I'm going to borrow the author's own words for this one... "This love story really created fantastic anticipation." I read that in the author's note, and thought it was the best description of this book. I knew how this one would play out while I was reading it, but I kept doing so because I was really excited to see how it all came together in the end. Sadie's face blindness was such an interesting premise for the book, and I still am trying to figure it out no matter how many times it was explained. I found her character to be realistic, and I enjoyed how her struggles blended with the romance along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. There is an instance of fatphobia pretty early on in the book that almost made me DNF, but I kept going because I was so intrigued by the face blindness aspect. It turned out to be the miscommunication trope, so I'm happy with my decision, but I wanted to mention it for others awareness.

4.5 stars
This book was just fun. The Bodyguard was one of my favorite books last year so I knew I needed to give this one a go.
Sadie finds out she needs brain surgery and after she gets it, she finds out she has face blindness. She can't make sense of anyone's face and literally can't even recognize her family or friends. Thing is, she is a portrait artist who is supposed to be in an art show. She can't even see faces she tries to paint. The romance. Sadie meets Joe who lives in her building. After her friend Sue ditches her and elopes, Sadie needs to use Joe for a model. Their relationship is cute. Sadie has decided that her new vet will be her future husband (even though she can't see him) so she kind of keeps Joe at arm's length even though you can see them falling in love.
The characters and plot were both so engaging and I was always excited to pick this back up. But I figured out the twist super duper early, so through the whole book I was SO impatient for the characters to figure it out. At times it made me angry that they hadn't figured it out yet. It never put me off the book though and when it all finally came out, it was so satisfying. It was resolved so perfectly and the epilogue was so heartwarming.

I absolutely loved this book! Katherine Center excels at writing quirky, dynamic characters that you can't help but love in spite of all of their faults. The romance in this book was sweet, and the overall message of hope and perseverance was beautiful. I'm an avid romance reader, but I have never read a romance with a main character with acquired face blindness. It was a unique spin that I thought was done very thoughtfully. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a laugh, a tender romance, and a hopeful message.

If you love miscommunication in romance than boy is this the book for you. Face blindness is a concept I've heard of but was not overly familiar with and didn't realize the full extent of it. What it provides in a reading experience is a whole lot of mix-ups and miscommunication.

I love Katherine Center and will most certainly continue to pick up whatever she puts on paper but this one did not live up to my expectations (after loving The Bodyguard so much). I didn't care for or about the main character too much, she irritated me more than I wanted to cheer for her. I am also not a fan of miscommunication so I guess this was just a doomed endeavor from the jump.

Every book has its reader and I know some will adore this one as much as I did The Bodyguard just be forewarned that if you can't stand miscommunication take a pass!

Sadie is an artist, however after finding out she has to have brain surgery she developed, face blindness, and what she goes for a living is paints people faces! To her father she a failure to her she is living her life, the best she can. When she gets in to the contest her late mother also go in to she can’t believe her luck only now she isn’t able to finish her painting because she can’t see what she painting! How will she do it?

This book was funny and ridiculous all at once I loved it!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Portrait artist Sadie Montgomery ends up with a face blindness condition after her brain surgery. As she is in the lowest of her lows, navigating the world without being able to see people's faces, she meets Dr. Addison, who she hopes is her future husband. He is her dog's vet, and although she can't see his face, she knows he is as good looking as he seems. About the same time things start up between Sadie and the vet, Sadie begins to see Joe, her weasel of a neighbor, in a different light. She is falling for the two men yet she refuses to tell either of them of her condition.

What a unique and fascinating premise! I went into this book blind because I will read anything that Katherine Center writes. I had no idea where it was going, and when I realized that this was going to be about Sadie's journey with face blindness, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't guess in what directions this story would go up until that final chapter.

Sadie's condition and her experiences were thought-provoking. This book was centered around perception, prejudice, compassion, and forgiveness. It reminded me to remember that you never know what someone is going through, so be kind!

Katherine Center has magical abilities, making me swoon for the two love interests without even knowing what their faces look like. The way that Sadie saw Dr. Addison and Joe and how she connected with them despite the fact that she couldn't see their faces was enthralling. It was like I could feel what they looked like not only on the outside but on the inside. I loved Sadie's personality - she was a complex character and a delightfully weird. Her dialogue with Dr. Addison and Joe had me laughing out loud.

Pick up this deeply engrossing novel about a woman on a challenging journey who finds love in the end!

Steam level: 🔥
⚠️: seizures, grief, panic attacks, bullying, mention of: death of a parent, infidelity (not between the main characters) & suicide attempt

I LOVED this book! The plot was original and I fell in love with the characters! The main character was lovable and so were all the supporting characters. It has a villain you love to hate.

Sadie has finally had the big break she has needed! She is a finalist in a prestigious art competition out of 2,000 people. Only 10 people are finalists. While crossing the street she hits her head while being saved from being hit by a car and ends up getting something called face blindness! How is she going to continue with the art competition and somehow without seeing their face she falls in love with two different men! This book was such a fun RomCom! FIVE STARS

5 Stars - Hello Stranger is another wonderful romance book from Katherine Center. The main character, Sadie, is a struggling artist and never seems to get a break, not from family or her profession, and when she finally does, her world appears to crumble apart. Sadie is forced to live her life in a way that is completely unlike anything she has ever known. How can a portrait artist paint when nothing looks the way it should?

With the help of her neighbor Joe and good friend Sue, Sadie starts to put the puzzle pieces together … or does she? The hope and anticipation of what could be kept me reading way past my bedtime to finish this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this ARC for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello Stranger will be available for purchase on July 11, 2023.

"Maybe life was full of surprises. Maybe disappointments could turn out to be blessings."

I do want to start this by saying it did take me a bit for this story to hook me. But in the end I did enjoy reading Sadie's story. A main message I took away from this story is "it's okay to ask for help". Sadie struggles with this a lot throughout the book and I can definitely relate to that. Asking for help is admitting defeat. It's accepting that you need someone/something. Personally, I find so much pride in being "the helper" like Joe. Being able to help people means that you know something they don't know. It makes you feel like you're better than them (or at least that's how I feel). Sadie's story teaches us that it's okay to need help. It's okay to depend on people. It's okay to not be okay.

Katherine Center does such a wonderful job with her characters and letting us get to know them. She truly let us go on this journey with Sadie and wow what a journey it was. I also loved all the side characters so much and I do hope if there's another story (perhaps Parker's...) we get to see some of these characters again.

Hello Stranger will be available for you to pick up July 11, 2023!

Thank you, net galley, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

“Sometimes we really are the best versions of ourselves. I see that about us. And I’m determined to keep seeing that about us. Because that might be the truest thing I know: The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

I went into this book blindly, and am so glad that I did. I don’t want to ruin too much for anyone, but I love a book that teaches me about a topic I am unaware of, and this one definitely did. Katherine Center has become an auto-buy author for me! I have read all of hers, but this one was one of my absolute favorites, along with the Bodyguard. Her characters are always so lovable, and she is a Queen at banter and dialogue. I always find myself smiling at the book when I am reading hers. I loved this one, and highly recommend picking it up next month when it releases! I’m not going to give too much of the storyline away, because I think you should go in blindly also.

I really liked The Bodyguard, so I was excited to read this. It’s an interesting concept, and puts a new spin on the ‘mistaken identity’ trope. I couldn’t tell if the reader was supposed to know what was going on, and only the main character didn’t know, or if it was supposed to be a twist. There were a few inconsistencies, but possibly those will be corrected before the final copy comes out. Overall, I enjoyed this and it was fun to read.

Sadie is a portrait artist who through unfortunate events, wakes up and realizes she can no longer see faces. With a big portrait contest coming up, and a desperate desire for things to go right, she stumbles upon her neighbor Joe and they can't see to stay away. Their story is surprising, and heartwarming, raw and hard, but absolutely intricately pieced together perfectly. I won't be able to stop thinking about this book for...the rest of my life.

I love this book.
Sadie and her journey through face blindness, art, learning to accept help, it was all so beautifully woven together from beginning to end. The depth of her character and the development throughout was incredible to live through.

Joe was the most kind, funny, adorable man and I love him with everything in me. He was patient and fun and pushed Sadie in all the right ways.

Also, the representation in this book for face blindness and bringing awareness to something many haven't heard about before is just incredible to see. I adore the depth of Katherine Center's books and how it impacts the happy ever afters.

I could talk about it forever but I'll just say I love it with everything in me and continue to be so thankful to live in a world where I can read Katherine Center's work. In her author's note she mentions romance stories and their anticipation, "this love story really created fantastic anticipation." And this one really did. I didn't want to put it down.

I'm always grateful to the person at a book signing who told me I needed to read Katherine Center. I'm pretty sure I only have a couple on her backlist to go before I've read them all. While this one was pretty predictable at times, I still really enjoyed it. I can't imagine not being able to recognize faces and the way it must mess with your mind on so many levels. Also, gotta love a book with a character who loves their pet as much as Peanut is loved. It made me smile. Great book.

Loved The Bodyguard but did not connect with Hello Stranger as much. Too many plotted interruptions to the love story made it stressful to get through. Between the unbelievably cruel stepsister and the absurdity of hiding face blindness from someone you're seeing, I just wasn't able to enjoy and root for them. To far fetched without enough steam to make it fun.

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Katherine Center book that I have read despite having a couple others on my shelf. Hello Stranger definitely has me excited to try more of her novels. This novel follows Sadie who is a struggling artist still working towards her big break. An unexpected twist occurs when she receives brain surgery and ends up with face blindness right before a portrait competition. Sadie now has to navigate this as her life seems to be spiraling out of control and as a budding romance is occurring.

I enjoyed many elements of this novel, however I hated the 'evil step sister' portion of the book. It just seemed so far fetched that someone in their late 20s was still behaving in such a childless manner. This definitely took me out of the story. Also, I wish there was just a little bit romance in this book and that it wasn't so closed door.

All in all a really enjoyable read that has me intrigued to pick up more of this author's works.

When I finished this book, I picked up my phone and texted everyone in my universe about it. It’s so so so good! It just hit me on all the feels. Katherine Center is everything!

Sadie portrait artist with newly developed facial blindness. She has this goal. She had to paint an amazing painting in a short amount of time. How can she do this when she can’t actually see people’s faces. If that isn’t definition of conflict in a story then I don’t know what is. Sadie’s journey is heartwarming at times and heartbreaking at other times. The secondary characters in this story were well developed. Some of them were fantastic and other characters I wanted to punch in the face. All of this made for a well written story that I devoured from beginning to end. This was a wonderful book!!! Great summer read!!

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillian Audio for an advanced copy of this e-book and audiobook.

When an accident happens to Sadie that reveals a problem in her brain that requires surgery, it leaves her with Face Blindness. Although this is a romance or as the author calls it, a "love story", I found some really good "meat" in this story! How can you enter an art contest to paint a portrait when you can't see people's faces? How can you trust people what people are saying when you can't see their faces?

Sadie has a little dog, Peanut, who needs to be taken to the vet. She ends up making a connection with Peanut's vet and he asks her out! As the story plays out and she tries to hide her face blindness, she finds herself being kind to those who are unkind. She makes judgements on people by what she hears them say. She doesn't trust those who want to help her. There are some life lessons we could all learn.

I really enjoyed this book - a lot! - and I don't even read "Romances". But the Author's Note is not to be missed on this one and it helped me understand why so many people love romance/ "love stories" so much.

I have loved every book I’ve read by Katherine Center, and Hello Stranger did not disappoint.

She has a way of delivering substance to a light hearted read. This was a quick, fun read filled with hope and laughter.

While the MC struggles though lots of ups and downs, she learns along the way and I loved that. Her step sister was the perfect villain and had me screaming at the way she was behaving. Ha!

If you’ve loved Katherine’s previous work then you won’t want to miss this! And if you are new to Katherine’s magic, this is the perfect place to start!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I finished this a few days okay and have avoided reviewing because I can’t make up my mind. So many parts of this deserves high stars. But other things are really, really annoying and worthy of punitive star removal. After enjoying last years The Bodyguard (July 2022) I excitedly jumped into Katherine Center’s latest.

Things I like:

1. The male lead is a gem. He is helpful, kind and sweet. He is everything you’d want for the perfect partner.
2. The plot is original. The idea of a portrait artist and finalist for a major competition to suffer from face recognition blindness is very unique. I’ve never heard of this and the information is fascinating.
3. Peanut the dog. Absolutely adorable.

Things that bugged me:

1. Villainous step sister. If you’re going to create a character that is actively trying to hurt your life, sabotage family relationships and damage your mental health, than the pay off needs to be HUGE!! There has to be a big comeuppance and correction for justice to be served. This falls way short. It does allow FMC to offer grace but I’m still outraged at the non-accountability for her actions.
2. Father. He gets a bit to explain his reaction and choices after his wife’s dies. But his actions were more terrible than just remarrying quickly. He is an adult and a doctor and should have done better. And again, no explanation or trying to make up for his neglect or situations caused by the step-daughter. I’m giving step mom a pass because she is still trying to have contact.
3. Worst best friend ever. She throws a surprise party knowing you can’t recognize people and then leaves you alone. Nope!
4. Immaturity of FMC. The flights of fantasy about planning nuptials with someone she just makes her seem younger than her age. Also her still wanting daddy to approve of her when he really should be no contact tells me she needs a better therapist.

I’m not going to summarize the plot as the book blurb does covers it well. I will absolutely read future books by the author. But maybe the characters can be more middle ground. This one everyone seems very good or totally the worst. This book did get a reaction from me but I ended up feeling more annoyed that cheering a delightful HEA.

I loved loved loved this book. There's something about Katherine Center's writing in general that just speaks to my soul... I start reading and find myself unable to put the book down or take a break, and Hello Stranger was no exception. The characters she writes are real and raw, and I really loved the take on face blindness. (I've read another book featuring this and let's just say that the take in this book was elite). Sadie's journey toward finding her way was so fun to watch and I really enjoyed her and Joe's friendship throughout the story.