3.5 stars

I have read two books by Katherine Center, and I liked one and disliked the other so much that I decided not to read anymore. All the hype for her books had me fearing what I was missing finally got too much for me, and a Traveling Friends buddy read triggered my finger to download the widget sent to me from the publisher. Well, I am glad it did, and I read Hello Stranger.

After reading Hello Stranger, I figured out what I was missing. Katherine Center offers up a cupful of positivity in her books. I am not a big fan of warm and fuzzy. That always leads to an eye-rolling workout, and I did plenty of eye-rolling while reading this one. But what I am a fan of is positivity, and Hello Stranger dishes out a heavy dose of it. I love the messages of kindness, finding joy in misery, looking for the positive, and not always seeing the negative in everything (that takes strength; seeing the negative is easy) but the positive when life sends you challenges, and our main character Sadie has a few she is dealing with.

"Because tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice."

The romance is silly, with some surprising twists and turns, entertaining so much that I did laugh out loud a few times. Katherine Center's motto is read for joy and pleasure, which fits that bill.

Review posted to blog https://travelingsistersbookreviews.com/ closer to pub date

I have always loved Katherine Center books but this one was my least favorite. I believe that is because it took so long to really get "good". I am glad that I stuck with it and finished the book but there were many times I just put aside and picked up something else. I didn't love the main character, that was probably the problem all along!

I think this book is pretty great. This is only the 2nd Katherine Center book I have read and I honestly cannot wait for more. I struggled a bit with the inner dialogue. That tends to slow me down a lot when reading. It was also a smidge hard to get into, but as soon as she completed the surgery and headed home I was in it to win it. The twist was awesome. I started to maybe guess at part of it but wasn't totally right and the book continued to defy my guesses and I would think I was wrong. Loved it. Thank you for letting me read.

Fast, enjoyable, emotional read with strained family relationships, medical trauma, parent death, harassment and love.

This was another win for Katherine Center. The medical trauma/love interests were entertaining. I found myself hoping for the main character's happiness even when she got on my nerves. I did figure out the twist before it was revealed. Grab a copy, you won't be disappointed.

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

Hello Stranger was a quick and sweet read that brightened my week while the cloudy, grey New England days threatened to ruin my mood. Soon after being accepted to the competition that could make her struggling career as a portrait painter, our heroine, Sadie experiences the onset of prosopagnosia - she suddenly can't recognize (or even see) faces. That obviously throws a hitch in her plans to turn her career around and find the success she's long sought. Luckily, she's got a decent support system in her best friend, her doctor, and a sexy neighbor. A love-at-first-sight experience with her dog's vet adds a little excitement as well.

This book had everything I look for in a rom-com: flirtation, silly run-ins, and of course some classic tropes (evil stepsister, mistaken identity, and a near-perfect love interest). As an animal person, I also loved how devoted Sadie is to her pup, Peanut. Thanks for an amazing, feel-good read!!

Every Katherine Center book I read just gets better and better. One minute, portrait artist Sadie is celebrating being invited to compete in a huge compettion with cheap wine and flowers and the next minute she's laying in a hospital bed with a brain condition that causes face blindness. Not ideal for a protrait artist! As Sadie struggles to cope and adjust to her new normal she finds herself falling for not one but two men. With all these new found obstacles Sadie needs to navigate what matters to her.

Thank you for this ARC! I loved the Bodyguard by Center, so was really excited to pick this one up. And it did not disappoint! It was perfect when you're in the mood for a swoony romantic novel that's just a great time. She crafts her characters in such a lovable way, you can't help rooting and falling for them. While I usually avoid love triangle like the plague, this one is done well and it didn't bother me in the slightest. Even though I saw the twists coming, I didn't care in the slightest. If you're looking to laugh out loud, fall in love, and have a great time with adorable rom-com, this has to be your next read. (4.5 stars!)

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist looking for her big break. She entered a prestigious competition and recently learned that she is one of ten finalist for the grand prize. Just six weeks prior to the submission deadline, Sadie has a freak accident and during her hospital visit they find a life threatening condition which ultimately requires brain surgery. With her surgery deemed a success, Sadie finds herself struggling with prosopagnosia, or facial blindness.
Struggling with her new reality and potential impact it has on her art career, Sadie simultaneously falls in love with two men who she has never even “seen.” Sadie is forced to learn and choose to see the world in new and beautiful ways.

This was a cute, unique and funny rom-com. I can say that it will not be for everyone as some may think the idea of facial blindness is far fetched. Working in healthcare and understanding the complex nature of how the brain works allowed me to appreciate Sadie’s condition. Oh, and let me tell you there was one chapter that gave me a good laugh: one of Sadie’s love interests rescued a homeless bulldog and had choice words about their personalities and life styles which I totally loved and related to 😂

Thank you @netgalley @katherinecenter and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was delightful! I read it in one evening. I only paused reading for dinner.

I found it so easy to be sympathetic with Sadie. I’ve needed glasses since I was in the 3rd grade. My nightmares usually include my glasses going missing and everything being blurry.

Sadie’s face blindness is not as crippling as that but it was not surprising how much it impacted her. You could tell how much research Katherine put into this.

The romance was sweet and a bit of a slow burn. The pets were fantastic. The family story, heartbreaking.

This just solidifies for me Katherine Center is an auto buy/read for me. This book was gifted to me and this is my honest review. Release date 7/11/23.

Absolutely loved! It was predictable in the best of ways and made me feel warm and happy. As someone with a degree in Neuroscience, I loved the author's attention to detail and research into whether her plot was something that could happen in real life.

Another wonderful book from Katherine Center with enough swoon and family drama to keep me reading late into the night. The premise was intriguing and the execution was enjoyable. She is fast becoming my favorite author of romance.

WOW! Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this!

Let it be known that I am not really a romance person. I read it, I think it's cute, but it's rare that I pick up a romance book that I can't put down. This book though? I read the whole thing in less than a day. I was reading constantly and couldn't wait to get back into the story! This book follows an artist who has been down on her luck and hoping it's maybe turning around when she learns she's a finalist in a major portrait contest. However, when she suddenly is diagnosed (maybe temporary) face blindness, her world turns upside down. How can she paint faces (or identify her best friend, or navigate birthday parties, or go on a date) if she can't recognize anyone?

This was so unique and so much fun. The characters well lovable, the plot was perfect for a rom-com, and it had this layer about finding yourself and learning to like yourself that was so incredibly touching and relatable to anyone who has gone through a rough patch. I really recommend this one. If you love romance, you'll love Joe. And if you aren't the biggest romance reader, you'll love everything in between (and you'll probably also love Joe, honestly).

Preorder this one if you haven't already!

After previously reading another Katherine Center book I was excited to get the chance to read an advanced copy of Hello Stranger. It was a fun, light read. Sadie is a struggling artist who ends up needing brain surgery weeks before an important portrait competition. After the surgery, she realizes that her ability to see faces is now distorted. Sadie tries to stay positive, but without being able to see faces she can't make money as a portrait artist and thinks her shot at winning the competition is gone. Then she meets her dog's new veterinarian and is convinced she will marry him. She also meets a neighbor who she greatly dislikes at first, but after he keeps helping her she wonders if she needs to give him a chance.

I have loved all of Katherine Center's books since I picked up HOW TO WALK AWAY, and thought THE BODYGUARD was one of the best rom-coms of 2022, so I was beyond excited when I found out I had received an advanced copy of Center’s upcoming book, HELLO STRANGER.

HELLO STRANGER tells the story of Sadie Montgomery, a down-on-her-luck portrait artist who gets her lucky break when she beats out thousands of applicants to become a finalist in a national portrait competition, just like her mom many years ago. Soon after finding out about the opportunity which could change her life, she winds up in the hospital and discovers that she needs “minor” brain surgery which ultimately leads to her losing the ability to see faces – which, for a portrait artist trying to make it big, is about the worst thing that can happen.

It took me a little while to get through all the explanations of face blindness and get to the heart of the story, but once I did, Sadie’s story pulled me in. In typical Center fashion, this was a well-written, fast-paced, and heartfelt rom-com with extremely loveable characters – Joe is an absolute doll. As a reader who prides myself on always knowing what is coming, I didn’t predict the major plot twist at the end and was impressed with Center’s ability to surprise this seasoned reader!

I truly loved the author’s note at the end about what draws us to romantic comedy. Love stories can get a bad rap and sometimes it feels embarrassing to admit that as an educated woman, I like to escape into the world of romance every now and then. But Center’s note made me emotional and made an excellent case for the importance of love stories in our lives – we can all use a little hope every now and again, and most of us can truly relate to the themes of self-improvement and wanting something better for ourselves. Bravo, Center!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a charming and delightful read! It takes a lot for me to truly enjoy a romance novel nowadays, because I actually have to feel for and like the characters which is hard for me to do in under 400 pages. But Joe and Oliver were truly wonderful and I enjoyed Sadie even if she did some things that irked me (though I understand why she did so).

One thing I didn't love was Sadie's unwillingness to tell people about her face-blindness. While I understand the "it's so embarrassing" thought she had... it really isn't at all and even my anxiety-addled brain was like "yeah, no, we would tell everyone about that immediately" so I became increasingly frustrated whenever she refused to admit it to other people. If your worst enemy already knows, then why worry about what others would say? (But once again... I understand why for her character; it was just ANNOYING!)

I did love that it felt like I was watching a rom-com on TV and I finished this book in a day and a half (and that includes my sleep time). Highly recommend if you're looking for something fun, easy, and fast in between dense fantasy reads (like I am right now).

Katherine Center is a new "auto-read" author for me, because I have simply adored both of her most recent novels and can't wait to see what's next from her.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Katherine Center had become an auto read for me, and for good reason. Her books are charming and real, and Hello Stranger is no different.

The added struggle of Sadie’s face blindness really humanized the character. It’s a fascinating, though terrifying condition, one I had only read about once previously in Holding Up the Universe.

Overall, this was another winner, and I really enjoyed it.

Last year, I read The Bodyguard by Katherine Center and loved it. It was sweet, I loved the writing and the unique perspective of the main character. When I saw Hello Stranger was coming out, I was hoping that she would bring the same aspects I loved in that book into this one and she definitely delivered. 🫶🏼

Sadie is finally getting her big break as a portrait artist—she has been selected for a prestigious portrait competition. The timing happens to coincide with a procedure she needs to be done. But once she goes into recovery from that procedure she realizes that she can no longer see faces. They say it’s temporary, but she starts panicking. How will she complete her portrait when she can’t see faces? Then into her life walks her dog’s vet, Dr. Addison, who is her dream man, and, Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who keeps showing up at her worst moments. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her face blindness as she struggles to save her career while also trying to juggle all the other aspects of her life.

This is the kind of book that just envelops you right away. I loved Sadie’s unique perspective going through face blindness, I was obsessed with her 14-year-old dog Peanut who only eats people food (because he has a refined palate duh) and then it was topped off with a love triangle—chef’s kiss. I loved the layers to this story—there was so much more going on in Sadie’s life than just the romance, and the side characters really brought this story to life.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a non-spicy cute romance with a twist. Also if you do read it, make sure to read the author’s note. I never read those but I am so glad I did for this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My new favorite Katherine Center book! I needed a “feel good” read and this gave me everything I could have asked for. Hope, happiness, love…this had me going through all the emotions!

I loved this book! Having only read one Katherine Center book, I’m going to have to make it a habit. I had never heard of Prosopagnosia. I almost didn’t believe it was real. I love authors that bring to light new things and do their research on them. This story follows a young lady who the brink of her career defining moment gets a brain injury. The edema in her brain causes Prosopagnosia. She basically can’t see faces. I loved the concept and I loved the plot and all the characters. I also enjoyed her pet being such a avid and frequent character. This book is for anyone who wants a feel good story with a happy ending.

Oh my dear ol’ trusty Katherine Center coming through for me once again! Maybe I love her stories because I’m Texan? Maybe because they are realistic and the characters feel like my friends? Maybe because she’s so dang good? Hello Stranger had such a unique balance of medical, artistic, human, emotional, and humorous aspects. She gave me characters to root for, and root I did!