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

5 stars

Absolutely delightful book. Just what I needed. I laughed out loud so many times plus there were so many tender moments.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is up for a huge art competition, which could help her struggling career. However, due to emergency brain surgery she has (hopefully) temporary face blindness. Sadie doesn’t want others to know about her condition and antics ensue. The characters are so wonderful (well, almost all of them…I’m talking about you Parker). I adored this book and highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book, finished it in just a few days. The characters were all very well developed and I was able to feel as if I really knew them all personally. The major issue that Sadie Montgomery is dealing with (face blindness brought on from surgery) is something I had never really heard of and I’ve never read a book with this included so it was refreshing to read something totally different in that regard. Her dog also has the same condition my own dog does which I’ve never seen before either and it was just another way to feel more connected to the book. Overall this was a great read, good story line, good characters, nice balance of trying times and happy/silly times, and lots of emotions/feelings. I would definitely recommend this one!

A contemporary romance about a portrait artist who has sudden onset of facial blindness? Yes please! This is a fun and unique twist of a book.
I very much enjoyed reading this book, I was fully engrossed could not put it down. Katherine Center did a great job at capturing the frustration, terror, and reality of having facial blindness. She described it so well that when I was picturing characters, they all had somewhat of a blurry face and I could only picture specific details like straight teeth, or color of eyes—but nothing was linking together to form an actual face in my mind. She verbally painted it perfectly.
Center also did a great job at creating a non-reliable narrator that you still trust. We saw the world through her eyes, through her brain. There were times I was getting so frustrated with how she was thinking, then Center brought back to the reader that she was processing things in a new way that was causing her to not be totally reliable—but in the most relatable and understanding way.
I cannot recommend this book enough, it’s a beautiful romance (absolutely no heat, only a few great kissing scenes—which usually that’s a negative for me, but it so works for this book) with a character suffering from something that is rarely heard about. I learned new things while reading this book, and when I put it down I had a big smile on my face. All romance lovers need to pick up this book and read it now.

This books was amazing. I am a huge Katherine Center fan to begin with. The cover is just beautiful and I love the colors, the tile is very appropriate to the story. And the story!! Very well researched and has everything I look for in a good book. A love story, a struggling but positive female character, loving, funny, and supporting characters, a mean rival, and the second chance in family relationships. I absolutely loved this book and will highly recommend it to everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book! I was super excited to pick this up after recently reading The Bodyguard by the same author.

Synopsis: Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist who is about to have her big break in a prestigious contest. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and she has an accident that leaves her with a rare case of face blindness (prosopagnosia). Sadie fights to save her career and paint her most important portrait ever while also finding romance in unexpected places with two different men.

What I loved: This is a fun and sweet story imbued with a lot of hope. I enjoyed the uniqueness of reading about someone with fave blindness. It also weaves in poignant messages about friendship and family.

What I could’ve lived without: Some of the plot points felt too convenient to be believable. The characters felt a bit one-dimensional and at times irrational. A lot of the main character’s problems could have been solved by her being a liiiittle less stubborn. I had a hard time believing that her stepsister is evil just for the sake of being evil. I also didn’t buy that a person who is obsessed with their dog would leave them in the kennel for longer than strictly necessary or that a best friend would abandon her friend when she needed her most. The overuse of the word “slinky” also rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall this was a fun and entertaining read and I look forward to reading more books by this author! ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Hello Stranger is a classic Katherine Center- meaning it is an enjoyable, romantic comedy, that deals with some matters of substance while still being uplifting and light-hearted.

This story centers around Sadie Montgomery, a 20 something artist working towards the chance of a lifetime when she has a medical emergency that leaves her unable to distinguish human faces. That definitely threatens her future as a portrait artist! Sadie has to learn new ways of interacting with people around her and despite challenges even ends up to meet new people and a potential love interest.

This was a quick read which I was able to enjoy in one afternoon. Perhaps the part that stuck out to me the most was the beautiful afterward where Katherine Center describes her view on the opportunity and role of a romance novel. I couldn't agree more! I highly recommend this novel for any reader looking for an uplifting romance novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center, and St. Martin's Press New York for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a moment when I started this book when I was worried that it was all going to be a little too unbelievable. (Portrait artist who loses her ability to see faces?) But I’m a big Katherine Center fan and I’m glad I stuck with it. Interesting plot, developed characters and a well thought out ending. 4/5

I don't even know where to start... This is my introduction to Katherine Center's books and writing in general. I had heard of her books quite often before but never got the chance to pick one of her works. And I'm so glad I finally did she might just become one of my favorite romance authors. I'll have to pick up another one of her romances very soon!

The story follows Sadie, who is finally getting somewhere with her art when she gets diagnosed with face blindness following a brain surgery. As a portrait artist, this is more than unfortunate. Heartbroken and set on realizing her and her late mother's dream, Sadie has to work through her new condition with the help of her best friend Sue and a new acquaintance, her neighbor. Her dog's new vet's existence definitely helps (he's 100% how Sadie envisions her future husband, but he doesn't need to know that).

It got me giggling and kicking my feet. By the end, my cheeks hurt from smiling, and I had to stare at the ceiling for a little bit.

It comes out on July 11th, 2023 🩶

Thank you to NetGalley and St-Martin's Press and Katherine Center for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Note to the publisher: a second post will be released about a month before the date of the release!

I requested Hello Stranger because I LOVED Katherine Center's last book, The Bodyguard. Hello Stranger has a really interesting premise. I had heard of facial blindness before, but knew next to nothing about it and had certainly never considered how difficult everyday life might be without the ability to recognize faces!

I enjoyed the book very much. It's light, which will make it a great summer release, and I think this will get good buzz as a "pool bag book." I loved that Sadie is a gifted artist and her dog companion is a great side character (possibly the one constant in her life, when other people always seem to let her down). My one criticism of the book is that Sadie's stepsister is awful and evil, almost unbelievably so. I didn't feel in the end that Parker got what she deserved. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as The Bodyguard because I didn't quite know which love interest to be rooting for. This ties in, though, to the major plot line dealing with facial blindness. Sadie herself is off kilter and confused about the people around her due to her condition. I figured out what was happening about halfway through the book as far as the vet and her neighbor, but that did not make reading to the end any less enjoyable.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a feel-good rom-com! It was a great read and I am so delighted to have read and enjoyed another book by this author.

PS to the publisher: The cover art for Katherine Center's books is just gorgeous. They always stand out from other books in this genre. I am very picky about the books that I buy because I read so much and limit myself to books that have attractive covers. This one would definitely make the cut!

I loved this book! It was such an easy read and I learned about something I had never heard of! Face blindness! The main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist. She has brain surgery and the part of the brain that recognizes faces is swollen and she acquires face blindness! The author puts you in the shoes of Sadie and makes you imagine what life would be like if you were face blind. The love story is great! I’m now going to go and read Katherine Center’s other books! Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Best Katherine Center book yet! Unique premise that made this book super intriguing. Highly recommend for a unique romance experience!

Thank you to Netgalley & Stmartinspress for the advance copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center! I was so excited to see this book - I am a huge fan of hers. Her last book The Bodyguard was one of my favorites books in 2022 I highly recommend adding it to your TBR 📚. I rated it 5 stars - I instantly fell in love with the characters and loved the main character Sadie. She is a bit of a pessimist which would normally be a negative thing for me but she was so likable and I got invested in the story where I wanted to see what happened to her.

This is my eighth of author Kathleen Center's works & I enjoyed it, but I do prefer the stronger female MC's of a couple of her others a bit more. This was still quite enjoyable and uplifting, however, hence the 4 stars. Really enjoyed the love triangle between face-blind FMC Sadie, her sweet doggo's vet & her bad-boy neighbor. OH! Peanut, the senior dog, just stole the book for me! It's a quick read & fun and a good palate-cleanse from some heavier novels. My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC, ratings & opinions my own.

🌶/5 - ⭐⭐⭐.5/5 - The best part of this book is the nerdy science behind the plot. As a scientist myself, I find that when a book can impart new scientific/medical/psychological knowledge, I tend to like it much more!

A SHORT PREVIEW:
In Katherine Center’s upcoming release Hello Stranger, down-on-her-luck portrait artist Sadie just placed in a prestigious art competition that could make her career. Upon the eve of an impromptu celebration, before she has to get down to work on her competition piece, she collapses and finds out she has a very rare brain condition. After a seemingly successful surgery, she loses the ability to recognize faces. With a hopeful prognosis that things will get better, follow Sadie blunder through family trauma, relationships and friendships the best way one can… without knowing who they’re talking to!

THOUGHTS:
- The plot of this book is incredibly good. That’s the biggest reason I’m still giving it 3.5 stars. It’s the kind of book that could 100% be made into a movie with whatever actress is trending and do really well as a quick rom-com. ‘Hello Stranger’ is even a great movie title!
- More than brain candy, less than an epic romance… this story could have still been funny while the FMC maintained a smidgeon of dignity. (Please read the Character Building section below for a full rant.)
- Something highly specific that I found myself appreciating is the vulnerability around scars/tender areas that have physically healed but emotionally you still feel like you need to baby. I personally had an emergency abdominal surgery a few years ago and I still have some strange emotional vulnerability around the scars and they’re totally healed? That’s something I think people don’t talk about enough.
- The storyline following someone with prosopagnosia (AKA facial blindness) but still falling in love with them for them is actually pretty beautiful. I love that the FMC starts to recognize the way people walk etc. It’s a fun study for a writer in descriptive prose to help the reader recognize people too, without faces etc.

CHARACTER BUILDING: (Thanks in advance for coming to my TedTalk: Why We Need To Dial It Back on Writing Neurotically Somewhat Annoying FMCs)
- Sadie (the main character) and her character building are I think what really made this book a 3-ish-star rather than a 4-star for me. I think, as a whole, I find highly neurotic female characters with little confidence to be an overplayed stereotype and it’s not something I’m looking for in my FMCs.
- Perhaps that’s because I’m about to be 30 and attack everything I indulge whether professionally or for pleasure, with an organized determination to succeed..? (Hence why my book reviews are so structured. It’s the only way I know how to thrive.) I just no longer identify with that kind of character. I want the stories of strong women who have strong convictions. (I’m also reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – which is a story that’s bringing me to my knees!)

THE ‘MEH’ STUFF:
- The plot of this book is surprisingly good – but some of the characters were so annoying and over the top that I found myself cringing when their characters were mentioned. It was probably intentional – but I can’t imagine anyone in life being so outright awful? As in the characters are just ready to be written into a lazy rom-com screenplay. It doesn't mean we won’t like it. But we won’t love it either.

FAVORITE QUOTE:
“ You are also your whole life story. And your sense of humor. And your homemade donut recipe. And your love for ghost stories. And the way you savor ocean breezes. And the appreciation you have for how the colors pink and orange go together. You’re not just your face, is what I mean. But man, it sure is a big part of you. Like your shadow.”

NOTES:
- We all love a cartoon cover
- HEA ending
- 3rd act breakup – kind of an annoying plot device, but it was resolved well
- Highly predictable – but in a good rom-com kind of way
- TWs: Blended family drama, and childhood bullying mentioned

**Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the early release copy! I received this book as an advanced reader copy, but all thoughts are my own. - SLR

"Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Center for this e-ARC of Hello Stranger (releasing July 11, 2023) in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 stars!

Hello Stranger is my 6th completed book for 2023, and my first 5 star read! I always prefer to go into a book blind (without reading the blurb or synopsis), and this book was a perfect example of why I choose to experience my books this way. I had no idea what to expect from the story, so I was just as surprised as Sadie (the FMC) when life suddenly changed dramatically for her. She experiences some very difficult lows, but the story remains full of hope.

There were several minor editing issues, but with an “uncorrected digital galley,” one would expect those to be included and still in progress. That doesn’t take away from the way I felt while I read this book. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and wanted to pick it up even when I didn’t have time. That’s the making of a great story.

Did I mention I loved this book?

Wow, what a great read Katherine Center has become a auto read for me! I absolutely love when a story catches you by surprise and keeps you engaged the whole time it’s funny, quirky, & with a unique story line. The way Sadie thinks is me 😂 I thought I was the only one talked to myself! I loved her character & of course Joe and the Kim’s but man oh man oh man did I despise Parker & her dad 😬
Very unique plot line & I actually learned how many people suffer from face blindness it’s very interesting topic. Story takes place in Houston Tx & like I’ve said before I love when I read A story that takes place here.
Please please please read the authors note when your done. I absolutely agree this love story really created fantastic anticipation! I cried in ch 26 & 27 😭

Thank you NetGalley for another great read!

4 🌟

Damn, Katherine Center is SO good at writing feel-good romance novels.

Hello Stranger is about Sadie, an artist entering a major life-changing art competition that her deceased mom also competed in years ago. The stakes are high - and then everything changes.

After getting an emergency procedure following a sudden seizure, she is diagnosed with a “potentially temporary” condition of facial blindness - right before her time to shine.

She also just happens to fall in love with two men while recovering and figuring out her next steps … and well, I will let you figure out the rest. All I will say is … the twists are just TOO good.

Is this novel a little cheesy? Yes. But did I eat it up? Duh!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC! 📚

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Katherine center does it again with another gem of a book. Was it slightly predictable? Maybe. But it was so good. Sadie really learns who she is and what she’s capable of. I throughly enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review.

My rating is 4.5/5 stars which translates to “I really really enjoyed this book.”

Katherine Center’s new book is perfect for rom-com lovers who value funny writing, good character development, and a substantial plot beyond just the romance. There’s a twist near the end of the book that most readers will guess early on, but the predictability doesn’t make it any less enjoyable— in fact, the fun of the twist is in figuring it out yourself, and then waiting in delighted anticipation for the characters to figure it out too. There were points were I was literally giggling out loud to myself because I knew what the characters didn’t.

There are some parts that would be technically possible to happen in real life, but would be incredibly improbable— still, that’s what makes for the premise of a fun book! So, in other words, I don’t fault the author for making events work for the narrative.

My one true complaint about the novel was the villain character. In my experience, even terrible people have redeeming qualities— I think it’s pretty rare to find a person who is truly rotten with not a single positive character trait. Because of that, I found the step-sister character to be too cartoonish, and I couldn’t take her seriously as an antagonist. All of the other characters felt fairly real to me, like they could actually exist in real life.

It’s clear that the author did her research on prosopagnosia (face blindness), and while Sadie’s acquired prosopagnosia made for an interesting story, the novel was also educational. I’d heard of face blindness before but only understood it in the vaguest of terms. Now I feel like I understand a bit of what it must be like to experience it.

All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in a single day because I truly could not put it down. I highly recommend!

Link to my visual review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnyIOBArt3G/?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free book.
Katherine Center's books are like a warm hug. I know that her characters will have issues, but she always infuses her books with so much joy and strength, and Hello Stranger was no different. I really liked the aspect of using facial blindness in a main character because it gave Sadie so much room to grow. I was so invested in her portrait work and family drama. I loved how Center took her on a journey to become the best version of herself, even when she felt like she was in the worst place she'd ever been. Sadie had depth and realness. Her dog, Peanut, made me laugh. The storyline with family was full of heart and heartache. I am sad I can't read this for the first time again, but I know I'll be rereading once I have a hardcover for my shelves.