Hello Stranger was an overly predictable romantic comedy with some life lessons thrown in. It was cute, but definitely did not meet the expectations I had built after reading Center’s “The Bodyguard”.

The book follows Sadie, a portrait artist that, after an accident and resulting brain surgery, wakes to find she is face blind. Comedy ensues, a step-sibling villain emerges, and Sadie finds herself torn between two very different men.

What really disappointed me was the inconsistencies in the plot. I never expect romantic comedies to be literary masterpieces and often they do have parts that I just have to pretend make sense. But, Hello Stranger just had so many? I ended up being really frustrated with the characters, particularly Sadie, and that made the whole book kind of a drag for me.

I won’t let my reading experience of this book sway me from reading more of Center’s books in the future. I’m hoping this was just a fluke.

Really enjoyed Katherine Centers other books however this one was just a little too odd for me. A portrait artist loses her ability to see faces and chaos ensues. I enjoyed the characters and the little plot twist and ultimately the book very cute but I liked the bodyguard better. 3.5/5

This book was so so good! I wasn't sure that I was going to like it at first and then I was completely blown away by Katherine Center's writing. I thought that Sadie though seeming over the top at first was going through unimaginable circumstances and I thought she carried it with grace I never would have. I'm so glad that things ended well for her and Joe and I really truly enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read more from Katherine Center.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love this author, and even after reading this bummer of a book, I'll still read more of her books. The main character is an artist who ends up with face-blindness. Unlike the terribly injured lead in How to Walk Away, I did not connect with Sadie or her plight in Hello Stranger. The love interest seemed too insta-love, and the twist, if we're calling it that, was super obvious. I kept reading this book hoping it would land, but it ended up a let down.

I ADORED this book! I thought I saw the "twist" coming, but I didn't even have the full picture of how perfectly this love story would work out. The cinnamon roll male main character was to-die-for and I ATE this one up! Katherine Center is the QUEEN of closed door romance and I love her for that!

Synopsis:

Sadie Montgomery places as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition just before she is diagnosed with a "probably temporary" condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face is a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. As she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love with two different men. There are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

Review:

Is there such a thing as face blindness? Either way, I enjoyed reading about it. Katherine Center has a way of writing these endearing FMCs that are such a pleasure to read. Her love story is a little bit unbelievable but it was still a fun story. Peanut was super cute and a nice addition to the cast of characters. There are many people in Sadies family and apartment that we get to know as we read the book. I found her family awful and disappointing but she somehow finds a loving family where she lives. It's a great reminder not to take for granted what we have today, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my eGalley!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick easy read like most of her books have been! There were a lot of components to it like family drama, personal drama, medical drama. I wish there was more closure with Parker, maybe her side of it. Overall, very good! A little easy to predict as you got towards the end, but it made you want to see how it was going to come together!

Katherine Center writes such beautiful stories that always leave me feeling like the characters are my friends and I’m cheering them on the whole time. I felt intrigued by the medical diagnosis which is very relevant to the main Character’s experiences throughout the book - what a unique storyline outside the “tropes” often represented in romance reading. Well done Mrs. Center you never disappoint!

One of my favorite books from Katherine Center, I loved Sadie and related to her in some ways and the storyline is one that I think is difficult to write well without making it overly cheesy and she did an amazing job with it.

Wow! Katherine Center…. shocked me, swept me away and taught me something entirely new (without giving spoilers that’s all I’ll say). Hello Stranger absolutely charmed me in every way! Highly recommend!!

Beautifully written and such interesting characters. I loved the unusual twist on what could have easily been a typical rom-com trope. I always enjoy Katherine Center books!

I enjoyed reading Hello Stranger. I found the story interesting and Ms. Center always creates fully developed characters that draw you into the story. This book continues to reinforce my opinion that it’s never a mistake to read a book by Katherine Center.

This might be my new favorite Katherine Center book! It was so unique, so fascinating, and drenched in psychology, neurobiology, and the human condition. I had never heard of face blindness before, and I am so glad Center chose to write a book about it. The love story in this was beautiful, and the end just put a perfect bow on all of it. Thank you for the author’s note.

I love Katherine Centre books! This what not my favourite of hers but still overall an enjoyable romance. The main character having a condition known as face blindness was something I hadn't seen done before and made for an engaging, original story!

Loved this book and how the characters came together so perfectly. One of my favorite reads this past year!

This book was so thought provoking and taught me a lot about what it would be like to live with face blindness!

Really enjoyed!

My first encounter with Katherine Center was her 2022 novel, The Bodyguard. I absolutely adored that book and was excited to read her other
novels. I had high hopes for Hello Stranger. Having a main character with a
condition like facial blindness had to be interesting, right? Well, I ended up
being so incredibly annoyed by the main character that I couldn’t even bring
myself to finish the book. I don’t DNF books very often but I just couldn’t
take any more of this main character. Even before she had to have brain surgery
for a leaking blood vessel in her brain which then caused her facial blindness,
I couldn’t stand her. She was selfish, very whiny, and rather rude. I was
hoping to have a bit more sympathy for her after the brain surgery but that
just didn’t happen. There were just some strange inconsistencies with which
Sadie could and could not recognize based on voice after the surgery too. I
ended up looking up some spoilers to see if it was even worth me continuing and
that is essentially what made me decide to not finish the book.

Before I say anything else, I will add that I appear to be in the minority of not liking this book at all so take my review with a grain of salt. It was also a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Romance in 2023. And now for the part that ultimately caused me to DNF this book.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT IF YOU HAVE NOT
READ THE BOOK ALREADY OR DO NOT CARE IF THE END IS RUINED.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are seemingly two male love interests – the neighbor
and the veterinarian…. Yeah, no…. They are the same person. Sadie just doesn’t
realize it supposedly because of the facial blindness. For real? She couldn’t
recognize that his voice and stature were the same? And as far as he goes… as
the vet he saved her dog’s life but as the neighbor he never once mentioned the
dog or said anything to clue her in on the fact that he is also the vet?! Come
on. That’s just utter ridiculousness.

I received this advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love Katherine Center’s writing, and she is easily one of my favorite authors, so this was a much-anticipated read for me. I went into this book without having read the synopsis in quite a while, so not fully knowing what to expect. While the beginning was a little slow to click into place, when I figured out where this plot was headed, I was HOOKED. This book reminded me of How to Walk Away, in that the main character is so relatable and I could empathize with her so much. Sadie was the sweetest character and fully melted my heart with her love for her mother. I felt so many emotions right alongside her as she coped with the diagnosis of face blindness. There was so much heart behind Sadie’s story and her struggle, and it was a joy to see her journey unfold! I absolutely adored this whole book, and every character, from Peanut to Joe to Sue and Mr. Kim, the Hazels, and even Lucinda and Sadie’s Dad! This was a fun romance with a deeper storyline that made this book entirely wonderful!

That was such a fun read, I loved it a lot. The characters especially main character are really cute. I love Katherine Center's books, and this was no different!

Summary:
It’s all starting to come together for struggling artist Sadie Montgomery. She was just named a finalist in the national portrait competition of her dreams. But when she winds up with a rare, but real, condition where human faces look like jumbled puzzle pieces . . . it is, to say the least, not good.

With only a few weeks to paint the best portrait of her entire life, Sadie will do anything to reverse her condition and get back to work, but it’s anyone’s guess when (or even if) that'll happen.

Enter her dog’s charming veterinarian (who may or may not be Sadie’s daydream fiancé), and her bowling-jacket-wearing, Vespa-riding neighbor (who she can’t seem to stay away from)—both vying for her attention and adding to the chaos.

It’s a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Because the truth is, seeing the world differently has its upsides. And love has an undeniable way of giving us courage. And the best way of looking is always, always with the heart.

Interesting topic to learn about for this plot and didn't see the ending. Loved the dog and friends.