Katherine Center is one of my favorite easy read rom com type authors. I loved and hated these characters and overall really enjoyed the story and that it wasn’t just a normal love story that was then wasn’t. I would say definitely not as great as the bodyguard but still enjoyed it. 3.5 rounded to 4

Five stars is not enough for this book. I’m not even sure that ten would be enough. I’m a huge fan of this author, and I can confidently say that this is her best book yet.

Sadie is an artist with a past that I would definitely label as traumatic. Her relationship with her dad is almost nonexistent, and she is not fond of her stepmother or stepsister. After a near-fatal accident, Sadie has to undergo brain surgery, and I do not want to give anything away that follows. It is a story of finding out who you are, and letting people in.

She is torn between two great guys, and I absolutely loved this storyline. I also loved her friends, and of course, her dog Peanut. This book also made me want to put on a pair of roller skates and live my best life.

Sadie is a fighter, but what I loved most about this story is that she learns to ask for help. Katherine Center writes books in which her characters make you think about why you are grateful, our shared humanity, and how to look for the good everywhere.

I cried reading the epilogue - for all of the best reasons.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this digital book early - I know I will be getting a physical copy when it releases in July.

If I haven’t made it clear, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!

I love the concept of this book, it was so refreshing to read something out of the ordinary. Sadie is a struggling portrait artist with an inherited genetic condition that requires brain surgery. Soon after surgery Sadie realizes she can no longer see faces, they all resemble puzzle pieces. This comes at the worst possible time for Sadie who is in the final weeks of a career making contest with a $10,000 prize. Sadie's mother entered the same contest 13 years prior but died before submitting her painting, this adds to Sadie's motivation to win this contest. This was definitely an emotional read, Sadie has had a lot of struggles in life including an apathetic father, unlikable stepmom and a villainous step sister. Add in her health problems and struggling career and you really cheer for her when things finally start to work out for her. I love that who she ends up with is someone she saw several times prior to her surgery and subsequent face blindness but it took her change in perspective to really get to know this person. Also just want to say this was probably one of my favourite epilogues ever, I just love how positive Sadie is and how she took a negative situation and really focused on the good things to come out of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc.

Wow this book was so different than your typical rom com but in the best way. Sadies a struggling portrait artist who suddenly finds herself stricken with face blindness - yup a portrait artist who cant see peoples faces. It's supposed to be temporary but she has a portrait due for a life changing competition and through her journey she tries many coping techniques to help her adjust to her new reality and still paint. While adjusting to her new reality she meets two men - her womanizing neighbour Joe and her dreamy Vet Oliver and even though she cant see either of their faces... things get complicated with both. This book was entertaining with its family drama, its love triangle, Sadies self discovery journey, its cases of mistaken identity and its adorable puppy named Peanut. I definitely recommend.

What a wonderfully written piece. I've never read anything by Katherine Center, despite most of her books on my Want to Read list, but I will for sure pick them up soon.

Even without any spice, the characters still had a beautiful connection and got to know each other as people. I also immensely enjoyed the bits and pieces of psychological information - they're small but also important to the tale.

I did get an ARC copy, so there were a few errors here and there. Nothing too jarring but enough that I hope the final draft gets one more read-through before it's published. I'm definitely volunteering as a tribute - any reason to reread this again, of course.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Hello Stranger. I absolutely adore Katherine Center's books and this is no different. It was cute, fun, and a feel-good read. I would highly recommend this to others and can't wait to buy a finished copy!

Another amazing read by Katherine Center. I adored this new book so much! Sadie is an artist and has just found out about the opportunity that could change her life. A random accident has left her with the need for brain surgery. Her life is flipped upside down with a side effect that she didn't see coming! Sadie makes fast friends with the questionable (in her eyes) neighbor downstairs and is forced to view life now a bit differently.

I did not the see the twist coming and flew through this book so quickly.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC.

I’m confident when I pick up a Katherine Center book, I’ll be smiling when I reach the end. And her newest novel Hello Stranger supplies in abundance!

As soon as I heard the synopsis for Hello Stranger, I was excited to pick it up. I love when an author takes a little-known but real life experience and plots a fictional story around it. In Hello Stranger, we meet Sadie, who ends up with a case of face blindness after having to undergo minor brain surgery. (When is brain surgery ever minor??) The doctors have assured her it should go away within a few months as the swelling around her surgery site goes down. However, Sadie relies on facial awareness more than most people since she’s a portrait artist and she’s just received the honor of being chosen in the top ten finalists for a portrait painting contest. The top prize is $10,000, and Sadie desperately needs that money. She desperately needs to be able to paint. And she needs the big break winning will give her in the art world.

Not to mention, maybe her father will finally validate her chosen career.

Her happiness and well-being depends on this contest!

This is a fun story with some depth, as well. I couldn’t help but laugh as Sadie’s misfortunes land her in more and more unfortunate circumstances. But I was laughing while also feeling the unfairness of how life seemed to be piling up on top of her all at once.

I didn’t want to put this one down, reading furiously—until about the midway point when something happened that took me out of the story. And I hate when that happens. It wasn’t anything with the main characters, but a situation with a side character that frustrated me. It seemed too much like something that was put in to serve the plot, when so many other things could have occurred and felt more organic to the story. I tried to push past it, but I never seemed to get back to that initial glow.

Here’s the thing I’m discovering (and feel free to skip this paragraph where I try to psychoanalyze my reading experience): When I love an author and read a lot of their books, I get really hyper-focused. (I do the same thing with Emily Henry books). I pay attention to every detail, devouring every word, and if they don’t add up to me, or they don’t give me the it’s-so-damn-good chill bumps, I find myself a little disappointed. Which really isn’t fair to the author, but I don’t know how to…. expect less?? Center’s previous book The Bodyguard was my favorite read of 2021 (I’d read it early, as well), and it’s hard to live up to that!

I still really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I just have a few things I would change—and it’s quite possible I’m being overly picky.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed:

I can’t get into much about the plot because of spoilers, but it’s creative and different and refreshing.

Sadie is hard to love at times. She can come across as a bit immature and selfish, but it’s rewarding to watch her change and figure things out.

I loved the romance—even the bit of the triangle we get. If you’re not a fan of love triangles, I don’t think you’ll mind this one. The core romance is heartfelt and swoony and gave me all the feelings I look for in a love story—with one particular scene that gave me those chill bumps I anticipate.

Now what I would change:

I wish I could have gotten a little more time to get to know Sadie before her brain surgery. I couldn’t tell if the way she was acting was her usual self or a result of her new circumstances.

I can’t say I loved all the side characters, which is rare for a Center book. There are a few that seemed to change too much from the beginning to the end, and a few that seemed over the top.

I felt like the story could have benefited from a little more editing or polishing, as well. I read an advanced copy, however, so maybe there will be some changes.

While not perfect, Hello Stranger delivers a romance to remember and the joyful reading experience I’ve come to expect in a Katherine Center book. If you’re a fan of unique love stories with charming characters placed in unconventional circumstances, you should give Hello Stranger a try!

Center is an auto-buy for me. She didn't disappoint with this one. Loved how she weaved the issue of face blindness in with a romance. I loved the unexpected twist at the end, although I was able to guess that was the case.

The love triangle between Sadie, Dr. Addison, and Joe was so well done and enjoyable to read. The banter that each one held up was sweet and funny. I loved Sadie’s picking on Joe. However, I felt that a few areas of the story dragged on in the beginning and could have been shortened or removed. The first third of this book is what made me give this 3 stars. Once the story picked up towards the end, I enjoyed it much more. All in all, I liked this book just okay. It’s not one that I would recommend.

I have been fascinated by prosopagnosia since I read Rock Paper Scissors and found out it wasn’t something Alice Feeny made up for her story.

Sadie is an immediately likable character with a very unlikable family. This book confronts so many things. Sadie is dealing with her past traumas, grief and a traumatic brain injury. She also has a looming deadline and a geriatric dog on her hands.

It was so interesting to see the world through Sadie’s unreliable brain and you suffer with her as she tried to navigate her new life.

This book was an easy five stars for me. Katherine Center writes books that are just fun to read.

This book was AMAZING!!!! I seriously love Katherine writing. I read this in a day. I highly recommend all of her books.

Before the twist even came i thought that might be the case and oh man. I couldn't even imagine going through all that Sadie did. I don't wanna say to much and give away the whole book.

Thank you Netgalley!

Hello Stranger was such a cute book- one that at the end you feel like hugging. It centered around Sadie, a struggling portrait artist who has to have brain surgery which ends up resulting in face blindness. Unfortunately for Sadie, she was an art competition coming up but now can’t see faces.

At first the premise was a little out there for me, but it really grew on me as the book went on. I loved Sadie and Joe and loved some of the side characters like her best friend Sue as well. Katherine Center is great at creating characters you are drawn to and end up rooting for! Hello Stranger does not disappoint. If you like feel good romances, this is a great book for you!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center is always a winner for me. She has a way of teaching you about something interesting while also building a compelling, realistic and hopeful story around it. This book was no exception. I was fascinated by the topic and the rich characters; I couldn't put it down! I only wish I had someone to talk to about it.

Another Katherine Center win! This was an adorably tragic rom com and I devoured every second of it, as quickly as possible!
Her way of writing is so easy to get into & I look forward to every story she writes! This one definitely doesn’t disappoint. Just read it if you want a smile.

Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Center & St Martins Press for allowing me to read this book!

If you love Katherine Center, this book is very much in the vein of all her others. Was it predictable? Yes. Did it feel slightly theatrical? Also yes. Was I excited to pick it up every night? 100%. I like to read sweet books before bed and this totally fit the bill.

This is the second book I have read about facial blindness, and it really is such an interesting plot point. Making Sadie an artist created an additional conflict for Center to resolve.

I did love the romance. although it wasn’t super mysterious, it had a nice buildup.

If you love or even like Center’s other books, this is a great one!

“We’re all just muddling through, after all. We’re all just doing the best we can. We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody, deep down, is a little bit lost.”

Katherine Center really can do no wrong. I loved this book. Sadie is so easy to fall in love with and Joe? Yup him too. Mr. Helpful is someone many of us woman would probably consider the perfect man.

While Sadie is dealing with her new medical condition, family drama, and an artist crisis, she is also learning how to adapt and change in her new normal. Oh and we LOVE Peanut

Katherine Center puts a twist on romance novels that keeps me wanting more. The way she can weave together unique challenge, heartbreaking struggles, and love into one beautiful book is magical.

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist trying to prove to her father, the world, and maybe even herself that she has what it takes to be a famous artist. She finally has her big break becoming a finalist in a huge competition. She tried to prove to everyone she is okay and doesn’t need their help after the struggles of losing her mom at an early age. But when an accident leaves Sadie unable to recognize faces, she must learn to lean on the help of strangers.

Hello Stranger will be published 7/11/2023.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie Montgomery has been down on her luck for awhile now and things were just starting to look up with a spot in a coveted portrait contest when something out of the ordinary happened. Sadie winds up finding she has a brown condition and needs elective brain surgery. After the surgery is complete, Sadie realizes she can no longer see faces. She is face blind! This is a hard pill to swallow for anyone but with Sadie being a portrait artist, it’s especially hard. Sadie’s doctors have told her there is some swelling on the brain and they are hoping her facial blindness will subside but when? I’m time for the contest? Over these weeks, Sadie meets 2 different men that she likes and works on honing her craft.
This was a cute story of resilience and romance. It is light and easy to read. I really don’t know anything about facial blindness but the ending was a bit much but easy to accept. I would definitely recommend this when it comes out. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this book for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the story, the twist, and Sadie’s character. The love story was adorable - I saw the twist coming but it still made me so happy when they both figured it out. I liked the dynamic with Sue and Sadie, and the Kim’s were great characters, showing that loving family. Also, I liked that Lucinda kind of redeemed herself with the dress. It made her seem more human and caring. Parker was the perfect evil step sister.

I wish there had been more about the hovel - to me, it was a shed, but she seemed to have a bathroom and kitchen, etc. so it got confusing. I feel like the beginning chapter should have had better descriptions of this “hovel.”
Chp 2 - Lucinda is called Miranda