I have loved every book by Katherine Center so I was very excited when I saw this new release. Just like in her other stories, the main character, is a strong female named Sadie. Her entire world as she knows it gets turned upside down. We take the journey with her as she uses this unforeseen turn of events to look deep within and find herself. She confronts years of deep hurt, grows, and heals wounds. All with a cute romance sprinkled in. Some parts I found to be a little predictable, but in the best way. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend, especially if you love Katherine's other stories.

I loved this feel good story. At it's core it's a love story but it's so much more. We meet Sadie as she's become a finalist in an art show that could change the rest of her life. When she faints in the street, she learns that she needs a minor surgery but it ends up leaving her face blind. Sure, she meets someone, two someones actually, but really this is more about falling in love with herself and her life. I enjoyed her journey to realize what she wants out of life. There's a lot of miscommunication in this. As a trope that doesn't bother me, but if it bothers you then you probably won't like this. One simple correction could have brought about the conclusion much faster...but then you wouldn't have a story. Her interactions with Joe were fun and really felt like the beginning of a relationship. Her interactions with Dr. Addison were odd and presumptive. Parker is the perfect villain. There were times that it got long and repetitive but over all I loved the feel good vibes of this story. In Center's authors note she talks about the anticipation of romance novels and feel good stories. That they run on a sense of things getting better and this book definitely pulls all of those feelings.

Katherine Center seems to know exactly what I want in a book. I was absolutely obsessed with The Bodyguard, so I couldn’t wait to read Hello Stranger.
Sadie, a struggling artist, who specializes in portraits get the opportunity of a lifetime and BAM, she gets hit with face blindness. What then ensues leaves the readings feeling every possible emotion. I was laughing out loud, on the edge of tears and really wanted to yell at Sadie to make better decisions!
Katherine Center does such a brilliant job in all of her books making her characters feel so real with their flaws but also gives you such a great sense of hope that everything is going to be okay, even when you think it can’t!
Truly couldn’t put this book down!

3.5 stars - I would honestly read Katherine Center’s grocery list because I love everything that she writes. This book however was very predictable. It was clear from the start where it was going, but her writing keeps it interesting.

I love Katherine Center! This book is definitely not for everyone but it was everything to me! I loved the characters, the writing and just everything. I really liked this book! This book was filled with sooo much lightness and it just made me so happy! Would definitely recommend!

Sadie is a portrait artist, who after an important surgery develops face blindness, meaning people’s faces that she see look more like a puzzle or a Picasso painting than a face.

I believe lovers of character driven stories will enjoy this one. Sadie takes center stage in this one and the story follows how she is dealing (or not) with her face blindness, while interacting with those around her. This one was giving me Cinderella vibes with the stepmother and step sister. The romance is more secondary in my opinion, and while it does take a bit to get into the romance portion of the book, I love how Sadie’s story evolved and end.

"Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center is the perfect summer read! Sadie is a portrait artist who finds herself suddenly unable to see faces. Overwhelmed and without her best friend by her side she finds comfort in a helpful neighbor. "Hello Stranger" is a sweet and fun rom com that also has substance.

Oh my god 🥰😍🥰😍 I love everything Katherine Center writes. How to Walk Away was the first ever book I read of hers and honestly, it has held the candle up until now. Hello Stranger was so cute and emotional. Katherine writes about real problems, real life obstacles and set backs and GROWTH. Her books feel like a therapy session and a warm hug and I love them for that reason. Her Author’s Note at the end just completed the whole experience for me. This book filled me with anticipation 😉 and HOPE and healing and all the good warm fuzzy vibes. I would recommend this and any other Katherine Center book.

the reveal is sooo obvious that it’s frustrating and also the mc’s family is just too evil for no reason but it was a very fast read

I couldn't wait to pick this one up after reading The Bodyguard last summer! I've adored Center's strong female characters in the past, and unfortunately this one was entirely different than the five-star read I was anticipating.

Center's novels are normally an engaging experience - I find myself quickly enthralled and rooting for the main character, comforted by the romance and satisfied with the substance included in the story. I struggled to want to continue this one, and I kept putting it down. Sadie was self-centered, whiny, and incredible at pushing my buttons. There's a difference between being a strong, independent female and acting rude, stubborn, and immature. I felt for her situation, but she wasn't reacting well. Her character took a compelling synopsis and made it difficult to bear.

I also found myself disappointed in the narration and dialogue, which came off as lazy and lacking a deeper purpose. The plot provided serious potential and character development, and Sadie's immaturity and mindset fell short.

My favorite part of this novel is the adorable cover - bonus points for that!

This book has some redeeming qualities, but it just wasn't for me. It's a bummer, but I'm still looking forward to see what's to come from Katherine Center in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review my first ARC!

Sadie is a down on her luck portrait artist living in her studio. She has a bad relationship with her father and stepmother and has a truly evil stepsister. Here luck seems to be changing as she becomes a finalist in a national art competition. Her life falls further into disaster as a sudden medical emergency requires brain surgery. This ends up leaving her with face blindness. While struggling to cope with her new reality Sadie becomes close with her neighbor Joe and her dog's vet Dr Oliver Addison.

I enjoyed a lot about this book. Sadie is a sweet but messy character. The outcome of the love story is a little bit predicable but still good. My favorite part of the book is Sadie's relationship with the Kim family. Found family is one of my favorite things in story. Their kindness and love really made this book shine.

Sometimes the biblio stars align and the right book finds you at the perfect moment. The last time this happened for me was with Poston’s ‘The Dead Romantics’ and the fates recently struck again with ‘Hello Stranger’. I had just finished learning about prosopagnosia (face blindness) at university and was awestruck when I realized it was covered. I have never read another book like this one and I had so much fun following the diagnosis and making sense of the main character’s world from her new pov. I also loved the other elements of life that were addressed such as difficult family relationships and finding your place in the world. The romance was amazing, especially because it did not go in the direction I expected, even though I guessed the twist.

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

I absolutely loved this book - I read it in less than 24 hours! The main character, Sadie, was relatable and I thought her character development and growth throughout the story was wonderful. The author didn’t shy away from tough topics dealing with family dynamics, health issues and emotional growth which added to the depth of the story and her characters.

I liked the writing of this story but could not connect with the main characters. I have read other books by Katherine Center and enjoyed those more.

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press as well as Net Galley for allowing me to read this book before the publication. This is my first review with Net Galley and I'm hoping not my last with this publisher.

Publication Date: July 11,2023

I'm a huge fan of Katherine Center and I've read all recent books from How to Walk Away to the present. (the rest are on my to be read)
I did a little happy dance when I found out I got approved an advanced copy of this book.

This book made my hear flutter. If I'm being honest, once I sat down, I couldn't stop reading this book. It took me about a day to read it but really it was closer to 18 hours.

Sadie was a beautifully complex character with a lot going on internally and externally. I was worried at times when she'd fall into something but might be a side effect of her condition? I did explore that possibly too much because some of us are clumsy right?
I enjoy reading a book where the female main character reminds me a lot of myself. I consider myself to be an artsy person in the same age-range as Sadie.
I did a lot of research after I finished the book to fully understand Sadie's brain condition and how it affected her perception of other people's facial features. Googling prosopagnosia was exactly how i pictured Sadie would see it. Seeing people's faces as blurs would probably make me feel like I was in a horror movie. Sadie took it in stride though.
Now I get to the fun part, the romance. What's a Katherine Center book without some love struggles? Sadie and Joe's relationship hit me like a brick wall at times with how I did see some of the connections.
Sadie's prosopagnosia Center incorporated so well in the relationship with Joe. I didn't see it coming but I also go into books now without trying to guess what's going on so I don't ruin it for myself. I'm here for the ride. The spice level is at a 2/5. I'm not a big spice person but I do love steamy semi-sexual scenes.
Just like a couple other Center's books, I am giving this a 5/5 stars.
Every book I read by here has such a positive, inspiring message that stays with me long after I've read the book. When I finished this book, I made me feel so beautifully flawed as a human. Life may not always feel like sunshine and rainbows but it's also how we see our situations that can make or break us.

"The more good things you look for, the more you find"

This has to be the most original twist on “amnesia trope” I’ve ever read. I was hooked from the grocery store and while the slow burn and angst was stressful I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Of course you see the twist coming from the jump but when the reveal happens…. *swoon* I would have liked a little more closure with her parents and stepsister. It honestly felt like she was a doormat to her whole family and I’m not sure they made up for that in the end. Delivers lots of laughs like the other books I have read from Center but will still get you in your feels as well…. The memorized voicemail?! Cue the tears.

Mood: when you are feeling sorry for yourself and need to read about someone who has it worse but still gets an HEA
reverse grumpy/sunshine
Closed door (some kissing)
rare disorder representation

Absolute perfection. Katherine Center wrote another masterpiece. I thought The Bodyguard would be hard to top, but Hello Stranger gives it a run for its money! Thank you, Katherine, for your beautiful stories. Please write more! Love, a fellow Houstonian

I enjoyed Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. It was my first book I have read of this author and I would read more of her work! It was a quick and light read and I enjoyed learning about Sadie's disability and how it affected her life. I did see the twist of the book coming and thought it was pretty predictable though.

This missed the mark for me… Center seemed more preoccupied with the face blindness plot than the actual romance. No spice and little to offer in the way of joy. Interestingly enough, the author included a note at the end about joy and hope in romance novels… Didn’t really get those feelings here, unfortunately.

ARC Book Review: Hello Stranger 🌸

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book!

Title: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Romance
Number of Pages: 336
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Pub Date: July 10, 2023

Review 💭
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, so I am very happy to have been able to read it ahead of its release date.

This book was great! 💗
Something about Katherine Center's writing style makes reading a delight and it feels like you're not even reading in the first place. I was swept into this story and turning the pages as fast as I could, enjoying every minute of it.

This story has depth and emotion, but it's also funny and witty. I found the storyline to be very creative, specially for a romance book (it’s for sure the first time I read a romance book in which the main character has a condition known as face blindness… and yes, it’s a real thing). The author did an amazing job at bringing awareness to this medical condition while keeping the rest of the story entertaining and lighthearted.

Sadie is a character who I think we can all relate to in more ways than one. It was so satisfying seeing her grow out her old ways of thinking and rediscover her own definition of success and happiness.

Also, the romance in this book? So cute! I laughed, smiled, and simply had such a fun time reading.

This book had me guessing who to root for.
Things began to make more sense the more I read.
I kind of guessed the “twist” early on but
already knowing it just built the anticipation even more and didn't take away from my enjoyment of the reveal. Getting to that "Aha!" moment was so exciting and adorable.

Katherine Center has done it again! If you’re a fan of her books, you’ll totally love this one. 📖
I can’t wait to reread this book in the future and see all the tiny details I missed the first time! 🤭

Read this book if you like:
🌸 closed door romance
🎀 loveable main characters
🛼 funny banter
🎨 feel-good books
🐾 puppies
💗 happy endings