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.

👏🏼 I am furious at myself for waiting this long to read a Katherine Center book. #romanticcomedygold I will definitely be reading more from her ASAP.

Sadie is an independent and sarcastic artist following in her Mom's footsteps. Sadie reminded me of Zoey Deschanel from New Girl, which only made her more likable. Just as she is about to get her big break, Sadie has a seizure and develops face blindness. This creates a variety of problems for her world, especially since she is a portrait artist. The story wouldn't be complete without her Dad, Lucinda & her evil step sister, Parker. She's the worst and I hope I don't ever have to hear about her again. The synopsis sounds strange, but please trust me when I say that Center created the perfect mix of humor, romance, messiness, heartbreak & self-discovery.

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

This story follows Sadie, a struggling artist who has been accepted into a prestigious art exhibition. Her dream appears to be shattered when she suffers a brain injury and is diagnosed with facial blindness. As she grapples with her condition, she faces various family, friendship, and romantic challenges. This book was an enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns, a great love story, and well-rounded characters. Katherine Center's writing style is quirky and engaging, and I couldn't put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This blurb sounded a little far fetched and interesting to me. Very unique concept. After reading, I thought it was sweet but still a little bizarre. I liked the characters and loved how the MCs relationship developed and thought the ending was cute. just a little crazy!

So happy i got the arc for this!! this is a unique love story and sadie was so fun and her backstory heartbreaking, i think it gave her more depth that we saw her struggle with her relationship with her dad and her family, it’s so trippy to think about her face blindness i appreciated that the author described what she was feeling and seeing. I also now want to marry a dreamy vet/neighbor that has been around all along and i dump him for him lol

4.5 stars. I loved this one! Sadie was a terrific and complex character, although I didn't understand why she didn't want to reveal that she had face blindness, especially to someone she was so close to. This made the conflict feel a tiny bit contrived but it didn't matter that much b/c, as always, Katherine Center's writing was gorgeous and the story very very satisfying. Highly highly recommend!

I love Katherine Center's books and this one had me laughing out loud. As the author mentioned in the author's note at the end of the book, romance books do tend to be a bit predictable but she preferred thinking of it as anticipation. There was definitely a lot of anticipation in this book and I could foresee the ending like a car that was about to crash and I was bracing for impact. Overall, I liked the book but it was not one of my favourites by her.

If you need a wholesome, heartwarming read, this book is for you!

Imagine if you could never recognize someone's face? Sadie, a portrait artist, has just received her big break as a finalist of the North American Portrait Society competition when her life is altered drastically. After an accident she now has prosopagnosia - face blindness - and has to struggle with painting her portraits, two new love interests, and her absolute b of a step-sister.

Would definitely recommend if you love:
- Slow-burn Romance
- A cutie senior dog
- A love triangle with Sadie, a dog-saving veterinarian, and an annoying neighbor with a very distinct bowling jacket.

If you are looking for a book that has great depth but also makes you happy, makes you feel hopeful about life and humanity, then Katherine Center is the author you need to read. I can’t express enough how this author is truly out there delivering hope and joy to the world.

And Hello Stranger is her best yet.

What I love about Katherine Center, in general, and specifically with this book, is her ability to make me truly SEE people and situations in a way that really connects me to humanity. I always come away feeling like I’ve grasped some deep and valuable truth about life – and laughing, crying and swooning my way through it all.

I love you, Katherine Center. Thanks for making me a better human through the magic of your writing.

This is an absolute must read, my friends. Also, don’t skip the author’s note. It’s everything.

My thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

This is another great book by Katherine Center. Great story line, fun characters and humor. One of my favorite boo k covers ever. Beautiful artwork. Thanks for advanced copy.