Thanks to St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader’s copy of this awesome book. I loved this book so much! I thought it was brilliantly written. The premise is compelling and the romance is a lot of fun. And there’s a cute dog!
I was hooked from start to finish. There’s a moment when I figured out what was going on with the romance and I felt proud for figuring it out. But then I realized that was the exact moment the author meant for us to figure it out so that we could excitedly read the rest in anticipation of the lead figuring it out too.
Amazing! Can’t wait to read more from this author. It was a perfect romcom.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book did not work for me, both personally and on a more technical level.

First, the only other Katherine Center book I have read is The Bodyguard, which was much more romance focused/driven than this one. Because of this, I went into this book expecting it to be a romance, but instead the romance does not even begin to start till the 50% mark, and the book before this point felt repetitive and boring to me. But I also don't read much contemporary literature that isn't romance focused, and so this part of why the novel didn't work for me is more on me and what I like in books and seek out in books, than the actual books' fault.

That being said, I do also think there were issues with Hello Stranger that went beyond my personal taste in the genre. For one, regarding the way the romance didn't start till the 50% mark or so, it also started extremely abruptly? The main character goes from hating this guy so much she proposes kicking him out of her apartment building to suddenly being into him after a single interaction. In general, I felt like the main character read extremely immature/childish as well. Her inner monologue, the way she came to decisions, as well as her conversations with others, felt like it would have fit much better in a YA book where the main character was in high school. I also felt like all of the characters in this novel, including the main, were very shallow and veered into being caricatures. In fact, the 'villain' of the novel IS a complete caricature; a super villain who behaves atrociously towards everyone for no reason (and nothing comes of this as well). The main character also seemed to experience no growth either, and everything sort of fell into place for her by the end without her actually doing anything.

All in all, this was a really disappointing read, because I gave The Bodyguard 4 stars and so this new novel was one of my most anticipated of 2023. But I struggled to get through this, and if it hadn't been an ARC or had been on my most anticipated list, I think I may have even DNF'ed it.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

My Thoughts: After struggling portrait artist Sadie has a seizure, she learns she has to have what should be a fairly straightforward brain operation. Unfortunately, the surgery leaves her with a (hopefully temporary) condition they refer to as "face blindness". She can see faces...sort of. Her brain just can't make sense of the features, which stops her from recognizing even her best friend. The timing is terrible, since Sadie just got what should be her big break in the art world. Will her life fall apart, or will a select few people help her through?

Honestly, I love Katherine Center's writing style and will read anything she puts out. While this wasn't my all-time favorite of her books, it was still a solid 4-star read. She writes such good, relatable characters and Sadie is no exception. I really related to her worst-case-scenario way of thinking, and loved seeing her grow over the course of the story. There's a fun twist at the end that I sort of guessed, but it didn't make it any less satisfying!

I continue to be a huge Katherine Center fan, and am grateful to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for allowing me an advanced e-copy of this delightful novel!

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. I am a huge fan of Katherine Centers work, so when I got the notification that I was approved to read an advanced copy of her newest story, my joy was high. This book was phenomenal, and I think it’s my new favorite by Katherine. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I realized about halfway through what was possibly happening and when it turned out to be true, I was giddy at reading it all happen. This book taught me about new things that I wasn’t aware of. It made me laugh, it made me smile and it had moments of sadness. Overall, this book is a must read for sure.

3.75 🌟 rounded up to 4.

A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC. Be sure to pick up a copy of this on July 11th, 2023!

This book was sweet and very relationship driven through a very different lens of a medical drama/situation

As the end neared I kept thinking oh its this, but then wasn't sure how it would happen. I thought it was well done but not as predictable as other reviewers seem to think!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the medical aspect of it. There were a lot of components, 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!

4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 5). I have loved every single Katherine Center book so far that I’ve read! I was thrilled to be approved for an advanced copy of Hello Stranger, which comes out in July. I wanted to wait until closer to the pub date to read it but I was way too excited, so I just need to remember to post my review again once it’s released! If you are a fan of Katherine Center you are definitely going to want to put this one on the top of your summer reading list.

First off, I love the author’s writing. She has a wonderful way of making you feel connected to each and every character! I absolutely adored Sadie, Joe,
Dr. Nicole and Sue in this one! Especially Joe! When you first start the book you’ll think “ughhh who does this guy think he is” but keep reading…I promise you will fall in love with him in no time! I felt sad for Sadie because she had it rough losing her mom at the age of 14. Her dad became distant with her and remarried. Lucinda, her step mother, was not so good to her and her step sister, Parker…she was the devil in disguise!!! Honestly she is one of the worst characters I’ve ever read…so incredibly cruel! So basically after Sadie lost her mom she felt like she had no one, which made it hard for her to accept help from anyone. The storyline about her losing her ability to recognize facial features was quite interesting. I can’t even imagine waking up and not being able to recognize anyone.

So the story was alittle predictable with what would happen with her torn feelings between Joe and Dr. Addison, but honestly I didn’t mind at all. It was a really fun read! I laughed out loud so many times while reading it. Even though it includes struggles and sadness…it has the perfect amount of humor to keep a smile on your face as you’re reading! And the ending…I LOVED IT!!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! I highly suggest picking up a copy on the release date: 7/11/23. 😊

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads pages:
*Instagram- bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

Hello Stranger was an absolutely adorable read. I enjoyed getting to know the main character through such an unusual scenario. While the twist at the end was predictable, the realness of Sadie made the book entirely enjoyable. It’s so nice to see fun and quirky characters.

Couldn't finish this one, I've enjoyed this author before but I think I found the premise of this one. a bit hard to wrap my mind around, plus I found the main character a little irritating. Might pick it back up at some point but didn't love it this time.

4/5 stars

This is exactly the book you didn’t know you needed!
Katherine Center is a literary magician; things are chugging along and BAM-you are invested in the story and cannot sleep until you know what happens. This is exactly what happened to me.
Read if you love:
-Love at first sight (or not sight?)
-Adorable fur baby sidekick
-Letting go of expectations
This book was all kinds of sweet (read-no spice). I couldn’t help but fall in love. Katherine Center pulls at heartstrings while simultaneously having her readers shout at the characters to WAKE-UP. Filled with coincidences, moments of frustrating and predictability- this book is guaranteed to get any reader out of a slump!
I also learnt a lot about face-blindness and the challenges that come with it. It was very educational while still being a light and fun romance. Center does a great job of balancing difficult topics with lightness and laughter.
A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC. Be sure to pick up a copy of this on July 11th, 2023!

I really enjoyed this book despite the twist being a little predictable it was a fun read and I liked most of the characters.

I received an ARC of ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 from @netGalley which was my first book by Katherine Center. After what’s supposed to be a fairly simple brain surgery, Sadie gets a condition that is causing “face blindness”. Not so easy for anyone, and even so to a portrait artist. Although it sounds like a heavy topic, it is actually a fun [clean] romance laced with humor. It was pretty predictable but not annoyingly so and definitely makes me want to add Center’s other books to my TBR.

It took me a minute to get into this one but once I did I enjoyed it! I thought the idea for this story was unique and touching. Katherine Center does it again!

I am a huge Katherine Center fan and am quick to read her books as soon as they come out. As soon as I saw this was a "Read Now", I rushed over to add it to my Kindle. From the jump, I struggled with this book. So much of it was very predictable and unrealistic. I read romance and women's fiction so I always expect a bit of predictability, but this was over the top. While the main character struggled with so much, I found her unlikeable and hard to root for. The medical condition, while I am sure is a very real struggle for some, made for an outlandish trope.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of Hello Stranger for review. I was so excited as “The Body Guard” was hands down my favorite book of 2022!

When artist Sadie Montgomery has urgent brain surgery she comes out with facial blindness. At the same time she has one of her largest work projects in the midst and is juggling her feelings for two men!

I adore Katherine Center’s writing style and “Hello Stranger” did not disappoint! I devoured this book and I’m left wanting more! I can not wait to see what she writes next.

Wonderful book! I was a big fan of the pacing of this... the set up works perfectly for the way the story flows and everything unfolds seamlessly! I do think it becomes a bit silly towards the end when the characters basically reiterate the revelation they have to each other (kind of like an unnecessary montage in a Netflix Christmas movie - we just saw this we don't need to see it again!). Overall, loved!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of Hello Stranger for review.

When portrait artist Sadie Montgomery has urgent brain surgery to treat a genetic condition that killed her mother, she loses the ability to see faces—just as she needs to paint a portrait for her ‘big break’ competition and falls in love with two different guys.

I am a big fan of Katherine Center, and Hello Stranger didn’t fail to deliver her trademark: a spirited protagonist facing a unique mix of personal growth, challenges with family, and romance. And goodness. Just feel-good goodness oozing off the pages as Sadie navigates her challenging relationships and rises above.

Maybe the premise of Hello Stranger was a bit-far fetched for me? Maybe the beginning was draggy? Maybe I had a hard time connecting to Sadie? Perhaps the narrative could’ve been more cohesive? Maybe I saw the twist coming a mile away? Perhaps. Maybe you’ll feel the same. But I say if you’ve enjoyed any of Katherine Center’s other books keep reading because I immensely enjoyed this book. Worth reading. Hands down. No question.

Sadie is looking for her big break and finally is almost there when she gets in an accident that leads to finding out that she needs brain surgery. Even though she tries to avoid having brain surgery, her dad (whom she is not super fond of) schedules it for her and it leaves her with facial blindness. The rest of the book goes through her trying to regain her ability to see faces and her struggles along the way. My favorite quote was "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."

I thought the story was a little strange at first, but 1/4 of the way in, I was hooked. I loved the artistic piece, the evil/crazy step-sister, the "two" love interests, and friendship shown in the story. There were parts that I literally laughed out loud at and others that I wanted to be able to give Sadie a hug.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Katherine Center for this ARC.

Loved Hello Stranger! Great story and interesting characters. The journey to the “twist” was well worth it.
The ups and downs were felt deep. The intense amount of healing Sadie went through was healing for me too. The advice she was given and gave was amazing. This book will stay with me for a while!

I started reading this right after I had finished two other Katherine Center books (Things You Save in a Fire and The Bodyguard). I don't know if that heightened my expectations for this book, but this one did not meet my expectations.

This book had almost too many subplots and characters. It was hard to be passionate about some of the issues when a new issue kept popping up every couple of chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the book. It was fun and light-hearted. Then it took a turn to a little too serious, but also ridiculous at the same time.

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it was a ehh sorta like for me.

This won't stop me from reading her other books. I think she has a real voice and uplifting tone that I need right now in my books.