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.

What an incredibly charming book! I don't want to spoil anything for anyone by revealing the tropes at play in this one, suffice it to say that Katherine Center created several wonderful characters and put them all in a scenario full of twists and turns that I've definitely never seen in a romance novel before. Unique, romantic, full of heart.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I discovered Katherine Center this year and this book did not disappoint! The banter in this book is unmatched. I laughed out loud multiple times! Peanut was for sure my favorite character and provided much comic relief. The character development is so rich and immersive. The plot was very unique and had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. I feel we can all learn a little something about perspective from this book, and how noticing what is around us, and paying attention, can completely change the narrative.

I loved this book, it's a quick read or listen. Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the advanced audio copy, and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.

I've been a fan of Katherine Center's books since I read her first book years ago, and while they are romance with some drama, I find her writing so entertaining and pleasurable. I believe these books just make me smile and feel good. The ending author's note reminds me of why I enjoy this genre.
Sadie is the kind of character that makes rooting for her easy! When an accident leads to a discovery of a neurological issue, and her outcome leaves her with face blindness, look it up, it's real. As a portrait artist with a competition upcoming this is devastating. Sadie is suddenly looking at faces all messed up, and she messes up so many people , can't recognize her evil step sister, and many others...it's frustrating. She is surrounded by people who love her, people who want to help her and some frustrating familial relationships.

Read this book, enjoy the people and the discovery of a unique disorder and how Sadie works to overcome its impact.

The audio narrated by Patti Murin was very well done.

*4.5

I have read two Katherine Center books and they have both been absolute gems. Never would I have thought I would go this crazy over a closed-door romance, but here we are. Katherine Center specializes in romances that are so feel-good, you won't be able to help but awww out loud (I did. Several times).

This book has a lot of moving parts, but it works so well. We have a painter who suffers from face blindness as a result of surgery that she has right before the biggest portrait contest of her career. We see her as she reconciles her faith and ability within her career with her new reality. This also takes place within a family drama and a new relationship.

There were times when the story got a bit predictable, but I don't feel like the book suffered from it. The author's note at the end of the book definitely backs up my thought about this. Katherine Center basically says that romance is supposed to be predictable - it is one of the hallmarks of the genre. So while I predicted a lot of what was going to happen, it only made me love this book more.

If you need a pick-me-up, this book is the perfect thing for you. It is so feel good and I just loved it with my whole heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Katherine Center for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure, this was my first Katherine Center ever. And given how many people rave about her books, I thought there would be more than just kissing. No, just me? Okay moving on.

That being said, I really enjoyed the plot of the book. A portrait artist developing face blindness right before a pivotal competition is quite a conundrum. Then add in a particularly vile stepsister, being torn between your hot vet and your boy next door, and learning how to paint again after brain surgery, and you're left with a stinger of a plot. I loved watching Sadie come into her own and become SO assertive in her own quirky way. This girl can roller skate, paint for days, and be one of the kindest people ever. It's just astounding. Read this book if you want a sweet romance that will make you smile.

*Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Hello Stranger is yet another 5-star read from Katherine Center! The story of Sadie, a portrait artist, barely making a living selling her work on Etsy, who finally catches her big break, when tragedy strikes. Hello Stranger will make you question what truly makes you recognize someone -- is it their laughter? their eyes? their voice? their personality? the way they light up a room? How do we truly "know" the ones we love? What causes us to fall in love? Why do we feel closer to some than we do others? Is beauty truly only skin deep? A delightful read -- highly recommended!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Official rating: 5 stars
Page turner rating: 4 stars

Sadie seems to barely catch a break when she finds out that she is a finalist in a prestigious art competition. She thinks maybe this is going to be her moment until she finds out that she needs to prioritize her health with an immediate surgery.

I've read a handful of Katherine Center books, and this is easily the best one yet! I was so impressed with the storyline and how down to earth it felt. I had no perception of what Sadie was going through, but it was portrayed really well. Her family dynamic was a bit strange, but I loved how it all tied together. I loved that I knew nothing about this book before jumping in, so I'm going to stay vague in this review and stop here. This is one I will recommend for a while!


Read if you:
- Liked Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez
- Liked Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
- Are thankful you don't have an evil step-sister
- Love the appeal of a rooftop bar

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

This book didn’t really wow me. I liked the characters, especially Joe, and the story is a quick read, but it just made me feel sad. Then the epilogue felt kinda preachy to me so I didn’t like it. Like I get that this book is about humanity and how we need to be nicer to people because we don’t know what they’re going through, so it really doesn’t need to be written out in the epilogue. I also found the lack of communication to just be so annoying. Sadie is a gal who just does not like to ask for help, so when she can no longer see faces, she falls into some issues with Joe that could have been so easily avoided if she was just honest.

I wouldn’t not recommend it, I’d probably just suggest borrowing it from your library if you can.

I am always truly delighted to pick up a Katherine Center title. Although this wasn’t my favorite by her, it was still a happy read.

How would you handle being told you have a congenital brain abnormality that requires surgery ASAP? How would you handle that brain surgery leaving you with some life-altering (temporary) side effects?

I know there were some extenuating circumstances but I found myself getting a little frustrated with our main character. She felt so out of touch (I get it) and I just wanted to shake her a few times.

But this was a cute romance with a lovable love interest, an off the walls best friend, and an art competition.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This is a story that really explores if love is blind.

If you enjoy a classic romcom, but appreciate unique elements to add a bit of a twist- this is a good bet! The author continues to write hilarious dialogue, and there’s a senior dog- a guaranteed way to win me over. It was also fun to follow a struggling artist in a fun, light story that doesn’t feel deeply tragic.

Thank you so much @macmillan.audio for the excellent audio copy! & thank you @stmartinspress for the eArc!

This book was unfortunately not for me. The premise was interesting, but the characters were irritating/ over the top. And the whole ‘twist’ was too predictable.