Sadie is a struggling artist. She's hoping her luck will turn around with a portrait competition she's landed a finalist spot in. But from there things seem to go down hill. Including needing a brain surgery that results in her being unable to see faces... making her submission to the competition that much more difficult. Her dog gets sick, needing to go to the vet. Her obnoxious neighbor is always there to witness embarrassing moments. But what she doesn't expect during all this is to fall in love with two different men.

I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't my favorite by this author.

I LOVE Katherine Center. This story is phenomenal and I could not put it down! She has a beautiful ability to balance seriousness with comedy regarding topics with love, loss, illness, family and dreams. KC is a must have author for me and she did not disappoint!

I am so grateful for a copy of this book in an exchange for a review! Thank you SO much to the author, publisher, and netgalley! <3

Huge fan of Katherine Center ! Only she can take a serious subject and make it funny. This is a truly unique story. Thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. This book is about love, loss, illness, family and dreams. I highly recommend this book !

Katherine Center does it again! I first fell in love with her writing when I read How To Walk Away and I have devoured her work since.

THAT TWIST THOUGH! Really did not see it coming. This was such a great read.

Thank you for approving my request to read this! I may have squealed when I got the approval :)

Love isn’t blind, it’s just little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love―not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.

This book was amazing! It was funny and heartbreaking at times. The characters were great, family drama… love triangle. And such a unique plot. I highly recommend, but am not surprised as Katherine Center lives up to her reputation of being an amazing author.

Every summer when the new Katherine Center novel is released, I immediately go on “Do Not Disturb” mode and get SUCKED into her book for several days. Her upcoming novel, Hello Stranger, was no different as I sat on my couch and binged it for two days. As I was reading, it was close to Valentine's Day, so it was the PERFECT romantic comedy to get me in the holiday spirit.
Hello Stranger focuses on a 28-year-old struggling artist, Sadie, who is just trying to prove herself in life. After getting accepted into a contest that could make or break her career, Sadie has a seizure in the middle of the road while crossing the street. Luckily, a good Samaritan saves her life, but while she is in the hospital, doctors find out that the seizure was due to something on her brain and will need “minor” brain surgery. When Sadie wakes up after her surgery, she realizes that she can no longer see faces. Although this is temporary, it is a huge issue with Sadie because she...wait for it... is A POTRAIT ARTIST and her competition is in less than six weeks. The story shows Sadie navigating her new life, falling in love with not one but two men without seeing their face, and coming to terms with her past and present.
Hello Stranger, it is such an interesting concept, and I have not read anything like it before. Being a counselor, I really resonated with the therapy aspects and all the psychology that went into the brain surgery and prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. This was a light, fast paced read, and Katherine Center aways has a way of giving your whole-body chills like at the end of your favorite rom com movie. Although the ending was predictable, it was such a comforting book. Hello Stranger, will be out in stores Jully 11th 2023, and it will be such a feel-good summer read. 4 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it for anyone to enjoy!

2.75 rating

before I write my review I will say tysm to the publishing company for the arc
^and netgalley<3

this beginning was slow in my opinion
the characters weren't my favorite and I couldn't connect to them with the book having a slow start but I definitely can see why people love this book


I will say I loved the bodyguard so I was expecting to love this I was so disappointed:( but it might've just not been my style of book 💜

Winner! Winner! Katherine Center does it again! There was nothing not to love!-interesting characters and an unusual situation is the perfect recipe. This is fun, witty and touching!

This book had an interesting plot. Sadie, a self portrait artist, needs to have minor brain surgery. Unfortunately, after the surgery, she can no longer see faces, temporarily the docs said. While recovering, she meets Dr. Addison, her dogs vet, and Joe, an annoying neighbor in her building. She begins to fall for both guys, is trying to save her struggling career, and has to deal with her past. Will Sadie find her happiness?


Again, intriguing plot. I enjoyed the friendship between Joe and Sadie and reading about how she handles her temporary face blindness. What a life changing thing. However, there were so many characters I just couldn’t get behind and the ending felt a little too clean. Overall, it was ok.

I had such high hopes for this one, but I found myself skimming the last 25% of the book just to find out how it ended.

Here's where it fell short for me:

-Zero chemistry between MC and love interest
-The feud with the stepsister. I refuse to believe grown adults would behave this way. And the way it resolved (kind of?) was just so bizarre and not at all believable.
-The "break up" scene with a guy the MC had never been on a date with was, again, bizarre. It makes sense later so I guess I see why it was there, but in the moment I was so confused.

Katherine Center does it again with a book that accurately describes getting back up after life kicks you down. This book will keep you engaged until the twist I never saw coming at the very end. One of her best to date!

Sadie puts up walls because the people you love are the ones that hurt you the most. At least that has been her experience. After a traumatic incident leading to brain surgery, and a recovery that isn’t what she expected, she is left questioning her life’s work as a portrait artist. No longer able to see faces, how will she survive and navigate the world, especially romantically? While falling in love with her handsome (she thinks) vet, she is determined not to let anyone know her struggles especially her obnoxious, bowling jacket wearing, neighbor, Joe.

Hello Stranger is a fun romance that wasn’t overly steamy, which I appreciated. The beginning seemed to drag on. I did appreciate, not only the round characters, but also the complex relationships of a blended family. I felt that the subplot of her step-sister seemed a bit cliche and over the top, but I enjoyed having a villain. The book was cute, fun, and I’d recommend it for those looking for a more wholesome romance.

Thank you to @netgalley @katherinecenter and @stmartinspress for my ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.

This is my first book by Center and I am excited to share that it won’t be my last! I already have her other books on my TBR and want to read them all! Center’s writing style was easy to follow, funny, descriptive, emotional, and was a read I wanted to come back to each evening!

Hello Stranger has a unique premise in that the main character, Sadie, finds our that she needs to have an important surgery and then loses her ability to see people’s faces.

Sadie is a struggling artist and this health problem sets her back. She finds relief in spending time with her dog, Peanut, because she can see animal faces.

One day, Peanut gets sick and Sadie takes him to the vet. Dr. Addison, the vet, asks Saide out on a date. She doesn’t want him to know what’s going on with her face blindness though or anyone else in her life. That includes her neighbor, Joe, who seems to be in and out of everyone’s apartment. What is he up to?

Sadie and Joe develop a friendship since they are living in the same building and what unfolds is a fun surprise. Although I saw the surprise coming, it didn’t make it any less enjoyable in the book!

Truly adored this book. The characters are so relatable, the love triangle was unique, and the overall vibe was so heart warming. It’s a feel good book that had me grinning basically the whole time.

Katherine Center does it again! This book has such a unique concept. It’s charming and heartfelt and altogether fun! Center is definitely an auto-buy author for me from
here on out.

This read 50/50 split between fiction and romance, and for this story, it worked incredibly well. I learned so much about a health condition I didn't even know existed prior to this book in the most fascinating and heartwrenching way possible through the eyes of the protagonist.

Her character development was off-the-charts amazing. I'll admit I predicted the big mystery to how the love story would pan out almost immediately, but it didn't diminish the book for me at all.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center ✨pub date 7/11/23✨

“We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody, deep down, is a little bit lost”

⭐️: 4.5/5 (rounded to 5 on goodreads)

•

Just when she thinks her life is finally turning around by being a finalist in a major portrait competition, Sadie finds herself waking up in a hospital bed being told that she needs minor surgery. After her surgery Sadie develops a condition that prevents her from being able to recognize faces and turns her world upside down and unable to do the one thing she truly loves. As she faces the now faceless world Sadie must learn to see humanity in a new light and learn to look beyond what she can’t see to find what she’s really looking for.

_____

I absolutely loooooved this book! It was my first by Katherine Center & and I’m a sucker for a cute, wholesome, makes me “aww” romance and she gives us just that with Hello Stranger. I honestly didn’t find myself wishing more was happening!

It kept my interest the whole time so much so I didn’t want to put it down for even a second! I loved the uniqueness of the plot & everything the FMC did to overcome the challenges she was facing. I loved her growth, her courage, her fake it till you make it attitude that ended up kind of becoming part of her & that even when she wanted to give up she didn’t!

The only two things that I didn’t love were Sadie’s need to hide everything that was going on with her condition when the people she was keeping it from could’ve helped her tremendously and also the need to incorporate her mean stepsister. I really think she could’ve been fully left out but that’s just me 😂

But also Joe. I just love him. Joe & Sadie definitely had me rooting for them all the way to the end! The ending left me wanting so much more, so y’all need to definitely add this one to your tbr and pick up a copy this summer! 💕

•

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for this ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center in exchange for an honest review

Equal parts charming, fascinating, and heartbreaking— Hello, Stranger has something for everyone. I loved how multifaceted this was. The author weaves in elements of neuroscience/psychology, grief and loss, art and passion—I learned many new concepts I wasn’t expecting from a rom com! Although this was excellent, I grew a little tired of the main character halfway through which I think was the author’s intention because it was needed for the storyline but some may be annoyed like me? All in all, a cute love story that I will for sure recommend to patrons.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was my first read for this author. I will certainly be reading more! This story has unique plot points woven with laugh-out-loud dialogue, charming main and supporting characters, love triangles, and family drama. It has it all! I will advise for trigger warnings regarding grief and parental loss.

Meet Sadie. She is a portrait artist whose life is full of good and bad moments, but she keeps following in her mother's footsteps and striving for her lucky break. After all, that is the life of a “starving” artist, even if her style is described as Norman Rockwell. The day comes when she gets word she is a finalist in a high-profile portrait competition. It’s great news until Sadie realizes there’s a surgery she needs to have beforehand, and it’s non-negotiable. Recovery brings obstacles for Sadie, but her dog Peanut is there to save her sanity until he gets sick! Is the vet going to be able to save Peanut? Will Sadie continue to suffer, or will she triumph in the competition?

I found this an enjoyable read that was hard to put down. I loved the romance within the story, but the acknowledgments struck me. I highly recommend reading them as you venture along with Sadie.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a romantic comedy. It is especially good because Sadie, the main character, acquires a condition known as face blindness. I found this to be an amazing condition that I had never heard of before reading this book. The book has made me want to further research this condition. But, aside from gaining new knowledge the book was a fun and quick read. One moment to watch for especially: the joyfullness that jumps out at the reader when Sadie roller skates. At first, I did not find Sadie very likable. Her family issues seemed to have been holding her back in life and she didn’t seem to be very self-aware. This changed as the book progressed and at the end, I was proud of Sadie for the growth she had done. I am very appreciate of the digital ARC I was provided to read by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishers. This review is my own.