I love Katherin Center's writing style and this book was no exception. I didn't get as swept away by this plot as I have several others, but I was truly drawn to this poor girl who has face blindness and her dream it to draw. Imagine the challenges she faced, then add on the "ugly" stepmother, a wounded father and a mean step sister and the possibilities int his book take off.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-galley book preview. I truly enjoyed it and recommend it as a lighthearted romance about tenacity, friendship and love.

Book Review 🎨-
Okay someone pinch me because May has had so many books that I’ve loved. I don’t want it to end!

Hello Stranger by @katherinecenter was no exception.

The premise of this one was so fun, the banter was on point, and it was such a fun read. Even with all the laughs, the book does touch on some emotional moments. Overall, I loved it and recommend you check it out!

Thanks to the amazing gals who threw the buddy read schedule to the side and binged this with me:
@whatdomsreading @wittyreading @karas_reads @no.shelf.control.k @lit_with_kristen @booksmorganreads @naesreadingnook @queenchichireads @letsget.thisread

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies.

Hello Stranger is out July 11, 2023.

Q- Do you read authors notes in books!? The authors note was so good in this one. It felt like validation for all us romance lovers.

This was quite possibly the cutest book! I was apprehensive that Katherine Center could top The Bdoyguard but I absolutely loved this. I read it in 24 hours. I feel like the characters and the unique plot line really hooked me. Very cute! 4.5 Stars!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a delightful book, with both sad, funny and heartwarming moments. It was also predictable, at times but that didn't take away from the story for me. Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who has earned a spot in a competition that might just be her big break. She learns she needs brain surgery 6 weeks before the show and when she wakes up she is experiencing facial blindness. Sadie struggles to cope and has to figure out how to make the competition work for her when she cannot actually see what she needs to paint for the competition. Sadie has dealt with a lot of difficult situations in her life, losing her mother young, her father remarrying quickly and her step sister making her life hard (to say the least). She keeps her humour throughout, which makes for an enjoyable read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Katherine Center for the eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately did end up DNFing this one, and it really, really broke my heart to do so. I loved The Bodyguard and was so excited for this book, but one of the elements rubbed me the wrong way to the point that I just could not continue.

This book features a scene where the FMC hears the main love interest on the phone fat shaming what we are to assume is a woman. It's a really, really gross scene that uses the same fatphobic rhetoric fat people have heard most of their lives. She's gonna break the bed, calling her flubber, just all around uncomfortable. As someone who struggles with body image issues and body dysmorphia, this was a very weird scene to suddenly be hit with.

The fact that this was all for a silly little miscommunication? Completely unnecessary. I looked online for other reviewers' reactions to this as well as talked to friends who read it that informed me he's talking about a dog? Which isn't even revealed quickly? There's just no reason to have this plot line. It was such a strange attack on anyone who struggles with their body image for absolutely no reason. Even if the moral is not judging based on first impressions and how face blindness gave her a chance on a good guy or whatever she was trying with this - surely there was a different way to do this? Did we REALLY have to go straight to fatphobia in a genre that is always dominated by skinny main characters?

I'd love to revisit this book with this knowledge and maybe be able to get through it. But I'm not sure how possible that's going to be, unfortunately. Perhaps I'll give Katherine Center another chance on her next book, and I hope she doesn't hurt me with that one too.

Where to start with this book? I learned a lot, I swooned a lot, I cried A LOT. I've read so many good books this year, but this one hit me in such a different way. It was sweet but with depth, emotional yet hopeful, funny but dealt with hard issues with such care.

Our story follows Sadie, a loveable and slightly struggling artist, who has a seizure on her way back from a wine run to celebrate being named a finalist in an esteemed portrait competition. The same competition that her late mother placed in when she died.

Sadie wakes up in the hospital to the most unwelcome sight: her evil stepmother, Lucinda. And to make matters worse, she finds out that she has to have brain surgery six weeks before the competition to fix a cavernoma in her brain that caused the seizure and could be life threatening. At least according to her emotionally distant father, an esteemed cardiothoracic surgeon.

Sadie wakes from the surgery to something even worse than Lucinda: she can't see faces. A rare side affect of the surgery? Acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, or in layman's terms, facial blindness. It's likely temporary, but it could be permanent. Not great for a girl who needs to complete a portrait of someone's face to win a competition that could save her money problems and boost her confidence as an artist.

Annnnd as if things couldn't get worse, Sadie's aging dog, Peanut, (whose face she can thankfully see!) her constant companion, is sick and needs emergency help. Enter Dr. Oliver Addison, hunky vet (she can tell by his GAITE, ok!?) who saves the day and later asks her out. The only problem? The man in her building with the bowling jacket inscribed with the name "Joe" is also slowly making his way into her heart. And Joe is saving the day in a different way -- by modeling for Sadie's portrait and letting her use some unconventional methods to understand his face. This story is perfect and I'm jealous of anyone getting to read it for the first time.

Easy five stars for me -- and as a romance lover I'm begging you to read the author's note at the end. Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. Out 7/11 BUT PREORDER NOW!

I really enjoy Katherine Center's past books and this one is no exception. I don't really read very much romance, but I always like this author's books. This one was an interesting mix of the world of an artist and acquired face blindness. The characters were also grappling with deep issues like grief, toxic relationships and difficult parent child relationships. But overall, it was a fun romp. While I did guess the twist pretty early, I loved the journey of how it all came together. It will be a great beach read!

I absolutely love Katherine Center's books and this one was no different. Hello Stranger is a delightful and heartwarming read that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

Here are some specific things I loved about this one:

1. The humor: Katherine Center has a gift for writing funny characters and situations. There were many times I laughed out loud while reading Hello Stranger.
2. The heart: The book is full of heartwarming moments, both big and small. I found myself rooting for Sadie and her friends and family throughout the story.
3. The romance itself: The romance between Sadie and the two men is sweet and believable. I loved watching them fall in love.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good love story, and a hug in book form!

I've been a huge fan of Katherine Center for quite some time, and her latest novel, HELLO STRANGER, was among my highly anticipated 2023 reads. Similar to her other work, the female MC experiences a challenge to overcome, and for Sadie, it was face blindness. I've never really taken the time to consider the condition, and I was grateful for the research and information provided. Additionally, there were a few moments that were swoon-worthy (ahem, the painting scene), causing me to want to keep turning the pages to reach the HEA.

That said, I struggled with this one for several reasons. The first and most impactful issue was the extensive use of the miscommunication trope. Yes, I understand that it was essential to this particular plot, but there were so many interactions that should have acted as clues or given both Joe and Sadie pause. Beyond that, the book is filled with highly unlikeable characters, and even those that were supposed to be good had their moments, including Sadie. I felt that she was incredibly (and unnecessarily) rude to people in her life, which was disconcerting when not all warranted it. I also disliked how often she jumped to extreme conclusions rather than simply having a conversation.

Overall, I had a positive reading experience. If you enjoy audiobooks, definitely pick this one up, as Patti Murin narrates. While this may not have been my favorite Katherine Center novel, I am still looking forward to reading what she has to offer in the future. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for my early copies in exchange for an honest review!

This is probably my favorite Katherine Center book. It is so fun, informational, and soulful. I enjoyed the romance, friendships, and family dynamics in this book. It is a perfect light reading for the summer. I did listent to the audiobook and that was also really well done. This book is worth the read.

A struggling portrait artist gets her big break at the exact time she has brain surgery and develops facial blindness. Completely ridiculous in a feel good way. Read this if you're a fan of evil stepsisters, pampered dogs, wacky misunderstandings and light hearted rom-coms.

My expectations were high for this much anticipated book. That is probably why I felt a little disappointed. Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors. Her books have always impacted me in a strong way. This was a good story. I learned about "face blindness" which was not something I had been aware of previously. The story of Sadie and "Joe" was pretty predictable but I still enjoyed the story. It just isn't my favorite and that's ok.

This book is unlike any I’ve ever read. It’s interesting, informative, funny and hopeful. I was really invested in the characters, more than I have been for any book in quite a while. When the Moment of Conflict comes, I felt like it was happening to me, and I felt all the emotions the main character was feeling. This doesn’t happen very often. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, and it won’t be the last!

Outlier Alert!

It's a sad day when I'm disappointed by a book written by one of my favorite authors, but that's exactly what happened with Katherine Center's new book Hello Stranger.

Unfortunately, I predicted every single aspect of the plot from the very beginning and found the book to be both over the top, and ridiculous. In addition, there were so many holes in the storyline that made my eyes roll continuously, even though they admittedly existed for a reason.

After an accident, Sadie Montgomery is struck with face blindness. By some miracle, she manages to find love when she can't even see the features of anyone in front of her, (let alone the guy(s) she falls for), which is astounding considering that's virtually impossible for most of the female population.

While the writing was good, I felt that the characters had no chemistry and lacked the banter I'm used to seeing from Katherine Center. While this book was not my favorite, I remain a fan and look forward to seeing what Katherine Center comes out with next.

A buddy read with Kaceey.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the arc and to MacMillan Audio for the alc.

had never heard of “acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia" or "face blindness" before this story, and I actually really enjoyed learning about it and how it changes a person's interpretation of the world around them. We really do see what we want to see.

Sadie is a quirky, fun FMC who I grew to really enjoy as the story progressed. She isn't perfect, but that's what made her enjoyable in my opinion. Her existing relationships are incredibly complicated, and I found that while I really liked Sadie and her love interests, I didn't quite care for her friend, Sue, or her father and step family.

Though the side characters outside of the love interests were a bit of a let down, Sadie does a good job of keeping the story interesting on her own! Her face blindness and silly mistakes while dealing with it lead to some pretty funny moments that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed Katherine Center's other book, The Bodyguard and was really glad I ended up enjoying this one too. She does a great job of writing and the story flows really well. This was such a fun book to read and it was paced very well!

Tears of all kinds. Sad, joyful, hopeful, love. This book will hit you in all the feels, guaranteed. This book was so nourishing to my soul.

Here’s what to expect:
💙 struggling artist with family struggles
💙 unexpected trials and setbacks
💙 face blindness
💙 you might possibly cry multiple times
💙 the sweetest love story á la Katherine Center
💙 love triangle written well
💙 the best ending, epilogue, and author’s note

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Katherine Center writes the most inspiring romances - it’ll take you on a ride and feel literally the whole spectrum of emotion - and do NOT miss the author’s note on this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Alright, this is my second Katherine Center book and it's time I start reading more of them. I read the last half of this book in one sitting and stayed up until 1:30 am in order to finish it.

Sadie is a struggling artist and has trouble asking for help. She's finally getting a big break and is a finalist in an art contest. She has 6 weeks to complete her portrait but the day she finds out she became a finalist is the day she woke up in a hospital. Turns out she needs brain surgery. After the surgery, she realizes she can no longer see faces. Two new men enter her life, she has to deal with her family drama, and she needs to figure out how she's going to complete this portrait.

I thought the concept was so interesting and I learned about face blindness, which is not something I knew much about. I loved the characters and I loved the ending.

This was a fun and light read, while still covering some difficult topics. Hello Stranger is definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

PS-Do NOT skip the Author's Note.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book was so much fun yet impactful at the same time. I loved the MCs interactions so much. I will definitely be recommending this one!

Well, I completely inhaled that. I love Katherine Center's books. This is not my favorite, because the coincidences were just a little too much to take at times, but I still really enjoyed it. It was interesting to read about face-blindedness, but hard for me to totally get. I am lucky to be good at remembering faces. I also had trouble understanding why our main character couldn't recognize people from their voices. But the romance was sweet, as always with this author's books, and the family dynamics gave it a little something extra. 3.75 stars, rounded up.

I really enjoyed the plot of this, face blindness after surgery is a cool concept.
Even better when you add in that the MC is a portrait artist.
I really enjoy Katherine Center's writing and had kinda high expectations for this.
It was a little frustrating how naive and flighty the MC was, but overall I enjoyed this one.
Much love to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my DRC.