"Hello Stranger" is a beautifully written novel that explores the journey of a female portrait artist named Sadie who has a random brain accident that changes the way she sees the world. Katherine Center does an excellent job of weaving together Sadie's personal struggles with her artistic journey.

Artist Sadie Montgomery is struggling, if she’s being honest. Until now. Now she’s on the cusp of her big break, becoming a finalist in a portrait painting contest that she’s determined to win. However, life has other plans when Sadie agrees to undergo brain surgery for a low lying condition and suddenly finds herself unable to see faces- faces that are completely necessary for a portrait competition. “Hello Stranger” by Katherine Center is a story of determination, wit, and finding happiness when you least expect it.

Katherine Center- why have I put off your books for so long?! “Hello Stranger” was my second Center read, but I was hooked from page one. It feels like Center creates these relatable, witty, awkward, sweet, fun characters that you just fall in love with and root for endlessly. Sadie and Joe were no exception! I liked them both immediately.

This was a pretty straightforward love story. I guessed the plot twist pretty early on, but that didn’t stop me from being completely fascinated with the other moving parts of the plot. Sadie’s face blindness diagnosis was interesting and created a greater awareness of the different unseen challenges someone might have in their everyday life. Things we often take for granted.

In the end, this was a solid 5 star read for me. I devoured it in about 24 hours and I already want more! Time to go check out some older Katherine Center while I wait.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book hits shelves July 11th- you do not want to miss it!

Katherine Center's books are ALWAYS a good time. I love them! They're fun to read and just something that brings a smile to your face. This one didn't disappoint. I enjoyed being with her characters and what they had to go through. Hello Stranger is another classic for Center and I cannot wait for what's next.

I LOVED this book! I really thought a lot of her problems would go away if she just TOLD people she couldn't see them, but then I guess we wouldn't have the whole story. I figured out the plot twist around 75% through the book, and wow I didn't really see it coming!

Being in Sadie's mind was such a riot. She was a hilarious character and I just couldn't get enough of her. I truly laughed out loud so much during this book, which is saying a lot for me.

The overall plot was interesting, but definitely required a bit of suspending my disbelief. I loved the romance, and this is perfect for those of us who prefer the spice to be closed door.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

Another great book by Katherine Center. Sadie is a portrait artist who feels like she is finally getting her big break when she makes it as a finalist in an art contest. Don’t want to spoil anything but she goes through a lot and learns to be herself and that it’s ok to ask for help.

Not my favorite book of hers. There were multiple points in the book that I absolutely could not stand the main character and wanted to just shake some sense into her. I thought the premise was unique with the face blindness but the main character's immature personality ruined most of my enjoyment of the book.

I loved The Bodyguard and was SO excited to pick up another Katherine Center rom com! Hello Stranger was a unique, fun, light, and twisty unexpected romance. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading Hello Stranger but it reminded me of a silly 90s rom com, in all the good ways.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist looking for her big break and is chosen as a finalist in a portrait competition. After an unexpected medical emergency and surgery, Sadie develops face blindness leading her to fall in love with two different people..

I liked The Bodyguard better, but this book is a fun light, and easy read and I can’t wait to pick up another Katherine Center book!!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Stranger releases July 11, 2023. I definitely recommend adding this warm hearted twisty rom com to your summer beach read list!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I absolutely adored The Bodyguard when I chose it for my BOTM, so I was ecstatic to get an ARC of Katherine’s next book. And to be honest… it was even BETTER. I love the storyline of prosopagnosia and the challenges it presents (my neuro classes were my favorite part of PT school!). Sadie was precious, the mmc’s name was Joe (iykyk), and Peanut— the real star of the show!! basically, a near perfect book! A big shout out to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! Pick up this book on July 11!

READ IF YOU
✨love unique story lines
✨feel like your life is falling apart
✨ need your dog to live forever
✨ have an evil stepsister

I have loved every Katherine Center book I’ve read so far, so I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Hello Stranger! And let me tell you - it lived up to everything I’ve come to expect from Katherine Center!

Sadie Montgomery may be a struggling portrait artist, but when she learns that she’s just become a finalist for the esteemed portrait competition, she knows she’s just gotten her lucky break. Upon recovery from what is meant to be a minor surgery, though, Sadie realizes that she’s lost the ability to see faces - a pretty necessary skill for a portrait artist. Not wanting anyone to know about her face blindness, Sadie keeps it to herself and finds solace in her dog, Peanut, whose face is the only one she can still see. So when Peanut gets sick, Sadie rushes him to the nearest vet and happens to meet Dr Oliver Addison, who surprises her by asking her on a date. But as Sadie begins to develop a friendship with Joe, the obnoxious neighbor who always catches her at the worst times, she begins to realize that sometimes people aren’t what they seemed.

Center is a master at making me feel the feels, and Hello Stranger was no exception. While I wasn't completely taken with Sadie at first, it wasn’t long until I understood her better and was really rooting for her. And once I did, I was laughing, crying, gasping, and shouting. I loved watching her come into her own, stand up for herself and learn to ask for help.

I also loved how Sadie’s relationship with her romantic interest developed. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil anything but it was so fun to watch them fall for each other. Usually the third act misunderstanding drives me crazy, and the fact that Hello Stranger’s had me laughing along just goes to show how talented Center really is.

Hello Stranger is out on July 11th, and if you love smart, funny romantic comedies with lots of heart and character development, you won’t want to miss this one! Many thanks to St Martin’s Press, Katherine Center, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book : Hello Stranger
Author : Katherine Center

Thanks so much NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!

Let’s start with the cover! This cover is very eye catching. I am a sucker for a good cover.

This is the cutest romcom! I gobble them up and Katherine Center delivers them perfectly every single time. The characters are very well developed and their dialogue is perfection. I LOVED LOVED Sadie!

I did not set this book down until i got that last page. This book has a few good twists and turns thrown in and it’s fun to try and guess them along the way and I didn’t figure them out until they were revealed.

The wittiness of the writing, the humor that made me laugh out loud as I read, the little romance sprinkled in this book was the absolute thing I needed during a slump of trying to find that one book to pull me up and out.

Here’s to another perfect story written by one of my favorite authors! This HAS to be on everybody’s TBR this spring and summer! Solid four stars from me!

Hello, Stranger
By Katherine Center
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: 🇺🇲 Houston, TX
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I love Katherine Center and was so, so excited to get an ARC of her upcoming release from Netgalley!
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This book was so sweet and so fun. I love how Katherine Center can write books that are lighthearted but still tackle serious subjects without being trite. Definitely worth a read!

I loved, loved, loved this book! The sweet, quirky, and relatable characters were enticing and entertaining. Katherine Center stole my heart again with this book.

Sadie Montgomery lost her mom as child and was raised by her father, stepmother and evil stepsister. She is following her mother's footsteps as an artist and gets into a face portrait competition. When she gets the good news that she has been selected to compete, she meets a handsome young man at the convenience store and is dazzled and frazzled. Sadie's brain then decides to go on the fritz and needs an operation leaving her with facial blindness. Which is not good. She's a portrait artist....

The emotional rollercoaster that is this book made me giggle, squeal, and sob with Sadie's story. Join Sadie as she comes to terms with her mother's passing, her art, and the hilarious way she goes about developing a relationship with her father, stepmother, and a very hot, hot vet- I highly recommend this one!

I was a little nervous about a romance with the main character going through a significant medical issue, but I really enjoyed the story and the characters and especially the ending! And it was nice to see a happy ending on so many fronts, not just with the main romance.

THIS IS MY SECOND KATHERINE CENTER, BOOK AND I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED IT!! THE MAIN CHARACTER HAS ACQUIRED PROSOPAGNOSIA (AKA FACE BLINDNESS) AND WHILE IT’S A ROM-COM, IT IS SUPER UNIQUE, JOYFUL, AND FUNNY! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS BOOK WAS THE AUTHOR’S NOTE AT THE END AND HER TAKE ON ROM COMS- ESPECIALLY THE REFRAME OF “PREDICTABLE” TO “FANTASTIC ANTICIPATION”.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the ARC of Hello Stranger. This book is kooky and fun! I loved main characters and missed them once I finished. This is the story of Sadie and her experience through a health crisis, learning to live and thrive without a key sense that she abruptly loses and finding friendship and love in the process. The family drama was a bit unnecessary for me, I could have enjoyed the book just as much without it.

Katherine Center is such a special author. She brings joy and humor to every page. I’m not sure what I loved more, the book or Katherine’s love letter to romance in the Author’s Note.

I recommend this if you enjoy zany heroines who are doing their best.

What would you do if all of a sudden you couldn’t see faces like normal anymore? Me personally? I’d give up, crawl under the covers and never come out again. But Sadie? She persevered. She made the best out of the situation.
Was there times when she got things totally wrong because the face she was seeing in front of her she didn’t recognize? Yes, absolutely! But she kept trying and that’s what I took away from this book.
I had never heard of face blindness before so my eyes have been opened. I feel like even though I never heard of it before I understood what it was because of the research that was put into it.
My least favorite part was Parker. I can’t stand bullies!! But honestly Sadie’s dad and Lucinda was right at the top of the list too until their sides of the story was explained. If there was more to the ending maybe I would have liked them more but as it left off I’m okay with them.
I feel Sadie and “Joe” was very memorable. The banter between them was pure gold. They was like the old married couple you pass in the grocery store who’s still in as much love as the day they married. Their story was also a sad one that turned funny and I was here for the whole thing!
All in all this was a remarkable book and I’m sad that it’s over. I’m also mad it took me so long to pick it up because I was worried the medical part of her diagnosis would over power the storyline.

Defiantly check this one out! It is well worth the buy! I can’t wait to have it on my shelf so I can read it whenever I want.

Center has done an incredible job of developing a deeply engrossing read that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. This may be her best book yet, as she explores complex issues with empathy and sensitivity, creating a powerful narrative that is both touching and thought-provoking. Love isn't blind, it's just a little blurry, and this novel beautifully illustrates this sentiment. Fans of contemporary romance and character-driven stories will not be disappointed with Hello Stranger.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Sadie Montgomery finally feels as if all her hard work with her artwork is paying off. She’s in the final stages of competition with only 10 remaining competitors, including herself out of 2000 entries. Then she can prove herself to her dad and show him that she chose the right career path. That is until everything in Sadie’s life turns upside down after a car accident. She’s told by the doctors that she needs surgery right away and the downtime should only be a week. Then she can return to her artwork and win the art portrait competition and all will be back to normal. After the surgery Sadie realizes she’s no longer able to do her artwork like she used to let alone recognize the people in her life. Faced with hopefully temporary face blindness; Sadie has to navigate her new world while trying to figure out if she’s falling for her obnoxious next door, neighbor, Joe, (who’s maybe somehow growing on her) and/or her vet, Dr. Addison. All while also navigating her difficult family dynamics and past.
Such a heart warming story about love, medical mystery, and family dynamics. I can’t wait to read another Katherine Center novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC for my honest review!

Hello Stranger is a sweet, sometimes funny and often tugging-at-the-heartstrings, romance about a girl that has to become faceblind before she’ll finally see what’s been in front of her all along. 

I adored this book! It had a bit of a rocky start, with a “meet cute” that I didn’t find particularly cute, but it quickly picks up. After having a non-convulsive seizure, Sadie finds out she has to have brain surgery. It goes fairly smoothly, but for one small issue. She can no longer see faces. This would be fine, if she wasn’t a portrait artist by trade, one that’s up for a prestigious award–which she needs to deliver on within the next six weeks. 

This book was surprisingly angsty. Sadie has experienced a lot of trauma from her stepmother and stepsister, and her personality reflects her inability to ask for help or truly let others in. She immediately becomes smitten with her new veterinarian (despite not being able to see his face), but when he asks her on a date, she doesn’t want to tell him about her condition. She’s hoping that it will just magically go away. But nobody is ever that lucky. 

I adored the themes throughout this book. Sadie makes a lot of assumptions about the world and the people around her, and these become even more evident when she can no longer rely on the ability to recognize the faces of those around her. She has to open her senses and be more observant, identifying people by their hair and clothes and gaits. I’ve read thrillers with this premise before, but not any romances. I love the idea of falling in love with someone without ever seeing them (I love the pen pal trope best!), and this is a unique spin on this trope! 

Hello Stranger is my first read by Katherine Center, and it surely won’t be my last! I fully intend to read up her backlist, stat.

*This book review will be posted to my blog, Goodreads, TikTok, and Instagram on June 14, and to Amazon after the pubdate.*