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!

Katherine Center’s writing flows so easily that I often forget that I’m reading because I’m so immersed in the world she created. I don’t know how she comes up with the most unique premises for her novels, but Center’s done it again.

I believe I’ve read one other book with a main character who had face blindness, but this storyline was so distinct I don’t think it even compares. Hello Stranger most definitely did not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center has become an auto-buy for me. This title was a little tougher to read than some of her other titles, as I often felt as confused as Sadie. I’m assuming that was intentional, and I highly enjoyed this story and didn’t figure out the twist until the perfect time.

I read the Bodyguard by this author and pretty much read it in one sitting it was so good. When I saw this was "Read Now" on NetGalley I just couldn't help myself.

The plot sounded interesting since she couldn't recognize faces and was falling in love with two men at once. But once I got reading - it seemed like I wasn't reading the right book. I wouldn't consider one of the men she was "falling for" as a real contender. The MC also seemed quite whiney to me. Like just get the head surgery - I think that's a bit more important than an art show. It took me a minute to get into it because the first 100 pages or so were not as good as I expected.

This is definitely a slow burn without any spice. I did like the character of Joe and wanted to see where the relationship was going to go. I did predict what was going to happen in the ending quite early which took some of the fun out of it. But I did think it was a sweet ending. I did wish there was more to the ending with her dad, step-mom, and stepsister.

Overall, this one was a three-star read for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. Would I recommend it? Possibly? If you are a non-spice romance reader, give it a chance. It doesn't have the effect that the Bodyguard did on me and was easy to set down - but maybe someone else would enjoy it more than I did.

Just as it looks like Sadie has her big break, she has an accident that has unexpected consequences. Enjoyed it very much but did figure out the "mystery". I guess I can see why she didn't want to tell others what had happened to her but it sure would have made it easier for her if she had let others help.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

Katherine Center did it again. This book was epic, might be one of my favorites because it’s going to live rent free in my head for weeks. Like I’ve already started thinking about how many pre-ordered copies I need to give to my friends and family.
Sadie hasn’t had things come easily to her and she has struggled for everything she has which honestly isn’t much. She doesn’t want help from anyone but when tragedy strikes she has to learn to ask for help. She find that help in her building mate, Joe.
Joe is the ultimate in golden retriever boyfriends (that’s not normally my book boyfriend type but I have made an exception for Joe). Joe helps Sadie in every way he can until a very big miscommunication ruined everything and broke my heart.
I seriously put the book in the freezer and the. Realized I’d ruin my kindle if I left it there.
Favorite quote:

“ We are 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.”

Hello Stranger is another absolute gem from Katherine Center. It's got drama, hilarious conversations, & of course some romance. This story was hard to put down. A roller coaster time for the main character with a medical issue leading to bringing to the surface some family drama & questioning of life choices. Highly recommend this book & many others from this talented author Katherine Center.

I recently discovered Katherine Center and I love her writing!! My first book of hers was The Bodyguard and that was such a fun read! Then I read Things We Save in a Fire and that book was as funny as it was beautiful and inspiring.
So I was beyond excited to read Hello Stranger! I was also very interested by the premise— falling in love but not able to see the person’s face? I was so curious to see how that played out.
My review of this book: it was definitely entertaining and I’m glad I read it but I didn’t love it as much as I loved her previous books. 3 stars!! The book is fun and charming and you should check it out!

I can’t get enough of Katherine Center’s books! This topic of face blindness was very unique and not something I’ve seen as a topic in books I’ve read previously. This book kept my attention and I loved all of the characters especially Sadie and Sue. I will definitely be recommending this book!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I absolutely love romances, and I found this book to be a very enjoyable and fast read. If you also love romances, you know all about the HEA (happily ever after), and any “twists” are usually pretty easy to spot from the jump. This book was no different, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable! I loved Sadie and Joe, and found most of the characters believable. The only real exception to that was Sadie’s evil stepsister, who really just felt like a caricature of pure evil. But I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone else who loves romance. This may be my first Katherine Center novel but it certainly won’t be my last!

I love Katherine Center so it's hard for me to be an objective reviewer. It's no surprise that I found Hello Stranger to be funny, charming, and swoony. When Sadie discovers an underlying condition, she has to have surgery and loses her ability to see faces. As a portrait artist on the verge of her big break competition, this is particularly challenging. At the same time, she meets and falls in love with two men and is involved in some family drama with her wicked step-sister. I was swept up in the story and loved Peanut, but it was a little frustrating that Sadie didn't just tell everyone what was going on.

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist needing a big break when she qualifies as a finalist in a competition with a prize that could change everything!

Her celebrating is cut short when she is diagnosed with a condition requiring immediate brain surgery. Everything should be fine, but after surgery, Sadie wakes up with face blindness. How can she win, much less paint a portrait when she can’t see faces?

With the help of one of her doctors, Sadie slowly realizes that she must reconsider her judgements of others and focus on all of her senses in order to see the whole picture.

Katherine Center did a great job with this unique story combing family drama, quirky friends and of course, romance! This was a highly enjoyable read and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for my opinion.
#NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress

I loved this book SO much! It was so unique in the concept and DEF unique in the plot twists and ending! I just absolutely did not see the end coming until like 4/5 of the way through the book! And I absolutely LOVE when something is a little unpredictable!!! I also loved that while there may have been a happy ending, I feel like not everything was wrapped up with a pretty bow, and I really enjoyed that! I wouldn't mind seeing Sadie and Joe and Oliver more!👀

Personally, I rarely talk about writing styles but I really love Katherine Center's style! It made for an amazing read that I never wanted to put down! I mean, no joke, I think I read about 2/3 of this book in one day because I just couldn't put it down!

The plot and concept were so well developed and the story moved at a WONDERFUL pace that never left me bored! 10/10 recommend and I can't wait to read other Katherine Center books!

This book was such a delight! The writing was witty and heartfelt. Sadie suffers from Prosopagnosia ( face blindness) after brain surgery. She cannot see people’s faces. Against her doctor’s orders, she falls for 2 men during her recovery period, even though she can’t see their faces! Dr. Oliver Addison is her new vet and he helped save her beloved dog, Peanut. Joe is a guy who lives in the same building as Sadie, and isn’t as awful as she first thought. I did not see the twist in this book coming, even though it was right before my eyes, so to speak! A twist in a rom-com is a welcome change! I enjoyed this book very much and the message in the book is a great one, : stop and take time to see the good in things. :)