Everything seems to finally be going well for Sadie when she unexpectedly has to have brain surgery and is left with the side effect of prosopagnosia, more commonly known as face blindness. As she grapples with her confusing new reality and struggles with the feeling that she can't trust her own brain, she also struggles to accept help from her extremely altruistic and undeniably attractive neighbor, Joe. It's admittedly tricky to let new people into her life when she can't recognize them, and hilarious and heartwarming twists and turns ensue for Sadie.

I openly admit that I began reading this book with remarkably low expectations. I do not typically care for romance novels, finding them to be too cliche, predictable, and, often, unoriginal. Hello Stranger defied all of my expectations. Despite it being abundantly clear (to me, not the main character) exactly the surprise turn the story would take at the end, I loved the journey of getting to that revelation. Katherine Center actually touches on this predictability (or, as she prefers to call it, anticipation) in her Author's Note. She comments that many genres have components of anticipation in their writing, but romance novels are unique in that the anticipation they use is "positively valenced" rather than negatively. In our stressful and troubled world, this anticipation, the excitement of knowing something good is just about to happen, is what makes romance novels unique and so appealing. I found this to be a refreshing and enlightening perspective and, between this food for thought and how much I enjoyed Hello Stranger, I am rethinking how I feel about romance novels overall.

Thanks so much to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

I'm not gonna lie: this book is bonkers. BUT it is bonkers in the way that Katherine Center is bonkers: completely unbelievable plot being driven by idiosyncratic and charming characters. The main character of the book has face blindness after an accident and brain surgery. As if that isn't enough to contend with, she also happens to be a portrait artist who needs to win a portrait contest. But she can't paint. Because face blindness. I told youL bonkers. What really drives this book forward, and keeps you reading are the funny and heartfelt moments between characters. There are wonderful neighbors. A sweet guy known as "the Helper" who is always around, and makes you believe in goodness again. A funny and delightful best friend. Of course, there's the evil stepsister because there has to be a villain, but overall, there's so much to delight in.

Reading a Katerine Center book is like sitting down with your goofiest, lighthearted friend. You can't wait to hear what they have to say.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

I adored this book - the last 20% I resented any real-life interruptions that kept me from reading. I had never heard of face-blindness before, and can't imagine how difficult it would be for anyone - and SO much worse for a portrait artist. Watching Sadie navigate her current problems as well as deal with past tragedies was sometimes hard and sometimes funny as well. I loved the voice of the main character, her friendships, and her dog. I also really liked her developing friendships.

This is my 3rd book I’ve read by Katherine Center and it was SOOO GOOD! The personal struggles that Sadie goes through are inspiring, and the ending is just too good to even comprehend. I’m not going to say too much because I will inevitably spoil the ending. I was trying to guess the whole time and it totally blew my expectations out of the water. This will 100% be one of my top reads of the year!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to enjoy an early copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book and found myself looking forward to what was coming next. It was one of those books that you know you can pick up and just breeze through and have something to look forward to.

“We’re all just muddling through, after all. We’re all just doing the best we can. We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody deep down is just a little bit lost”

“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” - Authors Note - Katherine Center - To which I can say, yes it most definitely did. Thank you to the author!

“Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.”

Sadie Montgomery can’t seem to catch a break. An accomplished portrait artist, she is *this close* to fulfilling her dream of winning a prestigious art contest while also meeting and planning to marry the perfect man. Unfortunately, a hereditary blood vessel malformation in her brain seizes the day - literally.

Sadie has a seizure, is pushed out of oncoming traffic by a Good Samaritan, and wakes up in the hospital. Talk about a kink in her plans! The good news is that the brain blood vessel issue in resolved in surgery. The bad news? Brain swelling at the surgical site results in prosopagnosia (face blindness). Sadie Montgomery can no longer see faces. Now, she must learn how to navigate her new normal. How will she prepare her portrait submission when even her own face appears to be a jumble? How will she marry her perfect man when she can’t recognize him? Toss in an “evil stepsister” and her neighbor, “Mr. Helper,” and we’ve got a hard and hopeful journey, full of love and fun.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center | check tw!

3 out of 5 🌟 | NO 🌶

⚠️Potential Spoilers ahead! Proceed with caution! ⚠️

*A very special thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review*

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This was my first dive into Katherine Center’s work— though I do have The Bodyguard on my seemingly endless physical TBR. The concept and plot were so unique and different and that’s what ultimately drew me in.

Though enjoyable, I found the book to be quite slow. Delayed gratification has never really been my thing, so approach with caution if you are similar. Much of the romance aspects come quite late in the book, so late that they almost coincide with third act conflict.

As far as the characters, Sadie was a frustrating character at times. You could understand her inability and struggles to cope with her new found situation, but she also just felt incredibly stubborn. Her hyper-independence is used as a tool to create the miscommunication because if she had been more forthcoming with her condition, the entire conflict doesn’t exist. I wish we could have gotten more character growth from Sadie outside of the epilogue.

While Parker is a very obvious antagonist, I think that Sue was also a mild antagonist. She doesn’t seem to understand how much Sadie is struggling nor does she seem to care. Her character comes off as selfish and flaky and I didn’t love her.

Joe (Oliver) was a great MMC. He was so cute and I was rooting for him, even when it seemed like we had completely forgotten the veterinarian angle. I wish we got to see more of his relationship with Sadie post face blindness reveal.

I also saw the plot twist coming. Though, I didn’t think that anticipating it made it any less enjoyable. I found myself waiting for and craving that climax.

Overall, I think that this book would be so good as a romcom. Many of the things that feel strung out here in this medium, would make sense in a media-medium.

One thing you can count on is that Katherine Center's books will leave you feeling happy.

Sadie is a portrait artist who needs a break. She has minor surgery and ends up not being able to see faces. How can you paint portraits if you can't see faces?

This book has a cast of characters that I wanted to hang out with and an adorable dog and the romance was everything I needed and wanted it to be!!

Loved this book! Come for the romance, the laughter, the endearing characters & stay for the author’s note at the end.

This is an almost too-hard-to-believe but very enjoyable story of a girl down on her luck. She’s hilarious and kind but going through a major setback. But then with the help of many people around her, things (possibly) start looking up. The characters in her life and flawed and also wonderful adding to her life & the story in so many ways. Everything about it kept me smiling & wanting more.

One of my top favorites of Katherine Center for sure.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me. I adore her books. I’m going to be an unpopular opinion here, while this book was cute and charming, I had a very hard time with parts of the plot that just felt unbelievable.
Our main character, Sadie, needed a brain surgery and suffered prosopagnosia (face blindness). This happens to be the second book I’ve read this year with a main character with this condition. I enjoyed the unique plot, but I just felt like some parts were over the top (her evil stepsister, for example), and the twist was very predictable.
This has a miscommunication trope (to the extreme) and you just find yourself yelling “why don’t you see this?!?”
This book has no spice but it stars a dog, so all is well.
Thank you netgalley and st.Martin’s press for the opportunity to read this book!

Was super excited when my friend messaged me and said this book was up for grabs on NetGalley! This is my second book by Katherine Center and it didn’t disappoint.

I thought this was a super interesting issue that drove the plot forward. This story felt like such a hug with how sweet and heartwarming it was.

If you need a cute book to read outside on a beautiful spring day pick this one!!

This was such an enjoyable read! It was surprisingly a page turner, with the protagonist being a fully developed multifaceted main character. It was more believable than other books in this genre and thus it was such a pleasure to read because we alternated between her own personal struggles to figure out who she wants to be, mourning her mother, dealing with a neurological issue, family relations, and only on top that, dating. I really appreciated the complexity that was built into the story but also how easy it was to read. Definitely an escape but a funny one at that.

This book was so fun! I have never read a book where the main character has face blindness so it was fascinating to see how Sadie has to navigate the world and her own portraits as an artist. The romance aspect was lovely and I appreciate how everything was wrapped up in a perfect sparkly bow at the end. Katherine Center's writing continues to feel like a warm hug from your best friend.

My new favorite Katherine Center book!

This was a super fun and twisty romance book that kept my attention the entire time. This is a perfect book if you like unique plots, love triangles, comedic dialogue, family drama, swoon-worthy romance, and charming characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hello Stranger is a wonderful book by Katherine Center. The main character in the novel, Sadie is a creative artist and is trying to follow in her mother’s footsteps by entering the same art portrait contest which her mother did not complete before her death. There is an evil stepsister Parker who bullies Sadie from the age of 14 on until present day. She shares a great friendship with her friend Sue and Sue’s parents who take her under their wing and give her a place to live. Her father and stepmother are all on her stepsister’s side and Parker lies and blames Sadie for all her evil doings. Sadie encounters a health issue which is inherited from her mother and almost becomes fatal. Sadie meets two handsome men and falls in love with both and must choose who to be with. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down until I finished the last page. Katherine Center’s new book is a must read, like all her other books 📚.,you will not be disappointed and I can’t wait to read her next novel. Thank you NetGalley for an early arc copy of Hello Stranger. Bravo Katherine 🙋‍♀️🇨🇦🥰📚💐👏👏👏👏

Hello Stranger is a satisfying, upbeat read. I appreciated how Katherine Center was able to take a main character whose interests and life situation were entirely different from my own and make her relatable. I appreciated that there was growth and story outside of the romance, but not at the expense of the romance. The physical malady of the main character made for a fun and unique perspective. This is the second Katherine Center book that I have read and it was just as good as the first.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I can't get over how much I enjoyed this book!

With all the awful things that crappy things that have happened in Sadie's life, when she finally gets the chance of a lifetime, she ends up having a life altering accident.

As much as she could just give up on all her hopes and dreams, Sadie takes this opportunity to change the way she looks at life. Literally, because after the accident, she has a surgery that has caused her to no longer see faces. That doesn't seem like a big deal to the average person, except for the fact that she is a portrait artist.

Sadie is forced to work through her face blindness, fall into a love triangle, fight off her evil step sister, and keep her dog Peanut alive.

I couldn't put this down! Katherine Center is a genius, and this is a rom-com I will never forget!

Thank you Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of this book and the for allowing my honest feedback!

Thank you to @netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Available July 11!

4/5 - I said I planned to read more from this author and jumped right into her new release. So far, what I love most about Center is her thoughtful characters and unique storylines. Like The Bodyguard, Hello Stranger was a joy to read but it was also very unexpected. While Sadie’s love life certainly is a big plot line, I was equally as invested in her journey of self forgiveness, self love and self healing. I love how she processed her grief with a stubborn humor and we, the readers, get to witness her growth. The scenes with her therapist are some of my favorites!

In the author’s note (probably the best author’s note I’ve ever read), Center dives into why she loves the romance genre. And while many call books with a happy ending “predictable”, she argues we should replace that with “anticipation” and hope. Hello Stranger CERTAINLY did that for me, and while I guessed the twist I found myself eagerly anticipating the reveal and hoping, so very much, for a certain outcome.

While the premise was bizarre, face blindness, I’m sure it’s even more bizarre to those who have it. The main character Sadie has an aversion to being helped do to events in her childhood. When she develops face blindness she finds she needs more help and finds it from unlikely sources. I wanted more from the book in terms of family relationships. However like with all Katherine Center books it felt like a warm hug, I teared up a little, and I learned how to be a better person.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors so I was so excited to read her latest novel. I started this one and for some reason it was a slow start for me. I stopped reading it and then I started again. This time, I was loving it! The story is about Sadie, a struggling artist who has to have brain surgery and ends up with a temporary recovery that changes her life. Prosopagnosia is something I’ve never read about, but Katherine Center does a great job researching and bringing it to light in this novel. In typical KC novels, there is a romantic interest or two and the story is beautifully told. I loved it! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this and provide an honest opinion.