Katherine Center is one of my favorite and go to authors. When I had the honor of receiving this digital ARC I read it immediately and in one sitting. I was not disappointed and loved it so much. This is the spot where I would usually provide a synopsis, but I think it's best to go in without knowing, just like I did with this. It helps with the "what's going to happen next?" with this story. I loved the messages, growth, and the romance. I also love this cover and can't wait to get a physical copy.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review!! As someone who doesn't see faces when they dream this book really called out to me haha. After reading The Bodyguard I was stuck on Center's work. I'll be completely honest, this book started off as not my favorite. It felt just like all Sadie wanted was revenge. On her sister, on her stepmother, and on her father. But that all changed once she has the surgery. As Sadie navigated her changing world of not being able to make out faces and falling in love with not one but two guys, her entire view of the world changed, something that is definitely scary considering she's an artist. I was not expecting to be moved as much as I was by this book. It was so good and I could not put it down once I got past the rocky beginning!

Five cozy, heartwarming stars. Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this story was no exception. She writes such relatable characters, and it always feels like escaping with my friends to read one of her books. Our main character Sadie finds out she is a finalist in a big portrait competition, then promptly discovers she needs brain surgery immediately. The surgery leaves her with possibly temporary, possibly permanent facial blindness. The story that follows made me laugh and swoon over and over. There’s characters I love, and even some I love to hate. Sadie’s daily struggles and mishaps felt so relatable to my life, and I enjoyed learning more about facial blindness outside of a thriller setting (I also appreciated the resources included regarding this topic). I did think that it was a very predictable ending, but that didn’t make me enjoy it any less. Another instant KC favorite of mine.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hello Stranger is the newest romcom release of Katherine Center. When I got this ARC, I started reading it immediately and finished it in one day (which is a feat because I work full time and have a toddler and a baby). This story was so cute and had a really unique twist to it that I had never seen before. Sadie, our main character, is a struggling portrait artist. Her dad wanted her to become a doctor (like him) but she disappointed him when she changed her major to art. She finally gets a big break when she becomes a top 10 finalist in a huge portrait artist competition. Six weeks before the competition gallery opening, she suffers a seizure and discovers she has a brain problem that needs to be corrected ASAP. After her surgery, she realizes she can no longer recognize or see faces properly, which is the one thing she needs to do her job well. Through a series of crazy events, she ends up falling for both her dogs veterinarian and the man who lives in her apartment building.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like
💙sweet romance
💙crazy misunderstandings
💙repairing family relationships
💙awesome best friends
💙interesting brain problems
💙cute love stories
💙love triangles

I know I loved a book when I read it and immediately want to own a copy of it. Rest assured I will be purchasing a hard copy of this book as soon as it comes out. Another fantastic book by Katherine Center!

Solid 5/5 stars! Katherine Center has done it again! Hello Stranger is a heartwarming compelling read that has left me days after reading unable to get the characters out of my head. You can’t help but feel for Sadie as she navigates a life changing brain surgery and adjusts to life being face blind. While reading this I couldn’t help but put myself in her shoes and anxiously read each page eager to find out what happens next. This was a beautiful unique story that left me wishing I could read it again for the first time.

Katherine Centers loves two things in her books: a very nice man and a Meryl Streep reference. Who knew a book about a portrait artist who gets brain surgery and suddenly can’t see faces would be so suspense building yet ultimately extremely satisfying in the end. What I loved most about this book is that it’s a love story built around the idea that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes and to let people help you through it. Sadie’s character is the perfect example of how falling in love is not just an emotion you feel, but a vulnerable choice you make to allow yourself to lean on other people, especially when your brain has turned the world upside down. A perfect, heart warming, romance story!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book for my honest review.

LOVED this book!! Katherine Center has quickly become a favorite author of mine. She could rewrite the phone book and I'd read it! Her talent for writing heartfelt romcoms that are relatable and realistic is truly sensational. I am always smiling when I finish one of her books. The positivity that she portrays in her novels is simply joyful and contagious. The characters are always so well developed and imperfectly human. She makes it so easy for us readers to become personally invested in each and every one of her stories. I am extremely sad to have to say goodbye to these characters, with the exception of Parker, of course. I just wanted to punch her in the face! I don't know if I can say that this is my favorite of hers because I loved them all, but it's definitely in my top three! I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!!

Katherine Center is a favorite of mine for a reason…she never disappoints!

Sadie is waiting for her big break to come as a portrait artist. All the sudden she finds out that she needs brain surgery. They say it’s elective and an easy recovery but…Sadie post surgery is a hot mess! She is diagnosed with prospagnosia, a condition affects the way you see faces. Seeing faces is major for someone who paints portraits as a career and she doesn’t recognize anyone!
Sadie is learning to cope while there is remaining grief from losing her mother as a child, family drama, the pressure of an art contest and of course a new love interest!

I love the way Katherine Center writes, it’s just magical!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC! Such a great read!

I loved this book! Have read all of this author’s writings, but this book has made a lasting impression. Although I would categorize this book as a romance novel, Ms. Center brings so much depth to her characters and an evolving plot line, that I would call it LitRom rather than ChickLit. Her description of physical and emotional healing among people is great and leaves the reader wanting a sequel.

This love story really created fantastic anticipation (iykyk). Of course I could see where it was going, and I enjoyed every second of the journey! I’m at the point in my reading journey where there are very few concepts I haven’t already seen (some so many times I never want to see them again), so I was delighted by this unique storyline.
To me, the idea of face blindness is daunting enough, so the fact that Center made her protagonist a portrait artist was extra compelling. I also really like that she fell for her man without ever seeing his face (sort of…).
One of the underlying messages really spoke to me too—the more we look for the good things in our lives, the more we’ll find.
All told, this was a well written, refreshing take on a fun trope, and I relished the time spent reading it!

4.5 stars! I go into pretty much every romantic comedy novel thinking it will be predictable. How funny the author actually mentions this in her Author's Note and suggests that "anticipation" is a better word! There was definitely some predictability here...but the anticipation of solving the puzzle had me reading chapter after chapter until way past my bedtime. I'm a mom of a 6 month old...I do not stay up past my bedtime for just anything! For sure a few laugh out loud moments and the characters were lovable.

This was my first NetGalley review. Was so excited to see this author available after reading The Bodyguard last year. This one did not disappoint!

Katherine Center strikes again! At this point, I am convinced this author could rewrite the phone book and I would find it absolutely riveting and this one was no exception.

This book has EVERYTHING, and that is no exaggeration. There was drama, tragedy, fun, and so much laughter!! A quick round of applause for the banter, because *insert chef’s kiss here*!!!!

Joe! Precious Joe. I know what Ariel was screaming about when she said “Daddy, I love him!”, because me too girl. What a man!

I could not put this down. I was huddled in my bed at midnight finishing this story with tears streaming down my face. Let’s be honest, I was ugly crying at how stunning this story was. I’m already ready for a re-read.

STICK AROUND FOR THE AUTHOR’S NOTE BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A TREAT!

~Special thanks to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and of course Katherine Center for an advanced reader copy.

The whole face blindness thing still is so interesting to me. This book while a romance was also so much more. Sadie is overcoming her illness, tragedy, and just an overall hard life since her tragedy. I loved Joe and how their relationship grew. Her family made me so angry though!

I kind of had a feeling about the mix up at the end way before it came out. If that seems vague, it is. You’ll just have to read to figure out what I predicted before it came out in the story 😘 Lots of laughs and a few twists along the way!

Thanks Netgalley for the copy of this book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read! Katherine Center is always one of my favorite authors and Hey Stranger did not disappoint. I loved the characters and the ending twist was adorable. I felt myself rooting for everyone (except maybe Parker) the whole time.

Hello Stranger is a sweet closed-door romance with a main character you want to root for and a love interest who is just the sweetest.
After an accident, Sadie acquires face-blindness, or prosopagnosia. This issue is the main conflict of the novel, and it was interesting and something I haven’t really read about before. (Which, by the way, is something I really appreciate about Katherine Center’s books!)
Unfortunately, a lot of the other aspects of the story felt a bit forced to me. The family drama was way over the top, the resolution for it felt rushed and too simplistic, and I had a hard time buying the way the romance came together in the end.
All of that said, I did appreciate the author’s note at the end. She explains what it is about romance novels that draw us in, and why some unrealistic elements are part of what build the hopeful anticipation in the reading experience. I agree, but for me, this one had just a bit too much suspension of reality.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy. I’m still a major fan of Katherine Center; this one just wasn’t my favorite!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

I was so excited when I saw Hello Stranger on Netgalley! I immediately stopped the other book I was reading and started this one!

After devouring The Bodyguard last summer, Hello Stranger was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. It lived up to every expectation!
The main character, Sadie, suffers from prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize faces), which was fascinating to read about. I had no idea such a thing existed. Sadie was so endearing and quirky as a character, and she made me laugh out loud several times.

Katherine Center’s books always make you feel warm and fuzzy. They are pure happiness, and unputdownable. (Side note- I adored the author’s note at the end about romance books! 🫶)

The book cover is gorgeous, and I loved recognizing all the little details on the cover from the book after reading it. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy for my bookshelf in July!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This book is exactly what I needed! Light, fun and entertaining! I laughed out loud so many times. It had some cheesy and I-see-that-coming moments but the story was heartwarming and I loved how it came together in the end.

This is my third Katherine Center book. Things you save in a fire is my favorite!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be wholly and genuinely dramatic, my eyes are practically bleeding from the stare-off contest I just had with this book. Skipping dinner should especially have me famished—but nope, not at all! Why, you may ask? Why is Rachel Viteri, the chunky 29-year-old who is the ultimate foodie okay despite her being the number one grump in the whole wide world when she skips a meal?

Well, it is because I just consumed this novel as a three course meal and I am MORE than stuffed. Every pallet from the sassy, salty, spicy Sadie Montgomery to the refined, savory, sweet (/sexy af) Joe felt like spoonful after spoonful of serotonin, dopamine AND endorphins. For goodness sake.

As you can probably deduce, I am experiencing symptoms very similar to what we call a “food coma.”

That is why.

I could give you a brief summary of what this book is about—but instead, I really just want to focus on how happy Katherine Center makes me. How happy her stories are, despite the sad, little and/or big bumps in life that her characters face. How happy you will feel to (1) literally laugh-out-loud, (2) conjure fantasies of dreamy, super attractive men that have more abs than your sweet innocent eyes have had the privilege of scoping out irl, and (3) heck, become giddy with the satisfaction you gain from screaming “you are a VILLAIN” to mean icky, evil stepsisters (obviously, on behalf of all the underdogs, we despise Parker and all of her hilarious ridiculousness).

The cherry on top to the giant hunk of brownie that is Joe though? The Author’s Note. Because, goodness gracious Katherine Center just gets you. She gets me. She probably gets your neighbor who sits on their front porch during every waking hour and smokes a pack a day. She JUST GETS EVERYONE—children and animals included. And as a gal who has been a single gal her whole life who has also loved being a single gal that greedily partakes in romcom after romcom, book after book, k-drama after k-drama—I dream of a love story so stinkin’ cute people can’t help but say “awwwwww” when they hear it and say, “wow guys like Min Min from Strong Girl Bong-soom DO exist!” To find love is a treasure. And, welp, you’ll have to wait to get there yourself—but dang it, Center SO eloquently conveys those exact feelings in her last words.

It’s all a very interactive, experience looking back on the last 7 hours of my life.
So much so, I can confidently say to whoever may reading my positive review rant: “there’s no time: skip the synopsis & just get to it already!”

Amyways, I have to awake my sister from her slumber now and bully (not really, because that’s mean & not needed) her into reading this book anddddd…
eat bag of tortilla chips.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and last—because we all know we have to save the best for last—Katherine Center for this delicious, dessert, anticipation of an arc!

It was cool to read an ARC of this book, however this book was not for me. There was so much unnecessary family drama, it was like high school between the two sisters. I felt like it took away from the story rather than added to it. I was looking forward to the romance but that ended up being such a small part in the story.

SCREAMING. That is what I do after I read a Katherine Center books. This was so fluffy, so sweet, though I knew the twist before it happened I still loved when it happened. As someone who also has a BFA, if what happened to Sadie happened to me while I was getting my art degree I would have lost my mind. I Googled a lot reading this book, I learned so much about face blindness. Overall this was such a good first NetGalley read of 2023! I cannot wait to add the paperback to my shelf! Also long live Peanut!