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.

Thank you St. Martin's Press ​and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Another GREAT read by Katherine Center. Heartwarming and relatable. I hadn't read the synopsis prior to reading and was glad I hadn't. The story wasn't what I expected but that's what I enjoy about Center's writing/storytelling. Her stories are fresh and new. I will recommend this one to friends (just like I did with The Bodyguard)!

4.5 stars rounded to 5 on Goodreads! I loved this book! It was so sweet, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside 🥰 I loved Sadie and Joe, and reading about their journey to find each other. It was so interesting to read about face blindness, as I think this is a condition we don’t hear much about. I did think the “puzzle piece” analogy was overused at the beginning, but as the book went on, it didn’t bother me as much. Also, a PSA: don’t skip the author’s note! It made me almost as emotional as the book itself!

rating: 4.5 STARS
genre: romance, women's fiction
steam: closed door

If you haven't read Katherine Center by now, you need to! Not only does she write quirky, endearing main characters (Sadie might be my favorite MC so far), but she finds a way to successfully weave the romance in with deeper topics.

I absolutely loved that in this book, because Sadie lost her ability to see faces, she had to learn how to pick up on other physical and social cues to gauge the emotions of those around her. In this book you don't see much smirking, half smiles, or eyes rolled - but you do hear a lot from Sadie about how she can feel how those around her are reacting to her.

I don't want to say more without giving too much away - but if you like quirky MCs, a solid girl gang, and a hilarious love triangle, then this book is for you!

And, if you're like me, you don't often read introductions, author's notes, or acknowledgments, but don't skip the Author's Note at the end in this one! Center somehow finds a way to describe the amazing hold that romance novels have on us and WHY they're so important...and I don't think I've ever read something so poignant and that spoke to my soul.

I LOVE the way Katherine Center writes. Her books are fun, witty and lighthearted and this one completely delivers. I appreciate the way she addresses a serious neurological issue, bringing awareness of the condition but making the story fun and relatable. I did find myself getting frustrated by some of the scenarios the “face blindness” caused but then I took a step back and realized that was probably exactly the emotion Sadie was feeling as she dealt with this. Surprising depth in a romance novel and I loved it!

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center is always a ‘must-buy’ author for me, so naturally I had to read the upcoming HELLO STRANGER releasing July 11. I continue to be amazed at how well Katherine immerses an important message/lesson into each book. In this one, I learned about facial blindness - a condition which the main character Sadie is newly maneuvering through. The book gives so much hope, humor, happiness and so much more. I enjoyed every bit of this read and can’t recommend it enough! Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Katherine Center books are the dessert of literature! Her books are full of sweet romance and are a delight to read, with fun characters and interesting plot elements. This one is no exception. The plot centers around a young artist who is dealing with a brain injury that has caused face blindness. Were there some easily predictable parts? Ok, yes. But did that stop me from devouring this book in 24 hours? No. And come July when this book comes out, don't let it stop you either.

4.5⭐ I am finding that I like to read Katherine Center books. They are easy reads with fun pilots. Some predictability, but it did not take away from the joy of reading the story. I enjoyed that this was not an instant-in-love kind of story. For those who only love hot and racy stories, this is not for you. This book has kissing and closed-door romance.

I also paint portraits and dabble in the art world. Strangely I also feared losing my site, but from old age and natural deterioration. That fear has always made me wonder what would happen if I lost my ability to work within my medium. So Sadie’s face blindness story hits me in all my feels.

I think the fear of getting by and surviving day to day is a genuine issue for artists. Until one can get a break or establish themselves, their work isn’t always enough to pay the bills. As for the medical aspect, I do not know how accurate the surgery and prosopagnosia storyline is, but I know I enjoyed it. I liked thinking about how the brain processes information.

I was very intrigued by Sadie's view and side vision of Dr. Addison's movements. I was not as impressed with her thoughts on Dr. Addison at first. I was worried Sadie was delusional. I was grateful that she was aware of her fantasy being fantasies. Sadie wasn’t the type to believe her dreams so much that she would embarrass me, the reader, with her actions. After I realized that I could relax and thought the romantic interest was good and not over the top.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of Sadie’s opinions of Joe, the neighbor. Her perception of everything around her before and after the surgery was so unique. How she ignored details before and after and how her mind processed her information is fascinating. I can see how she would take for granted seeing the people around her before the prosopagnosia issues. I am unsure why she didn’t doubt her perception more than she did. I would have.

I would have loved to know more about her step-sister Parker's back story. The author touched on it a little at the end of the story. It perked my curiosity.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher St. Martin's Press via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC of this book!!

This was my first Katherine Carter book and I was impressed. It was a beautifully written romance novel.

It did take me a while to get into the story and I wasn't sure where this book was going at first. The beginning seemed to drag on a bit, but once I got past the beginning, and really into the story, I couldn't put it down. The characters were lovable/relatable and the ending was so good!

Katherine Center did an amazing job creating a story that is captivating and I would definitely recommend this book. I am going to have to check out her other books now.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5178048638

Is it possible to fall in love with more than one person?

I mean, we see it every season on The Bachelor, so I suppose so.

I have always been obsessed with my husband, we met when I was 18 and we have been together ever since. I could not imagine having the capacity to love another at the same time. Lets be real, it sounds exhausting. Double the laundry, double the food shopping, double the D......

well, I'm sure that part wouldn't be so bad.. hehe

Lets get back to the book before I have to stick my foot in my mouth.

As I am sure you already know, I am a huge fan of thrillers BUT when it comes to specific authors, I would read just about anything they write as long as their name is attached to it. Katherine Center, is one of those authors. Actually "literary genius" seems more appropriate for Center.

Carter has a way with lighting up a sentence that will instantly captivate you. The characters, especially Sadie, are extremely life like that I had to continue to remind myself that I was reading a work of fiction and that "Sadie" did not really exist. There were many unexpected twists that I could not have anticipated. I also appreciated the face blindness aspect of the book and totally absorbed the moral of the story and loved watching Sadie evolve.

Sadie's story is one you will fall in love with. I am not the typical warm gushy type but I will forever root for Sadie.

This book of love is out July 11, 2023 and I strongly suggest you pre-order yourself a copy!

Teaser :

Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope―and hang onto her artistic dreams―she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places―and people― you least expect.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.