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.

4.25⭐!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an e-arc of this delightful book. All thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

omg. omg. omg. this was so wholesome. this story follows sadie montgomery, a portrait artist who's basically failing at life and one day randomly has a seizure. She then finds out she needs brain surgery so she reluctantly gets it but that leaves her with a complication. She acquires a condition called Prosopagnosia or Face Blindness which basically prevents her from being able to see or process faces because the part of the brain that is responsible for that is kinda compromised. So we just follow her on her story dealing with this and also finding love in the process. I think this was a very, very interesting premise so, many many points for originality. this story is honestly what i needed right now. it had the right amount of mental health rep, a condition i knew absolutely nothing about and came out learning so much more about, a cute ass dog, a very realistic fmc and a delightful mmc. i have only two complaints and those are the reasons i gave it a 4.25 and not a full 5 star. If i was going off of enjoyment alone, id definitely give it a 5 star.

the first issue was that it is completely ridiculous to me that the surgeons and doctors didn't warn her about the risks of the surgery no matter how miniscule the chances of it occurring were. i was having the hardest time letting that go😭
and the second issue was that this felt more like sadie's story dealing w her condition than a romance book. i, personally, enjoyed it but i still think it was a little misleading. it felt very women's fiction-y to me. we got our first romantic interaction at 50% but after that it kinda became about her again. I just wished we got to see more of the romance because i was left wanting more especially considering the characters were so, so wholesome.

that aside, this was the palate cleanser i needed and i 100% recommend it to anyone looking to read something a little different. the writing style is also very easy to get into and follow along with. The beginning was a little slow but it really picks up at the 30% mark. Overall, i had the best time with this book!!

I’m a big Katherine Center fan! I’ve read all of her recent titles and was thrilled to be sent this arc! I read it so quickly, but have mixed feelings about it. I found the main character’s initial trauma and diagnosis so hard to believe. I know it’s a real thing, but it just seems so unlikely that it kept pulling me from the story. That being said, I loved the main characters and their love story. It was a fun and wild ride. Auto read author!

A fun romantic comedy with a protagonist with face blindness! Personally not a fan of instalove tropes, so this book was very fun as Sadie tries to parse people she knows together. Also really enjoyed how Katherine portrayed Sadie's frustration of her whole situation.

Typically Katherine Center - brings you in with fun writing, witty characters, and hopefulness weaved throughout the story. Sadie is a fun character who while seemingly down on her luck, has a beautiful journey of self reflection and growth, leading to loving and trusting herself. Joe is the perfect counter to her... always there and somehow always knowing the right thing to do and say when she needs support. Which she has a hard time with considering her feelings for Dr. Addison - the new vet near her house. Sadie's struggle with wanting what she doesn't have and the friendship developing with Joe, who she might have misread at first sight. The twist is so fun and playful, with hope that is strung throughout the story that Sadie will turn out just fine. I love the happiness that washes over when reading Katherine Center's writing. Another amazing read from her!

I absolutely loved the Bodyguard and was so excited for this one that I ate this ARC up in 1 day! Sadie is an artist that has a brain injury and can no longer see faces. She presumably meets 2 men after this and begins to fall for one. There was an evil stepsister and mother along with a broken relationship with her father. My heart broke for Sadie during the conflict. I had a feeling that was the direction is was going but I’d hoped for no misunderstanding :/ All in all, another interesting romance by this author!

All the stars for Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I am going to have the biggest book hangover after reading this heartwarming story that has me smiling, giggling, laughing and crying. This book all had the emotions, and felt like a big hug from the author.
Portrait artist Saddie Montgomery has finally had a break in career by advancing to the finals in a National Portrait contest, and she feels her life is about to change. She is one win away from breaking out in her career. However, after a near death mishap, she finds out that she needs to have brain surgery ASAP. The surgery is successful, but leaves her face blind. So she has weeks to come up with a portrait, while she can't see faces. We follow Saidie's journey of living with this condition, dealing with past and meeting two handsome men who help her along the way.
Thank-you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC.
This is a must read summer read and will fill you with joy and inspiration.

This book has the perfect balance of romance, family drama, quirkiness and laugh out loud moments. Sadie was delightful, strong and she never gave up as she faced some insurmountable challenges. I loved her character as well as her best friend Sue and her dedication to Sadie. Add in a crazy family, adorable dog and evil step sister and you'll find yourself rooting for Sadie all the way through. Highly recommended.

This book was truly such a fun time to read!! I loved how unique the premise of this was. It was such a fun and interesting twist on your normal rom com book. This plus Katherine Center’s writing made it so enjoyable. I loved how this was more than just a rom com and you get to see Sadie’s character grow and see the world in a new light because of what she goes through and come out a better person because of it. Her relationship with Joe was so sweet and heartwarming and I loved how they cared for one another throughout the book! Katherine Center is definitely a new auto-buy author for me and i can’t wait to read more of her books!!

Thank you so much Netgalley & St. Martin’s press for the arc!!

Lovely and delightful!

As someone who actually has seizures, I took this poor girl's condition to heart. But as such, she learned valuable lessons throughout the novel, even if they were through the cruelest of ways.

The author does a great job of hinting at things, while still masking things.

A absolute wonderful feel good romantic comedy that anyone who is a fan of the genre will fall in love with

After loving last year’s “The Bodyguard,” I have been looking forward to reading “Hello Stranger.” I really enjoy Center’s writing and chemistry between her characters. This was another sweet story that was enjoyable to read. Unfortunately I figured out every detail of the plot from reading the blurb and I think that took away from the enjoyment a bit for me. Everything seemed pretty obvious and you really had to suspend disbelief that nobody else was putting together what was clearly happening from very early on.

Just thinking about this book makes me smile. I adored every page and was actually sad when the story came to an end, which rarely happens for me. It was such a comedy of errors but in the saddest way, yet it never felt sad. Sadie wouldn’t let it. She was so brave, so determined, so strong and yet so vulnerable. I just fell in love with her.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of romance and family drama. This one is a highlight for me and I’m sure will make it to my best of the year reads, I am a total fan.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

I loved The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, and Hello Stranger was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023. This book did not disappoint! Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. Hello stranger was a very sweet love story. If you are looking for a quick and swoony read, this book is for you!

In "Hello Stranger” by Katherine Center, the author delivers a heartwarming and engaging story that explores the challenges of living with temporary face blindness. The main character, Sadie, is a struggling artist who suffers from this condition following an accident, which leads to both humorous and touching moments throughout the book.

Center's writing style is a standout feature of the novel, with a perfect pace that kept me hooked from start to finish. Despite having a feeling about the book's ending, I still enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded.

One of the things I appreciated about this book is how it tackled a brain condition that I was totally unaware of. I felt like I learned a lot from it. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions with one another felt authentic and relatable.

Overall, "What You Wish For" is my favorite Katherine Center book so far. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming and engaging read.

Katherine Center does it again! She is always a must read for me. Hello Stranger follows Sadie after being diagnosed with temporary face blindness right as she is set to complete an artistic portrait piece. Throw in some romance (two possible love interests)! And I was hooked. A great read!