Katherine Center has done it again because I absolutely loved this!!!

First of all, I really liked the concept of writing an artist with "face blindness." It felt different and fresh and I enjoyed learning something new. The author's descriptions of objects and people without the most defining feature were wonderful.

The characters were also very believable and loveable. I thought the romance was great and loved the reveal at the end!

Overall, this book felt like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day. It was refreshing, sweet, and left me with a big smile on my face.

I really enjoyed this book by Katherine Center. As a new reader to this author, I like the way her story flows and the humor that her characters show even in bad circumstances.

It was really interesting to read about a character with face blindness in this book as I didn't really have any knowledge about it. It kind of broke my heart to see Sadie deal with it and face so many obstacles, especially when it so strongly affects your personal and professional life. At first I think I was frustrated with the outcome at the end, but then I realized how hard it would be to recognize two people from two completely separate parts of your life as the same person when their face is unrecognizable. I'm glad that everything was communicated well in the end, though! I would definitely read more of Center's books in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy of this book via NetGalley!

Hello Stranger is my second Katherine Center book (after her well-loved 2022 novel, The Bodyguard, which I enjoyed). It features Sadie, a portrait artist who after a brain operation develops prosopagnosia (face blindness). This is a condition I've heard of but have never come across in novels before, so it was definitely interesting to follow Sadie's story as she struggles to create her art with this important sense impaired. She also develops a relationship with a guy in her building, Joe, who always seems to be there for her.

I immediately knew what the plot twist was going to be, and was just waiting for it to be revealed. I also found the story to be a little contrived, and the payoff wasn't the most satisfying. Especially the plotline with Parker, one of the most blood pressure-raising examples of the "evil stepsister" trope ever, ugh. But I do commend Center for writing an entertaining book (and I really love her defense of romance novels and the genre itself for being a source of nourishing, optimistic, and hopeful stories).

WOW!! One of my favorite things about Katherine Center’s books is that they each have a unique story. Hello Stranger was not at all what I was expecting from page one. Sadie has so much depth to her. She’s an artist who had to have a surgery that’s totally flips her world upside down. We get to see her work through life with new eyes and learn to ask for help. It was a touching story and I loved every second of it.

Katherine center does it again! I loved Hello Stranger so much! Sadie goes through the unthinkable — becoming blind temporarily after brain surgery. And then she is fortunate enough to have thanksgiving attention of not one but two men that she can tell are very handsome! I was so invested in the story. I did think she would pick Joe but I could not figure out how Dr Oliver Addison would come to play.
I loved the ending. I loved the storyline. I loved the characters (all of them— even Parker). I just wanted the book to keep going. Highly recommend you pick up Hello Stranger

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exhange for my honest thoughts!

-This was my first Katherine Center book and I don’t think it will be my last!

-The main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist who is a disappointment to her father, stepmother and also herself. She has been trying for years to make it in the world of fine arts, without much success. She finally gets her big break, and then winds up fainting and having to have an operation which leaves her with some residual issues post surgery that causes her life to spiral into chaos.

- Sadie has to choose between two romantic love interests, Dr. Oliver, and Joe from her building. Having two men to choose from….. what could POSSIBLY go wrong?!

- this book was an easy quick read for me and I really did enjoy the ending. This was my first Katherine Center book, but I don’t think it will be my last!

I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I will start off by saying I did enjoy Katherine's first book of this type, at least to me, The Bodyguard. Additionally, I really enjoyed this book. This author is one of my will read all her new rom-com like this one. The characters were great, it was fun listening to Sadie's situation through her eyes with all her other senses. I read the acknowledgments and loved that she names several of the characters after people who helped her with research on this book. I can't wait to read the next one from this author and this one hasn't even been published yet.

Sadie Montgomery, struggling portrait artist, is so close to the break of a lifetime. She has just found out she is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition which has a grand prize of $10K. One minute she is crossing a crosswalk with the wine for the celebration of her accomplishment, and the next minute she is in a hospital bed and acquires face blindness. Which is really not good since her portrait entry for the final competition is due in a matter of weeks. As if that dilemma isn’t enough, she is working through the of loss of her mother, family drama, AND she falls in love with two different men all while her brain can definitely not be trusted.

Katherine Center became an auto-buy for me after reading The Bodyguard last year and Hello Stranger definitely did not disappoint. It actually maybe my favorite yet by Center. I loved the theme of healing throughout this book as Sadie faces so many struggles including grief and mental health. The romance aspect was sweet and a little comedic. The writing and the details and descriptions of the story really put you in Sadie’s shoes and made you feel for her. Overall, I couldn’t put it down I enjoyed it so much.

This book was somehow able to be fun and lighthearted while tackling some complicated topics. I really appreciated the note from the author at the end where she says, “tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice,” and that really shows why this genre of book is nice to read. I had predicted some of the story, but was still surprised at moments.

This is the second book I have read by Katherine Center. I really enjoyed "The Bodyguard" by her and I had high expectations for "Hello Stranger".

The premise of the book was so cute and interesting. This is the first book I have read about face blindness and I enjoyed learning about as I did not know this was a thing. For this book I was so excited to see how it would play out but it was kind of predictable. I also was not a huge fan of the main character, I found her a bit unlikable and annoying. For the most part, the book was pretty slow moving and not interesting. However, the last 30% of the book was enjoyable and I did like the love interest. I also was not a fan of how Sadie's family situation played out.

Overall, this book would be perfect for someone who is looking for a cute romance read and is a fan of Katherine Center. I do look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-arc! All my opinions are my own.

This book is about Sadie who is a struggling artist who paints portraits like her deceased mother. She just got her first career break by becoming a finalist in the North American Portrait Society's yearly contest. At a crosswalk, she ends up having a nonconvulsive seizure and a Good Samaritan pushed her out of the way saving her life. She ends up in the hospital and the doctors find out that she has a neurovascular and she needs brain surgery. Which of course she does not want brain surgery because she only has to get her portrait ready for her big break in six weeks and has no time for brain surgery. Her father is a surgeon and schedules the surgery for her as well as talks her into having it. After the surgery, she realizes that she has face blindness and now has to adjust to a life of not being able to recognize people by their faces. Lucinda the stepmother and Parker the evil stepsister does not make it easier for Sadie to adjust. Sadie starts to get to know her neighbor Joe better who she has the wrong impression of due to a conversation he had with somebody on the phone and that she sees him going in and out of people's apartments late at night or early in the morning. When Sadie's dog Peanut gets sick, she takes him to the vet clinic and falls in love with Peanut's vet Dr. Oliver Addison even though she does not know him.

This is the second book I have read from Katherine Center, and I did notice that the epilogue told the reader instead of showing them what happened in the end. I feel like in the epilogue that it needed to be different which is how I felt in The Bodyguard. I loved the side characters except for Parker of course. I did not know who the Good Samaritan was, but I did have an idea who Dr. Addison the vet, and Joe the neighbor really was. I absolutely love it and I definitely recommend this book.

Release date is July 11, 2023.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hello Stranger is a sweet, fun, heartwarming, quick-read rom-com. The story (which feels like a loose retelling of Cinderella with a twist) follows Sadie through the highs of placing as a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition, to the lows of requiring a life-saving brain surgery that leads to her acquiring face blindness. Sadie now has to navigate her world, without being able to rely on her sight to know who is around her. She unfortunately does not have the support of her family, and to top it all off she seemingly falls in love with two different men.

I enjoyed many elements of this book. It was sunshiny and made me smile, and the dialogue between Sadie and Joe was very sweet. However, the Cinderella parallels led to an over-the-top evil stepsister that was a bit hard to digest and made me want to skim out of discomfort.

That said, I really did enjoy watching Sadie’s relationships bloom and her growth as a character. This was my first Katherine Center, but it will not be my last!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for this advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Katherine, you knocked it out of the park with this one. Sadie is on the verge of her big break when an accident leaves her needing surgery. A textbook procedure leaves Sadie healing beautifully, except now she can’t see faces which is kinda a big deal given her livelihood.

What a fabulous and interesting premise! The struggle, the heartbreak, the healing. This was a rollercoaster of hurdle jumps and blossoming relationships. The dynamics of overcoming life’s struggles was beautiful. Sadie at first is very doom and gloom and represents how most would probably react and sink with this news. She is so incredibly resilient and stubborn though that the change in her own mindset pushed her character development to a whole new level.

An entire side cast of characters who raise their own trials and tribulations, the navigation of being vulnerable and chasing your dreams had me tearing up multiple times. Let’s not forget about the wittiness, the banter, and those twists! I had a theory, I just didn’t realize how committed Katherine was at creating this massive spiderweb of connecting pieces!

This book was absolutely adorable! It took a little bit to get into at first but once I did I couldn’t put it down! There were several small twists that I didn’t always expect and kept me interested. Will definitely be suggesting this to everyone I know!

This book was a quick read and relatively enjoyable. What I struggled the most with was wanting more in general. I feel like I wanted to know more about the family dynamic and the plot line between her and Joe/Oliver felt really all over the place with limited threads of believability. I just wanted a little bit more of everything.

I loved reading this book. It was uplifting and comforting. The book had a few twists and the author came across as knowledgeable on many medical topics. Overall the book held my interest, sparked my curiosity and was heartwarming.

As someone who's read nearly every Katherine Center novel, I can say this is unequivocally my new favorite. A romance centered, in part, around facial blindness isn't something I *expected* to read, but I'm so glad I did. And the main characters have a whole lot of heart: a protagonist who's struggling with her career, self-worth, and familial relationships, mistaken identities, sibling rivalry, and parental loss. This book had me rooting so hard for Sadie: for her happy ending romantically, professionally, and personally. Add in a swoony neighbor *and* an equally dreamy veterinarian? It's a must-read.

Face blindness has fascinated me since I learned about it years ago. In "Hello Stranger," main character Sadie Montgomery ends up with acquired face blindness at the worst possible time -- when she finally might have the big break she needs to make it as a portrait artist. An interesting neurological disorder plus a character who has an artistic passion, along with an impending deadline all combined for a compelling read. That is to say, I read this in less than 24 hours.

What I loved most about "Hello Stranger" was actually the Author's Note at the end. Yes, that may not be the norm. I am normally someone who adores reading the Author's Notes and Acknowledgements and Katherine Center's final thoughts elevated my enjoyment from 4 to 5 stars. Her conversation about Romance as a genre, with its predictable happy ending, gave me much food for thought.

I am adding Katherine Center to my list of authors that I will read whatever new book they release.

(Thanks to NetGalley for providing me the eARC..)

This was by far the best book I have read so far this year! This is such a great story of self discovery and does a great job of displaying g the full range of human emotion. Center really captures what it’s like to go though a traumatic experience and how difficult it can be to recover. There’s also such a great twist at the end that I barely saw coming, but it makes so much sense. Fantastic book!

Another sweet story from Katherine Center. Sadie finds herself with face blindness, a big chance to advance her career, and falling in love all at the same time. Readers will root for her recovery and ability to make good decisions with her limited ability to see clearly. A feel good book that readers will love.