Perfectly whimsy and heartfelt, this has to be Katherine Center’s best work yet! Sadie undergoes brain surgery which results in face-blindness… just before she competes in art contest of human portraits. As Sadie navigates her recovery she also has to navigate relating to people, both new and old, as well as herself. She has to come face to face with how her confirmation bias adds to her current distorted perception of reality.

I absolutely loved this read and will recommend it to others!

HELLO, STRANGER review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🎨Another fun, bingeable read from Katherine Center! I fleeeeew through this one (literally read it on a plane😂). While it was pretty obvious from the beginning how the story would end, I still had a fun time reading it!

🎨Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Sadie has just landed a coveted top ten spot in a portrait painting competition. She has just 6 weeks to paint a brand new portrait to win the contest of a lifetime. But when a tragic accident leaves Sadie “face blind,” it seems her dream of winning won’t happen after all. Her new neighbor, Joe, agrees to help her with her painting. But will Joe’s help be enough for Sadie to win the contest?

🎨Parts of this book felt a bit like a Disney Channel original movie (the evil step-sister side plot🤪) but I didn’t hate how predictable it was. Did the story keep me guessing? Nope, but it was a cute, quick read. Not an all-time fave but I definitely plan to continue reading more of Katherine Center’s books!

🎨Thanks @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my advanced copy of this one! Hello, Stranger publishes July 11, 2023!

Okay, first off, I'm a huge Katherine Center fan. In my eyes, she can do no wrong...and that holds true for "Hello Stranger!"

Sadie Montgomery, a struggling artist, gets the big opportunity she's been waiting for to boost her career - she's earned one of ten spots in a portrait competition. She's thrilled - and life and the process of winning the competition change within a flash. While crossing the street from the bodega, she's hit by a car, and her injuries require brain surgery. She wakes up in good spirits but suddenly realizes she can't see anyone's faces. How will she proceed in the competition and her career if she can't paint faces?

This is such a unique plot that I had never heard of before, so it was fascinating to learn about face blindness. Even better, we also get to read my favorite genre...romance! We see Sadie with crushes on two men who she cannot see - her neighbor Joe and her veterinarian, Dr. Addison. There are a lot of feelings going on during a really stressful time, and we see her juggle how to move forward with her career, how to handle her dysfunctional family relationships, and most of all, how to choose the right man for her.

I had a feeling there would be a twist - but it was NOT the twist I was expecting, and that was so exciting! Certainly, a few points of the book seemed a bit far-off, but that's why I love to read! I found myself laughing at Sadie's personality, gushing over Josh, curious about Dr. Addison, and cringing at the behaviors of Sadie's distant father and evil stepsister. That's how great of a writer Katherine is - so invested in the characters, and I loved every minute!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book, which will be released in July 2023.

What a sweet and heartwarming book, full of struggles, heartwarming moments, and laugh out loud scenarios.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who finally hits her big break as a finalist in a portrait competition, when she wakes up in the hospital with face blindness after a procedure. As Sadie navigates her new reality, she struggles to cope while trying to still live her artistic dream, deal with family issues, and take care of her elderly dog Peanut all while falling in love with not one, but two men.

I’ve recently fallen in love with Katherine Centers books, and this one was no exception! While it was a predictable outcome, I absolutely devoured this book. I love the struggles she gives her characters and how she navigates them through them. And I have to say my favorite character was the pad Thai loving pup, peanut. What a sweet book and already can’t wait for more books to come from Center!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for my ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest feedback!

Hello Stranger has a unique premise and I expected to like it a lot more than I did. Having read this right on the heels of The Bodyguard, I think my expectations were a bit too high.
My biggest issue was that I just didn’t like Sadie very much. She comes off as very immature and it was incredibly frustrating that she kept her face blindness to herself instead of just asking for help.
I also couldn’t stand the way she fed her dog only human food. If a vet tells you not to feed your elderly dog Pad Thai, you should probably listen.

I really liked Joe's character but he’s about the only character I didn’t dislike. He was sweet and willing to help Sadie with her art even though she could be quite rude.
There was a lot of drama with Sadie's family and I was hoping there would have been more of a resolution to it. The evil step-sister plot was ridiculous and over the top.
I figured out the twist early on and found it hard to believe she truly had no idea they were the same person even after all of their interactions.

All of that aside, I still enjoyed the ending and the obvious research the author put into prosopagnosia. I’d never read a book featuring a main character with face-blindness before and it was interesting watching Sadie navigate her new normal.

I absolutely adored this book and its premise. It was laugh out loud funny in some places and so tender in others. I loved the characters and their meet cute(s). I loved the family dynamic that was also at play, and I appreciated that there was a good bit of both angst and resolution in the book. It was a super cute read that I’ve already recommended to many!

I devoured this book in two days. This is my second book by Katherine Center and I really enjoy her writing style. This was the sweetest rom-com with a charming, relatable main character I rooted for the whole time. I laughed out loud multiple times and highlighted a few sections too. Full of warmth and heart.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Hello Stranger.
This was a really good read! I really enjoyed The Bodyguard by Katherine Centre, so I was excited for this one and it did not disappoint.
I've never heard of Prosopagnosia before so it was really interesting to learn and read about a protagonist experiencing that,
The relationship between Sadie and Joe made my heart swoon. He was so good to her and she was so oblivious to his kindness LOL
Overall this book was the perfect mix of funny, serious and cute!

I was so happy when I got this ARC. I loved her previous books. And she did not disappoint me in this book either.

It is a romance book. But more than just a romance book. I mean, the romance part was cute. But it was not too difficult to pick up the twist 😅.

Two big things I liked about this book: resolving family drama and supports from her “second family”. Family drama from this book includes grief from death of a parent/ a spouse, and conflict with evil stepsister. I was a bit confused when Sadie’s “evil stepmother” said that she pulled “Karen act” to save Sadie’s dress and showed up with it 😭😭. It all made sense towards the end. Grief part from Sadie and Sadie’s father was also heart breaking.


Thank you Netgally and St.Martin’s publishing for the ARC

A huge thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of Hello Stranger. I was so excited to receive this book, I have recently discovered Katherine Center and I am finding that she is a go to author for me. I loved every single thing about this book. I laughed, I cried and my jaw dropped at the end of this story. I have now gone on to re-read this book, or at least parts of it, three times! Pure GENIUS!
This will be the book I recommend over and over for summer read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It had just the right amounts of wit, heart, humor, angst and resolution. While like many romances, it could be considered predictable in some ways, I took the author's message of anticipation to heart. Yes, you will likely see some of the things coming. But for me, the anticipation of the characters discovering what I already knew was one of the most fun parts of the book.

Sadie Montgomery loses her ability to recognize faces right before she's to compete in an art competition - focused on portraits. At the same time, her BFF Peanut needs immediate care. That's where she meets Dr. Addison, the handsome vet. He asks her on a date but what about her burgeoning relationship with Joe, her obnoxious neighbor-turned-friend? Throw in some family drama, a horrifyingly irritating stepsister and the looming portrait deadline, and you have a book you can easily read in one setting.

"The more good things you look for, the more you find." I love Katherine Center books! This book is very different from the rest of her books. The plot is very interesting and it is about a medical condition that I did not know much about. To say the least, her condition makes it very difficult to continue making a living painting portraits. The two main characters were very likable and well developed. The plot twist towards the end of the book caught me by surprise, but it was a good surprise. Thank you @netgalley for this very enjoyable ARC.

4.5*

I really loved this book. The main character, Sadie, had an emotional, intense, roller coaster of a story arc. I did not anticipate the depth of emotions this would bring up in me and I found myself crying at multiple points throughout. And if I'm being honest, I always feel a bit more connected to the story if it brought me to tears.

At any rate, I thought it was interesting watching Sadie move through her world with her sudden face blindness - the interactions she had with those she knew well as well as those she didn't. (For example I struggled with her friend Sue because at times I didn't feel like there was much support there.) Of course I was very invested in how Sadie's "relationships" with the veterinarian and the neighbor would play out. Do I wish it all would have been resolved sooner? As someone who loves romance books, yes, yes I do. But it was kind of fascinating how everything ended up coming together for her.

As per usual with this author I was immediately engaged with the story. Though there was a lot of heaviness to be found - grief takes up a lot of space for instance - there was also a lot of lightness woven in as well. Sadie's story shows that one can be living with both sorrow and hope at the same time and there is room for all of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Though the writing was good and I was invested in the characters journey . This was an extremely heavy and difficult read . Trigger warning of grief due to loss of a parent .

Sadie Montgomery is an artist, until an unexpected event changes her life as she knew it. Center was wonderful at creating an in depth story . I love contemporary fiction where characters endure real issues and overcome them.

Hello Stranger | Katherine Center

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello, it’s me, back again with a raving Katherine Center review. If you’re new here, it’s no secret that Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, and this new book is no exception!

I was so fortunate to receive this ARC from NetGalley and I was super pumped to read it. It definitely did not disappoint. Katherine Center has such a way of finding a perfect conflict for her characters to work around, and it always leaves you guessing as to how it’s going to resolve. This was such a refreshing twist—a portrait painter who can no longer see faces—that I couldn’t put it down and read this book in one sitting. I just HAD to know how it all resolved. “Hello Stranger” is a wholesome romance that really reinforced exactly why I love this genre so much. I can’t wait until this book releases so I can add it to my bookshelves!

If you haven’t already, add this to your TBR. you will not regret it!

Thank you again to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! 💙

A quick and light read with a unique storyline that gave this story a cute twist! The writing style is very fast-paced and witty which makes this book a very easy read. Some of the characters are a little over the top and dramatic and a little more background and history may have been helpful to fully flesh out these characters, but still an enjoyable read!

Once again, Katherine Center plops you in a world and introduces you to characters and next thing you know your heart is swept down the street with them as the walk on by. This is truly a Katherine Center book and yet still so different and original from all the others.

Sadie and Joe were the perfect protagonist. Peanut is a dog-sidekick Disney would have been jealous of. Sue is the best friend everyone needs. And Sadie's family is the perfect evil step-family.

I would have loved to see the storyline develop more for Sadie's family and felt there were some things not fully developed or not yet explored in those relationships but would happily read them in the next book!

Then again, I'd happily read anything Katherine Center wrote and threw my way. Highly recommend this for the whimsical, Disney rom-com lovers and those craving deep connection. This book has it all!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review! Review contains some slight spoilers, so be warned!

I'd probably give this book 2.5/5 stars. I hate to say it, but I really didn't enjoy this book. I was expecting a lot after reading and loving The Bodyguard, but this one was just disappointing.

First, I found that the introduction to the main parts of the novel (namely Sadie's face blindness) took way too long to get to. Like 30% of the beginning of the book felt like exposition, which made it really hard to get into the book. It seemed ridiculous to me that "Joe's" wife left him for being *too* helpful. Who does that? It seems like a ludicrous and unrealistic reason for someone to leave their spouse. I also thought the ending was pretty predictable. I guessed it pretty early on in the book, which left me feeling unsatisfied at the end of the novel.

I really wanted to love this book, but there was a lot going against it.

Rating: 3.5 bumped up to a 4 star!

This book was super cute and quite insightful when it comes to a medical diagnosis I knew nothing about!

Sadie Montgomery has had some rough moments in her life ever since her mom passed away, But she finally gets her big break when she gets chosen out of a 1,000 people for a art competition. The winner will receive $100,000. Soon after Sadie gets this news she has a medical emergency happen to her that requires a big surgery. When she wakes up from the surgery Sadie realizes she cannot see faces anymore (a slight complication from the surgery). The doctors assure her it will go away with time but for Sadie her whole career revolves around seeing people's faces, as she is a portrait artist.

Next thing you know her beloved choonks Peanut gets sick and is rushed to the local vet.. Here Sadie meets Dr. Oliver Addison and is instantly in love. From there Sadie goes on a journey between two men, her neighbor Joe and Dr. Addison. Will Sadie be able to choose who she wants to date without seeing their face maybe ever.....

This was my first Katherine Center book and I really liked the small moments throughout the book. Especially Sadie's inner dialogue. I would recommend for a fast read, cute romance, and good banter plus an evil step-sister/mother!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Pub date: July 11,2023

Katherine Center can do no wrong

I loved this book. I thought that Sadie’s character was funny and you rooted for her all the way through the book. I cheered when she stood up to her family. It was great to see her character development. The love story with Joe was a smidge predictable but I loved it anyway.
This was a quick and easy read.

Definitely recommend!