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.

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!