Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Wow, this book phenomenal! I cried through half of it. But it left me so incredibly happy with the ending.

I was completely hooked from the first chapter. My heart was breaking for Sadie. I thought she was a completely relatable and loveable character. I've never heard of her medical issue, but I loved learning about it. It makes you really think about how much you take.

I highly recommend this book. This is the second book I've read by this author and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more.

Spoilers:

I did have a thought about halfway through: wouldn't it be interesting if the vet and Joe were the same person? But then I dismissed that theory. I was delighted to find out they were!

From the very start of this book, you are rooting for Sadie to succeed. I love that right from the jump, you know who is good and who is bad, who you like and who you don’t like. I also love that perceptions of people change throughout the book, much like life itself.
Great book and a very fun read!

Delightful book. The pacing and tension in the back third of the book was well done. The face blindness story line was new and engaged me to think about something I would otherwise never consider. I figured out the twist very early and I wasn't sure if that was by design or too thinly veiled clues, but either way it was fun to watch the main character stumble around with anticipation for when it would get sorted. Once I got 40% I knew I'd stay up the rest of the night to complete the book. Highly readable.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center and Netgalley for the ARC.

I haven’t always enjoyed Katherine Center books as usually I find them quite cheesy. I did really like The Bodyguard so thought I’d give this one a try. However, it was back to super cheesy. The plot was kind of fun, with the facial blindness plot line, but other than that, it was ultra cheese and over the top. The family drama was a lot and then resolved super quickly, and oh man… the “romance”. The whole twist at the end was so ridiculous. I also really did not like the way Sadie was written, she was super annoying and lame.

Overall, it was cute, I read through it quickly but it wasn’t really a book that will stick with me, Hello Stranger releases in July 2023, so look for it on shelves then!

I flew through this book. It had all the feelings and I could not put it down. This is the third book I've read from this author and while I enjoyed the others, this one was my favorite.
Sadie is loveable with a bit of a Cinderella vibe and I just wanted things to work out for her.
The book was funny, sad, bittersweet, and totally frustrating at times. If you've read and enjoyed anything else from Katherine Center, this one will not let you down.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve enjoyed all her previous books as they leave me feeling hopeful about life in the face of tragedy. This book was no different.

We follow the tribulations of Sadie Montgomery, a young woman who is saved from almost getting hit by a bus and then she finds out she needs brain surgery. The surgery goes well, but she is left with a condition called prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness or facial agnosia) and it is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.

I like how Center portrays her characters. They are realistic, flawed, and often quirky characters that I can’t help but love. It’s also a bonus when a dog is added. I’m a dog lover and Sadie’s dog was an awesome addition.

The one thing that I didn’t like was the evil stepsister and stepmother storyline. However, on a positive note, I really liked her love interest Joe. There was a whole miscommunication trope, but he was so patient with Sadie.

In my opinion, how face blindness was described within the story was well done and it’s obvious that a lot of research was completed. The author’s acknowledgement at the end provides the website FaceBlind.org for additional learning. As a health care provider, I am intrigued and wanting to learn more. I haven’t read a book with a fictional character with this condition before.

While this isn’t my favourite book by Center, I would absolutely recommend reading it. Hello Stranger comes out on July 11, 2023.

first i would like to thank st. martin's press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

i really enjoyed this one!

like i was a little nervous because i have heard so many good things about center's writing from her past novels but i was not disappointed at all!

it was really refreshing to read this one because it wasn't anything i had read before. i found the facial blindness aspect of the plot to be really interesting. and i absolutely adored sadie and joe as characters.

i did find some of the plot to be a little predictable but it didn't damper my experience reading.

4.5/5 and i would easily recommend to for an easy feel good read!

This book kept me hooked from the very first page!

Hello Stranger follows Sadie, who goes face blind after emergency brain surgery and has to navigate a new romantic relationship, family, and professional challenges (she's a professional portrait artist). I appreciate the author's unique take on the miscommunication troupe. The writing was crisp and enjoyable.

I did find some "twists" predictable and thought that the amount of miscommunication between the two main characters (though rooted in an uncommon explanation) was extreme. But over all, I was so excited to keep coming back to this one and recommend for anyone who loves romance!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors who I can always count on for a fun book. What I appreciated the most in this one was that it was definitely happy, chipper, breezy, and positive. I also thought that the main character struggling with acquired face blindness after an accident was creative and allowed some deeper themes to be addressed, namely vulnerability.

That being said, this was probably my least favorite book of hers. It was, first of all, that darn chipperness and whimsy of the main character. The starving artist cliché here just made her look flighty and immature. The character development felt forced and in some cases (Parker, in particular) more like a flat caricature. Some of the conflict resolution within the family was very sudden and therefore not believable.

Sometimes you just need a cute & cozy read, and this one delivered!

It was full of unexpected events, sparks, and so many laugh out loud moments! The main character Sadie was strong, complex, & quirky- and her relationships were no different! She even has a sweet pup named Peanut, and he's an adorable foodie.

I found myself excitedly trying to predict what was going to happen, and trying to stop myself from speed reading to find out. Many times I went back & re-read previous scenes, looking for clues that might help me.

In short, I couldn't put it down!! Definitely add this to your TBR and snag yourself a copy!

[Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.]

I have read almost all of Katherine Center’s books and was super excited to get an advanced copy of her newest novel “Hello Stranger” and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. That being said, this was a different type of romance. I would classify it as a “you have to love yourself first” romance. I really enjoyed both Sadie and Joe but really liked Sadie’s self-realizations.
I want to thank Katherine Center and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy and give my honest feedback.

4.5⭐️
I absolutely devoured this book. Read it in one day. It.was.so.good. I could not put it down! I loved the storyline….Sadie, a not so successful portrait artist, qualifies for a contest and is finally getting her career on track. Until she has an unfortunate incident and loses her ability to see faces. Family dynamics, learning to how to deal with adversity, friendship, love, and the power of being vunerable and letting others help you in time of need. It pulled at my heartstrings for all that Sadie went through. The only stumble was near the end that was a little clunky…when all things finally came to light. But once that was settled, it wrapped up nicely.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I have not read all of Katherine Center’s books, but I’m certainly going to try. Every story I’ve read, thus far, has been wonderful and everything I enjoy about reading. Hello Stranger is going on to my favorites list for this year.

Sadie is a portrait artist and develops a face blindness after having a necessary surgery. Not being able to “see faces” changes how she has to cope not only in her portrait painting, but in life too. It all makes for a bit of chaos and fun. But it brings her to some serious revelations and realizations, as well.

Katherine Center has given me a heartwarming, sweet and swoony story filled with great humor and characters to fall in love with. It was just what I needed!

Another all-the-feels winner from Katherine Center! I was hooked on Sadie's story on page 1 and engrossed in the story throughout. I often caught myself smiling or laughing aloud at the fantastic banter, at which Center excels. Center's writing was often so vivid and cinematic that I could effortlessly envision the scenes she created and described.

Sadie is a rising portrait artist, who, on the cusp of her big break, experiences a neurological episode that results in face blindness--something I'd heretofore only heard of in K-dramas. I thought Center did a great job presenting the scientific data regarding this condition without it being too technical or disrupting the story's flow, and I appreciated the insights & guidance provided by Sadie's neuropsychologist, Dr. Nicole. As Sadie wrestles with personal and professional difficulties and tries to navigate life with its sudden and unanticipated new constraints, her thoughts, feelings, and experiences cover the gamut of heartbreakingly raw to hilariously endearing.

I felt that Center did a beautiful job expressing Sadie's feelings about losing her mother in her teens and how that relationship and its loss continued to impact and influence her through the ensuing years. Some of those feelings, in particular, resonated with my own experience.

And lastly, of course, the romance is swoony and delightful!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC e-book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Hello stranger

Katherine Center has done it again!

What has she done again, you ask?
She’s created another story that I didn’t want to end.
Sadie’s story was interesting and a little like Murphy’s Law has exploded all over her life in every aspect.

Quote from Sadie-
“What the ever-loving hell had happened to my life? It had never been perfect before, by any means ,-but at least it had some potential.”

This story will have you laughing and tearing up and when you are done, you will want to re-read it again!

Love this story and this talented author and her super power of creating heart warming, fun to read stories.
5 happy stars

In a large bowl add a heaping spoonful of sweetness, a dollop of quirkiness, a fun cast of characters, a rare neurological condition and a generous portion of romance. Stir well until all ingredients are mixed together and voilá, you will have Katherine Center’s newest story, Hello Stranger.

Sadie Montgomery, a struggling but talented portrait artist has just been named a finalist in a prestigious art competition. That same day, she wakes up in the hospital after fainting in the street only to be told she needs to have brain surgery which leaves her with a rare disorder called acquired aperceptive prosopagnosia, the inability to see faces….face blindness.

I found a little bit of every emotion in this story along with a lot of good life lessons and reminders. Appreciate what’s in front of you, never forget to have fun, always reach for what you want and to remember that life can change in a moment but we as humans can show resiliency, adaptability, courage, kindness and the will to never give up our hopes and dreams.

Be sure to read Katherine’s AUTHOR NOTES at the conclusion of the book. They are a beautiful glimpse into a romance writer’s mind and why we love our stories with happy endings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Release date: July 11, 2023

I wish there was a trigger warning about medical issues at the beginning of the book. I think I could have really liked this book if I wasn't triggered by seizures and brain surgery from my own personal experience.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

I am going to be the black sheep on Goodreads and say this was… alright. I found all of the characters annoying. I felt very little sympathy for Sadie except for when her dog was hospitalized. Joe was alright. I hated her family even when they reconciled.

I will say I didn’t see the plot twist coming, I was pleasantly surprised by that. The prosopagnosia was unique to me, I haven’t read a book with that before.

Thanks for NetGalley for the ARC.

hanks to St. Martin's Publishing (#partner) for the opportunity to read and review this book. Perfect Stranger, like several other Katherine Center books, is a mix of whimsy, joy, and deeper layers. On the surface, it's about Sadie learning to navigate life after acquiring face blindness from a brain surgery. She's an artist who was selected to participate in a portrait contest, so her face blindness has a significant impact on her life. I would be curious to hear what people with face blindness think about this book, but I found it interesting to read and learn about. On deeper levels, Perfect Stranger is about fighting for joy and fighting against confirmation bias. It's about family, friendships, and the kindness of strangers with some romantic interests thrown in. Perfect Strangers is a light-hearted, cheerful book that addresses heavier topics in that Katherine Center way. This book pulled me out of my book slump, and I really enjoyed it! Mark your calendar for this book coming out on July 14.

I don’t think there’s much to say about this one except that it’s SO MUCH FUN! It’s a fresh plot creating unique situations and a romantic climax you simply can’t wait for. There were a couple things I didn’t love (miscommunication, Parker) but they are minor and easy to roll with. Otherwise I did not want to put this one down! It has a similar laugh-out-loud feel to The Bodyguard with a touching theme of finding acceptance and love during misfortune.

Quick synopsis: A portrait artist experiences face blindness as a side-effect of brain surgery just weeks before a competition that should have been her big break.