I loved Katherine Center's first book cause it made me laugh so much and this one did the same! Had so much fun reading it,

I knew about prosopagnosia (and yes, I did look up how to spell that word) but never honestly thought about it beyond "wow, that would be awful" and it kind of was for Sadie, but I liked the personal growth she had throughout the book.

Also, I saw the twist coming a mile away. I mean, it's a romance book. It's not hard to see that miscommunication coming at them. But even knowing it was coming, I still read the book in two days.

Not my favorite Katherine Center book (The Bodyguard is still my #1) but still a cute read!

Sadie is a struggling artist who finally has her big break. However, after an accident leaves her with prosopagnosia (aka face blindness) she’s wondering if she will ever be able to paint again. While trying to cope with her new diagnosis, she falls for two different men.

“Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.”

This book is a slow burn, closed door romance! But also if you hate the miscommunication trope then you may want to avoid this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Katherine Center has quickly become one of my go-to authors. Hello Stranger wasn't my favorite book of hers, and I found it a bit predictable, but it was still a fun read with laugh out loud moments and also moments that tugged at my heartstrings.

Loved this heartwarming story. I read many of her previous books and this one is right up there as a possible favorite! There's no spice in this one, but there is romance! This story tugged at my heart and just left me smiling and happy. Really loved Sadie and Joe so much. A super cute read.

Another win from Katherine Center. I found Katherine’s books about a year ago and have since devoured them all. Hello Stranger was equally as propulsive of a read as the others. I stayed up late eager to see how it played out.

The lovable character of Sadie developing face blindness was fascinating as I had never even known such a condition existed. The author provided enough science and facts behind it that I felt like I understood the condition without it becoming like a classroom lesson as well.

The entire story flowed in the way that most of the authors’ books do, where by the end you have figured out the “twist” but you are still dying to actually experience it alongside the main character. Special shootout to the Kim family in the novel as they were delightful to get to know. Everyone should be lucky enough to have a Kim family in their life. I also thoroughly enjoyed the epilogue as it is often my favorite part of a Katherine Center novel.

I found the premise of this book fascinating. I did not know about this disability that your brain can not recognize faces but found it to be really interesting to watch our main character try to renavigate her life after waking up from brain surgery only to find she couldnt see anyones face. Despite her struggles, she still had some comedic relief that had me chuckling.
I have read Katherine Centers books before and although this one wasnt my favorite, I still flew right through it.
I found the story to be very predictable and I probably should have embraced the journey, but it felt a little over the top. Even the story of her step sister and family seemed a little too much. That being said, by the end you are really rooting for Sadie and Joe/Oliver. The ending gives you that warm happy feeling that you always expect from KC's books.
The epilogue was fabulous and weaved together what Katherine Center wanted you to get out of this story.
If you want an extremely fluffy happily ever after story, this is the one for you!

I may have squealed with glee when I first heard Katherine Center was coming out with a new book. I laughed, I cried, and then bought all of her other books after reading The Bodyguard, so you can imagine how jazzed I felt when I discovered I got an ARC for Hello Stranger. What can I say….I completely loved this book. Sadie is so funny, her sometimes deadpan humored friend Sue is such a complimentary companion and sigh….Joe and Dr. Addison. Let us not leave out the perfectly evil Parker who you wanted to reach into the book to slap on many occasions. The story was adorable, the banter was top notch. I laughed out loud many times while reading. I feverishly texted my friends on multiple occasions that they have to read this book as soon as it’s out. It was my greatest pleasure to read and review this wonderfully charming book from an author who I just think is amazing. Thank you to net galley and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. Blowing kisses your way!

This has been the best Katherine Center book since the magic that was How to Walk Away. It was creative and funny with lovably flawed characters. Even though the twist is fairly obvious, I was still glued to my Kindle to see how it would all shake out. Definitely a fun and entertaining summer read for any fans of Katherine Center's previous books or similar authors like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry.

What a unique reading experience!

Katherine Center seems to always take a different approach to love stories and I am quickly become a huge fan!!

Sadie was such a fun character to journey with in this book. Her facial blindness was interesting and frustrating to follow along with. It’s almost as if her lack of recognition made it difficult for my own imagination to run with the story. I loved it! That being said, I couldn’t help but fall for Joe’s character the most. My heart has a soft spot for good guys.

I did have a little trouble at certain parts. It seemed as if Sadie DIDN’T have facial blindness and spoke as if she could recognize the people around her. Throughout the book these were the parts I was expecting her vision to come back and her facial blindness to go away. This was not the case though, it just felt inconsistent.

I WILL say you might find the twist a little predictable, but Katherine wrote it so well that I now feel the need to go back and see if I can catch it at just the right moment!

Another great read from Katherine Center. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite light hearted romance authors and this story was full of romantic gestures and a satisfying HEA.

Sadie is a “struggling” portrait artist who finally catches her big break only to have an accident lead to a diagnosis of prosopagnosia (face blindness). Sadie now has a 6 week deadline to submit a portrait when she can’t even see faces clearly. Add into the mix a sick dog, a hot veterinarian, a rude but persistent neighbor and a bestie who means well but misses the mark.

The MMC was swoon worthy, thoughtful, and oh so kind. Two thumbs up there. Reading their romance was a satisfying escape. Learning to paint a portrait by touch, phew! Katherine really delivers on the buildup and closed door romance.

In an effort not to spoil the story I will just say the twist was obvious to me which did detract from my full enjoyment. The step sister was heinous. The things she did to the MC in high school was reprehensible and TW : bullying and suicide.

I would recommend this if you’re looking for a light feel-good romance and to learn a little something about prosopagnosia.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Cute read with relatable characters. This was a very sweet story with zero spice. I really adored the Sadie/Joe/Oliver love triangle. Katherine Center is well known for her feel good books with sentimental stories and Hello Stranger is no exception.

I have loved The Bodyguard and was so excited to be approved for this one. It does not disappoint! I love how the story flowed and how the characters were all developed. Definitely recommending this one once it is published!

Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, finally gets her chance as a finalist in a national portrait competition. Unfortunately, she unexpectedly has a seizure that results in her having (hopefully temporary) facial blindness. As she struggles to figure out how to live with her new diagnosis, she meets not one, but two dreamy men. Can she choose between the surprisingly charming guy next door and the swoony veterinarian and paint an award winning portrait while everyone looks like a jumbled up box of puzzle pieces?

This book. I finished it last night, and I’m still a little speechless. I got so swept up in the romance of this story and completely fell head over heels for sweet Sadie, helpful Joe, and swoony Dr Addison. This wasn’t spicy at all, but instead is such a sweet, feel good romance that truly makes you believe in the wonder of love stories. This will definitely be one of my top reads of the year, and I can’t wait to read the rest of Katherine Center‘s books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mark your calendars to grab your copy of Hello Stranger on July 11th! 🎨

Special thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC!
I absolutely love Katherine Center's books and this one was just purely adorable!

Sadie learns that she needs brain surgery and wakes up to discover she has developed face blindness. As a portrait artist, this is especially difficult for her. She meets Joe and learns to accept help from others. Throughout the book, Sadie discovers how to cope with this unexpected side effect and learns to love and put herself first.

This book is a bit strange, a bit far-fetched, silly while also serious - there is a lot to love here. Sadie is really going through it, and her acquired face-blindness makes for a really interesting novel. I saw the "twist" coming from a mile away, but really didn't mind, since it was all very sweet. I think Sadie being a portrait artist and having the face blindness made for an engaging plot, and it kept me on my toes wondering how she would manage the contest. There's a little bit too much mean-girl/evil-stepsister antics for me which I think took away from the book a bit. It would have been more thoughtful in my opinion, for us to see Parker as just a flawed human instead of how she is presented. Overall though I couldn't put it down and it was a very fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This one just didn't work for me. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, and this novel took it to the next level. It felt repetitive and lacked the romantic connection I was looking for. The male MC was definitely a redeeming factor. I've loved Katherine Center in the past and will continue to read her books but can't recommend this one. If misunderstandings and miscommunication is your thing though, this may work for you.

An artist with prosopagnosia.- face blindness - is no laughing matter UNLESS it’s Sadie Montgomery. There are so many moments that are actually laugh out loud funny. She is so smart but so clueless, you can’t help but love her. The characters in Hello Stranger are intricately connected. The friendship between Sadie and Sue is real, not a make believe unrealistic friendship. Joe and Dr. Addison are not fake either. You really find yourself caring what happens to these people. Except maybe Parker - she is vindictive. This book was hilarious, touching, fun and enlightening. A totally enjoyable read from start to finish.

Wow I loved this book so much and need to read the rest of Katherine’s books! This book kept me on edge wondering if the main character would ever overcome her illness. With a crazy twist at the end that I was so excited about!! I loved it and am going to get a physical copy so I can re-read it and mark ALL the AMAZING things throughout it :)

I’m pretty new to Katherine Center but I love the tone of her books and this one was great.

Sadie is a portrait artist that just had a stroke and the surgery has caused some swelling in the part of the brain that connects faces to memory. (prosopagnosia)

It was a pretty predictable story but so enjoyable to be in. Such a fun story with great characters, nothing too wild but definitely gets a little emotional.

I also really liked that I learned about prosopagnosia which I had never heard of before. If someone just told me about it I would have just been like okay I don’t really know what you mean but that sounds really tough. But seeing Sadie’s story still seemed very tough but a little more understandable seeing the day to day interactions.

Overall I had a great time reading it. I did want a little more healing/closure with her family.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an eARC.