After reading my first Katherine Center book last year (The Bodyguard) I was super excited to recieve an e-Arc of Hello Stranger, as it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023.

While I certainly enjoyed it, I don't think it hit the same high notes that The Bodyguard did, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

Sadie is a struggling artist, estranged from her father, on the cusp of potentially a huge break in her career. When she faints in the street and is saved by a stranger her world falls apart. She needs "minor" brain surgery (is there ever such a thing when it involves your brain?), and when she wakes up she can't recognize faces. To anyone this would be difficult to deal with, but Sadie is a portrait artist so it's not only difficult it's devastating.

Often in novels artists are portrayed as thriving, when in reality being an artist can be demanding and difficult. I trained as an actress and when I was making the decision to either go to university for theatre or for political science a professional theatre actor told me "if you love anything else, do that". Because it's a difficult, hard life. Most artists are not making millions, they are struggling to survive, but do so because their art is their passion. Centre shows us this reality with Sadie, how painting is her passion but it's come at a price. She lives in a studio that isn't really fit for a human to reside in, she struggles with a small income, she can barely afford $9 wine.

I also loved the evolving relationship with Joe, which is difficult to get into without revealing too much of the plot. But, in not being able to see faces Sadie learns about what she has, and has not, been perceiving her whole life.

I'm knocking off a star because of Parker. Sure every story needs a villain, but Parker was such a cartoon character it was just annoying. Every evil step sister trope was put into Parker. She reminded me of the villains in any early 2000s teen movie. I swear, I pictured her in a hot pink juicy couture sweatsuit, she was that much of a stereotype.

Big thanks to St Martin's Press via #NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Wow wow wow. Katherine does it again.

From the beginning I was intrigued and had to find out what happened to Sadie. So much thoughtfulness went into every confusion of Sadie’s and twist of characters. I loved this book! Thank you NetGalley!

Such an intriguing and fascinating premise! Probably my favorite Katherine Center to date. Sadie's unexpected brain surgery following a fall results in "face blindless" which is quite a stumbling block for a portrait artist. What follows is a hilarious tale of coping, learning, and determination. However my one "issue" was the narrative tension felt almost too taut/stressful for me - probably a personal gripe. I wanted everything to be a little less stressful!! But wow, what a payoff of an ending to see everything come together in a way I did not expect.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC - I'm always excited and honored to get a Katherine Center new release :)

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a unique tale. I am always immersed in her storylines and genuinely have a good time reading them. It never feels like a chore or has dips where I'm wanting to skim.

The way Katherine set this up could have gone a plethora of ways. I did end up seeing the big twist from miles away (which is fine) I didn't love some of the outcomes, but nonetheless an enjoyable read.

Things You Save in a Fire still claims the top spot for me. It will be hard to beat! I do think the people will eat up every word of this though.

I want to thank SMP Romance and Netgalley for giving me the pleasure of reading Hello Stranger in advance!

Publication Date: 7/11

A cute warm romance with a forever happy feeling. It was hard to get into and maybe it was just me, but it didn’t feel natural and pulled me out of the story

Many thanks to St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely book in advance of its July publication date!

Star rating: 5/5

Sadie is a struggling artist whose life changes before her eyes - literally - after undergoing emergency brain surgery that leaves her with a form of facial blindness. This isn’t very convenient when you’re a portrait artist on the cusp of your big break. And makes it more difficult to navigate the complexities of your family. Then throw a (you think) handsome stranger (or how about two?) in the mix. Life is bound to get a bit chaotic.

I’m not going to lie - this book had me grinning from ear to ear by the end. I loved Sadie’s story, her passion for art, and the series of misadventures she shares with Joe & Dr. Addison, her two male suitors throughout this delightful and fast paced romcom. This one reminds me of some of the classic romcoms, where you’re just rooting so hard for the main character come the end.

I figured out the “twist” about ¾ of the way through, and it made it no less delightful to read my way to the end. Katherine Center infuses her characters with funny quirks, good backstories, and dialogue you truly care about. Nothing stilted or awkward about the romance in this book, and despite the book staying PG-13 throughout, she managed to shape the chemistry and interactions in such a way that you still felt a bit of spice.

I really appreciated Center’s research on face blindness and how seriously she took the subject matter throughout - I learned a lot about a condition I knew nothing about and despite dealing with a serious medical issue, the book never felt heavy.

Make sure to snag this one for yourself when it comes out in July!

ok, wow. If you loved The Bodyguard, you HAVE to read this one. It had drama, angst, love, loss. All of the things and they all wrapped up so nicely and flowed seamlessly throughout this entire book. Sadie is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read, and that might be why I loved this one so much. I highly highly recommend reading this one!!

Hello Stranger is out July 2023. 🤍

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hello Stranger
by Katherine Center
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. Center is one of my favorite authors. I was so glad to be able to read the ARC. This book made be swoon, laugh, and kept me reading! What a great story!~
I learned a lot medically. I never knew something like face blindness even existed. I loved this book!! 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.
I never saw the twist coming and I am glad I didn't. It gave me hope and a new perspective. It helped me see the joy of helping others. I highly recommend this book! 5 stars no doubt!!

4.5 Stars

Hello Stranger is my new favorite book by Katherine Center! I really loved it and haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished.

I’m not usually someone who cries when reading but this had me choked up many times. First of all, I didn’t even know being facially blind was a real thing. I felt so empathetic towards Sadie and was eager to learn about what it means to live with this disorder. I thought Hello Stranger did a really good job at the portrayal & I feel like I learned a lot.

Another one of my favorite things was the way this book portrayed grief. I think if you’ve ever lost someone very dear to you then you will be able to relate to Sadie.

The only reason I didn’t give a full five stars is because there was a side storyline that was a little too dramatic for me… think an over-the-top cartoon villain! But other than that it was so good.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Hello Stranger is about a struggling portrait artist who has an estranged relationship with her father, who after a surgery has face blindness, right when she's about to finally prove herself (or so she thinks). Katherine Center always writes an engaging story but I really struggled with this because so much of the conflict and drama could be avoided if the main character would just tell people what had happened to her! It didn't make much sense at all why she absolutely refuses to let people know that she is struggling. It made it super frustrating to read, even as her love interest (love interests?) were the best part of the novel. Joe is the ultimate cinnamon roll hero. Sadly, because of how the whole novel hinges on the heroine being almost TSTL (and honestly I had no idea what Joe saw in her) I can only give it 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchanged for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Wow! Katherine Center truly never fails me. I love that her novels are not all about the spice but are still able to eclipse the romance between her characters. I loved Things You Save In a Fire and The Bodyguard, and I loved this one as well. I kept reading it and reading it, and not wanting to put it down, which is unusual for me when it comes to romance novels. The nature of her writing is so easy, and she creates a follow that guides the reader quickly through the book. Even though I was totally surprised by Sadie's facial recognition problems due to her surgery, I still felt that I could identify with her when it came down to other parts of her life. I grew to really appreciate her as a character, and I wanted to see her find the best outcome. I loved the little twist at the end with Joe and Dr. Addison being the same person, and while I didn't love the epilogue, I was very happy with this story. Loved it overall!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I never knew there was such a thing as face blindness. This story was an amazing, scary and very emotional love story. Read it you will really like it.

What a sweet story! After reading The Bodyguard last year, I knew I would love anything written by Katherine Center. This story is wholesome and hopeful with a dash of sweet romance.
I enjoyed getting to know Sadie and I found her to be relatable, especially in her grief for her mother. It was beautiful how she focused on being grateful for the time she had with her mom. I also enjoyed the evolution of the relationship. I must admit, I didn't like Sue's character. She was not very considerate of Sadie's condition and seemed kind of aloof.
A few parts of the book were predictable, but not enough to be a deal breaker. I was actually kind of excited when I put the pieces together.

This could also use another round of edits, as there were a few glitches in continuity (with Sadie's dress and Parker's location on the night of the art show).

I love Katherine Center. I enjoy most of her books (a few of them have given me meh feelings) but for the most part I love them. I was given this arc and have a few mixed feelings about it.

Someone very close to me that I love has a brain injury that has had many long term issues. That person has had to fight for care and advocate for themselves for two years.
Reading this felt like a very glamorized look into life with a brain injury. I just couldn’t even enjoy the story because my person’s hard two years sat so heavily on me. Center usually writes hard tales, but this one in particular was something I have experience with.
I had issues with how the main characters family treated her. I hated the best friend (who abandons a best friend suffering from a brain injury?!).

Because of these things, I just didn’t enjoy this story. I’m giving this 3 stars because I believe others might get more from it, but for me, this was not something I’d pick up again.

Katherine Center hits another home run ball out of the ballpark with Hello Stranger.
Sadie is a struggling, almost homeless artist who, just maybe, has a change of luck to something good. in her grasp . That is until she ends up in the hospital suffering from face blindness although the condition is probably temporary.

I enjoyed reading Sadie's story. I felt sorry for her in spots. I smiled in others.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved Hello Stranger as much as I loved The Bodyguard (and that was a top book of the year for me.) Hello Stranger follows Sadie, a struggling artist, finally getting her big break only to discover a brain condition leading to face blindness. Yes, face blindness is a REAL thing. I did get sidetracked from the story to research this actual condition. Do yourself a favor and just look into it now. Anyways, along the way Sadie discovers a lot about herself and meets a few love interests. I devoured this book. It had heart, depth, and was completely and totally original. I was hooked. Also, the ending was so good and unexpected!!!!

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. Hello Stranger has such a unique story line focusing on a condition where the main character can no longer recognize faces. However, even when parts of the book felt predictable, I wanted to continue reading because of the way the author continues to rope you into the story. I loved the "anticipation" of the ending. Reading the author's note at the end made me love this book even more!

Hello Stranger is such a sweet and moving novel. Yes it's a romance but there are many incredible nuggets of wisdom in this book.

Sadie Montogmery is a struggling portrait artist that can't seem to catch a break with her profession and in life. Then things seem to start to go her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. But life kicks her a curve ball and she needs to have a "simple" brain surgery. While she is recovering, she soon realizes she can no longer see faces. The doctors say it's temporary.

She struggles to cope with what is happening. How can she save her career? She needs to confront her past and her life. She is one that does not like to ask for help. She struggles with asking for help but finds out we all need to ask and receive help from others.

She learns a lot on her journey. She can ask for help. She learns that our thoughts create our emotions. It is better to be your true self than to fake it.

Maybe we are drawn to people who can teach us things we need to learn.

We are all going so fast in life that maybe once we slow down and take a pause, we can really see.

Such a beautiful love story. I had no idea this was a real disease. Highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Katherine Center has done if again. This book was perfection!! I fell in love with the characters and was obsessed with Peanut his diet was absolutely hilarious. This book was so funny but also emotional I could not imagine what she went through but it also taught me a lot.

Katherine Center always delivers--and this story is no exception. The dialogue and humor is always on point, and while this story takes a while to get off the ground, the romance and the face blindness issue of the main character all lead her to an important life lesson: we're wrong about what we see most of the time. The story is a joy and a delight.