Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Heartwarming. Adorable. Uplifting.

Sadie’s life is full of “the hard.” A freak accident led to a blood clot, and the surgery to fix it led to face blindness. Difficult for any person. Impossible for a portrait artist. Utterly tragic for a finalist in the life changing North American Portrait Society competition.

Oh, how I rooted for Sadie! I went through the gamut of emotion alongside her as she faced challenge atop of challenge. And when she fell for two guys? I wanted to roll my eyes. Instead, I felt my heartbeat pick up.

This is a refreshingly unique tale brimming with humor and heart. It reminded me to always be on the lookout: “The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

Like every other book I’ve read by Center, this one radiated joy. Her writing is laced with comfort and hope, which allowed a supported exploration of the hard stuff. And in so doing, her books reach into the soul, delivering the warmest of hugs every time.

There’s no doubt in my mind, @katherinecenter wields pure magic. Her author’s note at the end reminded me of this.

“Romance novels all run on a blissful sense that we’re moving towards something better.”

I vividly remember the overwhelming JOY that reverberated in my soul after reading my first novel by Center. Happiness. Bliss. Delight. I found myself completely surprised by the mood lifting power she wielded with her writing.

It was like crack. I needed more.

And that feeling of BLISS is why I keep returning to her novels year after year. Each book is like a warm hug. Always uplifting. Exactly what I need.

🎧 Patti Murin excelled in depicting Sadie and her wide range of emotions. But it was her portrayal of Joe’s snarkiness that made me swoon.

This was a do not finish for me sadly. I LOVE Katherine Center but I was wanting more romance than this had to offer. The memory loss was something I was struggling with as well. I got too far in with nothing happening.

took me a bit to get into this one. i enjoyed the ending but i wish i enjoyed the beginning a bit more

Sadie Montgomery was a talented portrait artist on the verge of her long-awaited big break. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and Sadie was told that she would need brain surgery. While the surgery went well, she was left with face blindness and the doctors couldn’t guarantee that it would resolve. Sadie was forced to interact with her world using new strategies and from a new perspective.

This book was just amazing! I really wish that I had picked it up sooner! The story was an emotional rollercoaster and I was glued to every minute. Katherine Center continues to present her stories in such a compelling manner. I was invested in each character and really hoping for their success. Can’t wait to read more of Katherine’s works!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

What an absolutely charming book, as I've come to expect of Katherine Center. I loved it and can't recommend it highly enough!

Katherine Center is a go to author for me, and Hello Stranger hit the mark once again. This might be my new favorite from her. I really enjoyed the overall theme that we see what we want to see in people and if we looked at things a different way we could see things in a more positive way. Also, when a dog is a main character in a book, how can you not love it?

Thanks to St Martin’s publishing group and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I was so excited to read this one!

This was another masterpiece by Katherine Center. She has such a talent for crafting a plot of romance that still keeps you guessing and propelled forward to know what is going to happen next. Her female heroines are some of my favorite to read and Sadie is no exception. She writes girl power, strength, and femininity in the best way 💗

My new favorite Katherine Center book! 🥰

I NEEDED a dose of hope and a dollop of happiness, so when an invitation to read an early copy of this book, arrived-I started IMMEDIATELY!

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist, following in her mother’s footsteps. She paints portraits-her style being compared to Norman Rockwell-and has just been told that she has earned one of the coveted finalist spots in a competition that could be life changing.

It’s the same competition her Mom placed in, years ago-so it means all that much more to her-since she lost her mom when she was fourteen. So, when she learns that she needs surgery, 6 weeks before the show, she isn’t going to let that stop her from competing. She will just have to work faster, and work harder, when she is released from the hospital!

She NEVER expected to wake up from the surgery with “acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia”-Face Blindness.

How can a Portrait Artist paint-if she can’t see faces?

Sadie may not have the support of her father, step-mother, or evil step-sister-but she does have a best friend, Soo Hyun (Sue) and Sue’s parents-who always offer her unconditional love and encouragement.

And, her elderly dog, Peanut, who just happens to have her FAVORITE face in the World-and one that thankfully, she can still see!

But, when Peanut gets sick-it’s more than she can bear with everything else she is facing.

Until she meets the emergency Veterinarian, Dr. Oliver Addison-who she can tell is good looking, as well as brilliant, even without seeing his face.

After all, he saves Peanut!

It’s Love at First Sight-Sight Unseen!

As Sadie confronts all of her new challenges, she is going to need some help-something she HATES asking for.

Fortunately, her neighbor Joe, is just the kind of person who LOVES to provide it-and doesn’t take “NO” for an answer.

All of a sudden there are two men in her life, each offering something she needs.

Sadie discovers that not being able to “see faces” is making her pay attention to all that she has been missing-and maybe-just maybe-she is seeing things clearly for the first time!

Katherine Center offers us a heart warming, HUG of a story, filled with her trademark humor-and dancing!

And, it was EXACTLY what I needed!

Sweet but not spicy…

The “anticipation” of what would happen, delivered all I wanted and more! (DO READ her acknowledgments at the end of the book).

Isn’t that why we pick up a romance to begin with?

I loved everything about this book. I always enjoy Katherine Center's characters. This book was a quick read that was hard for me to put down. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

This novel is a reminder not to judge a book by its cover — but not for the reason you might think.

Because this cover art is stunning. It’s colorful and playful and representative of the characters and the plot, and it makes a lovely addition on any bookshelf. But… but… but… why in the world is there no comma after “hello”? The title should be: “Hello, Stranger” — who in the copy editing department at St. Martin’s Press let this slide?? I have questions! Comments! Concerns!

Well, now that we’ve judged the cover, let’s judge the rest of the book.

This book is a clever take on the idea that “love is blind”; Sadie Montgomery, a struggling portrait artist with the biggest art competition of her life on the horizon, comes out of brain surgery unable to see faces (a condition called “prosopagnosia” or “face blindness”). So she navigates this hurdle all while dealing with her absent father, stepmother, and evil stepsister and while her beloved dog gets sick. Of course there’s chemistry with the vet taking care of her dog, Peanut, and Sadie decides Dr. Oliver Addison might just be her future husband. But there are also romantic feelings brewing with Joe, the apartment building’s resident helper and (maybe?) womanizer.

Sadie is an interesting character because a lot of her struggles and worries ring true. Her mother, also a portrait artist, died when Sadie was 14 — actually while working on a portrait of Sadie — after not getting the same brain surgery Sadie gets years later. But throughout the book, Sadie stubbornly refused any help and never told anyone what was going on with her, which was rather puzzling and extremely annoying. She’s also pretty self-interested, which I understand somewhat because she’s the main character, but it made the book feel a little insular. The love triangle was never as compelling as it maybe could have been, and I predicted how things would play out almost from the very start.

Still, I’m always so thankful when I read a Katherine Center novel because the dialogue is clever, the banter is constant, and the plot never sags. She’s so natural at conveying information and she always gets me on the good kind of emotional roller coaster. You can tell Center has written a book (or 10) before, and she’s darn good at what she does because her novels are always inherently readable, and reading them is always a good time.

Now goodbye — COMMA — reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5
I really loved The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, so my Expectations were high.

We follow Sadie who has the Opportunity to take part in a Art Contest, wich would be a great way to finally prove to her father that she made the right decision in perusing Art. When she needs to get Brain Surgery, this results in her no longer recognizing faces. Which makes her job as Portrait painter essentially harder.

In comes her Neighbor Joe wich she stars of on the wrong foot. But maybe first impressions aren't always true.

The Characters were likable and easy to root for. However the main character was a bit to quirky for me. Somethings were a bit unbelievable. That said this is in no way a perfect book, it was just a fun light read that came at the right time. I had a really bad reading month with some disappointing and terrible reads. So this was exactly what i needed, it was easy to follow and fly trough.

I would recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the E- Arc in Exchange for an honest opinion.

"Hello, Stranger" by Katherine Center is a contemporary novel with a heartwarming premise. The author skillfully captures the complexities of relationships and personal growth. However, at times, the plot might follow familiar romantic tropes, and the pacing can feel uneven. Despite these aspects, Center's writing style and character development contribute to a pleasant reading experience, earning "Hello, Stranger" a respectable three stars.

Not my favorite of KC's, but still a great read. Her stories are so compelling and her characters so relatable. She says deep things about life and relationships without ever seeming preachy or flowery. I'm always excited to read anything by this author!

Katherine Center is a "must read" author for me. I really enjoyed Hello Stranger, it was a cute read (which is my highest compliment).

Charming is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this book. I really enjoyed it. I enjoy all of her books and this one specifically left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was my first Katherine Center book. I enjoyed the experience. This story has romance, family drama, humor, suspense, and all kinds of learning opportunities. I was spellbound as I turned each page.

This book was entertaining but also gave perspective about a subject that I had never encountered before. It was enlightening to see the confusion it caused and the way the characters affected had to adapt. Hello Stranger is a compelling read.

Although it was my first story by Katherine Center, it will not be my last. I loved the way she combines humor, romance, and unique situations into sucha delightful novel.

Why do I love all of her books so much!!? I can’t get through one without crying, and this was no exception. There is a bit of a miscommunication trope that I couldn’t fully get behind- but it was still a fast paced, sweet read

I LOVED the audiobook, the production was excellent! However, this was not my favorite Katherine Center book. I felt that the central conflict/misunderstanding could have easily been resolved with some communication between the characters, and this was frustrating to read.

This was more fun than I expected. It's not the first book I've read about face-blindness, but I liked the way it was worked in to this story. I found the main character to be a little bit stubborn, but also surprisingly forgiving. There was a bit of family drama, a bit of finding yourself, and (of course) a romance. I enjoyed both the print and the audio versions - great narrator! This was my first Katherine Center novel, but probably won't be my last.

I loved this book!!! Katherine Center is one of my go to authors and she never disappoints! I read this one in a day!