As a longtime Katherine Center fan, I can proudly say that this book did not disappoint! I was hooked from chapter one and I breezed through it!

Hello Stranger follows struggling artist Sadie Montgomery as she wrestles with prosopagnosia, a type of face blindness where she cannot identify or recognize faces -- including her own. After being named a top ten finalist in a portrait competition, Sadie fears what her new diagnosis will mean for her artwork. While dealing with this, she also has pet and family problems and meets two alluring men: Joe and Dr. Addison. With first-person POV, we get to experience Sadie's face blindness, too, along with her wit and poignant thoughts throughout all the sad and hilarious twists and turns of the book.

I don't know how she does it, but Center writes the best romances. Without spoiling the premise of the book, I'll say that I love the man Sadie ends up with. (He might even be one of my favorite love interests in all of Center's books!) Their conversations, their banter, the way they take care of each other -- all of it made me swoon. Anytime Sadie interacted with him, I smiled so much.

Center had a big undertaking with describing prosopagnosia. Due to its inherent complexity, I found it difficult to understand how Sadie was seeing faces at times. Because I couldn't see what she was actually seeing, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the issue. However, having Sadie struggle with this was such a unique premise, so it was certainly compelling to read about.

Additionally, I know the familial struggles were part of the plot, but her family made me so angry at times. The chapters where she talked with Lucinda (her stepmother) and Parker (her stepsister) were so hard to get through, just because they could be genuinely awful to her. (Content warning: death of a parent does not occur in the book, but it is heavily talked about.)

I wish the book focused more on Sadie's art. I was fascinated by her process. I liked getting to see how she tried to paint faces, even if she couldn't see them properly.

Overall, this was an amazing read. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the digital ARC!

[it was okay]

This book started out really strong with a unique premise but as it went on, the story became a bit predictable and bland. I did love the main character and was rooting for her. The writing and narration of the audiobook were also great. Even though the story wasn’t a complete hit for me, I still recommend picking this one up, hopefully it’ll work better for you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book just didn't do it for me.😔
I was super excited to finally read a Katherine Center book, I've heard SO many amazing things about her books but this was a total let down for me. The main character Sadie was really annoying, she was selfish, whiny and constantly feeling bad for herself. There was no depth to the characters or the plot, the romance didn't work for me either.

✨ ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 ✨
Hello Stranger
•Author: Katherine Center
•Rating: ✰✰✰
•Genre: Romance

Katherine Center always writes the cutest romances! This wasn’t my favorite of hers but it was still a cute story. I did see the ending coming so it was a tad predictable but the plot was definitely different (in a good way) from other romances I’ve read lately.

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: Sadie can’t seem to catch a break these days. She has to half brain surgery and the aftermath leaves her unable to recognize people’s faces. At the same time her precious elderly dog gets sick. She immediately has a crush on the veterinarian but also likes the guy in her apartment building…

Main Characters:
-- Sadie – 28-year-old portrait artist, distant from her father since her mother died 14 years ago, lives in her art studio that she rents from her best friend’s parents
-- Sue – Sadie’s best friend, they met in college as art majors whose parents disapproved of their chosen area of study
-- Joe – lives in Sadie’s building, wears a 50s-style bowling jacket, Sadie’s first encounter with him is overhearing him speaking horribly about a one-night stand who is still in his bed sleeping
-- Dr. Oliver Addison – new veterinarian in an office close to Sadie’s apartment where Sue’s family boarded Sadie’s dog while Sadie was in the hospital
-- Lucinda – Sadie’s stepmother
-- Parker – Sadie’s “evil” stepsister

Katherine Center has fast become one of my favorite authors. She creates fun characters, witty interactions, and happily-ever-afters that I find myself smiling about as I finish each book. Her upcoming new release, Hello Stranger, is no exception.

Sadie is the textbook definition of a struggling artist. Disappointing her surgeon father by changing her major from medicine to art, Sadie is barely surviving as a portrait artist. Her best friend Sue convinced her parents to let Sadie rent the top floor of their building as a studio on the condition that she wouldn’t be living there. Of course, she’s living there, and she can barely afford that.

But when she becomes a finalist in a national portrait competition where the prize is $10,000, she believes she is on the verge of being discovered. Until she finds herself in the hospital, having almost been hit by a car, because of a seizure and winds up needing brain surgery. When she comes out of the surgery, her brain sees faces like mixed up puzzle pieces. She has prosopagnosia (face blindness), which may or may not be permanent. And her final portrait for the competition is due in six weeks!

Armed with some tips from her doctor, Sadie spends a lot of time learning to navigate her new normal. She focuses on hair styles, gait, scents, conversation cues to identify people, but she doesn’t want people to know she doesn’t recognize them. Sue and Sue’s parents know, her father and stepmother know, and her stepsister Parker (much to Sadie’s dismay) also knows.

Sue is a perfectly well-meaning but clueless best friend. She is so supportive and positive that you have to love her even after she organizes a surprise party with 50 people for the introverted and currently face-blind Sadie. Parker, on the other hand, takes every opportunity to trick Sadie into thinking she is a friend and then making Sadie miserable.

When Sadie finds herself attracted to two very different men—Joe who makes a horrible first impression by describing his one-night stand as a “mountain of blubber” and Dr. Addison who exudes confidence and empathy taking care of her 14-year-old dog Peanut—she can’t bring herself to admit to either one of them what’s going on. She doesn’t want anyone else to know.

I really loved this story, and I feel like I should have seen the end coming long before it was revealed, but I think I was just too invested to be looking for the twists. Don’t try to figure anything out. Just enjoy it.

The author clearly did her research on Sadie’s disorder, which will help readers understand how face blindness affects those it afflicts. And it didn’t hurt that Sadie’s doctor was from Trinidad (where my late husband was from). She nailed the description of the accent as being “a mixture of posh British and soft Caribbean.” 😉

In her Author’s Note, Center says that she thinks the reason romance is such an appealing genre is because we know things will get better. She says “tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice.” She also says “love is nourishing.” Spot on, Ms. Center. Consider me fed. 😊

Engaging if predictable romance with an unusual premise.

Sadie is at a real low point in her life: Just as she learns she's been invited to participate in a prestigious art contest, she finds out she has to have brain surgery to address a potentially life-threatening complication. She gets through the surgery okay, only to find out that she developed face blindness. Big problem for a portraitist. Suddenly, all faces are unrecognizable. And just as she's coming to grips with this, her beloved dog falls ill.

Thank goodness the vet, Oliver, is giving off hottie vibes--not that she can see his face. In fact, she's surrounded by guys who are definitely (well, probably) attractive: she starts to get closer to her neighbor, Joe, with his hipster air, sexy torso, and ubiquitous bowling jacket. Of course, she tells neither of these potential suitors about her face blindness, causing all sorts of havoc along the way.

If you read the synopsis of this book, you have to know how it's going to end. I can't imagine anyone will be surprised, but I think the point is less the surprise than the journey. And I did alternately grin and tear up at various scenes, so the journey is definitely affecting.

I would have been happier with about two fewer chapters, but of course, those chapters seem meant to reassure you that there are Real Reasons that the predictable ending was inevitable. Both Sadie and her final suitor have to overlook a lot of bizarre comments made by the other for the plot to work. If either of them had just pushed at bit during key moments, it wouldn't have been nearly as topsy-turvy for them...but it also would have been less entertaining for us.

Katherine Center has an uncanny knack of bringing humor to otherwise challenging situations. This is one of the reasons I continue to enjoy her writing. Her style is quirky and hits a sweet spot for me.

Our protagonist, Sadie, is relatable in many ways with how she sees the world. Her pessimistic tendencies and negative outlook felt familiar for me. At times I found Sadie to be pretty immature based on her reactions and internal dialogue. However, her personal growth and perspective development throughout the story evolved with a satisfying conclusion.

At times the drama with her father and step family felt a bit over the top. The evil stepsister situation was excessive, and I had hoped for more of a redemption arc or misunderstanding. Not everyone can be redeemed, though this particular plot line felt less believable to me.

Center did a great job keeping me coming back for more. At several points in the book, I felt surprised and asking “wait what?” This sneak attack approach was an effective page turner for me. Her writing is easy to read and goes down easy. She had me laughing out loud and hoping for the very best for Sadie.

Huge thanks to Katherine Center, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for this e-book ARC tio read and review. Looking forward to many more!

This was a really cute story. I enjoyed all of the science and psychology behind face blindness and what it’s like living with it. Sadie was a little difficult to like in the beginning but as I learned more about her past and childhood, her actions and behavior made more sense. Peanut is the best little sidekick. Overall this was entertaining and made for a quick read with the writing style. I’ll definitely read more from this author.

I enjoyed this story about Sadie, a struggling artist who feels like she's on the brink of her big break. It kept my attention on a day I was home with a cold, and even helped ebb some of my grumpiness - which is exactly what I was looking for.

I didn't always love Sadie's behavior, but I thought it made sense given what she'd been through. The author's note and acknowledgements were a delight.

I enjoyed the narration by Patti Murin overall, though I wish her pacing were faster. (I listened at 3x and wanted to go faster, which is rare for me.) There's also one part in particular that I think could have been handled differently: The narrator reads this as written, "'That's huge!' She stretched out the U for what felt like a full minute. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge." I'd have rather the narrator just say, "That's huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!" It felt off for her to not actually stretch out the U in "That's huge!" but then tell us that's what the character did. Again, overall, I enjoyed it - these are minor critiques!

This was a fun read! I’ve read a few thrillers that dealt with face blindness and it was fun to have a new take on it, in a different genre.

It was a cute story and i enjoyed it. I do wish i had a little more from the side characters, because they were pretty cool.

And i figured out “the twist” early on. But it was ok just not shocking.

I really didn’t like Parker, not that you’re supposed to! But man she was a monster.

Enjoyable read.

I loved this book! It was such a hopeful, heartwarming story and it hooked me from the very beginning. Books about art always seem to draw me in so quickly despite not having an artistic bone in my body. Sadie was such a quirky character that I immediately loved. I could not image being in her position and not being able to see the faces of my loved ones and those around me. I felt like she handled it so well and was so strong despite everything the world was throwing at her. Joe/Dr. Addison had my heart from the very beginning. It was so interesting to see how Sadie got to know each of them and how different they were to her. Normally I am not a fan of love triangles but this one has a twist that, from a reader's perspective, is obvious. Plus, any story about dogs is a story I want to read. This story managed to pull at all my heartstrings, and I loved the message to persevere despite the difficulties you might face. So glad I got the opportunity to read this one!

This book started out with a lot of promise, but I ended up getting bored and found it a little repetitive. The premise is cute, but I don't think it all tied together.

This was a first for me by this author and have heard a lot of hype. I liked this book, I just felt it to be really slow in spots which made me tune out a bit. The last bit of the book was really great and made up for the slow start.

This book was so enjoyable ! A perfect rom com. I love this author and make a point to read all of her books! This book was one of her best yet ! The character development was wonderful and could not put it down! I also liked that it gave us insight into this disorder that I really did not know existed .

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Hello Stranger by @katherinecenter

This one was fun!! You could easily read this in a day - it’s so easy to get lost in and it goes quick 🩷

I loved the uniqueness of the story and like a lot of KC books the romance wasn’t the center of the story, but it’ll still have you falling in love!

It’s all about Sadie navigating her new reality of developing “face blindness” after having brain surgery. There were certainly times where Sadie’s actions irritated me but I also can’t imagine having a father that acted like he did. It broke my heart thinking about it 😩

Read if you love:
🛼 a dog’s best friend
🛼 family drama
🛼 portrait artist/veterinarian careers
🛼 LOL moments
🛼 easy, binge-worthy read
🛼 cute, light romance

Read this with the best little group! We had a cute little schedule that turned out to be just a suggestion bc the majority of us read it in two sittings 🥸 @naesreadingnook @whatdomsreading @wittyreading @lit_with_kristen @karas_reads @queenchichireads @booksmorganreads @the.book.tasting

Thank you @stmartinspress @netgalley for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own. This one is out 7/11!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

If you need a feel good read, this is the book for you. After having surgery, Sophie develops face-blindness. Sophie learns how to navigate her new life and job opportunity with her new disability. How will she pull off creating works of art when she can't see the faces she paints? It also has a sweet romance in it. This was a light and easy read and will be a great heartwarming pick me up read.

Katherine Center had recently become a must-read author for me, and Hello Stranger exemplifies why. Sadie Montgomery is immediately likable relatable, and I found myself rooting for her from the get-go. Through the course of the book, Sadie is diagnosed with prosopagnosia, yet through her struggles Sadie perseveres and remains true to herself. Sadie’s complex relationships and the way she navigates them through her condition were the highlight for me, and most of all her relationship with her beloved pooch, Peanut - it’s evident that Center herself is an animal lover, it shows through in the love in the narrative. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I read The Bodyguard by Katherine Center in 2022 and absolutely loved it, so I, of course, had high expectations going into Hello Stranger. It did not disappoint in the slightest. This book was fast paced, engaging, and hilarious. Sadie was such a lovable FMC and I felt so connected to her from the start of the book. She was strong and never gave up no matter what got in her way, She made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. I loved seeing her navigate life and all of the people she connected with along the way. This book was like a warm hug and I just loved it. Katherine Center is definitely an auto-buy author for me now :)

What a unique story. Never really knew what the blindness was called made it interesting to read about it. I loved how this turned into some wonderful twist that I didn't even consider. Bravo to the author for coming up with the idea of this story.
I breezed through this book it was so easy to fall into and get absorbed that before I knew it it was done.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center!
This one was much different than anything else I’ve read by Katherine Center. Interesting plot! Sadie, a portrait artist, has just won a spot in a prestigious art show. The grand prize is $10,000. The portrait must be a live model. Sadie knows she can win that $10,000. Unfortunately, an accident might change her chances of winning the grand prize in the art show.
After Sadie’s accident, she suffers from a condition where she is unable to decipher faces. The faces she sees are a Picasso style jumble of eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Sadie is determined to still enter a portrait into the art show, even though she cannot see anyone to paint.
Meanwhile, Sadie crosses paths with a loud, obnoxious guy in her building and instantly cannot stand him. He’s rude and blunt and everything Sadie dislikes in a guy. But, naturally, he isn’t actually as rude as Sadie thinks.
It took me a little while to like this one, but I’m really glad I stuck with it. The only thing I would change is to maybe make Sadie’s age a little clearer, as much of the behavior in the story seems very immature. I kept thinking that Sadie was in high school, but then I thought, wait…a penthouse? No. Did Sadie not have a job, either? I think it did mention that she was 27.