Love heartfelt rom-cops, with likable characters, and laugh out loud movie moments? Yes? Then this is the book for you! The main characters inner dialogue was hilarious and the relationship between the supporting characters were perfect. The premise of the story was intriguing as well, and came full circle in the end. It all revolves around an aspiring, “starving artist”, who is selected as a finalist for a prestigious portrait contest. However, due to an unfortunate event she is diagnosed with facial blindness and literally can’t see faces or recognize people. With the deadline for her to finish the once in a lifetime portrait looming, and her inability to recognize or see faces clearly, the reader is left with ridiculous funny and awkward situations. Add in a few meet-cute moments with some dashing gentlemen, it is your typical romance story that leaves you with hopeful anticipation throughout, AND with an interesting twist at the end. Long story short, I loved it! My favorite Katherine Center book yet!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. This was my first ARC and it did not disappoint!

Thank you @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center publishing in July 2023.

At first I was questioning the premise, but in the end I thought it was perfect. I finished it last night thinking Katherine Center has done it again. Bravo.

Themes: 👁️😊🎨🖌️🖼️💜

My feelings: 😀😃😁😍🥰😘🤩🥳

#netgalley
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
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#goodreads

I really enjoyed this book. At times cheesy, but mostly original and unique. The story idea was unique and I even learned something when reading it.
Posted online at Instagram.com/millybooksta

Really enjoyed this one. I knew of face blindness but wasn’t super familiar with the details, so I loved learning more about it while falling in love with the main character. Her frustrations felt real and mirrored my own as I rooted for her to figure it out. Overall very well written characters, including the surrounding cast, and one I definitely recommend.

I love this book so much! It was very engaging from the start! The concept was really interesting.

Saddie, a struggling artist, had a genetical condition in her brain. She needed to go under an emergency surgery after her sudden seizure episode that resulting in her brain ability to see faces. The story revolved around how she was trying to make a name for herself in the upcoming competition, the struggle of not seeing faces, mending her relationship with her family, and finding new love.

I also like when Saddie and Joe were having conversations. Joe was really patient and seemed to always had the perfect answer for Saddie. I always found myself laughing or smiling when reading their scenes. Honestly, I wished that dr.Oliver could be in the story longer, because I felt like he just showed up a bit in the beginning and then he suddenly disappeared.

Even though I already saw the big twist, I still had fun following the story until the revelation.
Hello Stranger might be my first Katherine Center's book, but I promise it will not be the last. And I plan to re-read it once the finished copy is out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center is the absolute queen of cute, joyous novels! I will never get enough of her writing!!
This was an eye-opening (no pun intended) book about face blindness and perception. What I adore about KC is her ability to make you understand different disabilities and different careers- something many authors seem too lazy to do nowadays.
The FMC was a little too needy for my taste, but adorable just the same. I wished we could have had more of a love triangle because the plot twist was a bit predictable.
However, all the little things you learn and feel from reading her books simply do not compare.

3.5/5

I really liked this book and mostly enjoyed reading it! The plot and premise were good and it actually kept me interested. What I didn’t really like was the main character Sadie. I found her to be immature and a bit annoying. She was too childish for me. Creating all that drama because she can’t communicate properly. Ughhh! Seriously! If we cancel out those issues I think this could have been a 4.5. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. ☺️

She has done it again! I have truly enjoyed and have been entertained by each book Katherine Center has written and this one did not disappoint. Thank you St Martins for the ARC and a chance to read this early!

Katherine center never does any wrong in my mind, but this one wasn’t my favorite of all her titles!

Don’t get me wrong. I loved the book, I just was a little…lost?

I think I expected more passion and romance and instead felt like I may be inside a living Picasso painting the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this ebook.

Hello Stranger was the book I didn’t know I needed! This was my first Katherine Center book (and won’t be my last - such cliche I know). I was preparing for some realt heartbreak while getting ready to read this book but it’s such a feel good story. Sadie was such a lovable character and I truly was rooting for her to get the whole world. The romance aspect in this book was a little weak - there didn’t seem to be all that much chemistr. I am not a huge romance/spicy book reader so I was looking for a solid plot more than steamy romance so this was totally fine with me but readers looking for the romance and passion might find this one to fall a little short for them.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this fun & compelling book!

Summary: Sadie is a starving portrait artist who ends up being diagnosed with prosopagnosia (face blindness) after having a seizure in the middle of the street and is rescued by a good samaritan. From there, Sadie does not know how she will continue being a portrait artist. She struggles with how to use her other senses to recognize people (even loved ones), questions why everything bad happens to her, has major trust issues, doesn't want help from others, and is grieving the loss of her mother. And as if dealing with all of that wasn't enough, she meets two men who like her during the worst of times.

I absolutely LOVED this story. I enjoyed learning more about prosopagnosia and how people live with it. I loved Sadie's character and all of the other characters in this book. Everyone was three-dimensional. I could relate to Sadie's attitude of not relying on others or needing anyone's help; if you want something done, do it yourself. Sadie's character grew a lot throughout this book. Learning more about not only changing how her mind tells her to see but how she sees the world around her negatively vs positively.

"Sometimes we really are the best versions of ourselves. I see that about us. And I'm determined to keep seeing that about us. Because that might be the truest thing I know; The more good things you look for, the more you find"

Katherine Center has an Author's note at the end of this describing her thoughts on writing and romances. She says she "writes stories about things getting better - about people healing from hard things, and trying to connect, and working like hell to become the best versions of themselves, despite it all." She did all of that and more with this story. I liked that it felt like an intriguing fiction and romance novel at the same time. There was so much substance to this story, and I devoured all of it!

Overall this is a 5-star read for me. I really enjoyed my time reading this story.

HELLO STRANGER is a fantastic mistaken-identity romance with a twist: Sadie has face blindness, so she actually can’t recognize even her best friend’s face. Katherine Center embeds the book with just enough medical details to create a realistic setting, especially as Sadie herself has trouble understanding what is happening to her, so the unfolding information feels authentic to Sadie’s experience. It is a bit strange to read a romance novel without a clear description of the love interest’s face, but perhaps that is an apt metaphor about not judging a book by its cover.

This book has an extremely interesting premise and engaging writing. Still, I struggled with the implausibility of the storyline and the immaturity of the main character, Sadie, and the lack of depth given to the love interest, Joe. I was expecting a romance, but the romance didn’t really even begin until halfway through and never felt like the central storyline or particularly believable.

OMG this book was great. This author always delivers.

Great characters for the most part.
An aspiring portrait artist who loses the ability to see faces. What could be worse. Absolutely nothing. She’s also falling for a guy and putting up with a stepsister from a Cinderella story. Ok that is maybe a stretch, but she was a jerk.

Katherine Center writes books that keep you turning the pages. Keep you hoping things work out and have endings that will have you weeping with joy. A first rate book to keep you rooting for the main character.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KatherineCenter, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5 huge stars. The full review will be posted in June. This is just for now. Loved, loved, loved, this book!

I love Katherine Centers books yes after this she will be an auto buy because all of ther books are amazing. Ah as an art student I couldn't imagine what life would be like with not being able to see someone's face. Oh this book was everything I teared up at one point, I laughed and smiled in others. Oh this book! You have to read it. I think it's better than the bodyguard.
I just reviewed Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. #NetGalley
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So so SO GOOD. This book was entertaining and so well written. It was so descriptive but not repetitive. A perfect rom-com with a really unique twist- the protagonist develops face blindness. You just can’t help but root for her and her happily ever after. I literally laughed out loud at the end! It was the perfect twist and it felt so realistic! Definitely going to be reading more from this author asap

"Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can't-- but that you yourself never could if you weren't so lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing" - from Katherine Center's latest novel.

This book takes the reader on a unique journey and into the life of protagonist Sadie, who has just received the biggest break of her career as a portrait artist and a chance to win $10,000. She is put into a position in which her survival - on all levels - rests on her ability to adapt and persevere after unexpected brain surgery.

It was great to watch Sadie take on the many challenges before her, and ultimately 'win' in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

What a delight! This book was everything I wanted in a romance - there's a serious undertone with grief that's extremely well written, but also a someone playful plot around face blindness in a professional portrait artist. Sadie is involved in a freak accident that leaves her with a tough diagnosis and even tougher side effects. Up for a prestigious portrait competition, she suddenly cannot comprehend faces, and even her best friend looks like a stranger. As her work life falls apart, things seem to be going great in the dating world - she meets a hot guy in her building AND starts falling for her local vet. Hijinks ensue as she struggles to finish her portrait entry and figure out which of the TWO guys is the ONE.

It's well worth reading the author's note at the end of the book - it has some great thoughts about the role of contemporary romance in a post-COVID world and it really resonated with me!

Sadie has finally landed the opportunity of a lifetime to paint in a portrait competition. In a series of unfortunate events, Sadie develops face blindness after a seizure. She’s struggling to paint her portrait for the competition when her dog gets sick and she has to rush him to the vet. The only thing going her way these days seems to be in the romance department- between her helpful neighbor and her dog’s veterinarian, she has more than enough romantic interests!

What I loved:
- Portrayal of complex family relationships
- Memories of her mother
- Unique premise
- Surprising love triangle
- the chemistry!!

I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the unique plot. Definitely recommend for romance fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy.

Sadie is a starving artist who finally gets her big break: she is a finalist in a national portrait competition that could pay out a big prize plus give her a lot of exposure. However, a medical emergency results in her becoming completely face blind: she can’t see faces, which means not only is she struggling with everyday life (is that person who just said hi a friend or foe?) but she is failing miserably at painting even a basic portrait for the competition. The medical and social aspects of face blindness were fascinating, as well as their implications, but I struggled to really like Sadie as a character. While Katherine Center’s protagonists are usually awesome, strong women, Sadie’s constant vilification of her family seemed somewhat unwarranted, and her general immaturity made her hard to identify with. I still loved this book enough to stay up and read it in one night, but it wasn’t quite as great as Center’s others.