Hello Stranger had the perfect amount of family drama, personal growth, and romance all artfully woven together. It was a delight to read - including the author's note at the end! Katherine Center knows how to create the anticipation and hope that make romance novels worth reading.

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

Rarely do I reread any books, or parts of books more than once, but this one I have gone back about 3 times to reread the ending because I am not ready to move on to a new story yet. I loved the surprise towards the end, and kicked myself for not figuring out what was going to happen sooner. This story had quirky yet relatable characters, an interesting conflict, and a beautiful love story. I love a story that introduces me to a new idea or interesting fact of life, and the concept of face blindness was new to me. I loved all of the information the author included on it, and how she really seemed to capture what it would feel like to suddenly not be able to see faces anymore. This book was full of hope, and anticipation and I absolutely adored it. Another amazing story from Katherine Center! I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

This was such a wonderful comfort read! I couldn’t help immediately liking Sadie and rooting for her throughout the whole book. I appreciated the conflicts and obstacles written for Sadie, and even though what she went through probably isn’t going to happen to the average person, it was easy to relate to going through a time when everything seems like it’s falling apart and just wanting something to go right. And since this is a romcom, I really enjoyed the story of Sadie and Joe/Oliver, and I loved the ending.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more! I was hooked from the very first chapter, not once did I feel bored reading this. I was instantly invested in Sadie’s journey and loved how she was a little grumpy and ohhhh the family fued! Literally loved everything about this book! The writing, the characters, the topic of prosopagnosia (really enjoyed reading about this) the story & the lesson behind it.. this was more than just romance. I am very pleased with how this story panned out. Definitely a must read.

I am a Katherine Center fan from her first book to her most recently published The Body Guard. This book however was a bit disjointed for me. The main character, Sadie, suffers a concussion or seizure that renders her unable to see people’s faces in a normal way, which is especially troubling as she is a portrait artist…up for the biggest painting challenge of her life. So the timing is obviously tricky for Sadie. It seems like the characters were not developed. I really didn’t empathize with Sadie or care what was going to happen as it was somewhat predictable but also choppy and disjointed. I felt bad and sad that I didn’t love the book because I really enjoy this author. It was a bit madcap but not a win for me. That said, it was some simple rom com chick lit that made it a quick read, I just wish I could have enjoyed the characters more.

What an enjoyable read this was!! I loved the concept, and it made for a unique and meaningful romance! A couple of things were a little too "convenient' and I wish her step sister had been a little more nuanced, but the romance was sweet AF. I loved both MCs and a majority of the side characters.

Honestly I NEEDED this book. It was so heartfelt and laugh out loud funny, but the story had SO many layers to it. KC really knows how to steep a story with interesting, empathy-inducing situations. And the characters are never surface-level, one dimensional.
I’m now in love with Joe.
Don’t tell my husband.
Thanks Katherine Center!

Advance copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie is a struggling artist, who has just made it into a portrait competition in which she stands to make a lot of money. She is on her way home from the store when she has a nonconvulsive seizure on the sidewalk in front of her building. She wakes up in the hospital and finds out she needs surgery immediately because she has a lesion on her brain called a carvernoma. Her father, who is a thoracic surgeon, schedules her procedure right away. When she wakes up, her best friend, Sue, comes to see her and Sadie doesn't recognize her because she has acquired face blindness. The doctors give her hope that it is just temporary. When her adorable dog Peanut gets sick, she takes him to the veterinarian and meets Oliver Addison who ask her on a date. This then proceeds a whirlwind of events for Sadie.

HELLO STRANGER had me swooning! Just when I thought I couldn't love a Katherine Center book more...she out does herself again!! I just loved Sadie and Oliver. This was one I read in a day, because once you start you will not be able to put it down. The ending just left me speechless! I would LOVE to see this story made into a movie. After you read it, you will see why. I am just smitten! All the stars for HELLO STRANGER, I wish I read it sooner!! Enjoy everyone!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Katherine Center has a unique way of creating such an engaging story that you don't want to put it down.
In 2022 I read The Bodyguard with no expectations and fell in love with her storytelling and character development.
Hello Stranger does not disappoint. Sadie as a narrator is charming and heart breaking in turn and I was desperately cheering for not only her happy ending with her partner but also resolving the conflicts in her relationship with her family.
In the end I liked that things wrapped up in what I would call a realistic manner. Yes, Sadie got her happy romantic ending but that didn't magically fix her life, it just made it better.
Truly a delightful read. 4.5/5

I enjoyed earlier books by Katherine Center so was excited to get to read this through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about Face Blindness and it was interesting to read about it and how it affected Sadie's life. It kept me reading to know what would happen next and it did not disappoint.

Now I have to go read the rest of her back list.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this novel, which comes out in July, 2023.

And this is why Katherine Center is one of my favorites!! Absolutely love this book! Their love story was so cute and had me laughing out loud. It was sad with what all Sadie had to go through but to see all the happiness come together at the end was so worth it!!

Swoon! Guys, you're in for a treat! I adored this book. Its feel-good factor is out of this world. And yes, I did stay up until 3 am finishing it! Thank you, Katherine Center, you rock! You make my world brighter and more bearable, and yes, this book had me "in that blissed-out, oxytocin-laden, tipsy" state you aimed for. Bull's eye!

Here are a couple of quotes out of the many I saved.

“I’m no psychiatrist,” Joe said then, “but I’ve seen a lot of panic attacks. And this kind looks like that.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. I was always fine— whether I was fine or not.
“Okay,” Joe said. “A friend of mine— who clearly had a totally different thing from you— used to find it helpful for me to pat her back in moments that were nothing at all like this.”
“I’m not having a panic attack,” I said.
“Great,” Joe said. “Neither am I.”
“So I don’t need you to pat my back.”
“Cool. You don’t need it.” A long pause while he let that settle. “But we could just do it for fun.”
“Fine,” I said, too busy dying to fight.

And this is from a far too relatable scene where our heroine has to defend her work in front of an indifferent crowd.

Nothing to do but panic over life-altering decisions about where to rest my hands. They were too posed and awkward at my sides, but they felt hostile if I crossed them over my chest, and they had too much judgy-mom energy if I rested them on my hips. I just kept shifting them around. Was behind the back too goofy? Was clasped at the pelvis too suggestive? Was clenched into fists of misery too . . . honest?
Nothing worked. Every few seconds I tried a new pose. Like an animatronic scarecrow.

Thank you to the author, St Martin's Press, and to Netgalley for my advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review. This book has been the highlight of my year so far.

I loved this story. At first I wasn’t sure where it was going, but what a unique storyline! Sadie was incredibly relatable, and her face-blindness really made me feel sorry for her but she kept going. I loved the idea of having multiple characters that served different roles, and don’t even get me started on Peanut!! I can’t wait for more people to read this, it’s been one of my favorites I’ve read in a while. The writing was easy to read, and I literally laughed out loud at some points. Katherine Center’s voice is just amazing!

Hello Stranger was such a unique concept, bringing rom-com and an unusual diagnosis together.

Sadie is a portrait artist, who unexpectedly needs brain surgery and develops a complication where she can no longer see faces. Her character struggles and learns as she deals with this new reality. Katherine Center brings us through Sadie’s process in a heartwarming and romantic way!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to read this book! I loved getting to know Sadie during the ups and downs of placing as a finalist in a portrait art competition vital to her career and then almost immediately losing her ability to recognize faces. This book focused on Sadie and her life, rather than just her potential romantic relationships, which made it feel slightly different than the romances I typically read, including Katherine Center's last book, The Bodyguard. I was invested in Sadie, her art, and her relationships throughout the book and appreciated the care taken to wrap up each storyline and give me a chance to get to know each character. The ending was so satisfying and left me smiling.

The only thing that I didn't love was Sadie's best friend, Sue. I didn't feel like she was a good support system for Sadie especially during a difficult time, but I absolutely recognize that friendships and love are not always ideal and look different for different people and Sue's actions didn't seem to bother Sadie.

I took a class on on cognitive neuroscience two years ago where we discussed prosopagnosia (face blindness) and I easily learned more and better understood the condition through the story telling in this book which shows how much research and compassion was put into it. I also loved the Author's Note at the end of the book, because I've been wondering why I gravitate towards romance books and how we define and judge the romance genre and Katherine Center wrote about that in a way that expanded on my thoughts and validated an interest that isn't usually valued. I want to hear all of her thoughts and insights on romance books and life.

2.5-3 ⭐️ First time reading a NetGalley advance copy! The covers for Katherine Center books are stunning. I didn’t love this one but I didn’t hate it. Writing style was a little choppy in the beginning. The main character couldn’t have had more bad luck, yet everything managed to be quickly wrapped up in a nice little bow by the end. Would I recommend? Only if your book stack is empty. Will I read KC’s next book? Absolutely.

This is up there as one of my favorite Katharine Center books. Are they a little predictable? Sure. But what’s unexpected is the amount of hope, positivity, and perspective you get on life. I was constantly highlighting little phrases that I wanted to stick with me when life throws unexpected curve balls my way. I love how they’re light, while at the same time dealing with a heavier topic. It adds depth to otherwise cheesy chic lit. There’s even a fun little twist at the end that just leaves you feeling happy all around. It’s not your basic romcom.
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy!

Thank you so much for the early copy of Hello, Stranger. Katherine Center is one of my absolute favorite authors and true a top notch creative and human. This story was so surprising to me…introducing a medical condition I had never heard of previously which became integral to the plot and movement of the narrative. Sitting in bed with covid this week meant a break to soak up the goodness of this book, the “hopefulness” that Katherine speaks of in her author’s note at the end. I sure felt that! Thank you for a lovely book to brighten my really rough week!

This was such a unique and really well written book!

THINGS I LIKED
- the dialogue style: Joe and Sadie have a really fun way of talking to each other it’s a sort of unique style that feels like a language between them that the rest of the world doesn’t have
- Sadie’s vulnerability: it was beautiful to see her character ARC and the times when she was most vulnerable were the best. Her overcoming her grief was really amazing
- the face blindness elements: really unique and well handled. Felt like the author actually knew what she was going through and felt real to me.
- act three: a really great act three breakup and conclusion. I was crying at Sadie’s voicemail that she left. The authors note also brought me to tears.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
- Sadie’s family/sister subplot: took up too much of the narrative and was quite annoying. her stepsister is too mean it’s almost a caricature like nobody acts like that. When her dad just apologizes after a lifetime of emotional neglect and trauma… nah
- the first few chapters: the pacing felt a bit off in the beginning and wish this had hooked me in quicker.
- Joe’s character: felt kind of bland. It felt like his only personality trait was being nice. I wish he had been a bit more jaw dropping

Overall thought this was a lovely read and made me really emotional. One of the more unique and compelling romances i’ve read this year so far. Thank you to Netgalley and st martins for the ARC!

I felt that the characters were very realistic. I fell in love with Joe. I had both sympathy and anger toward Sadie ( the main character). I was totally unaware that there was a condition known as face blindness existed. It was enlightening to get perspectives from the different characters involved with Sadie. I enjoyed the book and connected with Sadie as to her love of Peanut, her dog. Thanks to the author for introducing me and readers to a subject that educates as well as entertains. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.