This was a touching story, with some heavy triggers. Make sure you check out the trigger warnings before you read. You will need tissues.

Oh my goodness this book was pretty amazing! I loved the representation, and it was so fast and easy to get hooked!

Okay, I need to preface this by saying I love Katherine Center so much, and I will continue to read her future books and her backlist, but this book. this book was not for me.

I could not root for the FMC (female main character), something about her rubbed me the wrong way. The story was and it drug on for forever. The family tension was childish, the portrait painting was boring, I don't know this just wasn't for me!!!!

<spoilers ahead>

The "twist" was so bad. I literally never was rooting for her to get with the vet "her future fiance" and so when her grumpy neighbor turned out to be him, when the faceblindness lifted I was more excited for the book to be over than for the twist.

<spoilers over>

"The more good things you look for, the more you find."

Sadie, like her mother, is an artist. After a very public seizure she discovers that she has more in common with her mom than just their artistic abilities. Sadie also has a genetic condition, the exact same one that killer her mom, that requires immediate brain surgery. After surgery Sadie develops some swelling that caused a temporary prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Soon after, she begins to fall for two very different men. Because she can not see their faces she has to rely on other aspects...their personalities, charm, and even their gait, to decide which she has the better connection with. Will it be her crass but charming neighbor or the compassionate veterinarian who saved her beloved dog, Peanut? & Is love truly blind?

How good is a book when you feel like you know exact what's going to happen and exactly how it's all going to play out, yet you still cannot put it down? This was my third Katherine Center book and my favorite of the bunch. So far I've liked each book more than the last & look forward to whatever she writes next! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

Katherine Center just keeps cranking out hits, y’all! I enjoyed so much about this book and loved her fresh idea for the very common miscommunication trope. Face blindness? That was an AMAZING choice from the author and I can really appreciate the time and research she put into being sure she gave an accurate representation of this neurological disorder.
Did I suspect the ending? Yes I did. But, that didn’t ruin bad things for me because I honestly had no idea how the author was going to make all the dots connect.

I was originally giving this book 4 stars, but after having time to think it over, I’m bumping it up another star for the lovely Author’s Note at the end. I just love Katherine Center and I think we’d be great bookish buds if I ever met her in real life.

Hello Stranger is my favorite book by Katherine Center so far.
Sadie has finally been accepted into a portrait competition that she has been entering for years. This has been a goal since her mother was also entered in the contest before she died. When a freak accident causes Sadie to be unable to distinguish faces, she doesn't know how she will be able to compete. On top of that, there are two men suddenly in her life. One who she was sure was a total jerk before they got to know each other. The other is her veterinarian who may just be the love of her life. Everything comes to a head when she realizes she has to choose.
This was such an incredible book. Sadie may be my favorite romance heroine ever. She was so refreshing and realistic. This book had everything I could have wanted and more.

Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and Hello Stranger did not disappoint. In fact, it is probably my favorite of her books thus far. I really enjoyed the evolution of the characters and the growth of their relationship. I feel like her characters are all really relatable and someone you'd want to be friends with in real life. If you are a fan of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Elin Hildenbrand or Laine Moriarty you will enjoy this book.

The ending of this book absolutely made it! I hate the miscommunication trope, which I started suspecting was going on from the first phone call of bowling jacket dude overheard in the elevator. Between that fear and just not vibing with the main character well, I ended up putting down the book for a good, long while.

While this certainly wasn't my favorite book I've read recently, the last few chapters did actually win my heart a bit. Joe-Bowling-Jacket-Dude (MMC) and Sadie (FMC) are still far from what I typically like in main characters, but oddly enough I actually liked them together even if I didn't like them individually. I was cheering them on (especially that art exhibit scene... my goodness...). The plot largely centers around Sadie's development of facial blindness, which was SO interesting and unique for a rom-com plot. I might have unlocked a new fear, but it's fine, I'm fine. Overall, I can say that while the first 75% of this may not have been my personal cup of tea, I fully understand why so many of my friends and local booksellers love it and will recommend it to others. Plus I mean... with a cover this cute, how could the book not be a good time?

I absolutely loved this book! This is the first time I encounter face blindness in a romance novel and I felt so many emotions throughout the book thanks to this rep - my heart ached for Sadie when she found out she had face blindness after surgery, I was anxious for her, I was frustrated with her, I whooped at every milestone and bit of progress and eventually, I laughed because of the crazy situation this led her into. I always find it says a lot when I feel so much and so deeply when reading a book! I do have to say though, I'm not sure how Sadie made it out alive with the degree of second hand embarrassment I felt on her behalf! I think if I had been in her place, I would've melted into a puddle on the floor. Hahaha! I am very happy she found her HEA though.

I started this one off with the ebook and ended up switching to the audio - The narrator for this book is brilliant! I really enjoyed listening to her and I feel like she got Sadie spot on! I'm also impressed cause I feel like she portrayed Joe very well too.

Content warnings: Death of a parent, bullying, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders, infidelity.

A huge thank you to St-Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

“We think what we think we’re going to think.”

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a sweet tale about artist Sadie, who undergoes a brain procedure only to wake up with edema causing Prosopagnosia – otherwise known as face blindness. She was just named a finalist in a portrait competition and has only weeks to paint a brand new “live model” portrait but can’t see faces! Bring in her super nice, always willing to help neighbor Joe who is willing to sit for her . . . and although Sadie can’t see his face, she begins to fall for him! However, simultaneously, she has developed a cute crush on her veterinarian. With the hope of the edema going down in the near future and her whole life seemingly out-of-whack, Sadie learns to perceive things differently, use her other senses, deal with “confirmation bias,” and runs into multiple “misunderstandings” that will leave you laughing, empathic to her situation, and wanting friends like Joe, Sadie, and the whole Sue family!

Katherine Center is climbing her way up my favorite author list easily – her humor-filled, sweet character development, uplifting stories are just what I needed to warm my heart and leave me happy! Plus, Center’s love of writing romance novels seeps through every page and leaves me with the “anticipation” (read the end author’s note!) I needed!

I admit, I have never heard of face blindness before and was surprised at how common it is. I felt like I learned a lot (and then researched some) from reading this great book and would be lost if I couldn’t identify people immediately from their face. I was so intrigued by the discussions about how we are “so busy seeing what we expect to see” that we only “see what we’re looking for.” How interesting and true!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved everything about it – especially the feeling it gave me while reading - and feel lucky that I was able to read this ARC! Yes – somethings are a little too perfect, but plot lines come together wonderfully, and I don’t care that I “anticipated” the ending before it happened – actually I was smiling, while “rush” reading it to get to the joyous finish! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for this amazing read! I will definitely be recommending this book and author Katherine Center to all of my friends! This is just the book you need to fall in love with and brighten your day!

5 massive stars!

“And then I found out that letting people help you isn’t so bad.”

“This love story really created fantastic anticipation.”

This is a delightful book. Katherine Center always manages to surprise me with her wit and her depth of character.

A fantastically fun vacation read. It reminds me to have fun, enjoy the process of creating, and not really give a damn what people think.

This is going on my list of "Must Reads" for Summer. I want to read it again and again.

The narration was done super well for this book; however, the story gets 3 stars from me.

What I liked:
- The premise was promising
- The message this book sends to readers

What I didn't like:
- The weird love-triangle with the twist
- None of the characters were very likable... especially the FMC
- The plot felt like it dragged on forever and like nothing was actually happening

I absolutely loved The Bodyguard and was really bummed when this one wasn't panning out the way I had hoped it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center was my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last! I enjoyed this book immensely; it was heartwarming, thoughtful, funny, and relatable. The main character, Sadie, is so likeable and deals realistically with the challenges in her life; I was rooting for her from the start and laughing along with the zaniness of her adventures. If you want a sweet and charming read that you'll devour, this is the book for you! (Note/CW: serious medical diagnosis, death of a parent [off-screen, prior to events of book], bullying)

Predictable, but really cute and original for a rom-com. Face blindness has been used a bit in thrillers, but I think using it in a rom-com was a genius idea.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I meant to give feedback on this when I finished it but I forgot, which feels fitting. Center is such a down-to-earth talented writer that this plot, which is at danger of being hokey and melodramatic manages to land a surprising punch. Sadie Montgomery is painting a portrait. Only she can't recognize faces (an extreme version of face blindness). Hijinx ensue. While there will little quibbles I had, overall I love sitting back and trusting that Center would handle everything without it getting too madcap.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the stories Katherine Center crafts. They are so well told, the characters are so developed, and the just leave you feeling content when they are done. This would be a fun summer vacation read to just fully immerse yourself in! I loved it!

Was it cute? As sweet as candy. 🍭
Did I devour it? Like pizza on a Friday night. 🍕
I get picky with romance, but this is romance done right! ❤️
I adored the main characters and despised the antagonists. Who knew you could like as well as dislike fictional characters so much? 🤷‍♀️
Peanut reminded me so much of my friend’s dog so of course I had a magnetic pull there for the best for Peanut! 🐶
Sue (the BFF) was my favorite character and I’d love to read a book about her story if the author ever chose to write one!
I will say, you have to suspend a bit of belief during a portion near the end of the book, but A+ for creativity and the boldness to try something new!
A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this book. Hello Stranger will be published July 11th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4.5 ⭐️ rounding up.

I've loved Center's previous books-- they're a little out of my wheelhouse (more sweet than spicy, which is what I'm used to) but the stories are compelling. This one fell a little flat for me. The premise was "meh" at best, and I have a really hard time buying into any "starving artist" trope. In real life, if someone I knew chose to struggle and complain instead of just getting a job, any job, and making their art on the side (like the rest of us do), I'd roll my eyes so hard they'd pop out of my head. The same applies to characters in books, sorry. Center's writing remains lovely, but the character didn't do it for me.

I love it when you pick up a book primarily just to be entertained, but in addition you learn something. In this story Sadie suddenly finds out she has a condition I’d never heard of that is called face blindness. This turns her world upside down, especially as she is an artist painting portraits. Sade finds herself looking at life in new ways.

Sadie Montgomery is a budding portrait artist, who just became a finalist in a big portrait competition. If she wins this competition, not only will she win money, but she will also gain contacts to help propel her career. As she gets ready to celebrate with her friends, she has an accident, which leads doctors to discover a weird blood vessel in her brain. After much encouragement from her dad, Sadie elects to have the brain surgery right away. She wakes up with “face blindness”, where she can’t identify anyone’s face, everyone looks like a Picasso painting to her. Needless to say, this stresses out Sadie, as she has to paint a new portrait for the competition in about 3 weeks. Fortunately, Sadie can still see other faces, like her dog, Peanut, but not human faces. However, Peanut becomes very sick and is hospitalized at a nearby vet. Sadie develops a crush on the new vet, but everything is awkward in starting a new relationship. It’s very hard for Sadie on a social level to recognize people, even people like her friends and family. Sadie’s new neuropsychologist helps her to identify people by other senses, such as voice and gait. I found the science behind her condition and new social skills fascinating. Overall, the story is funny and heartwarming, hitting all the right notes and emotions.

Special thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital copy to review.