It was maybe two years ago when Brad Pitt started talking about how he suffered from face blindness. Do you remember that? It’s a rare neurological disorder called, prosopagnosia. I had never heard of it before then. It’s when a person struggles to recognize people’s faces. Not like you can’t remember people…but you literally can’t see their face organized like a face. What does that have to do with Hello Stranger by Katherine Center? The FMC needs brain surgery and as a result, she suffers from the same condition. Thus the title, Hello Stranger. 

Last year, I really enjoyed Center’s book The Bodyguard, and was super stoked to receive an ARC of her new book. Our FMC, Sadie is a portrait artist. Yup…you got that right. And now you can imagine how devastating face blindness would be for her! She’s crossing the street one day when she suffers a seizure and is saved from being hit by a car by a good samaritan and is rushed to the hospital. The doctor tells her she has a genetic condition and needs brain surgery. Sadie doesn’t take it too seriously, I mean except for the blacking out thing, she feels fine. AND, she's just won a spot to compete in a very prestigious portrait contest. 

Sadie and her father aren’t close. Her mom died years ago, her dad remarried, and Sadie isn’t fond of her stepmother. And her step sister is her mortal enemy. Sadie's father is a prominent surgeon and convinces Sadie to get the surgery. It turns out that Sadie’s mom suffered from the same brain condition and…that’s how she died. She put off surgery. 

Sadie goes through with it, realizes that she can't recognize faces, and after a brief time recovering, decides she can and must continue with the portrait contest despite her new disabliity. While all of this is happening- Sadie meets two men. The first is a handsome, charming veterinarian who she meets when her dog gets sick. She convinces herself that she WILL MARRY him. Does she know him? Nope. Have they dated? Also no.  Next she meets "Joe," who appears to be absolutely vile when she overhears his phone conversation in her apartment’s elevator. Sadie then sees him again and again in her complex, always with female tenants and she’s sure he’s a total pig who plays the field, or more accurately, the apartment complex. 

Then, he’s nice to her. Helps her. He’s funny, he’s surprisingly not the pig she thought he was. But, what to do?! She’s pining for the handsome vet! And, the hot doctor asks her on a real date!

Sadie is trying desperately to deal with her face blindness, getting therapy, trying to find ways to still paint portraits and dodging her evil stepsister. This all sounds like a very corny rom com. Not normally my thing. But, I really, really enjoyed Hello Stranger. I laughed out loud. It was charming. I loved Sadie’s friendship with her bestie, I got her whole struggling artist vibe, and I definitely fell in love with Joe. The womanizer turned prince. I can’t imagine if every face I saw, including my own, looked like a Picasso painting with noses and ears and eyes all over the place. Sadie found her other senses got stronger and she started to recognize people from how they walked, certain clothing they always wore, and their distinct voices. 

I am addicted to spicy romance and this book had zero heat. And, I did not care. Not one bit. It was just a giant feel good hit for me. A joyful read with a terrific twist at the end. I did sort of see it coming…but that didn’t dull the smile on my face one bit. 

Read it. Review to come on SmexyBooks, etc....

Hello Stranger will be my last Katherine Center book. The premise was intriguing but the storytelling was lacking.

Sadie has a seizure that results in brain surgery. A side effect of the surgery is Sadie has facial blindness. And Sadie has just won a position in a portrait artist competition so this is very bad for Sadie.

As Sadie navigates this challenge in her professional life, she also navigates many challenges in her personal life

Overall, this story was okay. It takes awhile for the romance in this romance novel to happen. Sadie is an immature and, at times, frustrating character.

I loved her step-sister Parker, though! The scenes with her were some of my favorites but they also show the middle-school antics of these fully grown characters.

If you like fluffy romance, read this. I enjoyed this book until I didn’t. I never really loved Sadie, the romance took way too long to get to, and the Joe/Dr. Addison storyline made me want to throw the book.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advance e-ARC of #hellostranget.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This was a my first Katherine Center book, so I didn't know what to expect, but what I found was a cute heart warming book that helped me learn about prosopagnosia or face blindness. It’s almost hard to write about without giving anything away. Katherine waves a beautiful web throughout the story with the characters and events. She really knew how to play with the strings of my heart with her uplifting, feel good, sentimental story and the sweetest characters.

She did it again!! Katherine Center continues to blow me away with her novels. The characters were so quirky and fun and the storyline was incredibly unique. Love love love this book and will be talking about it all year. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

Hello Stranger is the next book to be released from my girl @katherinecenter. One of my favorite authors and I was psyched to get this advanced copy from @netgalley!

This book hooks you in. Sadie is a portrait artist on Etsy and has a big contest coming up. She has six weeks to draw her best portrait to win the $10,000 prize and to finally have some acknowledgment that she’s doing something with her life.

Sadie falls in a crosswalk and wakes up in the hospital to learn she had a seizure, caused by an abnormality in one of her blood vessels in her brain. She undergoes surgery to correct it, and wakes up not being able to recognize or process people’s faces. It’s called acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. She can’t recognize her dad or even her own face in the mirror. You follow Sadie along her recovery journey, not knowing if she will recover.

I loved this one! 5/5 for me! It will be published on July 25th.

#netgalley #bookreview #stlbookstagram #bookstagram #katherinecenter #hellostranger

Absolutely loved this Katherine Center masterpiece! Such a unique concept and often times health (and pet health) is a heavy topic but this was an overall funny and lighthearted read that I couldn’t put down.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

After Sadie has a freak accident, she gets a strange diagnosis that necessitates immediate brain surgery. When she wakes, she discovers she has face blindness which would be a challenge for anyone but it’s especially bad for Sadie who is a portrait artist with a 6 week deadline for a life changing contest. She’s determined to not show weakness but as her life quickly begins to spiral out of control, she finds herself relying on her skeevy neighbor Joe who keeps rescuing her from disastrous situations.

I had my suspicions but the twist at the end still caught me off guard which was a nice surprise. Overall this was a cute story but there was a major issue for me. A lot of the character flaws presented in this book felt like they were turned up too high. The bullying and emotional abuse from Parker felt over the top like cartoon supervillain level. Sadie’s refusal to tell anyone about her face blindness felt absurd. Sue’s inability to understand or even remember Sadie’s struggles or be a good friend was infuriating. Sadie’s crush on the vet was also way too intense for no reason. All of that combined with the heavy handed lesson at the end just felt like too much for my personal taste.

When people say Katherine Center is the queen of the comfort read they are not kidding! This was such a breath of fresh air for me and despite the fact it's not super twisty turny I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! Absolutely obsessed with this and cannot wait to read more of Center's back catalogue

I think Katherine Center will get 5 stars from me for every book of hers that I read. I walk away from her books with a happier perspective on life and this one was no exception.

I’m not sure I can share my thoughts on this book and convince anyone to read it. It’s a story of hard familial relationships, finding one’s self, finding joy in your circumstances, and so much more. Did you put your stuff in your bag?

If there was one author I wish I could be more like, it’s probably Katherine Center. Her positive outlooks in her books have me re-examining myself every. Single. Time. I think there’s a reason she has flowers on all her books. Flowers can bloom in imperfect settings, sharing beauty in harsh environments. Katherine’s stories are just that. Imperfect settings with spots of beauty.

Content: I didn’t notice any swearing, if there was some it was minor. One make out session, but it wasn’t pushing any comfort limits for me. I think this book is appropriate for teenagers and older.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC! All thoughts completely my own

Katherine Center is a gifted author who brings me joy with every book. Her characters are endearing and so lifelike that I think about them even when I'm not reading their story. I also always learn something new.

Hello Stranger tells the story of Sadie Montgomery, a portrait artist who can no longer see faces as a result of a serious brain surgery. The ability may come back or it may not. In the meantime, she needs to come up with the best portrait she has ever done in a matter of weeks for a major portrait competition.

In the midst of this serious challenge, her heart is potentially opening to the idea of dating. At the same time, she needs to get to know herself better and decide what really matters. Her neighbor, Joe, is one person among several who wants to help her on this journey if she will let him.

I loved this book and I'm very grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the advanced digital copy. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt story with quirky characters. It will be published on July 11. You will get to know a dog named Peanut with high-end cuisine tastes, learn how much fun roller skating on a rooftop can be and root for a wonderful main character.

Sadie is a portrait artist who ends up becoming face blind and has to learn to deal with her new reality.
I overall liked this book. The storylines were interesting and I did like the final conclusions of the book and the storyline. I liked Sadie and the way her approach to people and herself.

However, there was a very fat phobic storyline that felt very unnecessary and like it could have been replaced by something else. It wasn't necessary.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

*Will post review on my instagram closer to release date.

Katherine Center is probable one of the few romance writers I really enjoy. I loved The Bodyguard and Things We Save in A Fire. I’m this latest center romance, the reader will find all the typical Center comedy. She always makes me laugh- I feel like we have a very similar sense of humor.

In this romance, Alex, a portrait artist, has to undergo brain surgery. Postoperatively she suffers from face blindness, which definitely complicates her dating situation.

I found this entertaining but it wasn’t my favorite Center book. I know romances are predictable but when I “figured this out” halfway through I did start to lose a bit of interest. I’d still recommend though.

Pick this up for a good romantic beach read without the steam.

This was a cute book. I probably won't remember much about this book because it was pretty forgettable but I enjoyed reading it while I was doing so.

AGAIN, I’ll say it loud for those of you in the back, it’s Katherine Center! You’ll like it! Read it! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

This was my first book from Katherine Center, and it was such an enjoyable read. I enjoyed reading about Sadie as she struggled to work through her recent medical condition, and how her relationships evolved as she struggled through it. I look forward to reading more from Katherine Center.

This book was such a quick binge read. As always Katherine Center made an emotionally engaging novel filled with romance and difficult circumstances the characters must over come. I absolutely loved Sadie’s neighbor Joe, he was such a sweet guy and their friendship/ growing relationship was so adorable to watch come together. Sadie definitely has a lot to overcome with her recent medical issues, but also the healing and coming to terms with her mothers death made for an emotional read. I loved Peanut so much, he was such a great touchstone but also add a dog to a book and you got me. This is definitely one I would recommend to a friend who wants a sweet emotional read.

Ahh I adored this. I went back and forth between audio and reading and couldn’t get enough.⁣
I think I’m a little biased because I love medical romances. They are always a little extra special to me. ⁣
⁣
Sadie is a struggling artist who finally gets a break only to end up in the hospital needing surgery and waking up with Face Blindness. ⁣
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When she finally goes to pick up her dog Peanut from the vet, she immediately falls for the gait and swag of Dr. Oliver Addison.⁣
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But then she also runs into Joe in her apartment building who is so kind and always helpful. She slowly with time falls for him, after he saves her several times. ⁣
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Not being able to see faces is teaching Sadie how to find other qualities and emotions in people and it’s truly a wild journey for her but also very thought provoking. ⁣
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This was so sweet and such a warm hug. I absolutely adored it and couldn’t wait to see what happened at the end and then was so happy with the ending.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Sadie is a struggling artist in need for a big break. But after a minor brain surgery, she wakes up and is no longer able to see peoples faces. When her dog, Peanut, gets sick, she meets a veterinarian , and she is pleased when he asks her out. But she doesn't want him to know about her face blindness. Least of all her annoying neighbor, Joe... even if they are fast developing a friendship that could maybe turn into something more?
Katherine Center is one of my autobuy authors and this was really cute! A sweet friends to lovers closed door romance. It was very predictable (I know, romance usually are, but I saw the twist coming just by reading the blurb) and the explanations about the disease were somewhat redundant at times. Also, I don't understand her motivations of not wanting anyone to know about it. And once again, misunderstanding/overreaction is the cause of the 3rd act break-up... I hated it. All in all, it was good, but not her best. I read the ebook and listened to the audio book. The narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Genre: romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: ebook (eARC)

I’m not posting a synopsis of this one, because I highly suggest you go into it blind! Sadie’s main struggle is something I’d heard about, but I didn’t what it looked like in real life. It made this story so unique!

I’d recommend this one if you like…
💛 Katherine Center
💛 unique premises
💛 sweet rom coms (no spice)
💛 romances with a twist
💛 heartfelt, hopeful stories
💛 cute dogs

I saw one of the minor twists in this story coming, but the main twist left me with my mouth hanging open, giggling, and squealing. Which I think is the reaction we all want when reading a romance novel. Katherine Center writes romance in such a heartfelt and beautiful way. You’ll fall in love with these characters! Also Sadie planning her wedding and trying on her new last name after only briefly meeting someone is one of the most relatable things I’ve read 😂

The author’s note in this book was wonderful 🥺 the way Katherine Center talks about the romance genre is perfect! The hope and anticipation they build can’t be beat.

I’d highly recommend this one! It’s a perfect summer read. I read it on vacation in less than 2 days!

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review!

I've enjoyed several of Katherine Center's books so I was glad to pick this one up. It's an interesting romance with an artist suffering from face-blindness (which I had never heard of) who falls in love with two different men. Such a dilemma! She's a portrait artist and a finalist in a competition when she is afflicted with face blindness. How will she ever paint a portrait when she can't see the face?

Description:
Sadie Montgomery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope―and hang onto her artistic dreams―she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places―and people― you least expect.

My thoughts:
I was rooting for Sadie the whole way through this book. She faced some tremendous hurdles and there were many emotional moments. I loved her relationship with Joe, the guy from her apartment building. I also enjoyed the relationship she had with her dog Peanut. She had great support from her best friend Sue and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kim. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on July 11, 2023.