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!

Sadie has always wanted to be an artist, and her father wanted her to be a doctor. This is hard for her dad, because Sadie’s mom was an artist as well. He tells her he will not support her if she chooses this life so of course this caused tension.

She enters a portrait competition, and finds out she is a finalist. Winning this contest can be life changing for her! She is thrilled at the potential to win the contest. Unfortunately, she needs minor surgery. When she wakes up she discovers she can no longer see faces. This becomes challenging as people come to see her. Her best friend Soo Hyun is always supportive and encouraging. Sadie’s family, not so much.

Sadie does not want anyone to know about her face blindness. She gets home and recognizes her dog Peanut, so that is a positive thing. When he gets sick she takes him to an emergency vet. Dr. Addison ends up asking her out on a date. Adding to this novel is her neighbor Joe, who is annoying, but helpful when Sadie needs it.

As relationships form, can she navigate the face blindness? She is trying to face her past and look forward to her future. How can a portrait artist paint if she does not see faces?
Centers novels are always sweet with a happy ending. If you want a nice feel-good novel, this one is perfect. Love this Texas novelist and cannot wait to meet her this summer.

Such a fun little romcom. I adored that this book was written by a Houstonian and SET in Houston — I'm a local, if ya couldn't tell. Now, this book is kind of silly and not entirely believable, but it's totally a fun ride with some great characters. The mystery of who our main character is going to end up with — the dreamy vet or obnoxious (at first) neighbor had me reading on for sure!

I love this book so much. I had high hopes because I’m such a huge fan of Katherine Center and my anticipation of this one was well placed. The raw emotions all throughout this story are so moving - I laughed and cried and was enraged at different points as the story progressed. Reading this story is like a warm hug. I went into this story without reading the synopsis and I highly recommend that approach.

Also, thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance! This is one that I'm absolutely going to be adding to my shelf!

I think I read a different book then everyone else?

I need to note the 20 year old “don’t help me I’m independent! except I really need a lot of help please and will never appreciate it” is a massive turnoff for me. So bam, right out of the gate I struggled with our FMC, Sadie.

The premise however was interesting especially since I’ve never even heard of prosopagnosia. Basically Sadie entered a portrait contest, had brain surgery, then couldn’t see faces anymore. Insert bizarre love triangle that was fairly obvious.

I enjoyed the Bodyguard quite a bit and will absolutely be back for more Katherine Center but this one wasn’t for me.

As fascinating as the concept of face blindness for a portrait painter is, it took me a bit to get into this book. At the beginning, Center tried SO hard for her audience to understand what face blindness felt like for our FMC - almost TOO hard - there were like three separate but similar iterations of explaining the symptoms Sadie has and how she feels. Like bestie I get it?? I do?

And the MMC? “How’s your health?” in an elevator? I would call 911 immediately. That felt SO UNNATURAL LOL that it took me out of it. Overall the pacing of this novel was pretty slow, I feel like the romance didn’t start actually happening until the half way mark. But once it does, you really start to like the male MC!

Sadie is kind of hard to empathize with because she doesn’t voice her opinions/wants very much at all. It got frustrating seeing something right in front of her and Sadie not letting herself go get it! But I liked the family dynamic in this book, since it EXPLAINS and SHOWS us why Sadie is the way she is - like her stupid step sister??

By the time you as a reader realize what’s going on, it feels a bit frustrating waiting for our MCs to figure it out. But the reveal was NOT a let down!! I love the characters’ chemistry and feel like their relationship felt natural.

And the very end of the book is just a huge life lesson rolled up neatly in a bow. It was almost TOO neat lol.. Like if the author didn’t make the big idea clear enough through Sadie and how everything is wrapped up in this timeline, she made SURE to spell it out! So it does come somewhat unnaturally, but I guess looking back (hours after finishing it), it wasn’t unwelcome. I thought the true message is sweet, important, and it made me feel proud of Sadie as a character. As a whole though, It felt like Center was kind of repetitive throughout this book, as if she doesn’t trust me as a reader to understand what she’s trying to get at. So the romance part was pretty okay, and I liked the love interest, and the storyline of face blindness made this book stand out, but I still didn’t absolutely love it in execution.

I love Katherine Center’s writing but holy I’m frustrated with a a fat phobic comment. Fatphobia is so common and a cheap thing to use even if it ended up not being what we were lead to think it was. Not to mention, I KNOW that would be enough to alienate a chunk of readers right off the bat. That being said I did enjoy this one. I just think this comment took away from how beautiful this book was as a whole. I will say I’m not totally sure what a good alternative for it would have been either given the nature of the book.


‘I’ve been pretending to be okay pretty much since the day my mom died.’ wow mood.

Flew through this one! While I don't know anything about "face blindness", I cannot say whether or not this was an accurate and fair representation of the condition. I can however say that it made for an original spin to a romance. I loved Joe & Sadie. I loved Sadie's humor. The writing style had me chuckling throughout, especially when it came to the incessant rambling or Sadie talking to herself. Great story and great ending that, a part of me feels like I should've expected.

The whole dynamic with her step sister didn't really provide the most value to the story, in my opinion.

I was so excited to see this book was available to read! I absolutely loved The Bodyguard by Katherine Center so I just HAD to read this one. Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist that learns she is picked as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. Sadie feels like this can finally be her big break, she could win the 10 thousand dollars, pay her rent and prove to her dad that she is a successful artist. As she’s on her way to celebrate the announcement of the finalists, she has a seizure which changes her life. The seizure brings out the news that she will need to get a surgery as it is life or death for Sadie. Her dad forces her to get this surgery and as a result she suffers from acquired face blindness. Center does a beautiful job telling the perspective of someone who has acquired face blindness, and what it is like to try to live a “normal” life. The themes within this book feature family issues, past drama, and finding love. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up a physical copy once it’s available!

I'm always up for reading a new Katherine Center novel. They always leave me feeling uplifted and and like I just got hugged by my best friend. We meet our lovable heroine Sadie Montgomery as she faces incredible challenges after sustaining a brain injury that leaves her with prosopagnosia (face blindness). You can Google it if you're unfamiliar - I remember seeing a news story about the condition several years ago and just couldn't imagine what it would be like to experience it. I thought Katherine Center did a wonderful job bringing it forward in her story. Imagine being a portrait artist who suddenly has face blindness. Center worked family dynamics, past drama, and learning how to deal with a new kind of normal in such a way that made it a one-day read for me. I loved her author's note that addresses Romance novels - something that resonated with me. All in all, a warm hug of a book. Recommended.

Katherine Center writes the coolest love stories. Hello Stranger has a super unique premise--a portrait artist, who has just learned she's a finalist in a prestigious competition, has a seizure, which requires brain surgery--but as a side-effect of the surgery, she now has acquired face-blindness. She can't see faces. Period. She strikes up a friendship with a man in her building, who she can only identify because of his unique bowling jacket. But she also has a crush on her new vet--Dr. Addison. As her feelings for Joe get stronger, she has to decide which man she really wants, all while trying to paint a portrait for the competition even though she can't see faces to save her life. There's also family drama, with a side of trauma and gaslighting, but it's handled well, in a way that I don't think people will find triggering.

The ending is absolutely delightful. And honestly, this book has my favorite author's note of all time. It's more like an author's manifesto about the romance genre as a whole, and I may or may not have cried at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Saint Martin's Press for my advance review copy.

This was such a delightful read! I discovered Katherine Center earlier this year after reading The Bodyguard for a book club, and was excited to hear she has another title coming out.

This book follows Sadie Montgomery, a struggling portrait artist who finally has a chance at a big break when she has an opportunity to participate in a prestigious art competition--but her dreams, and her life, come crashing down around her when unexpected emergency brain surgery leaves her with acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness). Sadie, still navigating her grief years later after losing her mother (who was also a portrait artist) at a young age, struggles to find her footing after the surgery and cope with her face blindness. In the middle of trying to create a painting to meet the competition's deadline, she also finds herself falling for both her new veterinarian named Dr. Oliver Addison as well as a man living in her apartment complex named Joe. Sadie has a nice supporting cast of characters around her in her friend Sue Kim and her parents, and was a realistically awkward and endearing character to cheer for. It's clear the author did a lot of research around how to portray face blindness accurately, and the book touches on larger concepts of grief, forgiveness, and self-identity, which adds some emotional depth to this romance novel. Overall an optimistic and uplifting read.

Katherine Center's books are always enjoyable, and this one once again fits the bill. Sadie, a portrait artist who is a finalist in a competition, has a type of seizure and is saved by a Good Samaritan only to learn that she needs surgery. Once she awakens from surgery she quickly realizes that she can't recognize anyone's face and learns that she has a type of facial blindness. The story continues with Sadie trying to cope with not recognizing anyone, figuring out how to paint portraits when she can't see faces, and getting to know her neighbor Joe and her veterinarian Oliver. As the story goes on Sadie develops feelings for one and has to break it off with the other, while still struggling to paint. This story was fun, enjoyable, and sweet. The "Big Misunderstanding" trope was a bit frustrating, but that is an essential part of this story. I recommend giving Hello Stranger a try!

Absolutely phenomenal concept and storyline. I loved this quick book and devoured it as soon as I got it available!