I thoroughly enjoyed Hello Stranger and it's light hearted love story. I figured out the twist very early on but still managed to read it in one sitting. It was super easy to read and I felt invested in the characters and finding out what would happen next. Definitely recommend this feel good story that reminds you to look for the good in the world.

My review and rating for this book is super surprising to me in more than one way.

I read and loved "The Bodyguard" last year - it was my first intro to Katherine Center, and I rated it 5 stars. I thought for sure I'd be rating this one 5 stars when I picked it up.

So when I was halfway through this book and kinda bored with it and not making any progress, I was shocked, but also could not imagine myself rating it any higher than 3 stars.

Thankfully, the book kicked into higher gear for me, and I just spent the last hour and a half reading the last 40% of the book, and it ended pretty solidly with 4 stars for me.

I think the story is incredibly creative - I've heard of face blindness before, but a character who makes a "living" off of painting portraits ending up with face blindness? Color me intrigued. (Pun not intended originally but now I see it, I'm not gonna delete it :-p)

Unfortunately, I think the first half of the book just fell really flat for me - the pacing was off or the character growth was slow or something. Instead of eagerly looking forward to picking up the book, I was avoiding reading. I was not the biggest fan of Sadie (also, I could not remember her name until someone called her "Sadie" again about 70% in... like, I couldn't even remember the main character's name?!) - I'm not sure I can put my finger on exactly what I didn't like about her, but I just wasn't invested in her, as a character, until about 60% into the book. I think there just wasn't much happening. Her face blindness wasn't healing, but also she wasn't really healing or growing much either. It was just stagnant feeling.

I also felt like the twist was entirely predictable - I knew about 4 chapters in how this was all going to end, and I was not wrong in the slightest. I actually don't think it was the book that gave it away so much as the book summary, but it was quickly clear to me that SPOILER SPOILER! grocery-store-wine-buyer was going to be the same guy as the guy who saved her from the car who was going to be the same guy as the vet who was going to be the same guy as Joe. I think seeing that so early on took away some of the joy of the anticipation for me.

I will say though that I was hesitant about liking Joe AT ALL after his intro to the story, and I am glad that I was completely wrong about that - Joe became my favorite part of the story.

Will I read this again? Maybe? I wonder if now knowing that it gets better, if the first half would flow better for me? Do I recommend it to others - yes, with the caveat of DON'T READ THE BOOK SUMMARY BEFOREHAND! :)

I also have to add that I loved the Author's Note at the end about romance books. It was just spot on.

I really liked the concept behind the book. An artist having to rebrand herself when she is no longer able to see faces. Makes her reevaluate everything in her life.

I couldn’t get over the step sister Parker. I wish she was not in the book at all. Hated every interaction with her and Sadie. And felt like there truly can’t be someone so sucky in life.

Joe and Sadie are adorable. They way their relationship builds from her thinking he’s the absolute worst to being the love of her life.

What I struggled with most however is there is zero chance Sadie wouldn’t have known that Joe is also Oliver. Yes I know in the book she’s explaining to her best friend the reasons why it could happen, but I just don’t believe it. the fact that Joe/Oliver could have explained he sorry for being late to the date. Or the guy who saved her life. Or when she asked if he was a pet sitter he would have said and a vet.

Because if this I can’t give it more than 3.5 stars.

This was my favorite Katherine Center book & I really enjoyed it. Sadie, who seems to have nothing ever go her way, has another unfortunate event after almost being hit by a car. Thankfully, a stranger stepped in & saved her. After going to the ER, Sadie, learns she has Fusiform Face Gyrus Prosopagnosia. Sadie, decides to put it off as she has a very important, possibly career changing contest to win. After contest & a lot of pushing by her father, Sadie obliges with it being it only being a several day recovery. Only the several day recovery ends up extending for about 7 weeks. Sadie has to learn to do something she’s never known, ask for help & accept help. & also finds herself falling for two different men. This book is so super cute & different from the usual typical romance. 5 stars.

I happily received an advance copy of Hello Stranger from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press In exchange for an honest review. Excited was an understatement since I haven’t read a Katherine Center book I didn’t like. This story follows the struggle of Sadie, a portrait artist, who is on the verge of her big break. Following in the footsteps of her deceased mother, Sadie has been honored with an opportunity to win an award in a prestigious portrait competition. Without giving anything away, Sadie has a life changing event that has impacts on her personal and professional lives. This story follows Sadie as the navigates her new normal striving to win the portrait contest, find love and happiness and cope with challenging family dynamics. A heartfelt novel that is cute, funny and just plain brain candy, Hello Stranger kept me turning pages into the wee hours.

I'm so excited I got this one. I loved the Bodyguard, but this one was amazing. I loved learning about what happens to Sadie. I didn't even know it was a real thing and got me thinking about how crazy life would be if I had that happen. I loved the message of loving yourself and the relationship that she had with Peanut. I won't give away the twist, but I definitely laughed out loud a lot during the last couple of chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this fantastic book!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, and her books are auto-reads for me. Sadie was absolutely hilarious and so relatable. Like one of my favorite fmcs ever. And seeing her personal journey and the anticipation of the ending felt so personal to me. This was a love triangle, but I didn’t hate it, which really speaks to how much I love this author. I didn’t see the twist coming at all, but now I really want to read it all over again.

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

Absolutely loved this book! Loved all exploring all the layers Sadie was dealing with and seeing how she handled them. Can't wait for Katherine Center's next book!

Sadie has always been interested in art and wants it to be her career. She finally gets a chance at her big break. But then, she is almost killed in an accident and suffers loss of facial recognition as a result. This is detrimental to her art since she paints portraits.

Over the course of the story, Sadie learns so much about herself including the role art has in her life and that asking for help is important for everyone.

It’s a story of hope and forgiveness with a little romance and a twist I did not see coming, at all. I’ve read several books by this author and this one is my new favourite.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for making this ARC available to read. This is my honest review.

Have you ever read a book that felt like you were reading your own diary? That’s what this book is like! I loved the way it was written exactly like Sadie’s thoughts; crazy, random, and so relatable. Katherine Center’s books are always so sweet with and amazing storyline and Hello Stranger was no different.

Through boy troubles, parent struggles, and evil step-sister probs, this book has it all and should definitely be added to your TBR once published.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Love isn’t blind, it’s just a 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 pile of disconnected features.
The timing couldn't be worse. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.

Thank you to @St. Martin’s Press and @netgalley for the digital ARC of this book 💛

Katherine Center does it again (and again and again)! Her books are always so well written & the right mix of sweet, realistic characters dealing with serious issues...Hello Stranger did not disappoint. While I had never heard of prosopagnosia before, I liked learning a little more about it. I also loved her neighbor Joe and his whole character arc! I would absolutely recommend this book (and all other Katherine Center books) to anyone and everyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall I did enjoy this book. Sadie has to go through a really bad time in her life to get to the good. It's a bit cathartic for her in the end and I think worth her going through it. She learns a lot about herself and what she can accomplish. Sadie and Joe's relationship is fine to witness and even more interesting when truths a revealed.

Oh. My. Goodness. WHAT A BOOK!
I absolutely devoured this book and I can't wait for everyone else to be able to enjoy it! This book is absolutely amazing. The ending made my jaw DROP! Katherine Center knocked it out if the park!

Sadie is an aspiring artist waiting on her career to take off. And waiting, and waiting. When Sadie finally gets news that's she is a finalist in a portrait competition, the same competition her late mother was also a finalist in, she sees this as her opportunity for a big break in her career! Shortly after getting this great news, Sadie is told she needs a minor brain surgery for a weak blood vessel in her brain.

As a side effect of her surgery, Sadie develops prosopagnosia, or facial blindness, she can no longer see people's faces.

As you can imagine, this is a problem given that she is a portrait artist for a living. Along her road to recovery, Sadie finds herself falling for 2 separate men. Her devastatingly handsome veterinarian and her douchey downstairs neighbor.

After being stood up on a date, she confides in her neighbor and slowly realizes they might have more than just a simple friendship. But what to do about the handsome veterinarian? Sadie is navigating a new way of life facing the facial blindness, all while still trying to make her dreams come true, and sort out her love life!

ARC from NetGalley

I've never met a Katherine Center book I didn't like, and this one was no exception! The story was cute with just enough drama sprinkled in. Of course I cried, like I do during any of her novels. The only two things I didn't particularly enjoy were (1) the predictable "plot twist" at the end (seriously, I'm the worst at sensing a plot twist and I called it almost right away), and (2) the characters felt kind of...meh. I didn't dislike them, but I wasn't sad to see them go.

The Bodyguard is still far and away my favorite of Katherine Center's books, but I still enjoyed Sadie's story and would definitely recommend it.

I fell in love with this book by the end of the first page. I love the way Katherine Center writes. She uses humor while still having a serious topic/storyline. This book had me laughing, shocked, angry, and sad, some of thesse often aat the same time. I read it in 3 days and it would have been faster had life not ended up in the way. I definitely give it 5 stars and would give it more if I could.

A beautiful story about Sadie Montgomery, a struggling portrait artist, that has an accident that ends with her having Face Blindess. This diagnosis rocks her as she is just about to start work on a portrait for a contest thay could win her a lot of money, and hopefully win her some points with her dad. She is now an artist that cannot see a face as a face, but instead, as fragments. Her best friend, Sue, helps where and when she can.

In the meantime, her dog Peanut becomes sick. She rushes him to the vet where she meets dashing, Dr Oliver Addison. She can't see his face but can tell he is handsome and kind. She's also trying to deal with grumpy, troublesome, Joe from her apartment building. He slowly grows on her and shows his helpful, fun side. Which man will win her heart in the end?

I loved this book. And this author. I read the bodyguard last year and hated myself that i wait to read it for so long so as soon as i saw this on netgalley i had to request it with no hesitation. And no regrets this way the characters were great and so very relatable and the plot was so good i was hooked by thr girst characters I cant wait to read more from Katherine center. I'll even read her grocery list. So worth the read 5 stars this way

After finally getting the career break she’s been looking for, Sadie ends up in an accident and after surgery learns she now has face blindness and for a portrait artist it’s career ending. Struggling, Sadie must learn to live navigate her “new normal” and finds an unlikely alley in her building but doesn’t know who he is.

Some thoughts I had while reading
-Sadie has had it rough- losing her mom at such a young age, her dad casting her aside and creating a new family, and then her face blindness
-Sue is selfish and not a very good friend; how can you forget what your best friend is going through constantly
-Joe, her neighbor, was surprising in a good way and turned out to be just who she needed in her time of need even when she didn’t realize it
-Sadie’s family is insanely dysfunctional and I don’t like how their issues would wrapped up quickly; I wouldn’t be so quick to welcome them back into my life after everything they did and didn’t do
-I understood Sadie’s struggle to grasp for the good things especially after her accident
-I learned more about face blindness after finishing Hello Stranger

I still enjoyed the story but it didn’t become my new favorite Katherine Center book. I think it’s gonna be really hard to knock off Things You Save in a Fire, although The Bodyguard came close.



Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Sadie, a portrait artist, was diagnosed with acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. Follow Sadie and her journey to find herself and her place in the artistic community with her new found disability. This book has the most unique plot line, but there is just something missing that I cannot exactly put my finger on.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I know it’s only February, but this might be my favorite book this year.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I can’t wait to recommend this book to all of my friends and family.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

I absolutely adored The Bodyguard, so I was anxious t get my hands on this one, and once i did I read it in a day. Sadie's accident and subsequent surgery and losing her art really set up high emotional stakes. I loved how much care the author gave to the complexity of having such a condition and that Sadie didn't just give up on trying to paint her portrait for the contest. I truly felt the tension of trying to navigate life with facial blindness and how disorienting it would be to not recognize anyone. The story captured the loneliness and disorientation of falling in love, but also the way that it can be difficult for people not suffering from a condition to understand it, even if they have good intentions. I really loved this book.