I love everything I read from Katherine Center, and this book does not disappoint! The main character is Sadie and she is faced with multiple challenges, and then, suddenly, two love interests. She is able to cultivate those relationships by focusing on the person rather than their image. This was a great romance read and a feel good book; the type of book that you want to finish in one sitting.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Stranger | Katherine Center
A messy mistaken identity with big golden retriever energy

Sadie Montgomery is right on the edge of her big break as a portrait artist when an unprompted medical event launches her into a faceless, mixed-up world. Following an essential surgery to limit the risk of her condition, Sadie is left unable to see/read/decode faces (other than her sweet puppy). She has six weeks to submit a new portrait and can produce true masterpieces, until it comes to the face. As she navigates her condition with an unknown prognosis, she encounters Dr. Oliver Addison – a gorgeous vet who saved the only face she can see – and Joe – the apartment building resident with unsavory dating habits who just keeps showing up at the perfect moment. Add into the equation a hovel of a non-apartment, the ever-closer deadline, an unsupportive (even undermining) family situation, and a surprise bff elopement leaving her stranded, when the blur comes into focus, she may have lost everything, and will anyone be left standing with her?

This novel is full of conflict and anticipation. There is a sense of helplessness with Sadie’s predicament in relation to her deadline, her stepsister is a character straight from the villain archives (I can’t remember hating a vindictive character so much), and the course of the broken channels of communication are some truly tough waters to navigate. While reading, I became acutely aware of how much can be easily taken for granted, and how challenging it would be to navigate relationships – especially fall in love – without being able to recognize a person or separate them from others. This was a great insight into the roles we play in our daily lives and how certain characteristics may identify us but may also be in such contrast that we can appear as separate people.

The incredible thing about genre is how different the plot would play out; a portrait artist who became spontaneously unable to decode the essential component of the human face could easily form the basis of a heartbreaking drama. Somehow, Center manages to turn this heartbreak into a lighthearted sort of suspense! In the land of the Rom-Com, we assume that we will get our happy ending but the path to Sadie’s HEA seems impossible at first – not only are her dreams under threat, but so is her love life! Gasp! I enjoyed the relational sliding doors effect and watching Sadie grow and transform through her experiences.

A major personal reflection/takeaway for me is the importance of reaching out when help is needed. A candid conversation is far more valuable than the protective element of presenting a composed front when you’re falling apart.

4/5 stars
Massive thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC for review!

Katherine Center is such a masterful storyteller. In her latest book, she writes about Sadie Montgomery, a portrait artist. Sadie undergoes brain surgery, and when she wakes, she experiences face blindness.

I learned so much about face blindness through this book. It so well captured all that we attach to recognizing people. And Sadie's struggles were so relatable. The story is that perfect mix of women's fiction with a highlight on Sadie's journey and romance, as she finds love. Plus I absolutely adored Peanut, Sadie's fabulous dog.

Parker, Sadie's evil stepsister, is too awful of a human. She read more like a caricature rather than a character. There were also some loose ends pertaining to Sadie's father that I really wish were addressed. But even with those minor caveats, this was an absolutely outstanding book.

Rather than focus more on the story (it's amazing and I highly recommend it), I want to use what space I have left to talk about the Author's Note. I highlighted most of it and find myself thinking about it frequently. Katherine Center reflects on the romance genre and what makes it special. She pushes back against criticism that romance is predictable by talking about the ways in which it centers hope and positive anticipation.

About this book, she says, "I hope this story made you laugh. And swoon. I hope it kept you up way too late reading and gave you that blissed-out, oxytocin-laden, tipsy feeling that all the best love stories create. I hope it gave you something to think about, and maybe a new perspective. But more than anything, I hope it gave you something to look forward to."

It did all of those things for me and more. And I hope it will do the same for you.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

I enjoyed this read from Net Galley. I have read other Katherine Center books and they are easy to read, romantic but still dealing with some tougher issues and not too spicy. I wasn't really sure how it would end and figured I may have missed something that was going to give it away, but it was a happy ending and I don;t think I missed any big give aways that would lead to the ending ha! Overall I rate this a 3.75

There were so many funny moments in this book I loved it! The MC Sadie just recently had brain surgery and now has issues with face recognition. With that comes a lot of funny little issues that keep happening to her. I really enjoyed the thoughts from her head of who she thought people were and then act like nothing was wrong. Things keep going wrong for Sadie along the way, but she does have help whether she wants it or not. Super fun and great book.
I'm am writing this review unbiased , and I received this as an ARC through Netgalley

Another delightful rom-com delivered by Katherine Center!

Such a funny, heart-warming book filled with endearing moments while also providing twists ‘n turns I wasn’t expecting before arriving at the HEA desired in a romance novel.

I devoured this book in one sitting… the character development of the FMC, Sadie, revealed a story of resilience, chasing your dreams and continuing to stay open-minded and with holding judgement.

Such a great quick read, definitely one to be added to every romance lovers TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for my voluntary, honest review.

This is my first book by Katherine Center and it was better than I could've imagined. I loved everything about this story and found myself laughing out loud many times. It had all the elements I enjoy in a sweet rom-com and is easily one of my favorite reads this year.

Sadie Montgomery, a portrait artist, is on the brink of a huge career goal when an accident befalls her and she finds herself diagnosed with face blindness. Now, every face she sees is disconnected and she's forced to cope with this "probably temporary" condition as she works through her artistic dreams, rough family issues, and not being able to fully trust what she sees.

I won't go into spoiler territory, but the way this book was written was like it was made for me. I loved Sadie's first person narrative and her growth throughout the book. I laughed out loud so many times and, though I "anticipated" the events of the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The author's notes at the end is also worth a read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading my first Katherine Center (The Bodyguard) last year, I knew I needed to read her backlog. Have I done that yet...? No, absolutely not. But I did get approved for this one by my kind friends at netgalley, so I had to jump right into it. I'm on a 5 star streak lately & I am so happy about it! My neighbor actually has the same thing that the MC, Sadie has, face blindness, so it was pretty cool to read a little bit about it. At 74% I figured out the big "twist" & frantically spammed my bestie about my theories but also feeling a little crazy the longer I thought about it.

This book delivers all the emotions and takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved how unique the concept was, it's nothing like anything I've read before which I loved! I couldn't put it down, it was a literal page turner.

This is the definition of a feel good romance with a lot of family dynamics. I appreciated all aspects from loss & grief to the family dynamic of a blended family. From a blended family myself, I really understood the step-sister/step-mother relationship on another level.

It's really hard to talk about my love for this one without spoiling it, so just preorder it today & thank me tomorrow.

Thank you Katherine Center, Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for my ARC of this beautiful masterpiece! <3

Title: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Fiction
Tropes: enemies to lovers, friends to lovers
Spice: 🌶️ (just kissing)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When portrait artist Sadie Montgomery gets into a freak accident and discovers she needs brain surgery, she almost doesn’t have it. She has a competition coming up and needs to focus. But when she gets some startling news from her father, she realizes she can’t put it off any more. When she wakes from the surgery it seems that everything went as planned, except for the fact that Sadie now suffers from face blindness and can no longer see faces. With the competition looming and new love on the horizon, will Sadie make it through or will she crash and burn?

This is my first Katherine Center book and I absolutely devoured it in a day. It started a little slow at first but as soon as I hit the 25% mark the rest of the book flew.

I absolutely loved the growth that Sadie went through in this book. It was great to see the connection she was making with Dr. Nicole and how she was helping her with both the face blindness and life in general. The moment she finally realizes it’s ok to a accept help from those around her is when the second part of the story really begins.

Joe is perfection. Even when Sadie thinks she hates him, I was falling for him. Positive, bright and just the right amount of sunshine we need in a sweet MMC.

And the twist? I really didn’t see it coming!

This book releases on July 11th!

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin’s press for this advance copy.

I fell in love with Katherine Center’s writing after reading The Bodyguard last year. I have been (not so) patiently waiting for her next novel to come out, and Hello Stranger definitely lived up to the hype.

Sadie is an artist who has been chosen as a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition and has finally gotten her big break. She has 6 weeks to paint a new portrait piece to enter into the competition when she suffers a seizure and learns she needs brain surgery. Following the surgery she learns that there is swelling in the region of her brain that views and recognizes faces. She is now “face blind” with only a few weeks left to complete her painting. With the help of her friend Sue, and the annoying womanizer Joe who lives in her building, Sadie has to figure out how she is going to paint a contest winning portrait of someone, when she can no longer see faces.

I had never heard of “face blindness” before but the concept of this story was so fascinating. I loved getting an inside view into this condition, and I felt that the topic was handled beautifully. Sadie was such a relatable character and I loved that she was vulnerable and real. One of my favorite things about this book was that it didn’t have a perfect solution or ending to her problems. But even though things didn’t turn out how she planned, she was ok and even happy in the end.

I feel that this was a great example of taking what life throws at your and learning to make it the best you can. It wasn’t easy for Sadie, and she had to overcome a lot of self doubt, but she survived. This story was so relatable on so many levels and I loved every minute of it. I laughed and cried and learned so much throughout this read.

In the Author’s Note at the end of the book Katherine talks about how she got into writing romance novels and why she loves them. I really enjoyed this part as well, but I’m a sucker for author’s notes.

Katherine Center

Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors. She writes good stories with character about whom I care. Hello Stranger is one of my top two read by her, the other being How to Walk Away. That was the book that made me know that I would always want to read Center’s titles.

This novel has a heroine whose voice I loved. Sadie Montgomery can be funny and sassy. She is a portrait artist who has some complicated family relationships. Her mom, also a portrait artist, died young while Sadie’s father was very disappointed that she walked away from being a doctor (his profession). There are also a stepmother and stepsister who challenge Sadie.

Sadie has many other relationships too. There was a boyfriend and there are her dog, a vet, a good Samaritan whom she does not seem to like, a therapist, a best friend, coffee shop baristas, a neighbor whom she finds creepy, and others. It is fun to watch all of these relationships over the course of the story.

Center also looks at a serious and real issue in this story. Looks is just the right word as Sadie suddenly has a medical crisis that leaves her unable, literally, to see faces. She knows that they are there but nonetheless can’t make sense of them. This is a real condition and one that the author researched for the novel. It is especially challenging for Sadie as she is an artist and her work has always been face centered.

Readers will want the best for Sadie. Read this very enjoyable novel and wait to see how her life evolves. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

“Hello Stranger” is by Katherine Center. I’ve read a few of Ms. Center’s other books - so I kinda know what to expect. I must admit, while reading this book I received some devastating news, so I was not always in the right frame of mind to read and concentrate. I thought this book began strongly - our main character, Sadie, is an artist who wins placement in a prestigious art contest. She collapses and it’s discovered that she has a medical condition that could be fatal. She has an operation and develops “face blindness” - which is devastating as she’s a portrait artist and has a few weeks to create her final art piece for the contest. All that I found extremely interesting - how does one create art with face blindness (I actually looked up examples online) and how does one try to draw something when you cannot see it but it needs to look real. But then the side stories began miring down the main focus - from an insta-infatuation, to family issues, all the way through becoming enamored with someone in her building. The side stories became too important for a good chunk of the book and, for me, they detracted from the main focus. I found the family resolution to be a bit juvenile and unrealistic. However, some of Sadie’s observations did make me laugh. I’m giving this book a 3.25 rating, down to a 3 star review. There’s promise in the story (and the cover of the book is adorable!), but the side stories didn’t hold my attention — and I really needed a book to distract me from my life for a while.

Hello Stranger was enjoyable, funny, cute, and sad all wrapped into one. I really enjoyed the “enemies to lovers” trope and the characters all had interesting story lines. I think it dragged on in certain parts and I got lost a few times but otherwise for romantic comedy readers you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC! Hello Stranger is an adorable rom com. Sadie is a struggling artist who catches a potential big break but then unfortunately needs emergency surgery which throws everything for a loop, rendering her artistic abilities useless. Of course, when she is struggling post-op, she meets guys that all could end up being ‘the one.’ I found the medical (and veterinary) aspects of this book to be a great addition to the plot, as I typically don’t read romance novels with such thorough details.
The author takes us through Sadie’s various relationships over a pretty short period of time pre- and post-op, whether they be friend, family, or love interest. These relationships are beautifully written and I really got a sense of why Sadie is the woman she is because of the people in (and not in) her life.
Of course there are a few plot twists near the end that ties everything together very well. This was an easy, enjoyable read!

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. In addition to being an adorable rom-com, Hello Stranger does an incredible job of conveying the unique challenges of face blindness. I’ve read other books that have used face blindness as a plot device, but none have did it as well as Hello Stranger. I found myself frequently pausing to try to imagine what Sadie was going through, made possible only by Katherine Center’s incredible use of details and narration.

Totally inconceivable but cute!

The writing kept me engaged even though I figured everything out pretty early on. Sadie kind of annoyed me that she wouldn’t disclose her ailment to anyone. All the Parker stuff was pretty nonsensical but then again so was the entire storyline.

Katherine Center is now one of my favourite authors. Her stories (or the ones I’ve read so far anyway) always leave you feeling so good and hopeful.

I really enjoyed this book. It had ups and downs and you were really rooting for Sadie to be able to paint her portrait for the competition. And I loved Joe. He was so kind and gentle with Sadie, even though she should have told him about what was going on with her.

The side characters were also something special! They were so supportive of Sadie and wanted to help her and see her be happy. Except for her stepmother and stepsister. We don’t like them.

With the twist, I did see it coming. There were a few hints but the scene at the vets clinic put it all together for me. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying it, I just kept hoping that the characters would also figure it out to find their happy endings.

So once you settle into the story, prepare to be invested all the way to the end!

This is my 3rd Katherine Center book so far. While I did ultimately enjoy it by the end, I'd also say that I felt a little underwhelmed with it through the first half; it took a while to really get into it for me.

This was mainly because some things were just so clearly and easily predicted right from the get go, and I couldn't tell whether this was intentional or not (small spoiler alert: after reading Katherine's acknowledgements at the end, it appears that it was indeed.) I will also say that even though a lot of things were pretty easy to deduce early on, she still had a few tricks up her sleeve with some other parts that got me. That (as well as the aforementioned author's notes at the end) salvaged the underwhelming notions I'd had early on in my reading.

It took me a little while to get into the medical drama aspect. I think this was mainly because I'd never even remotely heard of such a thing and almost wondered if she made it up for the book (she did not; it truly does exist 😂). It was such an interesting, obscure, and unusual medical dilemma to use for this book, but Katherine crafted the story and plot so well around it.

Also in true Katherine fashion, she developed the most endearing male character ever. I just read Things You Save in a Fire about a week ago, but I think it's safe to say I now have a bigger crush on Joe from Hello Stranger than I did with the rookie from that (and that's quite an accomplishment!)

There seemed to be a few *tiny* plot holes that I noticed, BUT considering this was an eARC, those might have been ironed out already for the final product when it's released. That being said: thank you to Net Galley, St Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance. (Also a thank you to my bf/ book buddy/ wifey Jenna for introducing me to Katherine Center books last year 💕) Hello Stranger will be released July 11, 2023!

I am usually a huge fan of Katherine Centers book but this was miss for me :(
Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who gave up premed to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist like her late mother, much to the disdain of her renowned famous surgeon father. Her break finally came when she was selected as a finalist in a highly prestigious portrait competition. Now all she had to do was create the best portrait of her life and her career would be set and she could finally ‘show’ her dad that art was her calling. The day she got the news, she had a near death calling when she fainted in the middle of the road and later discovered that she had a nerve in her brain that needed surgery to be fixed. Her life turns upside down (literally!) as soon as the surgery is over, and to add to the stress, she seems to have met the perfect guy(s?) in the midst of it all.
The story was okay, some parts believable but as a reader I hate discrepancies and there are so many of them. I can’t list them without spoilers.
Things just didn’t add up, made no sense most times. And the big reveal at the end with her family just fell flat and unbelievable and over the top. And not to mention the last 10% of the book which was just repeating what happened in the past few pages to her friend and could have totally been omitted from the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book for my honest opinion.

I love how Katherine Center tackles topics in her love stories that are unique, sweet, and inspirational. I was not aware of prospagnosia (face blindness) and found myself completely captivated by Sadie's journey in this book and her growing slow-burn friendship with Joe. I can't imagine being in Sadie's shoes after surgery and feeling like your family wasn't truly in your corner. Her feelings and the carefreeness of forming a bond with Joe after roller skating into him (loved that!) made this book one that I could not put down. And Joe, let's talk about him for a minute - the guy that Sadie's landlord/friend's dad had nicknamed, Helpful, seriosuly, amazing. All along you find yourself hoping and really wanting this to fall into place for Sadie - this budding romance with the gorgeous, pet-loving, nice, genuine guy in her building.