Hello Stranger
By Katherine Center
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication Date July 11, 2023

Sadie is a 28-year-old struggling artist that after having a minor surgery finds herself dealing with face blindness. She is no longer able to recognize the faces of friends, families, or strangers so she has to rely on her other senses to do so.

All of a sudden she meets Dr. Oliver who saves the life of her beloved dog and then a man in her building named Joe who seems to always pop up at the most embarrassing moments. She falls head over heels for both of them.

This book was the first one I've ever read that deals with face blindness. And it was explained in a way where I understood what it was and how it affected her personality in the way it developed the story.

The romance in this book was very sweet. Just like any other Katherine Center book. She has a way of writing characters that are deeply relatable. They're flawed human beings, but they all have some redeeming qualities as well.

This was such a good book to read. I love the fact that it focuses on the true relationships in her life and how through everything she's going through those never change. As well as developing her own view of the world now that it is different.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an arc exchange for an honest review.

This book was real and relatable. I have never read a book like it. The struggles, the characters, the love, I felt connected to the story. I did not want it to end. I deeply enjoyed this read.

The Bodyguard was my first Katherine Center book (I loved it) and while this one didn’t quite reach the same level as The Bodyguard for me, it was still an enjoyable read! The main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist who develops face blindness at the worst possible time: right when she’s finally gotten her big break.

Things never seem to go quite right for Sadie, but there is always an undercurrent of hope. Her difficult circumstances are the catalyst for her character development, along with a sweet love interest. Sadie learns that it’s okay to let others see her vulnerability, and that accepting their help doesn’t make her a burden.

I love how Katherine Center allows Sadie’s growth to be driven mostly by her own realizations and experiences, not the appearance of her love interest (though he certainly helps). The author also does a great job describing other characters even though Sadie can’t see their faces!

What I didn’t love: there was a pretty important (imo) misunderstanding between Sadie and her love interest that didn’t get cleared up until 2/3 of the way through the book. It bugged me all the way until then, but it seemed like it didn’t bother Sadie for nearly as long. I would’ve liked to see the misunderstanding resolved sooner. Also, the reason for Sadie’s stepsister hating her wasn’t fully explained. I usually look for more backstory when there’s animosity between characters.

(A shortened version of this review will appear on my Bookstagram account @reading_at_eventide on 5/16/23)

This was has truly been a bit hard to get into. I enjoyed the bodyguard by center and was excited to jump into this one. I think that the premise of face blindness and what im going to assume is a FMC that ends up finding love despite being able to see his face is GREAT but there is ... something missing that I can't but my finger on. This was has been a current read for over two months so I think I am finally going to let it go. However I am giving it 2 stars because again the premise is great and this is one that I could see myself revisiting in the future.

I absolutely adored the concept of this! It’s such a refreshing take for a romance read. You’ve got a “live by my own rules” FMC who wants nothing more than to create and live by her art. After a surgery goes… not as planned, she’s unable to see the world in the way she used too (in more ways than one).

I enjoyed the love triangle, it was fun although confusing at times. I also enjoyed the mix of characters: some were very likeable and some not even in the slightest.

Overall I think this is going to be a hit for those who enjoyed The Bodyguard!

3.5/5⭐️

4.75 🌟

This was a fantastic read. I loved that it taught me about a medical condition I wasn’t previously aware of… facial blindness or prosopagnosia. There are 2 forms, but, Sadie, had the acquired version from a brain surgery.

As a portrait artist on the brink of a possible glow up for an art contest, you can imagine how absolutely terrifying this must have been. Your entire career is on the line and as someone who prided herself on being independent and not asking for help, this must have really hit where it hurt:

This book takes you through the trials Sadie went through and in the end conquered with humor, compassion and grace.

This book offered you hope & joy on a silver platter.

I will have Sadie and joe on my heart for a very long time:

I absolutely adore Katherine Center! What a talented author who is magical with her writing.

Hello Stranger is a love story written by Katherine Center. I was at first frustrated with this book until I read to the end and read what the author had to say about a romance book. Ms. Center really put things into perspective. We read mysteries/thrillers for the twists and the surprises. Romance is supposed to be predictable and we are looking for the happy ending. Thinking about this definition of romance, this book is a success! Hello Stranger is a cute book with likable characters and the appropriate evil people to keep things in perspective. It moves along quickly and is entertaining.

Hello Stranger will be released on July 11, 2023 so it will be the perfect beach read for end of summer travels. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review. #NetGalley #HelloStranger #KatherineCenter

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.

When I received my advanced copy, I held off on reading it for a while. I was worried I wasn't going to enjoy it, and boy, was I proved wrong. Hello Stranger was such a good read! Katherine Center has such a unique writing style that is so enjoyable. I love how she's able to create strong characters and plots but add in such significant personal journeys. I foresaw the twist at the end, but the premise of it almost deterred me from continuing reading at the beginning of the book.

**I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Katherine Center for an ARC and ALC of this book! This will be available on 7/11/23!**

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

This was my first Katherine Center, but definitely won't be my last. I flew through this book within a few hours.

"It takes a certain kind of courage to be brave in love. A courage you can only get better at through practice."

Sadie Montgomery is our quirky, artistic heroine. After being informed that she needs to have an operation on brain, she goes through with it expecting and hoping for minimal side effects. Unfortunately, the swelling in her brain causes her to have face blindness. As a professional portrait artist prepping for her "Big Break," its not only terrible timing but also totally derails everything she is.

Luckily she has two cutie love interests to distract her. Dr. Oliver Addison, her dog Peanut's totally hot veterinarian, and Joe, the infuriatingly handsome man-hoe that lives in the same apartment complex as her.

I really loved her character but sometimes it felt like she was written a little too quirky to the point that I didn't fully believe it, especially in the beginning when you haven't built that rapport yet. Once I got to about 20%, it didn't bother me as much but it was still annoying.
While I started to root for her whole-heartedly, she wasn't the most likeable heroine for me.

The love-triangle took me a long time to figure out lol but there were still so many holes and parts that made me not believe it. Obviously this whole story is made-for-book, but I just wasn't really sold on any of the romance. It was kinda like all of a sudden they were in love but i wanted more build up for that. The tension and sparks wore off pretty quickly. Sadie had so much growth and self-improvement whereas the romance didn't develop into something of the same beautiful nature.

READER BE WARNED:
This book is more women's fiction, self-discovery, and healing than it is romance. The romance was more of an after thought in the story. If this is what you're looking for, congrats ignore my previous paragraph and enjoy. This book being mainly advertised as a romance is a little misleading.

While I have some complaints of this story, I can't deny how much I still really enjoyed it. It was fast paced and a total feel-good. I thought about this book the entire next day, which is always a sign of a great book for me. I will absolutely be reading more books by Katherine Center.

This was a fun, frothy, slightly ridiculous novel that I had a lot of fun reading! After a surgery leaves her struggling with face-blindness, Sadie watches her life slowly fall apart bit by bit. Especially devastating? She works as a professional portrait painter, and that’s quite hard to do when you can no longer interpret and understand faces. Throw in a love interest or two, and hijinks certainly ensue for Sadie.

My next words will seem disparaging, but I promise you I mean them in a positive light. This book was filled with coincidences, a predictable plot, and a twist that I saw coming from the beginning. And all of those are reasons why this was SUCH a fun read for me. I knew this would have a happy ending, I knew that Sadie would come to understand herself and others a little bit better, and I knew that I could just enjoy this for the light-hearted romp that it was.

In her author’s note (which was fantastic…maybe my favorite part of the novel?!) Center talks about the hopeful anticipation that comes from reading romances/rom-coms, and the comfort they can provide the reader. I found this to be a fun and easy read with a unique premise, perfect for the ‘no school snow day’ I read it on!

**My review will be shared release day on my site and socials!**

INCREDIBLE.

NEW FAVORITE KATHERINE CENTER BOOK. I am a weepy mess after finishing this. Couldn’t put it down, binge read, cry at the end, smile like a fool and love every single second kind of read.

I LOVED Sadie. She was my favorite kind of FMC. Personable and relatable. Flaws and strengths. All mashed together into this woman I adored. She made this book sing. Alongside her was the ROOOOMANCE. I don’t want to say too much because going into this without knowing too much is best. I just LOVED IT SO MUCH. It was swoony and real and full of everything I love about Center’s writing. Her ability to craft a story that I want to hug makes her one of my favorite all time authors.

Such a fated, sweet romance. Many powerful things Sadie learned. Another amazing read I will not get over!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: a little
Romance: make-out
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: sibling abuse (emotional, verbal, psychological) recounted, cheating recounted, prosopagnosia, brain surgery and recovery, grief and loss, death of a parent recounted

Wow! This is such a unique and intriguing story. The fact that it centers around Sadie, a portrait artist who, because of a necessary brain surgery that should have been no biggie, had lost her ability to see faces (aka, prosopagnosia or faceblindness). Yes there’s romance, and honestly I loved how the romance unfolded even if it was a slow burn and also not necessarily the primary focus. This was more of a story of Sadie finding herself, growing into who she is and figuring out how in the heck to do that when she can’t see the faces of anyone around her.

I think prosopagnosia is fascinating, I even did some research after reading the book to try to understand what someone with dace blindness sees. I can’t imagine not being able to decipher someone’s face and know for sure who they were in just a glance. And for someone who as an artist needs that part of the brain to function, wow.

I loved the way things unfolded with Joe and with Dr. Addison. I loved Sadie’s best friend. I hated her step sister (Parker, yuck!). I loved the family dynamic (while also hating it) and see how it resolved and shifted in the end.

Highly recommend and if you can get it on audio the narration is fabulous!

Katherine Center could write a grocery list and I'd purchase it. Is there any story/plot that she can't make fantastic?

I found this book engaging and a quick read. Loved it! Five Stars

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this gifted copy

A sweet, rather touching tale. It was easy to immediately like portrait artist Sadie and sympathize with her plight as she seemingly has an incredible opportunity snatched away due to an unexpected seizure, discovery of a cavernoma, and brain surgery that results in face blindness. What an intriguing, unique setup! A great amount of research has clearly been done regarding Sadie's medical diagnosis, and it was interesting to learn about the methods that individuals with prosopagnosia use to navigate through daily life combined with the average person's unconscious assumptions and behavior. Sadie's condition also allows for a pretty nifty trick to be pulled with her romantic plot albeit one that requires some suspension of disbelief; I quickly pieced together what was happening, but was utterly giddy with anticipation for her to catch up. Although Center lays it on a little thick with regard to Parker, the story's relentless villain, it's worth it for when this storyline finally comes to a head. The Author's Note at the end should not be skipped, as Center has some truly wise, impactful words to share about the value of love stories in today's world.

This book was so much fun! After Sadie has a brain operation, the swelling causes her to have face blindness (it's actually a real thing!) and she is left with not being able to recognize faces. This makes for a difficult task when she convinces herself her Vet is her soulmate and simultaneously starts falling for her obnoxious neighbor.

Overall I had a great time reading this book. The concept was so unique, which really set it apart from most rom-coms I have read in the past. It was packed with romance, comedy, heartbreak, family struggles, and grieving. While the topic of grief can really bog down a romance, Katherine Center handled it in such a way that the book never really felt somber. I especially loved the small breadcrumbs laid out throughout the book, setting it up nicely for the "twist."

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was fantastic. There’s just something about her writing that just grabs my attention and sucks me in. This was an easy 5/5 start rating for me. I didn’t realize face blindness was a real thing until I read this book and I find it utterly fascinating. The romance in this book was great and hilarious. I love the dynamic between the two. I would not mind a sequel to this book.


Thanks for the early arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Hello Stranger from NetGalley and I have to say I loved it!!! It follows Sadie who’s an artist and has been selected as a finalist in a big competition. Right after, she has to get surgery and that results in face blindness, which is a huge problem for her because she paints portraits. As she dealing with that her dog’s vet asks for Sadie’s number, while at the same time she grows close with her neighbour who made a horrible first impression.
I really enjoy Sadie’s journey. She is overwhelmed and terrified she won’t be able to paint the same again and I love how she deals with it. She’s quirky and can definitely be ridiculous at times but she knows that, and I love her for it. She also has to learn how to let people help her which is so fun to read about. Also , her dog Peanut is totally adorable and I love her relationship with him.
Since this book comes out in July I don’t want to spoil anything but I have to say I love the love interest! He’s so nice, adorable, and I think very swoon worthy.
There’s also an evil stepsister and stepmother who are definitely living up to their names but totally add entertainment to this book.
I’ll be honest, I saw the twist at the end coming but it didn’t take away my love for this book. This book has some serious and sad moments but overall it’s such a fun read and I laughed so much!

This is my first Katherine Center book and not my last!

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist who finally catches a big break when she earns a spot as a finalist in an art competition. This competition could win her $10,000 in prize money and is the same competition her Mom placed in years ago. After losing her mother to a "stroke," Sadie's life has drastically changed. Her father is now married to Lucinda and has a stepsister named Parker.

The story unfolds when Sadie has a seizure in the middle of the street and gets saved by someone before a car hits her. This brings Sadie to the hospital, where the doctors fill her in on a new diagnosis and recommends that she get brain surgery. After finally agreeing to do the surgery, Sadie's plans for the competition soon change. This is where the story gets juicy! The swelling of her surgery gives her apperceptive prosopagnosia, which means she's unable to see faces. With her competition only several weeks away, Sadie's life takes a turn. But maybe in a good way because then she wouldn't have picked up Peanut (her dog) from Dr. Addison's veterinarian center.

I went into this book not expecting much, and I came out wanting to order Katherine Center's entire backlist.
I loved the swoony romance, family drama, and characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for approving me for this digital ARC!
This book comes out July 11, 2023, and I cannot wait! I already preordered a physical copy!

I absolutely adore this book! My first by Katherine Center, though I own others that I will immediately bump to the top of my TBR now.

Sadie is an aspiring artist, against her surgeon father's wishes. Her mother was an artist, and Sadie takes after her in so many ways. She paints portraits, mostly for her Etsy business, but she was invited to appear as a finalist in the biggest art competition of her life. It happens to be the same competition her mother placed in, just before she died. She needs to win not only for the $10,000 prize but also to prove to her father she is good at what she chose to do and to validate her life choices. Six weeks before the show, an accident sends her to the hospital and she learns she needs brain surgery. Her father urges her to complete it right away, but Sadie is hesitant because she knows what is at stake with this competition. A doctor convinces her to do it & get it over with, and so she does, but when she wakes up post-op, she can no longer see faces clearly. She is diagnosed with "Acquired Apperceptive Prosopagnosia" aka "Face Blindness". She can't compete in a portrait competition if she can't see faces! This could not have happened at a worse time. With help from some friends, she tries to compete anyways, just knowing she is going to lose. The persistence she has is admirable and the storyline is humorous along the way!

Meanwhile, she is stuck in a love triangle between her new veterinarian, who saves her sweet pup's life, and her new "weasel" neighbor, who may not be such a weasel after all.

This book had charming characters you couldn't help but love- and a few misunderstood ones who you really don't like so much. It was well-researched, funny, and romantic.... just do yourself a favor and read it. It's 5-star worthy for sure.

Huge thanks to #Netgalley & publishers & Katherine Center herself for allowing me to read a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I finished this in two days and it left me reaching for another book by her right away!

💭Thoughts:
Katherine Center does it again! She has such a wonderful way with words. I really loved this book! I found myself completely emotionally invested in what happened to Sadie. I couldn’t imagine dealing with face blindness. It was such a unique plot point for a romance novel.

The story flowed well and I loved the little twist at the end. I actually didn’t see it coming, though I should have. It wrapped everything up so nicely and put a big smile on my face!

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me for a reason! She knows how to write romance! I highly recommend this book!