved that about her.

🎨 Joe! Loved me some Joe!

🛼 I think I smiled on every page. Ok, maybe not the pages where the evil stepsister was in the scene, but otherwise I was enchanted throughout the whole story.

🎨 There is a twist at the end that was shockingly perfect! I can’t believe I didn’t anticipate it, but I’m glad I didn’t because it was simply wonderful!

🛼 This is a clean, sweet, and realistic romance. I adored everything about it and I highly recommend it. If the author’s other books are this good - and I suspect they are - I have a lot of catching up to do!

Thank you @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE Katherine center and it pains me to give this book anything less than 5 stars but, unfortunately this book wasn’t it. For starters, I wasn’t a big fan of the face blindness nor all the miscommunication that was going on in this book. I felt it lack romance and I didn’t buy the chemistry between joe and Sadie! So bummed out this one didn’t work for me .

Katherine Center continues to be amazing! The creativity and quirkiness of “Hello Stranger” is unmatched. Who knew we needed this plot?! Sadie’s face blindness takes her on quite the journey of self awareness and discovery. Bonus points for laugh-out-loud humor that makes you think, “Oh my gosh, is this real?!” Highly recommended for those looking for a romcom with a touching moments.

This book was ONE OF THE ABSOLUTE CUTEST BOOKS OF 2023!

I already knew I loved Katherine Center after reading the Body Guard (also worth checking out if you haven’t yet), but this book absolutely took the cake!

I am already wondering when they’re going to make “Hello Stranger” into a movie romcom, because the entire premise is unique, and absolutely adorable.

The pacing was great, the characters are so lovable, and the ending was satisfying. I laughed, I cried, I squealed with glee. Ugh can I go back and reread this for the first time again?

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the Queen herself Katherine Center for this ARC for a genuine review. I adored this feel-good novel that feels like a warm hug.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I’m not a big romance reader but this book was recommended to me by a family friend and I was pleasantly surprised. The story begins with Sadie, a struggling artist who feels like she will never live up to her father’s expectations. But one fateful night, a chance meeting and a freak accident change the trajectory of her life. Through a series of unfortunate health struggles, Sadie learns the true meaning of living. She learns that to be truly happy you have to first learn to love yourself both the good and the bad. She also realizes that asking for help doesn’t make you weak, rather helps you to gain confidence in those around you. The story is full of quirky encounters that are at times quite funny. I caught myself laughing out loud a few times and would definitely recommend to others.

Katherine Center is now a must read author, she 100% captured my heart with this book. This story was a warm hug for my heart and I devoured it. This is definitely a perfect summer read, it’s quick and fun with just the right amount of heat.

Sadie Montgomery has finally peaked in her profession as a portrait artist. She is completing in a prestigious art competition and things are definitely looking up for her. That is until she is very suddenly diagnosed with face blindness, and has only six weeks until her art competition. Just when everything seems to be on a downward slope, Sadie suddenly has the attention of two men. Through patience and growth Sadie will learn to accept help from those around her as she navigates this situation.

This book definitely had everything that I need to rate it a five star. The characters were easy to relate to and most were somebody I would be friends with. I loved the secondary characters from the sweet matchmaking couple to Peanut the adorable dog. The story was refreshing and new while still giving me a little bit of that rom-com feeling I crave. The pacing flowed well and the writing was addictive. I finished this in record time.

Katherine Center has become one of my auto buy authors! She knows how to craft a funny and romantic story with characters you root for and fall in love with! If you loved The Bodyguard, you will adore Hello Stranger. Thank you to net galley and the author for allowing me to read and review. Can t wait to continue to read more by this author.

I love a summer Katherine novel! I loved the characters in Hello Stranger. As typical for a novel by this author - the characters may be a bit quirky but they are so likeable and always a bit humorous. This book also gave me some insight into face blindness (there's a medical name for it but I can't remember or know how to spell it for that fact) I believe I had heard of it but really didn't know anything about it at all. I really enjoyed this one! It was a light, fun read and I needed a bit of a break from the thrillers I typically read. Katherine Center's novels typically are normally quite enjoyable! Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! Don't miss this one! Oh yes - and the cover is gorgeous!

I really loved the premise of this one! The whole face-blindness thing really made for a unique and dynamic love story. I love how all of Center's books have that extra layer of...trauma? probably not the right word but we'll go with it. Her characters are just flat, broke, down on their luck, looking for love characters. They have very real, very tangible problems, and it's what makes her one of my favorite romance authors. I found Sadie to be a bit much at times, and I loved how I totally expected the romance to go in a different direction than it ultimately did.

Oh and Peanut was the star of the show.

I absolutely LOVE Katherine Center books. Everything she writes is gold. I haven't read a single one that didn't live up to my expectations, and this didn't disappoint at all. All of her books are a light read with fun, lovable, and quirky characters that you can't help but to root for all while exploring normally difficult situations.

When Sadie, a portrait artist, undergoes brain surgery after an accident and wakes up with face blindness, her entire world is left upside down. As she tries to grapple with her new reality, she finds herself in a love triangle between her veterinarian (who even though she can't see him, she can just feel that he's extremely hot) and her womanizer/bad boy neighbor, Joe.

I saw the big twist coming from miles away. That normally deters me from a book, but honestly, I think it made me love this one even more. While I knew what was going to happen, I had no idea how in the hell we would get there, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Highly recommend if you're looking for an easy to read romance that has you laughing out loud.

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