Katherine Center has always been one of my favorites, and this book is no different. This book had such a unique storyline and lovable characters. I had never heard of prosopagnosia and I learned so much about it. I had no idea so many people suffer from it. I loved both Sadie and Joe, and of course peanut. I liked the little love triangle between her joe and Dr. Addison.

Her books are always so heartwarming and leave me feeling fulfilled. Reading about Sadie overcoming what to most would have been a career ending diagnosis was inspiring. I would highly recommend this book (and all her others) to anyone looking for a book that makes you feel happy.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

I have been consistently loving Katherine Center's novels and Hello Stranger is yet another delight in her catalog. From pretty much the first page I was sucked into Sadie's world and I just LOVE Sadie. I would read all the books with Sadie. She was such a joy to get to know and as a fellow human who lost their mother as a child this book really grabbed me in a way too.

Face Blindness was something I knew about having worked with someone before that had it but I never quite grasped what life was like for him until I read this book. It was fascinating and interesting to me and I imagine others will also be intrigued by this.

Overall I loved reading this lovely hopeful book and the end notes, which I usually skip, were some of the best bits. I really loved what she had to say about romance novels! Definitely make sure to read them!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Bodyguard was one of my favorite romance reads of last year, so I was excited I was able to get a copy of “Hello Stranger” to read. The beginning felt….like any other romance. Sweet enough. But the ending packed a punch I wasn’t expecting until right up at the end. I loved watching literal scatter brained Sadie try to unscramble the pieces of her life, both new and small. It’s possible that losing part of her visual abilities was exactly what Sadie needed to get her life back!

Would totally recommend for a feel good romance!

I am a huge Katherine Center fan... and this fell flat for me. I found the main character to be whiny - I felt like the entire step-sister scenario was not believable - and I figured out the 'twist' early in the book. The MMC and other characters were superb - but the FMC just ruined it.

This is my first time reading a book by this author and I am really liking the style of writing. This book was written as if it we were watching the story unfold in her thoughts.. or she was casually telling the details to a friend. Just enough description to form a fantastic brain movie but not so much that it felt like useless fluff. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised that the story line surprised me. Well done.

I loved this so much! I'm a big fan of Katherine Center's other novels, and I believe this is my favorite she's written. so far

Sadie is a down on her luck portrait artist, who may finally have the big break she's been dreaming of. Weeks before her competition, she has to have brain surgery which leaves her with facial blindness- and unknown if it is temporary or permanent in nature. Sadie is trying to figure out how to navigate her life alongside her favorite pup, Peanut and her best friend. Her life become a little more complicated with two potential love interests, her very attractive (she thinks?) vet and her hate and then maybe love relationship with her neighbor, Joe. I loved the romance aspect of the book, but even more, I loved Sadie's journey of dealing with her new reality, how to navigate relationships in her life, and persevere. She was such a likable underdog protagonist!

Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a fun romance! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this one. It was a good, wholesome romance. The characters were fun and so relatable.

Prosopagnosia - a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces. Sadie Montgomery is faced with this diagnosis after she has a seizure in the middle of a crosswalk. The thing is, she’s a painter, a portraitist. So how does she move on and adjust?

In her characteristic joyful style, Katherine Center shows how Sadie deals with her new diagnosis with both some self-pity and some positive self-talk. Yes, she has some deep hurts from her past, but she moves forward with hope and humor. I loved it!

After reading The Bodyguard by Katerine Center, I knew I wanted to read more books by her. I had read How to Walk Away (which I rated 3 stars) and unfortunately, this book kinda reminded me of it. The main part that reminded me of How to Walk Away was the medical jargon. This book had some heavy medical words but fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as How to Walk Away. The medical parts of the book were explained very well so that a common person, like me, could understand what was going on. I really appreciated that.

Other than those parts, I thought this book was really good. I could tell what the plot twist was going to be but I still thought it was executed very well. I was yelling at the book, trying to get Sadie to understand what was going on. She even mentioned something along the lines of how so many miscommunications could be solved by COMMUNICATING and then she went and didn’t communicate. So I thought that was kind of dumb. But it’s fine.

There were so many cute parts in the book that I liked about each love interest. Joe was adorable and I loved his nickname of “Helpful”. What more could you ask of a love interest? He was really invested in Sadie which I found so endearing. I would recommend reading this book, not only for the exposure to a disorder you might not have heard of before but also for the amazing romantic plot.

I really enjoyed this book and learning more about Sadie’s condition. I love Katherine Center and her abilities to feature a plot twist and interesting romance storyline.

Perception vs Reality!
Center’s newest novel makes you wonder about what you think you know and what is actually the case. Imagine not being able to see the faces of those around you. How would you cope?
Katherine Center writes with a true voice that endears her readers to her quirky characters. In this novel, Sadie Montgomery is down on her luck, but just received what could be her big break. But then, she blacks out, has surgery, and faces her biggest challenge yet in her recovery. Sadie deals with all this by being herself and trudging forward, not giving in and not asking for help. In the end, Sadie’s challenges, including what some might call a disability, do not deter her. She works through it all and comes out on top, as you would expect.
I’ll read anything Katherine Center writes! She writes believable stories and interesting characters. Hello Stranger did not disappoint.

Everyone please read this when it comes out in July! I rarely ever have a book hangover, but I took a day to really soak it in! I buddy read this with @molsreadingadventure We were excitingly messaging as we were reading. The book has everything you want! Parts of this is a meet cute romcom, but others is more contemporary fiction.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC! Thank you @katherinecenter for killing it once again !!

Sadie Montgomery is about to have her big break as a portrait artist, but after discovering a medical condition that needs surgery she is worried she won’t be able to finish the project. The doctors said the procedure is necessary, but minor. When she wakes up she believes everything is great. She’s healing well and feeling pretty good. Then, when her friend Sue visits her she realizes she can’t see faces. She has face blindness. The doctors tell her it should be temporary but to prepare herself. Her anxiety goes through the roof. How is she supposed to provide for herself when her job is to paint faces?
When her beloved dog Peanut gets sick she has to take him to vet and is worried about going in public without being able to identify people. Then she meets Dr. Addison. While she can’t see his face she can tell he’s handsome and kind.
She also keeps running into her obnoxious neighbor Joe. He seems to be a ladies man, but after over hearing a phone conversation he doesn’t seem kind. Until helpful Joe keeps pulling through for her and she gradually gets to know him.
She’s torn between her feelings for Dr. Addison and Joe while dealing with her complicated health issues.

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This book was so much fun to read. While the twist was easy to see coming, I still enjoyed it from start to finish. Katherine center has become an auto buy author for me and I haven’t been let down yet.

I didn’t love this book until I got close to half way in. The beginning was a little slow for me and some of the details were just a little too unrealistic - the evil stepsister and the vet she fell in love with, for example, and there were a few other things that kind of made me roll my eyes. However, as Sadie’s character and her relationships with her family and friends developed, I really felt a connection with her, as strange as that might sound. Everything, including the eye roll-inducing parts, all tied together nicely in the end and I wish I wasn’t done reading this book already!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC and for introducing me to a new author! I can’t wait to read more of Katherine Center’s books!

A clever take on the amnesia trope with a very lovable character in Joe / Oliver. It was a very sweet story with depth around discussions of loss and family. My only gripe is that it is as wrapped up in a bow a little too nicely for my taste, what can I say. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm rounding my rating up from a 2.5. Unfortunately this one just missed the mark for me. I'll start with the main female character, Sadie. She was borderline unlikeable from the start which made it hard for me to become invested in any type of romance for her. I actually liked the unique face blindness plot but Sadie seemed immature for being in her late 20s. She made it hard to be sympathetic toward her condition. I don't mind a family drama subplot in books but everyone (dad, stepmom, stepsister, and even her best friend) were just plain awful. The stepsister having a decade long vendetta in which she goes so far as moving into the same building just to torture Sadie was ridiculous and unbelievable. The ending was okay but it didn't leave me feeling much of anything.

I did enjoy Peanut the dog.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an eARC reader. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Katherine Center book and I really wanted to like it. I am going to get around to reading The Bodyguard but after reading this story I am unsure if I want to.

I’m not completely tearing this book apart. I really liked the unique plot of the main character having face blindness and it hindering her being a portrait artist. I also loved the male lead and the way the male lead was always there for her and really being her saving grace. He was honestly the best part of the book. BUT on the flip side so many parts of the story were very random. The evil stepsister, the family members being so awful, the lead always being so up and down. She was negative the entire book (and yes, I can understand after an accident and trauma that this is valid) but then when it comes to her stepsister ruing her life forever she’s just like “meh!”. Her emotions were misplaced often. I feel like this could have been a much better story had the author really fleshed out the past trauma and the sister. And really delved into mental health and focused on “Joe” emotionally being her rock. It lacked romance and Joe is the perfect character for romance. It was a missed opportunity for a really heartfelt love story.

The miscommunication part just annoyed me. I feel like the veterinarian was not needed at all. All of the other “meet cutes” between them would have sufficed. Please, and DO NOT get me started on Augusta just randomly showing up and being : “ oh it wasn’t her, it was the sister!”. That honestly was the moment I rated lower.

It brought me back around in the epilogue because the last part was sweet:

“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.”

This is who I wanted the character to be much early on or at least had worked to get here alongside “Joe”. Instead we get her last minute in the end with no story of how she got to this place.

I want to thank NetGalley & St. Martins press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately hooked as soon as I started this book. I love how everything flows smoothly together with each page. I have already fallen in love with the main female character, and then she finds out she needs brain surgery. She has a side effect from the surgery. She can no longer put a person’s face together. She is diagnosed with Face blindness, also known as prosopagnosia, it refers to a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize familiar faces. I felt her pain and frustration. As a portrait artist, not seeing people's faces would make the job a little difficult.

Her life becomes more complicated when her dog, Peanut, needs to see a vet. She immediately falls for the vet’s voice, and demeanor. Then she builds a friendly relationship with nice guy in her apartment building.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and gives you all the warm feelings. I stayed up late to finish it! The only downside for me was I predicted the outcome but that is a good thing with a romance book. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a comfort romance book

"Every real human interaction is made up of a million tiny moving pieces. Not a simple one-note situation: a symphony of cues to read and decipher and evaluate and pay attention to. It’s a wonder we ever get anything straight at all." -Hello Stranger, Katherine Center

Hello Stranger has all of the key elements to a successful rom-com: two lovable leads, the first-meet moment, a unique and problematic situation, relationship jeopardy, the “lightbulb moment,” and the big speech leading to a HEA. What differentiates HS from the rest is the manner in which the author adeptly draws you in to the emotional struggle of the main character, Sadie. I found myself immediately empathizing with Sadie’s plight, feeling sad/angry/desperate right along with her. And her character growth was so well developed that in the end, I felt at peace with things too!

I learned a great deal about prosopagnosia (face-blindness) as well. Believe it or not, this is the second book I’ve read where a MC had the disorder. However, Center went into greater detailed defining it, the different types, and the effects it can have on a person. I had no idea so many people have been diagnosed with face-blindness (some very well-know people to boot!).

In the Author’s Note, Center mentions “predictability” as frequently associated with the romance genre and how it is seen as a negative. She’s right that we need a new term, because although something follows a similar formula it hardly means the journey is the same let alone all the feelings that you experience along the way. Even though the “plot twist” was obvious very early on, it felt to me that the author intended it that way. It seemed a means to further establish all the problems and pitfalls associated with Sadie’s face-blindness along with a deeper layer of emotional engagement for the reader.

Hello Stranger is quirky and fun while tackling a unique and, to me at least, very jarring situation. Pick up a copy, I think it will make you feel good!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me. Ever since I read How to Walk Away I was hooked on Centers writing and story telling that always left me feeling warm and fuzzy. This book was no different. I really enjoyed Sadie's character and how she worked through her expectations of how her life should be. The focus on the prosopagnosia was very intriguing and I wanted to just scream at Sadie to ask for help! But, alas, that was the whole point of the book. I loved the supporting characters and the chemistry with Joe was beautiful. I will say, I had quite a visceral reaction to Harper. I have not hated a character so much in a long time. This was a great story focused on adapting to change, asking for help and falling in love. It was quirky and endearing. It was easy to root for these characters.