I’ve read a few Katherine Center books, and this one definitely fell in line with what I expected. I didn’t love Sadie at first, but she has a lot going on. But as the book continued I became more and more invested in her and her storyline! A very cute closed door romance.

This book is absolutely delightful! I picked it up and truly lost sleep until I finished it {in a day!}

Sadie is a portrait artist and she's just earned a spot in a prestigious art competition. She has six weeks to paint her masterpiece so she can win the prize. Unfortunately, she has a near-miss with death and she develops prosopagnosia - aka face blindness.

She spends the next few weeks muddling through life - trying to paint, and navigate her challenging family. She falls for two men - Joe, the neighbor, and Dr. Oliver, her vet.

The story is simply delightful and has such a fun spin than most romance books. Absolutely recommend!

“Hello Stranger” is so much more than the typical ‘girl meets boy, they fall in love, live happily ever after’ type of story.

It’s about loving yourself and accepting the pieces of you that you feel are flawed. It’s about really seeing and rediscovering, or truly discovering yourself for the first time. It’s giving yourself a fighting chance in this crazy life and the wrenches often thrown into our plans.

In some ways, it’s still of a coming-of-age story, finding yourself and accepting things as they are, not what they could have been or should have been.

Center’s characters are intriguing, complex There were still plenty of moments to swoon and squeal over. But, like life, love is much more intricate than a perfectly timed kiss or first date. There were also multiple laugh out loud moments, scenes that tugged at your heartstrings.

It’s heartwarming, witty, all around refreshing in storyline and writing. Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and love what she’s doing for this genre. She always makes you think. I finished this book several days ago and still find myself thinking about the ending or other moments in between. That’s the sure sign of a good book, friends.

You can pre-order now on Amazon! Or purchase when released on July 11. However, you read it, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.

This was fine, but not as great as I had expected based on all the hype her first book received. My main issue with the book was how extreme everything felt. The main character couldn’t just be in a spot - no, she had to have everything in her life falling apart. Her best friend couldn’t just be flaky, she had to be nonexistent. Her family couldn’t just suck, they needed to be Cinderella level awful. There were definitely parts that were cute and funny, but a lot of the book just felt a touch too over the top.

This is another wonderful story by Katherine Center with all the quirky characters and unique plotline. There is great character development where the characters are charming and swoon worthy. If you want a book that hooks you from the beginning and offers humor, romantic swoon worthy vibes, and amazing characters this is definitely recommended.

Hello Stranger took me a minute to get into, but once I did I was glad I stuck it out! Sadie is just getting started with her life plan and then has everything turned upside down, almost literally! Her character uncovers and experiences a lot of challenges. Give Hello Stranger a chance, you will be glad you did!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie is an artist who experiences a seizure and needs *minor* brain surgery. When she wakes up she experiences life from a different view—literally. This is problematic for an artist in a highly sought out competition.
I adored Sadies personality and overzealous sense of humor. Any author that can make me laugh out loud multiple times is one I will continue to read.

I loved reading as Sadie navigated her new life, perspective, boys, family and evil step sister. And as Center said and I will continue to use, this love story created fantastic anticipation.
“Isn’t it lucky when we’re drawn to people who can teach us things we need to learn?”

Spice level: 1 out of 5

Do not skip the authors note and acknowledgements! It speaks volumes about romance novels and the face disorder Sadie acquires. “Tragedy is given, but joy is a choice”

Katherine Center simply has a way with words leaving the reader contemplating their own experiences by the end. She always interweaves a life lesson into her books and this was no exception! Hello Stranger was a coming of age story navigating loss in more forms than one. Sadie, a second generation artist, ultimately learned that sometimes we have to lose a little to gain a lot in life. This book was an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s for me!

Katherine Center is always a must read author for me! I felt so lucky to get this ARC from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley!

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC!

I loved this book. I loved the premise of this book. Looks aren’t everything in a relationship and this book proved it. Sadie’s character development was admirable and her strength was amazing

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my gosh! This is my first but definitely not my last book by Katherine Center! I absolutely loved her writing. It just pulls you in from the first page and you don’t want to stop reading it. You just want to keep going to figure out how the book is going to end and just get lost in the story. I thought this was such a cute premise and so different from a lot of the other romance books that I have read before.

You get so drawn into the characters lives and I feel like they are so relatable! You also see so much growth throughout the characters as the books go on and seeing Sadie start to live her life with the prosopagnosia just shows how much she grows throughout the book. Overall, HIGHLY recommend! Such a great book to get lost in and enjoy the ride that it takes you on!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Hello Stranger was the perfect light love story that I needed. Katherine Center is a remarkable author who gives the reader insight into different issues and at the same time portrays love.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel!

Katherine Center never fails to disappoint with her well-drawn and relatable heroines, and Sadie Montgomery is no exception, despite the uncommon obstacle she faces. Sadie's struggles with face blindness are portrayed with sensitivity and compassion, and her journey of coming to terms with her condition is both realistic and touching. And while I usually read for the romance, it was her journey that kept me turning the page. Hello Stranger is as heartfelt and uplifting as it was tragic. It’s a testament to the power of resilience and a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there is always hope.

This was a very unique premise on a book. I also find it rare that a romance novel actually helps you to learn something- Hello Stranger gave me insight into a diagnosis that I have never heard of. I appreciate when a book isn't all fluff and that added substance was nice.

You’re a struggling artist, trying to prove the world wrong about your abilities when a personal tragedy strikes. Out of nowhere, you experience a seizure, causing you to lose the ability to recognize facial features. This would suck no matter what, but imagine how devastating it would be if you were a portrait artist expecting to win an art contest and you suddenly can’t recognize faces. Essentially, the main character (Sadie’s) life is ruined. Can she live her life without being able to recognize people? Will she win the art contest? In the midst of this, will she find romance?

Heads up: If you don’t like the chatty, casual style of writing then you will not like this book.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of the book and found myself laughing aloud many a time, I still think The Bodyguard was her better book. The main character in this tale was just a tad bit annoying to me.

When I saw that Katherine Center was releasing another rom com-esque book, I immediately knew I had to get my hands on it. And let me say… it did not disappoint! This book is an absolute delight.

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who is finally about to get her big break— until an unexpected accident and surgery leave her with acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia (AKA face blindness- yes, the psychologist in me nerded out at the neuroscience parts of this book!).

Readers will get to follow along Sadie’s journey to navigate her new challenge recognizing faces while also trying to prepare her upcoming art competition, navigate family drama, and date a mystery man from her apartment building.

Not only is Sadie an extremely lovable character, but her friends and support network will come to feel like your close friends, too (Sue! Mr. Kim! Even Lucinda, by the end…). Plus, this book has a twist that I did *not* see coming. Most importantly, Sadie’s story made me reflect on what it really means to be seen and to have hope during difficult times. For real, I simply could not have been more delighted by this book!

If you are looking for a rom-com that will keep you turning the page, giggling to yourself as you read, and feeling all the most warm and cozy feelings (despite whatever you may be going through in your own life)— this is the one for you!

I loved everything about this fun rom-com and couldn't put it down.

This is the story of Sadie who in an instant was thrown off her path in life. She develops the rare condition of face blindness and has to change the way she lives temporarily - as a portrait artist (quite difficult when you can't see faces!) and in trying to find love (also, difficult without being able to see faces). Sadie struggles to adapt, but while trying to avoid change she learns in time to lean into it. Sadie is sort of a mess, but a heartwarming mess you want to root for.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this perfect digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Well, Hello Stranger!

I found this book to be a fast and enjoyable read that had me feeling various emotions while reading it. Katherine Center has charmed me yet again with this book about a struggling artist dealing with face blindness.

Sadie Montgomery is preparing for a party with friends when she suffers a seizure in the street and is saved by a good Samaritan. While in the hospital, she learns that she needs brain surgery and although she wants to put it off, she has the surgery and now suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness). This is devastating for Sadie as she is an artist and is one of ten artists who have been accepted to a portrait competition. The same competition her mother was accepted into before her death. Her face blindness may be temporary, but what if it’s not?

Sadie now has a lot to deal with. On top of that her dog, Peanut has been boarded when she was in the hospital, and she is worried she won’t recognize him. When she picks Peanut up, she meets Dr. Oliver Addison. She notices things about him and feels an attraction even though she can't see his face. She is happy that the one face she recognizes is Peanut! Whew! Then Joe, her neighbor, offers to help her and be her model for the portrait competition. She needs it and he has been so nice. She accepts and spends more and more time with him and can't help being drawn to him.

What's a girl to do?

As Sadie navigates her current situation, she is learning to accept help and notice other things about people. Plus, she is noticing and learning things about herself. I can't imagine what it must be like to not recognize people even those you know. Her evil stepsister, Parker, enjoys tricking her and being an obnoxious and cruel thorn in Sadie's side. Boo hiss.

I rooted for Sadie the whole book and found my heart swelling over the support and love that her friend Sue and her parents showed to Sadie. There were some great characters in this book who had Sadie's back. There were also some that well, should have been there when she needed it most of her life, but weren't. Boo hiss...

Center pulled on my heartstrings while entertaining me with this rom com which was pure escapism reading. Like her other books, I found this to be a fast read which didn't disappoint. I was turning the pages wanting to know how things would play out. There were some coincidences in this book that felt a little OTT, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the journey that Sadie went on and how things played out. There was a reveal which I didn't see coming which now, I am kicking myself for not figuring out while reading. Well played, Katherine Center, well played.

While this wasn't my favorite book by Center, I was still charmed by it and I found this to be very enjoyable, emotion evoking read. It was the perfect escape from everyday life.

Sadie is an up-and-coming portrait artist who has just won a spot in a huge competition she has dreamed of competing in. Unfortunately, a wrench will be thrown into her plans and she has to adapt quickly. Luckily, Sadie has a band of wonderful friends to support her, but even they can't help when she has to decide between a hot vet and her hot neighbor.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book early as an ARC. I recently discovered Katherine Center by reading her book, The Bodyguard. I immediately devoured it and added all her books to my library request list.

I practically squealed with delight when I received the email from NetGalley to read an arc of Hello Stranger.

Sadie had a rough go at life. She is a struggling portrait artist on the verge of her biggest break. When an accident reveals that she needs immediate brain surgery that they say will be minor with a quick recovery. She finds out it actual gives her facial blindness, which deeply impacts her ability to paint facial portraits.

She balances these heavy topics, including major family drama with fun characters, love interests (more than one) including a dashing veterinarian and a helpful neighbor and several laugh out loud moments.

This was such a feel good book like being wrapped in a warm hug, a perfect mix in a delightful read. I will definitely be recommending this book and any other Katherine Center books to all my friends.

Ever since I read The Bodyguard, I can’t stop reading Katherine Center books. HELLO, three in a month… When Hello, Stranger popped up on NetGalley, I immediately dropped everything to go grab it, and I’m so glad I did. I found the premise of this book to be super unique- Sadie suddenly and unexpectedly finds herself dealing with face blindness and as a portrait artist, this throws a huge wrench in her life. Although her life hasn’t been easy, and her new medical condition only makes her life that much more challenging. I’ll be honest, I found Sadie to be a hard character to love at the beginning. I felt as though she placed a lot of blame on her current life situation on her circumstances and spent A LOT of time complaining. But as she learned to cope with her new reality, I started to enjoy her character.

She also found herself torn between two men, her “insufferable” turned loveable neighbor, Joe, and her dog Peanut’s vet, Dr. Addison- they are both gems 😉. They were both just the most delightful, thoughtful, and considerate love interests and when Sadie finds herself having to choose between the two, things get… a little complicated!

As I’ve said before, KC books aren’t just about the romance- they are more often than not stories about personal growth for the FMC. This was no different, and I think of the KC books I’ve read, Sadie did the most soul searching to reach the best version of herself. If you’re looking for a book that just leaves you feeling good, this is it! Make sure you preorder this one today, so it’s on your doorstep on 7/11!

Honestly, if I could give this book more than five stars I would. It is and was exactly what I needed to read at this moment. I wish more contemporary romance could be like Hello Stranger.

There were many aspects of Sadie's struggle that resonated with me. From her questioning her identity to attempting to deal with the things in her past that just did not seem to let go. And in her inability to ask for help.

In the author's note Katherine Center discusses reading her first romance and how it changed her. So eloquently she dissects the way romance gives the reader "fantastic anticipation" and how they are "positively valanced" - that "they run on a blissful sense that we're moving toward something better." And even more importantly she writes that "Love stories don't have happy endings because their authors didn't know any better. They have happy endings because they let readers access a rare and precious kind of emotional bliss." And Hello Stranger encapsulates all of this and more. Katherine Center wrote a phenomenal book which allows the reader to laugh and cry with its characters. To find yourself in every role to somehow simultaneously connect with Sadie having a panic attack on a rooftop while also wishing to be helpful like Joe by essentially 'petting' her back. To do whatever can be done to sit with someone as they struggle whether that struggle is visible or more internal.

I feel like words cannot fully showcase how much I needed to read this novel, and at this specific moment in time. Thank you Katherine Center for creating such a poignant and important story. For giving us the positively valanced and fantastical anticipation which makes this novel one of the best of the romance genre.