This book seemed like a cross between Cinderella and You’ve Got Mail. It would have been more compelling but I figured out the entire thing ten pages in and it bothered me that I had to read the rest of the book for the character to catch up to me. Seemed anticlimactic at that point.

I have loved every Katherine Center book I have read, and Hello Stranger is no exception! I have never heard of face blindness before, so this is was a very interesting read on top of the cute, funny, romantic parts. Sadie is having a day...and then she wakes up in the hospital and doesn't know how she got there. Turns out, she had a seizure in the middle of an intersection and a good Samaritan pushed her out of the way. But in the process, she hit her head and a small problem was found in her brain--which leads to a bigger problem with her brain. Seeing how Sadie moved through her life, trying to behave normally, when every time she looked at someone's face it was like a puzzle was intriguing and heart wrenching, but also heartwarming. And the twist with the two loves was great! I adored this book so much, and I adore Katherine Center even more!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of Hello Stranger.

Sadie is about to get her big break as a portrait artist when she receives the news that she has a condition that requires immediate brain surgery. A complication from the surgery results in a rare condition that causes facial blindness - her brain can’t make sense of the faces around her. She must navigate her world with this unexpected condition, and of course as we know Center will treat us to, figure out how to deal with the complication of a love interest.

As always, this is another lovely romance from Center. She gives us a great cast of characters with plenty of depth. And as she writes in her author’s note, one of the best things about reading a romance is the met expectation of a happy ending and the ability to enjoy the ride to get here.

I did find the subject of face blindness a little hard to navigate as a reader, because of its rarity and uniqueness it made it a little harder to relate to our heroine. I also found the evil stepsister a little too cartoonish. But I will continue to read and recommend Center for any romance lover, and even those who may not always be drawn to romance.

GAHHHH I love KC so much! I will read anything she writes. What a unique, interesting storyline. I was totally invested from the beginning and this was SO sweet and swoon-y. I just wanted to hug this book at the end - what a wonderful story. Will totally recommend to romance readers.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC of Hello Stranger in exchange for a honest review.

In honor of my pal, AL…
I’ll convince you to read this book using one quote and one quote only… actually two..

“So I spent the hors d’oeuvres portion of the evening nursing a glass of champagne and heartily doing that thing where you never, ever look at the only person you want to look at. That thing where you pretend to not even be aware of the only person you’re aware of.”

“But I find the antidote to that is just keeping a sense of humor. And staying humble. And laughing a lot. And doubling down on smiling. 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 a little bit lost.”

Katherine Center’s latest novel follows heroine Sadie Montgomery as she navigates a new found pediment to her day to day life amongst an opportunity for a big career break, dating and hard familial relationships.

The story opens with the perfect amount of set up in my opinion, leaving the reader intrigued how things have been set up and will continue to unfold. That being said, I read a majority of this novel in one sitting. Included towards the end of this set up is the most adorable and relatable meet cute that I have yet to read in a long time. Sadie’s automatic jump to a future with a potential lover hit too close to home. As soon as the book introduced Sadie’s new condition, I instantly was intrigued about how this would play out, and felt as thought the author was going to do a magnificent job at balancing important topics and struggles as well as maintain a fun, rom-com energy.

I think the mysteries of the identities of each of the men introduced was maintained well and kept me thinking of how things would unfold until the last moment. With all the misunderstandings throughout the novel, I think that some may get annoyed at them, but I honestly wasn’t bothered, but only wanted to continue reading.

The family relationships in the novel were a really good relief from the more central plot. I thoroughly enjoyed Sadie’s relationship with her mom as well as Lucindas character redemption towards the end.

The only truly negative thing I have to say about this novel is how much Parker as a character bothered me. The extent of her evilness at times seemed unfathomable and every time she appeared I wanted the scene to fly by so she would be gone. I know she is meant to be unlikable, but I feel like her mild redemption fell super flat for me.

This is another feel good, cute romance from Katherine Center that I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s just something about happy yet emotional (and somewhat predictable) romances that I can never get enough of. They just leave you feeling all the warm fuzzies!

Sadie is an artist trying to navigate her life now that she has been diagnosed with face blindness, and is unable to remember the faces of anyone she sees. I was shocked to find out that this is a real medical condition and it really made me think about how drastically this would impact your daily life. Of course, this leads to moments that are a mix of funny and lighthearted as well as tragic and emotional.

I also loved the prominence of animals in this book, from Sadie’s lovable dog Peanut to her super hot vet. Overall this was another fabulous read from Katherine Center that I’ll certainly be recommending to fellow book lovers!

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, but I ended up LOVING it. It was such a great story watching Sadie navigate this new life after surgery. I fell in love with the characters (except Parker) and really enjoyed the character development as I continued reading from chapter to chapter. It was definitely a shock with how it all worked out at the end and somewhat unbelievable, but I still truly enjoyed this story. I always love a Katherine Center book and this on certainly didn’t disappoint!

This was my first ARC and it didn’t disappoint. It was different than any other book I’ve read by KC and I was fascinated as I learned about facial blindness. Great story, great characters and it was educational too. Should be added to anyone’s TBR list!

AHHHH SO GOOD!!! KATHERINE CENTER HAS DONE IT AGAIN
I love love loved this book
Cheesy but not OVERly cheesy, just sweet
The love interest was literally to die for he is a walking green flag.
I loved that they didn’t give the stepsister a redemption arc. I feel like ‘villains’ are often given too easy of a redemption for the sake of furthering the mcs character development so this was refreshing
I also typically hate description of any time of art/performance because it usually comes off as kind of cringy, but the way the mcs art and painting was described it definitely felt genuine and didn’t take me out of the story


Cons-
I didn’t love how the narration switched at the end and turned kind of into the narrator speaking TO us
Always hate a dad relationship redemption arc

Sadie, a portrait artist in her late 20’s has suddenly found herself not being able to see people’s faces after having surgery to repair a congenital issue in her brain. The doctors and therapist tell her she’ll likely regain the facial recognition over the next 2-6 weeks once swelling goes down from surgery. That’s not too terrible, except Sadie has been selected as a finalist for a portrait competition and she needs to paint a new original to submit… how will she do this without being able to see people’s faces?? This has been her life long dream.

Along the way to recovery, she meets people without being able to recognize them but doesn’t want anyone to know about her condition. This gets Sadie into some awkward situations… what can go wrong when you can’t distinguish someone’s face?

I had high hopes for this book after seeing a lot of good reviews. I’d never read anything else from this author, but I didn’t love the writing style. It felt very casual and a bit juvenile at times. The plot line was very predictable and didn’t keep me engaged.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced online copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The very beginning of the book piqued my interest but then it was really slow going until about halfway through the book. I feel like it took a long time for Sadie to finally meet the main male character. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments. Katherine Center is the queen of witty commentary from her characters! Especially her main female characters which I find endearing.

I have read 2 other Katherine Center books and this one was my least favorite of the 3. I feel like a lot of the book is Sadie complaining about all of the bad things going on in her life. And honestly, the plot seemed a bit discombobulated.

I loved the twist and didn’t see it coming until right before it was delivered (well done Katherine!!).

All in all, I enjoyed this read. I enjoyed seeing it to the end. And I loved how it showed the value of therapy and changing our thoughts in order to change our perspective, emotions, and actions.

This was such a cute, fun romance! I loved this book! Who doesn’t love a miscommunication that leads to a love match!?
I recommend this book to anyone who loves Hallmark movies 😍

First, let me say this: this book! (It gets 5🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒 pickles from me!)

Second, let me say thank you to NetGalley and the publishers St. Martins for allowing me to read an early copy of 'Hello Stranger' by Katherine Center.

Third: this book!

I'm new to Net Galley, and I didn't really know I was doing, so, I requested several books, maybe a few too many? 'Hello Stranger' was my first approved request. I was super excited about 'Hello Stranger' because... 1. I own 'The Bodyguard' by Katherine Center already (but, I have yet to read it). 2. Upon receiving this digital copy of 'Hello Stranger', I checked my Goodreads and it turns out that I have five other Katherine Center books already on my to be read list. So, reading this book has got me really pumped to read all of her other books! (I even started an audio version of 'Things You Save in a Fire' for my drive to and from work.

From page one I really enjoyed this book. Sadie was quirky and fun, and just a sweet person. I felt like I connected with her in many ways. Except for roller skating, while I think it is fun, I just might break my neck if I tried it out today.

There is a twist in this book. And it was the twist I was hoping for since the start and I am so glad the author delivered on that point. This book was sweet, it was funny, and it was realistic in terms of emotions that an everyday person might experience. And it also reminds us to hold on to hope. Even if at times, the hope seems more like despair.

Some of the important themes in this book were 'Help' and being vulnerable enough to ask for it when needed, which I am extremely bad at. Also, being open to life's surprises by opening our eyes to our surroundings. This is often a difficult task, but worth it in the end. And, the last theme... that change is sometimes a really good thing!

One night I couldn't fall asleep straight away, because I was thinking about this book. It was when Sadie was on her way to her art show. And then the next day, I read a little bit at work. 😌😏

I was enjoying her writing so much that I read the author's notes and acknowledgments. And I feel that her author's notes were really insightful and offered some nice tidbits.

Will I be using 'choonks' for the rest of my life? Yes. (It means sweetheart in Trinidad.)

"Maybe life was full of surprises. Maybe disappointments could turn out to be blessings."

Portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery, earns a chance of a lifetime when she becomes a finalist in a prestigious competition. She has six weeks to paint the perfect portrait. There’s only one problem - an inherited anomaly requires immediate brain surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery causes face-blindness, which is very problematic for an artist specializing in faces. On top of that, Sadie must deal with two potential love interests, an elderly dog with health issues, a meddlesome stepmother, and an evil stepsister. As Sadie copes with her new condition, she learns that it is okay to accept help from others and that her face-blindness may be a blessing in disguise.

Hello Stranger is an engaging story with flawed, but likable characters. It’s perfect for readers looking for a book with humor, heart, and a whole lot of hope.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are mine.

I almost gave this four stars but her notes in the back changed it to five! I was gonna say predictable but the new word I will use is anticipation! Yes you know where this is going but oh the ride to get there is magic! Fantastic read! Loved loved loved it!

Katherine Center is a joy to read! The humorful dialogue and delightful one-liners are so amusing and true. You can't help falling in love with the characters. Hello Stranger is great. Fairy tale meets rom-com meets slapstick comedy. Her books also educate the reader without taking over the storyline to do so. I have heard about 'face blindness' but appreciate how Center explained it so the reader could understand what it felt like and the difficulties and ultimately the joy it could bring.
I started this morning and didn't stop until it was finished. My bum is numb and my toes have gone bright white from coldness because I didn't want to stop to put socks on. And I loved every minute of it. Sadie is my new favorite friend. And wicked stepsisters are sometimes just that. Not everyone has to be redeemed in the end.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me this ARC. This was an absolute pleasure to review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

HELLO STRANGER was my first Katherine Center book, and I found it to be an enjoyable quick read! A heartfelt, sweet story with a great premise and effortless writing this was a cute and fun book full of endearing characters. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

Like her late mother, Sadie Montgomery is an artist - a "starving artist". Her specialty is Norman Rockwell style portraits and while she's struggling to earn recognition, she works hard at her craft. After learning her work has earned her a coveted top ten spot in the same competition her mother had placed in, Sadie is excited to start on the portrait she'll enter in the contest. This is it . . . this is her big chance. The only fly in the ointment is the discovery she needs surgery that can't wait. She has six weeks until the show so no problem, right? When Sadie awakens from surgery, it quickly becomes apparent that she can't identity the faces of those around her. Her doctors explain she has "acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia aka face blindness", but not to worry. It will resolve itself shortly; however, days pass without any improvement in her condition. Meantime an emergency trip to the vet with her dog Peanut proves interesting as she feels an immediate mutual attraction with the new vet who soon asks her out. Embarrassed over her condition, she stays silent about the fact she can't tell what his face looks like and accepts his invitation. And just like that, Sadie has made the decision to keep her face blindness to herself, telling no one. She learns to cope and identity people in other ways - like by clothes they routinely wear, etc. Her annoying neighbor Joe proves to be quite helpful when she needs a hand, and in spite of herself, she has to admit there's also a budding attraction between them. So here she is - a couple of weeks until the portrait contest, a contest she knows could change her life and she can't paint. If that's not enough, she finds herself falling for two men . . . and she doesn't know what either of them looks like. What's she going to do?

Hello Stranger is a highly entertaining, light hearted romance with heavy underlying subject matter. I've never heard of face blindness, but can imagine it would be quite terrifying for anyone - let alone someone who depends on "seeing" faces for their career. Through Sadie's struggles with the issue, readers learn more about neurological disorders and available coping skills one can utilize. Center does a fantastic job with character development and plot twists while setting a steadily increasing pace and hopeful tone. A healthy dose of laughter and an emerging love affair (or two) make this one a delight to read even as Sadie is faced with deciding which of the two men vying for her attention she'll choose. Never a fan of love triangles, I was concerned going in as to how this would play out. It took me until near the end to see what was happening and while it's not completely believable, it makes for a highly entertaining read. Fans of romance and rom coms will enjoy this one.

I could never imagine having face blindness… especially if I was a portrait artist! This female MC has to undergo brain surgery and in the process suffers from face blindness. She then has to navigate her life in a whole new way… throw in some family drama, confusing identities, and processing grief and this rom com is another hit from Katherine Center!

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for the early release.

I finished this book in a few hours, it was a delightful read.

Sadie Montgomery is an independent portrait artist living in Houston and she doesn’t need anyone to save her. She has entered a portrait painting contest and is in the top 10. She will need to paint a final piece for the final judging panel, except after having brain surgery Sadie can’t see faces anymore. Her 14 year old dog peanut brings her comfort, she can still see his steadfast face that’s been with her through all the turmoil in her life. Including an evil stepsister determined to cause havoc.

I love a good Rom Com book that has some depth to it. Sadie has great character development and I loved to see her accept and overcome her medical condition. I loved seeing her friendship with Joe deepen and how she sees past her initial impression that he was a gigolo.

Heartfelt, funny, and delightful.