This book surprised me in the best way! I definitely predicted the reveal at the end but that didn't take away from it's charm at all. Sadie was such a fun and quirky character, added to her already spunky yet jaded self is all this crazy situations that happen to her through the course of the book. It was fascinating for me to see just how different circumstances can be perceived when you can't see the same way as you always have. Even without her current limitations, there were things from the past brought up that weren't affected by this challenge but instead were the product of poor communication while in the midst of grief - I can definitely relate to this and got a bit emotional when Sadie and her dad were finally hashing things out.
Sadie and Joe were so sweet to watch despite their miscommunications. Joe just genuinely seems like an overall kind hearted man and I was seriously routing for them the entire time. I think this was one of my favorite love stories from Katherine!

Hello Stranger made me laugh, cry and think through a completely new perspective.

This book is unique in its premise — a woman suffers from temporary face blindness after brain surgery and has to paint a portrait for a competition. Since she can’t identify people by their faces, she has to take on new tactics to know who a person is, falling in love in the process with a man whose face she’s never seen (and a little bit of chaos ensues).

What I loved about this book was it took on topics beyond romance — complicated family dynamics, loss/grief, figuring out who you are in the world, etc. While reading, you have a good idea of what might happen, but instead of every single problem being tied up in a nice little bow, it takes some time for the characters to resolve the issues, which I appreciated. I’m not usually a fan of a miscommunication trope, but this book turns the trope on its head — when you literally cannot see what’s in front of you, everything can appear off. A simple misunderstanding can last an entire book because her world is turned upside down, and thus, readers have to experience that with them. This was a beautiful story, and I’d highly recommend it!

Katherine Center has a way to tell stories that could be tragedies but instead are stories of hope and joy. I love how she writes flawed characters that are going through hardships and how they get past it, how they grow into becoming better versions of themselves, how they find their way. Hello Stranger tells the story of Sadie, who is going through some difficult things, emotionally and physically and her growth journey. I love how she learns how to win while losing. I really liked Sadie, she is stubborn and strong and a little too independent. I felt for her, and with her. I liked the romance, I kind of guessed what was going on early but it didn’t matter, it was still so satisfying to read how everything unfolded. It’s a great book, with some great life lessons.

Katherine Center has done it again! Compelling characters, a fascinating plot, and a great love story will keep you from putting this book down. When portrait artist Sadie devops the condition of face blindness, she must rethink how to get along in the world, not only in her social interactions but in her career as well. With a story that is both heartbreaking and hilarious, you'll find yourself crying and laughing and always, always rooting for Sadie. I particularly loved (to hate) Sadie's evil step-sister, Parker. I am a huge fan of Katherine Center, and this newest novel does not disappoint!

Katherine Center did not disappoint me! Another great book from her! I would definitely recommend this book! I will read the books from he that I have missed and definitely look out for new ones! Such a great author!

This was a fast and ENJOYABLE read. I love the story and her other books did not disappoint either. I always look forward to reading her books. Definitely will recommend

Hello Stranger was fantastic - probably my favorite Katherine Center novel so far. I feel in love with the characters, laughed out loud, evens cried a little. The ending tied the entire story up perfectly and made me so happy.

Sadie is a “starving artist” that just made it to the top 10 in an artist contest that could potentially grant her $10,000 if she wins.

That is until she has a seizure in the road and received brain surgery and can no longer distinguish faces… which is challenging for someone who needs to win a portrait contest.

This book was a little slow for my liking and the chapters were very long. This book took me a long time to get through due to those reasons alone. I stopped and started this book multiple times.

The main character was annoyingly stubborn and made me so mad at her “don’t help me!” attitude.

The sweet ending made this book bump up from a 2 star to a 3 star.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read this ARC.

Giving this one 3.5, but rounding up to 4 stars!
Katherine Center is new to me, while I loved the BodyGuard by her, this one was pretty predictable but sweet. I enjoyed the storyline, and I couldn’t imagine loosing my ability to see faces. I’m going to have to pick up some of her other books, because I truly enjoy her writing and would recommend this and the bodyguard to anyone!

I have a feeling Hello Stranger is going to be huge on booksta this summer, and I’m very curious as to how people will feel about it, as the book proved to be very polarizing in the buddy read group chat.

To be frank, I didn’t love the story. It’s cartoonish, over the top, and silly in a way I didn’t find enjoyable, and there were multiple times I found myself yelling “That doesn’t make any sense!” at my Kindle.

However, I think there is still a lot to love about this book, and do believe that hardcore fans of Katherine Center’s will enjoy it. I liked the messages about how important small acts of kindness can be and how one good deed can set off a positive chain reaction. I also loved how the story spoke to how pets (namely dogs) can play massive roles in our lives. Oh, and did I mention the beautiful cover? It’s stunning!

This was my first experience reading something by Center and while I can’t say I loved this book, I did like her writing style and am eager to try something else by her.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book and i loved it! I could not put it down. This was such an interesting concept to read and think about. Girl has routine surgery then experiences face blindness as a side effect, oh and she’s also a portrait painter. I was fascinated yet this seemed utterly impossible. Sadie thought so too and she was ready to give up before she started but although she was a Pro at procrastinating she does persevere and finish her portrait for the show while also pursuing two new love interests. One, an almost too helpful goofball, the other a sexy Veterinarian who saves her precious dog. But Sadie will learn these two are not what they seem. I loved that part, I didn’t even know it was going to take a turn like that! But I absolutely loved everything about this book.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a feel good romance that made me smile.

Read if you like
- relatable characters
- love triangles
-to laugh

4/5 ⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing this ARC!

Hello Stranger is the story of Sadie Montgomery, a struggling artist who wants nothing more than to win the prestigious art award she's been working toward most of her adult life. Her whole world turns upside down when as a results of an unknown medical issue, Sadie finds herself requiring surgery which alters her entire existence as she knows it. What follows is Sadie's path to acceptance and understanding of her new condition, and how asking and needing help is something that everyone can relate to.

I loved Katherine Center's last book The Bodyguard and I can't help but feel like I wanted MORE from this book. More Joe....more Dr. Oliver...more of everything! The "twist" is obvious from the beginning, but I did feel like the build-up was satisfying. I was on the edge of my seat several times wondering if this would be the moment that Sadie "came to her senses". I also felt like the ending wrapped up too easily, and there was a whole scene that I felt was unnecessary and only served to "tell" other characters the entire last half of the book.

The one piece that lacked for me was the inclusion of Sadie's family, who were just awful. In this day and age I can't imagine someone who has been treated so negatively by her family would be so open to a relationship with them.

That being said, this really is a cute rom com that does have elements that any romance reader would enjoy!

Katherine Center really knows how to write a good book. Of all the books of hers that I've read, I don't think I've ever been disappointed. This book was no exception. This book also reminded me of some of Lisa Genova's books, but I think that's mainly due to the fact it's got brain related things happening. The characters were well written and they felt real, not in the way that I felt like I knew them, but in the way where I felt like they were a character on a show I've been watching for a while. The story itself was interesting and well paced. I learned a lot about face blindness (not that I really knew anything before, and what I thought I knew turned out to be false), which was fun. I loved Peanut. I love a good dog in a book. I laughed, I cried, I got incredibly angry (I'm looking at you, Parker), and I enjoyed every second. This was a quick and enjoyable read, and I'd definitely recommend it. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Hello Stranger is the fifth book by Katherine Center that I’ve read, and it’s definitely my favorite!

Was this book predictable? Yes. Did I care? Not 👏🏻 at 👏🏻 all 👏🏻 As the author’s not at the end of the book says, it’s the ~anticipation~ that matters, and this book had a lot of it.

I loved seeing all of Sadie’s relationships change. I loved her cute little dog. I loved the exploration of art as healing, and highly related to Sadie trying to create while not at her best. Also, can we get a round of applause for Joe please?? The man is definitely book boyfriend material.

The only thing I didn’t love was how long it took Sadie to open up about her face blindness. It led to some slightly frustrating miscommunication. However, the resolution felt realistic, and that really made the end of the book sparkle.

Katherine Center never misses, and this is no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My review on Instagram will be posted two weeks before publication day.

I never heard of facial blindness before so this was interesting to me. Add in that she is a portrait artist was a big twist. How could she make her art and support herself? The ways she adapts and changes is fascinating. Her family is not a support system but she has friends that are. This story was a good one that I enjoyed.

Katherine Center is an author I just found this past year and have devoured all her books. I was so pleased to receive this ARC!
It took me a bit to get into the story and I don’t think I ever fully did get into it. I still enjoyed it. I love the way Katherine writes and tells her stories. I’m not a fan of love triangles, so maybe that’s what kept me blocked. Is reader’s block a thing? But like I said, even with the love triangle, I still liked the story and most of the characters.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, St. Martins Press for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

I’ve been a fan of Katherine Center’s books for awhile now and have read three previous titles. I enjoyed this story and the characters especially Joe and Sadie. I found it a bit hard to believe her facial blindness condition would be so easy for her to hide but realize it had to be that way for the plot to work. Overall an enjoyable, easy read with thought provoking storylines that had a good bit of depth to them.

Katherine Center is an automatic buy for me so to receive this ARC was SO exciting! Hello stranger covered one of my favorite and most fascinating topics as a mental health professional and that is prosopagnosia, or face blindness. The romance and love triangle is SO fun. Usually I am not a huge love triangle fan but just trust me on this one. Watching the main character learn what she deserves, who she is as an artist, and who she is as a friend/partner is extremely enjoyable! Highly recommend the book, it is lighthearted but also touches serious topics. Personally I could not put the book down!

Do you know the moments before waking up from a dream that is warm and cozy and familiar? As odd as it sounds, that is how HELLO STRANGER felt to me. I fell in love with Sadie immediately, loving her and knowing her from the first page. I love Joe, I loved the Kim family - and I don’t throw this word around lightly. It was as though I knew them already, and I think it’s because Center write this so perfectly that I felt the world as Sadie did. This book is a master class in romance.