𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙, 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚-𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣

𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 depicts a trope of hope: hope to embrace life even after life as you knew it has been dismantled.

For Sadie Montgomery, a broke, down on her luck, portrait artist her face recognising region of the brain is essential to winning the contest she's been finalized for. But as tragedies happen when they best do i.e. at the most inconvenient times - she gets scheduled for a surgery that goes well but leaves her with face blindness.

Now Sadie's got to readjust to her new condition, meanwhile, her portrait model's been kidnapped off to Canada to be married. Cut to Joe - the guy living in her apartment building, who she's sure is an a**hole, helping her out with her portrait and maybe even her heart.

- ~ -

I may have oversimplified the synopsis of the book but the essence remains the same.

Every time I read Center's books, they always end with her characters looking back on their story as a fond time which taught them something valueable. The moral of the story here was: 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳.
As simple as that.

Overall, I'd say Sadie is a bit different from Center's usual protagonists but I enjoyed her perspective and complex and chaotic love affair with Joe was also sweet.

- ~ -

4.01 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Thank you so much to Net Gallery and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC- this was such a fun book to read!

Sadie has had a rough life- and finally is about to accomplish something on the top of her bucket list, when a head injury causes her to have possibly temporary, maybe permanent, face blindness. What follows, is a total mess for dear Sadie- that’s often funny, and sometimes heartbreaking- as she tries to navigate her world, usually complete unaware of who she is talking to.

I can not recommend this book enough if you love romance, relaxing heart warming reads and dogs! Peanut is the absolute best! ❤️

I liked it! I love Katherine Center’s writing. The premise was cute but I really struggled with the main characters behavior. The writing left something to be desired which was a disappointment but it seems like I may be an outlier since this has tons of 5 star reviews. I’ll still recommend it as part of Center’s selection!

Hello, Stranger is Katherine Center’s newest book, a romantic comedy similar to her best-selling How to Walk Away. Like many of her novels, it is more Women’s Fiction than romance but is full of hopeful optimism.

20-something Sadie Montgomery’s portrait painting career is finally looking up when she is selected as a finalist for a big competition in her Houston hometown. Unfortunately she has a seizure and is diagnosed with a brain malformation, the same thing that caused her mother to suddenly die when Sadie was 14. So Sadie’s estranged cardiothoracic surgeon father schedules brain surgery for Sadie, and when she wakes up, she can no longer recognize faces. Sadie’s face blindness impacts her ability to create the required portraits for the upcoming competition.

Sadie is aided by her best friend, Sue Kim, and a neuropsychologist, Dr. Nicole, as she navigates her new reality. Sadie is fiercely independent and doesn’t want anyone to know about her condition, so only her family and Sue are aware. She is dead broke and living in a rooftop storage area that is supposed to be her art studio. She does some internet searches to develop strategies to successfully paint and interact with people, with mixed results.

When she picks up her beloved dog, Peanut, from the kennel, she falls head over heels for the handsome new veterinarian, Dr. Oliver Addison. Meanwhile she realizes that her neighbor, Joe, may be a nicer guy than she assumed from her brief glimpses of him and an overheard phone conversation. Further complicating Sadie’s life is the reappearance of her dad and hated stepmother, with Parker, the evil stepsister, even moving into Sadie’s building and pursuing Joe. Eventually Sadie has to decide which man she would rather pursue a relationship with, with neither aware of her condition.

Hello, Stranger is full of humorous scenes; my favorite is when Sadie mentally decides whether to take Dr. Addison’s name right after she meets him. While the story is ultimately a romance, it’s more of a positive tale of overcoming adversity. The characters are engaging and have realistic dialogue; the story is well-paced with several conflicts to be resolved; and there’s a satisfying ending. Center’s books do not contain descriptions of sex, and there is no profanity, except for a single F-bomb when Sadie tells off the evil Parker. If I could award Hello, Stranger more than 5 stars, I would. It is absolutely a must-read for Fiction and Romance readers.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A light, humorous, entertaining read with a very original plot. It was a little predictable but still a fun read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Katherine Center’s books & this one did not disappoint. Sadie is a struggling artist, trying to make it on her own, when she gas an accident that causes her to experience ‘face blindness.’ Now she can no longer work on her drawing…but she also has a terrible time recognizing everyone she used to know. An interesting spin on the author’s typical rom-com type stories, but it worked for me! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. #booksbyashleynicole

Part of me adored Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and the other part disliked it immensely. I feel unbalanced and utterly confused as how to rate or review this book.

Katherine Center does hope well. No matter what she puts her leads through, and sometimes it is a lot, the story is always hopeful. Her characters may not feel hope, but there is always a sense that things will get better. Even when they may not get better, there is a feeling that things will still be okay.

I know I can't describe this well, but I enjoyed the parts of the romance when the love interests were participating in the day-to-day things: dinners, walks, just talking, or comforting each other. During these times, they were vulnerable and fully fleshed out, and when their chemistry won me over. These scenes made me forgive a lot of what I didn't like.

This book made me cry. It is likely because I have an estranged relationship with a relative, and when this topic comes up in books, I tend to feel it deeply. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. However, I rarely cry. I don't think more than ten books have ever made me cry. So, if you can make me cry, you get a bump in stars.

I loved the author's note about romance books and their predictability of them. Predictability in books sucks unless it is a romance. If you aren't reading a romance book for the happily ever after, what are you even reading them for? It is sad that an author even needs to justify it.

The rest of this book made me roll my eyes. Like constantly. If this were any other book, it wouldn't get above a 2 star. Much of the premise requires you to suspend disbelief that what is occurring would and could happen. Here, the female lead has brain surgery, which causes her to suffer from temporary face blindness. Her face blindness resulted in so much confusion and utter ridiculousness that it made it hard for me to buy what was happening - like the inability to know someone by their voice despite her inability to see their face. However, I am not a doctor. I have never had face blindness. I have no idea about what may or may not happen. So, I let most of it go.

What ultimately bothered me the most; is that Center clearly knew this would be an issue because you are force-fed excuses and explanations as to how this entire plot could happen. She wants you to believe it so much that she tells you how to believe it. It took me out of the story.

My other issue with the story was the female main character's attitude. Due to past trauma, she doesn't let people help her, but she is mean about it. We all have trauma. We all go through things, but you don't need to be constantly rude because of it. It made me not care about her or what she was going through. BUT there is character growth by the end. So, that is something.

Lack of communication is a significant trope in this book. So much so that if the lack of communication doesn't exist, there is no plot. It made me want to scream.

Ultimately, I believe most people will love this book. It gives a lot of warm and cozy vibes and aww moments that even got me. I suggest going in with the expectation that her medical issues would result in everything that happens.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this book so much, and overall it was a great read! However, there were just a few things that bothered me which is why I am rating it 3.5 stars. When Joe and Sadie figure out that he has always been the same person as the vet - they explain it to the reader by figuring it out themselves. But then they turn around and say it all over again to Sue and it felt very repetitive. Besides that, there was miscommunication and obviously non-communication all over the place but it worked for the plot. There was a lot of potential for the ending to be more succinct and engaging, which would have bumped up my rating!

I hate ever leaving less than glowing feedback on books because I know each is a labor of love. It feels hypocritical, judging someone harshly for something I couldn’t do myself. But I have to be honest that this book made me furious. You know the whole trope of “why don’t they just TALK to each other?!” (Which is MENTIONED in this book!) - this book is that on steroids. And that drives me insane. I spent a lot of time wondering, does the author not realize that the twist is obvious? Or does she want us to know the twist and be writhing in frustration that the FMC can’t figure it out for herself? Dear god, the frustration was just unnecessary. And is she a fan of Greys Anatomy? Because - Montgomery Addison? Like if you’re going to wink that hard just put it out there straight.

Effervescent Sadie Montgomery has finally received her big break: a slot in the same exclusive portrait competition her mother entered years and years earlier. Sadie wants to win the competition in her mother’s honor and to prove that she can be a success as an artist to her father and wicked stepmother, but things aren’t so easy for Sadie. Her brain has other plans.

A necessary surgery leads to a condition that leads to face blindness. She is a portrait artist that can’t see faces.

How will Sadie recognize people in her life? How can she prove herself as a portrait artist when she can’t see faces—even the ones she has created on her canvases?

And so Sadie begins relying on coping mechanisms—identifying clothing and hairstyles, gaits and voices. But so much of that is an amalgamation in her mind, not a science.

Can Sadie keep a sunny, upbeat attitude in the face of so many challenges? Can she fall in love and establish a new relationship without seeing and committing faces to memory? Can she still prove her artistic prowess to her family and to the art world?

This book brought me so much joy and hope. From Sadie bopping down the grocery aisles to her skating on the rooftop, she makes you want to delight in living. Her burgeoning friendship and relationship with Joe is so sweet.

And it wouldn’t be a Katherine Center book without the reader experiencing the trials and tribulations along with her characters, aching for everything to work out. Your heart has to constrict before getting to that happy ending.

I loved it.

Stick around after the story to read Katherine Center’s author’s note for a lovingly articulated argument as to the importance of romance as a genre.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was such a cute read. I loved Sadie! This story mostly revolves around Sadie and her struggle with face blindness after having brain surgery. It is also a story about loss and how it affects people, about feeling like you were betrayed by those who should have supported you when you needed them most, and being able to get over yourself and ask for help when you need it. The love story is secondary to Sadie healing emotionally and I kind of like that. Although, the issues Sadie has with dating while struggling with face blindness definitely bring humor to this story. I find Sadie's step-mom to be over the top and her step-sister is just cringey and mean. Joe is amazing (definitely book boyfriend material) and all the quirky things that happen between Joe and Sadie had me shaking my head. Overall, this was a great way to start my summer reading!

I loved everything about this book. I'm not kidding when I say I smiled literally the entire time reading it, and laughed out loud several times. It was perfect.

Sadie was so loveable and the condition of facial blindness was so interesting to learn about in the context of a romance novel. Her character development was so well done. There were just so many layers to this story but they all wove together neatly and with humor.

I can't wait to read more of her books!

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

Katherine Center just secured her spot as my favorite feel-good romance novelist of all time. Her characters are the quirkiest, funniest, most lovable human beings - and, in this case, we even have to include geriatric dogs in her repertoire of charming characters. It is impossible not.to fall in love with Sadie, a struggling artist who is suffering from facial prosopagnosia after being hit by an embarrassingly small car and saved by a - now unrecognizable- stranger. What follows is a hilarious comedy of errors as Sadie finds herself falling for Peanut's dreamy vet and her endearingly helpful neighbor at the same time.

I received the audiobook ARC as well, review below matches the audiobook review.


I'm a big fan of anything that makes a novel unique, unforgettable.

Hello Stranger introduced me to a disease that I had no idea existed, acquired Prosopagnosia, face blindness. And it was quite fascinating to learn more about it. Also, I thought the author did a fantastic job of researching the topic and turning it into a great plot arc. Well done!!

But I was not a fan of the heroine, couldn't even point to exactly what irked me, but she didn't endear herself to me - which is never a good thing.

I also would have liked to have more interaction between the couple, and less of Sadie's inner monologue. Her inner musings were just so blah, and meh, almost childish and definitely vexing at times. Also her relationship with her family had me rolling my eyes at times - I was not a fan of it! And I must have spaced out here and there because I can't even remember if the couple slept with each other or not. :(

Best part of the book:
I had an Aha! moment at 72,8 % of the audiobook, that's how long it took me to realise who is who when it comes to "Jim". That was pretty brilliantly done by the author, if I may say so!

Overall, it was a solid audio performance, but not my favorite Katherine Center novel. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to the next one.

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.