This book was *chef's kiss!*
I am a big Katherine Center fan, and as usual, she did not disappoint. She is a masterful storyteller. I loved Joe! I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 simply because it was predictable, but the predictability didn't diminish my enjoyment while reading it! I was still compelled to power through in two days. Big thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I enjoyed Center's novel, How To Walk Away, and I was happy to get a copy of her newest one as well.

This novel focuses on a portrait artist, Sadie, who has surgery that results in facial blindness. The writing and pacing of this book worked well. However, it was incredibly predictable and, for me, Sadie was more annoying than quirky. She just didn't work for me as a protagonist. The miscommunication trope can occasionally work well, but this was so out there.

An unusual premise of a portrait artist developing face blindness leading to some big mix ups. It took me a while to warm up to the main character, Sadie. She starts the book feeling pretty sorry for herself and blaming everyone else for her issues. Her stepsister is a fabulous antagonist you can't help but love to hate. But as the story unfolds Sadie develops more depth and her relationship with her neighbor is sweet. Sadie's best friend is also a fun foil to Sadie's unhappiness. I always love Katherine Center's books and this is another winner.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview copy!

If you look up the word ‘cruel’ in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’d see Parker’s name beside it.
I couldn’t put this story down. The anticipation of knowing what was going to happen next in Sadie’s life. I squealed in excitement a few times, I got super annoyed with the evil step-sister… Overall, Sadie is such a beautiful character. The lessons along the way and overall growth. And Joe, sweet sweet Joe! It was so nice to see the truth in humanity through Sadie’s eyes. How mistakes and mishaps and miss-understandings have an impact on us.
I don’t know if this review makes any sense, but I just loved this story so much! A definite must read

I always seem to like books best when the plot is realistic, and despite the main character being diagnosed with a very rare disease, it was so easy to relate to her. The way she responded to situations were ways no one would ever admit that they would respond that way. This brought validation for me as a reader.

It was such a good storyline with unpredictability.

The book was a little slow for my personal taste, but I think this was due to the deep descriptions.

This was the first book that I read by this author - I will definitely be reading others in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing a digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Katherine Center allowing me to read an ARC of Hello Stranger in return for review.

I love Katherine Center books and this one was no different, it has all the feels along with a touch of learning about Prosopagnosia (Face-Blindness). The main character has her flaws but learns those flaws are what makes her, her. Also along the she grows and learns how to ask for help and how to communicate instead of relying on herself only. As always a great read!!

I just finished reading Katherine Center’s latest novel, “Hello Stranger,” due to be published July 10, 2023, and it is her best book yet! There are several things Katherine Center does really well which garner her a top spot among my new favorite romance authors. She manages to deliver an intricate, exciting, and fascinating plot with incredibly strong, well defined characters that provide realistic, funny, and engaging dialogue.

The main character in “Hello Stranger,” Sadie Montgomery, is a fiercely independent protagonist as a young artist aptly fitting the characterization of a “starving artist.” She will not accept help from her father, a prominent cardio thoracic surgeon, who believes one of her greatest mistakes was changing majors in college from PreMed to Fine Arts. He doesn’t see that art is not only something Sadie truly enjoys because it fulfills her and makes her happy, but that she is also extremely gifted and talented at it. Sadie remains steadfast in showing her disapproving father that she is doing well as an artist eight years after receiving her BFA, creating portraits for a living and entering contests with her “real artistic paintings.” She wishes to prove him wrong and so even though she lives in a room/studio apartment that is smaller than her college dorm room, she doesn’t ask her father for any financial help nor will she accept it from her step mother, Lucinda.

She also won’t accept any help from a handsome stranger. Sadie refuses to let a complete stranger pay the $18 for her three bottles of cheap wine at the corner bodega when she realizes she doesn’t have her wallet, but he doesn’t listen and pays anyway. Sadie is purchasing the wine for an impromptu celebration that her best friend, Sue, is throwing on Sadie’s rooftop to celebrate her acceptance as a finalist in a huge artist competition. Throughout the story, Sadie continues to show how determined she is.

Katherine Center is a reader’s author. She lets her characters become vivid and real. They not only jump off the page to show that they are people we all know or wish to know, but they choose to do what we, as readers, are hoping and cheering for them to do. They are all-in, flawed, unique, and totally believable. This doesn’t just hold true for the protagonist Sadie, but also Sadie’s best friend, Sue; her father, Dr. Richard Montgomery; her step mother, Lucinda; her annoying step sister, Parker; her doctors; her lovable smush face dog, Peanut; his handsome new vet; and “Mr. Helpful” Joe.

I adore witnessing the characters’ actions and growth. The plot arcs are full of hope and little promises of happily ever after to come. The characters can be quirky, funny, sarcastic, or serious, and those sentiments easily come through in the dialogue.

The story of Sadie Montgomery is one which definitely fits the description Katherine Center once gave in an interview as “bittersweet comedies.” I read this novel in two days and just did not want it to end! I highly recommend this story to all readers. It’s an absolute five star recommendation. It is a love story, but the characters show real depth and emotions which make this story so much more than that! There is a love triangle, family conflict, life-changing medical events, and Sadie’s search for her place in the world.

One place which Sadie most definitely belongs now is in my heart.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and of course Katherine Center for allowing me to read this wonderful ARC before the publication date!

Katherine Center knows how to create unique characters in the most profound situations. And she nails it - every. single. time.

Sadie Montogmery is a portrait artist, just as her mother was. A portrait artist who, after side-effects from brain surgery, experiences the most life-altering consequence: she can no longer recognize faces...including her own. With a competition and ten thousand dollars on the line coming up in the next few short weeks, Sadie is racing to relearn everything - from how to paint a portrait without seeing her subject clearly, to communicating with everyone around her (especially if she can't tell whether she really knows them.)

And really, Sadie needs to learn how to rely on herself and others in other ways than what had come naturally before the surgery.

This book did a lot of things really well, including, the portrayal of the mental crisis when Sadie could no longer recognize anyone she loved. Looking back, I was surprised she didn't dive into a deeper depression when she encountered face blindness, especially given she couldn't see her own face.

While this was a five-star read for me (how could it not be), I did find myself slightly disappointed that the end was wrapped up so quickly. I loved Sadie and Joe's (or we can say Oliver - did anyone else see this coming from a mile away?) relationship, but it felt as if there was a big build-up throughout the book, which ended just minutes after the resolution of the book. I think their relationship could have been taken to other levels that weren't met in this book. I had expected there to be a little bit more romance or steam than there was.

A very special thank you to NetGalley for sharing the advanced reader's copy of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I loved the author's last book so I was excited to read this one. I enjoyed the book. It was a fast and light read. I liked Sadie and Joe's characters. They had great chemistry. I wasn't a fan of the secondary characters though sadly. Sue didn't seem like the greatest best friend. She constantly seemed to forget her condition or not fully understand it like how the surprise party was a bad idea. Then the trip itself seemed a little selfish also and terrible timing. I wish there was more involved with how her character is a great friend besides her family.
Parker was extremely over the top evil. I wish either there was more karma with her character or she at least showed why she behaved the way she did. I felt like the dad and stepmother made up for themselves some but I wish there was more of an apology for never believing Sadie.
The book was predictable but it still felt like a happy ending.
I will read another book by this author but I feel like this book is not my favorite by the author.

Every other Katherine Center novel that I have read has been a solid 5 stars. This one, while enjoyable, didn't quite have the emotional impact on me that her previous ones had. The family drama in this story seemed a bit unrealistic - Sadie's step sister was cruel in a way that didn't make much sense to me, especially as an adult character (her cruelty seemed a bit more believable when she was a teen but it didn't translate logically into adulthood). Her father's treatment of her, while explained in the novel, was wrapped up a little too neatly for me.
I did very much enjoy the twist at the end and overall I found the book to be a fun read.

The struggles and set backs that the main character goes through in this book that show her how to perceive things in her life differently was a great eye opener. Not only did she have physical set backs to work with and through but also emotional ones in order to truly change and enhance how she was living her life. Enjoyed reading this book

Wow! Wow! Wow! I literally jumped up and down when I got approved for this arc on NetGalley and it did not disappoint!

This story was so perfect and unique! The characters were amazing & although I figured out the twist pretty early on it didn’t take away from the ending at all.

Sadie is dealing with a complication post brain surgery that is causing face blindness. The doctors say it’s only temporary but the biggest problem? She’s a portrait artist with a major competition deadline in 8 weeks…and her model just left the country!

I had never heard of cavernoma prospoagnosia (face blindness) but reading this book but Center explained it so well in this book. I love the representation she gave to those who experience cavernoma prospoagnosia and how she described the complexity of the human brain. Also, how she delved into the complexity of grief and a broken home was heartbreaking.

Not to mention the swoonworthy men in this book! The looks, the banter, the relationship development is *chefs kiss*!

Another incredible book from Katherine Center & I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy when it is released, July 11th!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this masterpiece of an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

So cute! A really unique plot with the perfect characters to add to it. “Joe” was amazing; I am in love with this man. I don’t how she didn’t notice that he was the same person as Oliver, so that was reallllyyy dumb. Nonetheless, it still worked very well in the book.

Sadie character’s grew appropriately but the ending with Parker was silly. I wish we could see Parker and Sadie at least come to neutral state, where they both agree to stay out of each other lives. Her dad pissed with his past actions (which is the point) and it just made unredeemable. It felt like the author was trying to have her relationship with her family slowly grow into a more loving one, but it just didn’t work. Good thing it was a subplot.

Fantastic book! I really enjoyed it. Even though I could how the book was going, I enjoyed reading it unfold!

Wow, 'Hello Stranger' blew me away! Katherine Center does it again! I was so excited when I saw that this book was listed on NetGalley. I finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down.

I don't think I've read a book that made me this emotional in a long time. I cried so many times. I had to put the book down because I was crying so much, but I went right back to reading it again.

There are so many things that I could say about this book, but I really don't to give away any spoilers. Sadie's journey through grief and its different stages was so moving. She experience grief from her mother's death and all of the things in her life that changed after that day. She also experienced grief from her medical diagnosis. She couldn't do the things that she did before, and she had to find a new way to proceed her in life and her career.

The story beautifully connected grief and love together, and it showed that it's okay to ask for help. Asking for help doesn't make you weak. It's a way to be strong, and that is something that all of us can benefit from.

I really connected with Katherine Center's Author's Note at the end of the book. Do yourself a favor and don't skip over it. Read it and reread. Her words perfectly encapsulate why I love to read romance novels: anticipation.. I anticipated what was going to happen with Sadie, and I was pleasantly surprised and moved by the results. This story will stick with me, and I will definitely reread it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this beautiful story.

hello stranger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

AH! katherine center does it again and this is hands down my favorite one so far.

sadie gets the breakthrough of a lifetime. a chance to compete in a portrait competition with a prize of $10,000. and the same competition her mom was selected for. but when an immediate brain surgery leaves sadie with face blindness, she is left at a loss of how to navigate her life, let alone paint a portrait when she can’t see their face.

sadie is quirky and charming and her love interests were her perfect match. this book had such an interesting premise and i could not put it down! i will definitely bring picking up a physical copy to lend to everyone when this hits the shelves.

thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for early access to this title!

This is my first book by Katherine Center. I’ve heard great things about her writing.

I give this book 4 stars.
While the story was entertaining, well written. It was predictable. I wish there was a little more mystery to it but overall it was a great read.

It didn’t feel rushed and the plot played out very well.

I recommend this book, thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5-5 Stars! This is my first time reading a Katherine Center book and I absolutely loved it! At first it sounded a bit unrealistic to me but as I got into the book, it seemed easier to believe. The brain is an amazing thing. The main characters, Sadie, Joe & Dr.Addison, had me getting frustrated but the author does a great job of explaining why some people might act the way they do, which I tend to forget I’M not the main character so she’s not going to act the same way I would. I’d tell everyone who would listen about my brain not working right but some people are more private. The sister, Parker, was so easy to dislike, she was just so mean. You know it’s a good book when you feel for the characters and what they have to go through. I teared up at some points and laughed at others & was rooting for all the main characters to have the HEA they deserve and for the main character to get even with her stepsister and to tell off her step mother & her dad for how she was treated as a kid. Some really nice surprises in this book also, some that I didn’t see coming and really loved! Others I saw coming but still loved as well! Well written, entertaining and enjoyable read! Quirky characters, family drama, health drama, HEA, fun & loving secondary characters, and I’d highly recommend this book, definitely worth reading.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Katherine Center is one of my favorite romance authors, she always has unique characters and plots, and as usual, she delivered with this book. I loved this entertaining and light-hearted romance!

Sadie is a struggling artist who wants to follow in her deceased mother's footsteps. When she is a finalist in the same competition her mother was in years ago, it means the world to her and she is determined to win with her portraits. However, when she has a seizure and has surgery to fix a lesion, she wakes up from the surgery with face blindness. How can a portrait artist paint portraits when they can't see people's faces?

As she tries to figure out what to do, she finds herself in a love triangle with a bad-boy neighbor and a kind veterinarian who saved her dogs life. With lots of decisions and choices to be made, as well as a big twist, this story is enjoyable and heartwarming with lovable characters and a unique storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Katherine Center's new book, "Hello Stranger." I absolutely loved Center's "The Bodyguard" and was excited to read her newest novel. I devoured this in 2 days and was charmed from start to finish. Another 5-star book from a wonderful author. I appreciated the details and nuances of the storytelling involving an aspiring portrait artist suddenly afflicted with face blindness after brain surgery. The characters were all fully-formed and interesting, and I couldn't race to the ending fast enough. I absolutely loved this book - it was a great pick-me-up!