Katherine Center has provided her fans with another feel good contemporary fiction romance novel. I am constantly looking forward to the pick-me-up I get from reading her books and I know that it is the perfect antidote if I've just read an emotionally heavy or difficult novel.

Sadie, the main character, is a struggling portrait artist whose life seems to have more ups and downs than a roller coaster. She meets a handsome veterinarian and then ends up having brain surgery after an accident. She is chosen to compete in a prestigious art show but ends up with face blindness. Then, she meets an adorable guy in her building, but she doesn't want to admit to him that she can't see his face. Her stepmother drives her crazy and her stepsister has basically ruined Sadie's life since high school and shows no signs of stopping. Loves and losses and numerous challenges force Sadie to reevaluate her goals in life, even when a certain surprise changes everything. Definitely read the Author's Note at the end of the book and her perspective on writing love stories.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC of another great Katherine Center book!

This book!!!! I adore it so much. I went into this one blind (ironic, if you actually read the synopsis), and I pretty much immediately fell in love after one page. I have read one other book about face blindness, so it was very fun to stumble upon another randomly. Reading about love when one person can’t recognize who they’re falling in love with is so special. I did see the “twist” coming, but as this isn’t a mystery novel, I don’t find that a big deal.

This book is pure sugar, swoon-worthy, and I truly did not want it to end. You need to put it on your radar now!

(Now I don’t want to start a new book bc I need to savor this giddiness)

5⭐️ for all the vibes!

(Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc)

Review

Hello Stranger By Katherine Center

Sadie is a struggling artist who discovers she has a lesion on her brain that requires immediate surgery. A rare side effect from the procedure causes her to no longer be able to see people's faces. While she's still reeling from this new development, she starts to develop feelings for her dreamy veterinarian and her problematic neighbour at the same time.

I loved this book. I felt that a character suffering from Prosopagnosia was a really original idea. I loved the way that Sadie and Joe's relationship developed. She catches feelings for him similar to a lot of romance novels, but she's doing it without really being able to see him. I also liked the way her family dynamic played out, even if I was tempted to strangle certain members of her family on more than one occasion.

This is my first time reading a Katherine Center book. The Bodyguard has been on my TBR list for months, but halfway through reading Hello Stranger, I bought it!

Wow! Katherine Center did not disappoint with this book. I love that all her books are so different and this book brought to light an uncommon medical condition that was devastating to the main character. The magic was how the author portrays the progression of life with a new medical condition and how that changes her life. This one was a complete 5-star for me, so just pick it up. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Katherine Center does it again with an incredibly written rom-com. As in Center’s Things You Save in a Fire and The Bodyguard, Hello Stranger has a main character who is trying to overcome an internal struggle before she can let herself love and be loved. Center’s writing always made me laugh and cry, and there are so many profound lines in it, especially in the closing chapter. READ IT.

What a good book! read it in one day.
The characters were relatable and fun (except for Parker).
Ilearned about Prosopagnosia.
felt for Sadie.
When knew, I knew! It made me smile.
The writing was a delight.

Katherine Center never disappoints! I've enjoyed each of her releases and Hello Stranger is no different! I could not put this down. Her author's note put it best when it spoke about hope. How romance is a comfort for so many because it gives us hope and something to look forward to. Hello Stranger follows Sadie Montgomery, an artist who is diagnosed with face blindness following an accident. This book was unique, quirky, and filled with love. It truly filled my heart with so much joy! I can't to see what Katherine Center releases next and can't wait to sing the praises of this to everyone I know for the next few months! Thank you so much for the advanced reader copy.

You will laugh, you will cry, you will swoon, and laugh and cry and swoon again. This story of Sadie and Joe and Dr Addison is so powerful and uplifting.

Katherine Center has such a skill for building storylines and creating unique characters that are both the light enough for my tired brain to decipher and serious enough to stay clear of the too sappy lane.

I found Hello Stranger developed at a slow burn pace while remaining unputdownable. It has easily climbed the ranks as one of my favorites that she has put out.

I enjoyed learning about facial blindness and loved Sadie's pad thai loving dog, Peanut, just as much as the other main characters-if not more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a gifted copy

My first taste of Katherine Center’s stories was The Bodyguard. Since then, I have devoured almost all of her books and have enjoyed every one. I appreciate her quirky, real characters along with the satisfaction and joy that comes with the resolution of each story.

Hello Stranger was nothing short of my expectations. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and enjoyed the anticipation and nourishment of the love story! Learning more about acquired face blindness was an added bonus and made me appreciate the development Sadie’s character went through in the story. Word to the wise, don’t skip out on the Author’s Note!

Thank you, NetGalley and Katherine Center, for the opportunity to read the ARC. I definitely stayed up past my bedtime getting lost in this beautiful story!

If it’s a Katherine Center book I’m going to drop everything and read it! I thought the plot of this book was interesting and refreshing…. Something new. It was sweet and smart, and I read it slowly because I didn’t want it to end. Thank you for this wonderful ARC NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly this book is a solid 4 star, maybe even 4.5 star read for me.

This is my first Katherine Center book, and boy did I enjoy it and truly have a good time. I now desperately need to pick up <i>The Bodyguard</i>, like seriously. I was about maybe halfway through <i>Hello Stranger</i> when I told myself I need to read more Katherine Center. Center's writing and dialogue, and how quickly I read this convinced me I would enjoy her other novels.

Let's start with Sadie. Sadie is delusional and unhinged, just like me. She's my girl now. Literally the scene where she's talking about planning her future with her dog's vet had me dying (because relatable duh), truly an innocent moment but delusional at the same time, I love it. As our main character, I truly cared for her and liked being in her head. I felt for her and her grief. As for our side characters, I thought Sue was nice enough, but we didn't see too much of her for her to make an impression on me. Parker on the other hand--I cannot remember the last time I wanted to punch a character so bad before. She played her part as the evil stepsister so well because I literally started imagining Sadie strangling her every time she appeared on the page. As for the two male love interests I can't say too much without spoiling!

Now if you're reading this because you want a super cute romance novel, this might not be exactly for you. Don't get me wrong there is romance interwoven and there are some cute moments, however I think this novel classifies more as women's fiction than a romance novel. <i>Hello Stranger</i> balances other topics such as grief and Sadie's condition, and her relationship with her father, as well as her romantic feelings for the men she's been seeing recently.

There are some plot points that are cliche and some that are even predictable but that did not deter from me finding this story completely charming. Every time I picked it up, it held my attention. It wasn't revolutionary, however, just by going off pure vibes, I had a great time, and recommend it if the premise interests you!

This was super cute! I tore through this faster than I thought I would. Unfortunately, there were a few big things that kept this from getting a higher rating from me:

1. The majority of the characters are cartoonishly unlikeable. I enjoyed Sadie, Joe, and (shockingly) Lucinda, but everyone else feels very one-dimensional. I feel like there was an attempt to round everyone out, but it didn't hit the mark for me.

2. The writing style was distractingly disjointed, with lots of sentences starting with conjuctions and single-sentence paragraphs. Normally that wouldn't bother me, but the style felt abrupt in a way that kept taking me out of the story.

3. I am really uncertain about how I feel about the portrayal of acquired disability. It seems like Center did her research, but Sadie's face blindness feels more like a means to achieve a unique plotline than any kind of meaningful or realistic disability representation.

4. There is a blatant continuity error in the book regarding a misunderstanding between Sadie and Joe. SPOILERS AHEAD: Sadie sees Joe leave her stepsister Parker's apartment early in the morning and assumes they hooked up. Later that same day, Sadie runs into Parker at the coffee shop. That evening, Joe explains that he was actually in Parker's apartment feeding her cat because Parker had left for a flight to Amsterdam that morning. So... how was she at the coffee shop in Texas? Am I missing something? If I am, I'll delete this part of the review.

In some ways I feel like I somehow accessed an older rough draft of this book compared to other reviewers of the ARC—I noticed a significant number of typos on top of everything else. I'm curious to reread this when it is released to see what changes are made.

Katherine Center is my new favorite romance author. I love how heartwarming and hopeful this story was!

I especially loved reading about Sadie’s family dynamic. Although, it could be tough to read about, it felt so realistic. The dynamic between Sadie and her stepmother especially. Though, Sadie’s relationship with her father left me with some tender spots on my heart.

The romance aspect of this story honestly took a backseat for me, but in the best way. I love Sadie and Joe, but I was so captivated by their interactions with one another that the romance was just a bonus.

I highly recommend this book!

After reading The Bodyguard earlier this month, I knew I had to have more of Katherine Center. I don't know how I've managed to go this long without reading any of her work. Well, I am officially hooked and ready for more!

Hello Stranger was an absolute delight! I loved Sadie's character and found myself rooting for her as she struggled to deal with the grief of losing her mother. Down on her luck in more ways than one, Sadie's journey of self-discovery was quite a joy to experience.

I loved the cast of characters and the unique storyline. Wonderfully written. Now I'm off to find my next Katherine Center book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

From the very first page to the author's note at the end, I enjoyed every part of Hello Stranger! It was full of Katherine Center's token charm, banter, and heartfelt emotion. Sadie was definitely a character to root for--I really empathized with her struggles and resonated with many aspects of her beliefs and personality, especially as she learned to accept help from others. I laughed, smiled, hurt, and loved right alongside her. I highly recommend this book!

There was some swearing (at least a few s-words and a couple of f-words), and some sensual innuendos/making out, but nothing intense. The romance was very sweet!

Katherine Center has been one of my go to authors recently, and this book has added to my list of favorites. I usually am pretty good at figuring out endings, but this one keep me hooked and I was caught off guard!

The story follows Sadie after a serious diagnosis and surgery. Not only is Sadie struggling to paint, she also struggles with connecting the same person in different settings due to face blindness

This story was full of subtle hints that lead to the happily ever after for Sadie. Highly recommend this book to discover Sadie’s struggles with face blindness and how she ultimately discovers herself and how she needed to grow following the death of her mother years before.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Katherine Center never disappoints. Her characters are sweet, quirky and just so lovable. I really loved this story that's centered around face-blindness and I loved the element of how that impacts the way we move thought the world. I loved the bits around her making art and I loved the way the book made me feel.

Center's comments at the end of the book about the romance genre were also very touching and wonderful to read. Here's to more books that lean into hope and positive anticipation.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the amazing story of a portrait artist trying to make it in the world, and the struggles she endures when she becomes face blind. Katherine Center does a great job making the reader imagine what it would be like to suddenly be face blind and the story does well at showing the reader the trauma and uncertainty that the main character felt and how she handled it. It was a story unlike any I have ever read, it was both cozy and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was guessing right along with the FMC about where this story was headed and who all these people were. I would highly recommend this book, and as this was my first taste of author Katherine Center, I will definitely be diving into some of her other stories.

Who wouldn’t love Sadie, as she fumbles through life and love?! The scene so vivid in my mind is Sadie singing in a convenience store, in her pink fluffy dress, buying as much $6 wine as she can afford. A portrait painter who suffers with face blindness after a surgery was an interesting conflict. Sadie doesn’t want to admit she can’t recognize people. Luckily she can see a certain man’s muscular torso, even if she can’t see the face attached to it. Her dog and love interests kept me reading. Even better than The Bodyguard, it’s a cute, feel good story that will make a great beach read this summer!