This was an incredibly enjoyable novel about Sadie figuring out her newly diagnosed face blindness. As a portrait painter this is a huge set back for Sadie, as she has to navigate a new way of living. This was a super interesting take on romance, while also giving a great story of family and forgiveness. And Sadie meets a great guy and I couldn't stop reading their story. I was actually surprised with the reason for the third act breakup, and thought it was well done. Katherine Center knows how to write a story!

Hello Stranger is the perfect romance for someone who is tired of predictable romance books. I love Katherine Center's books and I love that her characters are never one dimensional. She does a great job of bringing in real-life struggles to her books and it adds a depth that so many books are lacking.

I enjoyed this one and it felt very similar to her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good romance and in the author's words it did a great job of creating fantastic anticipation. I was invested in the story. I learned a ton about "face blindness" and walked away with a dose of oxytocin. My one struggle with this book was the miscommunication. It fit the story line but it's so frustrating to me. If this isn't a trigger for you I think you'll find this book an easy 5 star read.

Katherine Center does it again! Another great read!
Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist who paints portraits. Her mom died when she was a teenager. Sadie has had struggles through her entire life.
Sadie gets a big break when she beats out hundreds of others in a portrait contest and could win $10,000. Sadie’s mom was an artist and had entered this contest as well. Sadie must have the portrait for the competition done in 6 weeks.
Things then go a bit downhill from here for Sadie. She finds out she needs brain surgery. After the brain surgery she develops an issue where she can no longer see faces. How do you create a portrait when you can’t see faces?
In walks Joe and Dr. Oliver Addison and she is totally confused.
This is a fun and easy read. Would love to see this as a movie.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

I went into this blindly after reading and loving The Bodyguard and it was not what I expected! but… I loved it! such a cool concept and story that kept me guessing and really pulled me in. I couldn’t put it down because I HAD to find out what happened at the end! the characters were quirky and loveable and had a lot of depth to them still. I was so pissed off at her family for the way they treated her. her fam was kind of a Cinderella situation with a wicker stepsister and stepmother. I’ve never heard of a head trauma causing someone to not be able to process faces but I have a lot of empathy for Sadie and the way her diagnosis hinders her work as a portrait artist. Joe- god bless him! he’s so loyal and cute & I love him 🥹❤️

Katherine Center’s books always hit me hard and this one did not disappoint! tears!!!

happy to have received this ARC from netgallery & can’t wait for the release on July 11, 2023!

Rating 3.5/5

I absolutely loved The Bodyguard and was so excited for this one. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

The premise of the book was super interesting. Sadie acquires “face blindness” after a brain surgery and can no longer “see” faces. She is an artist and has a big show coming up, so obviously this is a huge problem. Sadie tries to navigate this hopefully temporary disability, but doesn’t want to let people know what is going on with her.

I felt like this story was kind of repetitive and her problems could have been solved so easily by communicating that she could not see faces right now. I also saw the “twist” from the very beginning, so the story kind of dragged and was not a shocker when Sadie figures everything out.

Sadie’s family is also extremely toxic and it was very over the top dramatic—not believable at all.

The romance was really slow and sweet. It would have been nice if things could have resolved earlier.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Katherine Center is the new queen of RomCom in my heart! I couldn't put this book down. Sadie is an utterly endearing character that you feel invested in from the very start. I highly recommend Hello Stranger if you are looking for well-rounded characters, a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat, with both angst and humor, and a very satisfying romance.

For all that Katherine Center has done that I've loved (aka The Bodyguard), this missed the mark for me. Now, the author's note about anticipation didn't change that for me. I felt the anticipation was lacking and I 100% guessed the end very early on. I was annoyed by the protagonist and her family more than I care to be in a romance novel.

It was still fun to read and enjoyable. I especially liked the development of her relationship with Joe.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great new rom-com - thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This was my first Katherine Center book but definitely won’t be my last! After recently reading a thriller that featured a character with proposagnosia, I was intrigued to see this concept used for a romance novel. It did not disappoint! The story centers on Sadie Montgomery, a struggling portrait artist that becomes “face blind” after a surgery following a freak accident. Sadie’s relationship with her dad has been strained since the death of her mother (also an artist) fourteen years ago, but she is excited to finally have her “big break” moment after making it to the finals of a prestigious art competition. But how can she complete the most important portrait of her life when she can’t see anyone’s face?

I was eager to see how Sadie would adapt to her new-found circumstances, and enjoyed the “mystery” of her two romantic interests whose faces she couldn’t recognize. I found the family drama to be a little ham-fisted, which is the only reason this book didn’t get a full five stars. I was about half-way there to figuring out the ending, but the hilarity of the situations Sadie finds herself in and the relationship with her best friend, Sue, kept me fully engaged. Overall, a wonderful read for those who love the anticipation of a happy ending that comes from a good romance!

4.5 ⭐️

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this delightful novel to read and review.

Katherine Center’s writing is always a joy to read. A good mix of joyful anticipation with obstacles that aren’t far-fetched. Would highly recommend for anyone who needs a little dose of happiness.

Portrait artist Sadie Montgomery just landed a finalist spot in a competition that could change everything for her. Unfortunately, a recent operation has left her with a most inconvenient side effect: temporary face blindness. One of the things I loved most about this novel was the fun, engaging narrator, who added so much personality to the book. The romance plot was predictable in the best possible way, and I loved being able to figure it all out before Sadie did. This was just a fun read!

What would you do if all of a sudden you wake up and you lost your ability to do what you loved? This question kept going through my mind while I was reading this book. Sadie awakens in the hospital after suffering an accident and she no longer has the ability to see faces. She can see all other features but this one important part. This would be hard for a normal person; but for her, it’s life changing because she is a portrait artist. With the help of some amazing friends (who are the family she deserves), she tries to navigate her new life while hoping to return to her old life. Katherine Center brings these characters and their stories to life. She has an amazing way of transporting her readers into the story and becoming invested in the characters growth.

I adored the characters in the novel. I was laughing and crying along with Sadie! This novel also has the best type of love triangle. I loved the “mistaken identity” style trope. I adore the character growth that Sadie has through the story. There is also family drama that makes you feel for Sadie even more than just from the accident. The plot was also something that I hadn’t personally seen, or read, before and That added to why I loved this story.

I really appreciate the chance to get to read this as an ARC copy. Thank you @netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this wonderful book.

I’ve had another book by Katherine Center on my TBR for a while, and got really lucky coming across this ARC on @netgalley that it seems like everyone has been reading in the last week or so! Coming 7/11/23, this had me hooked from the very first page with Sadie’s inner (and against her own wishes) desire to make her parent proud of her career and of her life. While it was easy for me to see the “twist” coming, it was still so much fun to keep reading and see how we got there, and that’s what matters most in making a great read. Plus with Peanut, described as “literally the cutest dog in the world”, I just wanted this to end up a happy story. Seriously though - read the author’s note in this one. She so fantastically described WHY we love romance books, and why they’re so simple and easy and fun and relaxing. Thank you @katherinecenter!

I really loved the unique plot of this book! I honestly did not see it coming, and was surprised at the turn this book took so quickly. I also really liked how all of the relationships were set up so well in the beginning, I understood all of the dynamics easily which helped me feel so immersed in the story. I think every element in this story worked so nicely, and the characters were so great. The cover is also so beautiful I love it so much.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

I think I squealed when I saw this was available to read on Netgalley. Katherine Center’s newest book doesn’t disappoint. Sadie Montgomery is a quirky and lovable character who has fallen on some hard times. After a fainting episode leads to brain surgery, Sadie develops face-blindness. As a portrait artist who is a finalist in an art competition, this couldn’t come at a worse time. Sadie allows herself to wallow with her beloved pup, but decides to still paint a portrait with the help of her neighbor Joe. I loved how Center showed Sadie’s struggle with her mental health and her family issues. Sadie experienced the loss of her mother during her formative years and it greatly affected her. Hello Stanger tugs at your heartstrings, will make you both laugh and possibly cry, and has an adorable ending.

This is a fun, engaging, and unique story that is hard to put down. Katherine’s writing is flawless and I found myself battling with the urge to read it as fast as I could while wanting to slow down to savor every moment. This is another perfect romance story with depth, great characters, and an original story line.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

WOW!!! Just WOW!! First off I have never heard of Prosopagnosia before this so I learned something throughout this story. It was so genuinely funny, heartwrenching, and hopeful all at the same time. The struggles that Sadie endured in her life as well as her family life are so relatable at any given point but she is strong and keeps going! I kept waiting for that "predictable" moment where we all know what happens but I did not expect it to happen in that way. Absolutely loved reading this gem and cannot wait to find more from Ms. Center!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC Review! Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t the first I’ve read from Katherine Center and I really enjoy her writing style. That being said, I had a few issues with it I’ll review before I go over what I liked. First, there were several instances (more so at the beginning) where our main character was psychotically obsessed with the veterinarian. It ready as very creepy and wasn’t funny at all, even though it seems like it was intended to be cute. Second, there was too much focus on the main character’s inner thoughts and not enough dialogue between our characters. At several different points I was bored and kind of sped read through whereas if there had been dialogue and banter it would’ve been much more enjoyable and engaging. There was also some deeper meaning when we saw the main character’s thought and inner self - it was very sad at times but towards the end we saw her triumphant victory. Now onto what I loved about this book. The main characters were all extremely lovable and easy to cheer on. I loved our romantic story and even wished we had more in depth detail on that. Author needs to lean into the romantic comedy and really increase the banter and focus in on that flirty dialogue even more. Overall I really enjoyed this and will continue to read all of her new books! The Bodyguard was another great read.

“The more good things you look for, you more you find.”

Rating: 4/5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am a sucker for a Katherine Center romcom and Hello Stranger was a delight. One minute Sadie Montgomery was on the brink of having her big break in the art world as a portrait artist and the next she was in the hospital, diagnosed with face blindness. Sadie navigates how to finish her entry for the North American Portrait Society contest, cope with nagging family drama and determine which of her love interests is truly for her. Can you believe the timing?

This story has a lot of sweet moments and some twists and turns along the way. Be sure to add this to your TBR. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I really loved this book. I read a lot of rom-com on both the romance and the women's fiction side, indie and trad published, and this is at the very top of my list now. It's such a clever premise, and so brilliantly executed. The author handles everything so well: what the reader knows and doesn't know, the unreliable narrator, the health/medical research. The secondary characters are charming and believable, and the main romance plot is just... gah, so good! One of my favorite rom-coms of all time!