4⭐️

<b>It takes a certain kind of courage to be brave in love. A courage you can only get better at through practice.</i>

Sadie’s just gotten the news that she’s placed top 10 in a portrait painting competition, and when grabbing wine to celebrate, has a non-convulsive seizure in a crosswalk and is saved by a good samaritan from oncoming traffic. Sadie learns that the seizure was caused by a malformed blood vessel in her brain, and needs brain surgery. After the surgery, Sadie finds that she isn’t able to see faces of even the people she knows best, and learns that the swelling in her brain is causing face blindness. Sadie must learn how to navigate her life without being able to see faces as a portrait artist, and how to ask for help, and fall in love.

This book was really cute and unique!!! The humor in it is great, and I really love all of the characters. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it.

The love stories in Katherine Center's books will draw you in completely and thoroughly. You'll feel the highs and lows, the frustrations, the embarrassments, the hurts, and the happiness. Her loves stories are all-encompassing for me, once I start reading there is not much that can make me stop. In Hello Stranger, I could particularly identify with feeling like you aren't where you want to be in life, feeling like everything is going wrong, and especially Sadie's love and protectiveness of her dog Peanut. I thought the misunderstanding with the love interest was a bit unbelievable at first, but then again I've never experienced being face blind. It also made me think of how many little details that could add up to an answer or an understanding, but I usually only put them together in hindsight. It's been one of my favorites of Katherine Center's books and is totally worth the read.

Love, love, love this! Katherine Center was not on my radar until recently and now I want to go back and read her entire backlog! Hello Stranger was so interesting with the topic of facial blindness -- very unlike anything I have read before.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.

I haven’t read a book in years that had the spunk this one does. Part of the reveal at the end was predictable but I enjoyed the slow burn romance really had a lot going for it

This was my second by this author and has quickly become one of my auto buy authors! This book had so many layers and I loved getting to see all is Sadie’s character. The twist at the end was predictable but still very much enjoyed this one!

i've never heard of facial blindness prior to this book but it was interesting to learn about and see it take place in the novel. i enjoyed this it was a cute fun read. thank you netgalley for the e arc :)

Oh how I loved this book. I adored the message behind healing and getting through struggles in life. Joe is so admirable and sweet. I found myself relating a lot to Sadie and rooting for her happy ending in whatever form that may be. This was my first book by this author but now I want to read all of her books.

Face blindness was not something I had heard of, so this was new to me. The author did a great job of explaining it and how it affected the main character, and it was very interesting to see how she adapted (or tried to) as the book continued. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

So I liked this book, but it was totally predictable and completely unbelievable! And yet you can't help but love the characters and root for them! This was a heartwarming read that Katherine Center fans will not be disappointed by!

No one writes a romance like Katherine Center. I love that the heroine always has depth and a life outside of romance. Hello Stranger was no exception. Center has written another swoony romance that builds overtime until the anticipation nearly kills you and then leaves a smile on your face.

I recently read Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and I must say that it was a heartwarming and delightful read. The book follows Sadie Montgomery, an artist who is struggling with face blindness, a condition that makes it difficult for her to recognize faces. To make matters worse, she finds herself torn between two men, her dog's handsome vet, and her endearing neighbor.

The author has done an excellent job of creating a relatable and endearing protagonist in Sadie. Through her struggles with face blindness, we see how the condition affects every aspect of her life, from her art to her relationships. The book is also a reflection of the importance of family, and the author has done a great job of exploring family dynamics and the challenges that come with them.

One thing that stood out to me was the author's ability to balance humor and heart. The book is both funny and touching, and the characters are well-developed, relatable, and endearing. The book is well-paced, and the tension keeps building until the very end.

Overall, Hello Stranger is a heartwarming and delightful book that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted. The author has created a relatable and endearing protagonist in Sadie, and the book is a reflection of the importance of family, love, and the human spirit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies, heartwarming stories, and books that make you feel good.

Another gem by Katherine Center! We meet Sadie Montgomery and follow her as she experiences facial blindness, Chaos ensues in all parts of her life, and the reader is in for surprises throughout the story. I enjoyed her character quirks and seeing how she grew as a person. A great, fun read!

Having recently finished “Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

This was a unique romance filled with anxiety, unexpected challenges, humor and so many heart-warming moments.
Sadie grew on me throughout the story, although she may have been a bit intense at times. Her inner strength and determination was written in such a way that I too thought about who I want to be, how I want to live, and what really matters. As always, I am patiently anticipating meeting the next couple Ms. Center brings into my world. It is always something I look forward to!!

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

I went into this book completely blind not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got into the story and how fast I read it. From the start you can't help but feel for Sadie. She's had a tough life and you can clearly see her struggles in many areas. However, as you read, you end up seeing more of her personality and how lost she actually is. I loved how through the book we get to see her slowly realize things that will make her grow and be happy (for real) and see her grow. This story really shows you how much we judge by what we see and how when you lose the thing you use the most, it change your whole perception. I loved Joe's character how thoughtful and sweet he was. Overall, I really liked this story and it made me go through a bunch of emotions. It was a quick read and definitely a story I would recommend.

Sadie Montgomery's life takes an unexpected turn when, after celebrating a major achievement, she finds herself diagnosed with face blindness—a condition that transforms every face she sees into a perplexing puzzle. In her journey to navigate this new reality, where every face is a disjointed collection of features, Sadie grapples with maintaining her artistic aspirations, addressing family challenges, and caring for her cherished dog, Peanut.

While facing these struggles, Sadie unexpectedly discovers herself entangled in feelings of love, lust, and a fleeting obsession, providing a temporary escape from life's complexities. Amidst the challenges, the story transcends traditional romance, exploring themes of personal growth, resilience against life's obstacles, and the art of letting go of burdens that hinder progress. This heartfelt narrative blends warmth, depth, and substance, addressing challenging issues with a gentle touch while delivering a compelling tale of falling in love and finding oneself.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This romance is set on such an interesting premise. Sadie is put in a situation where she cannot rely on her vision as she can't recognize faces and has to rely on the rest of her senses to get around and continue living a "normal" life. It makes Sadie question her judgment on top of the complications with her love life, her strained relationship with her father, her evil step-sister, and her struggle to establish her career as an artist. It's such an interesting and new perspective to set a romance in.

Katherine Center just know show to write a great, intriguing, romantic, sucks you right in kind of book and Hello Stranger was no exception. I really loved Sadie's story - it was hopefully and uplifting and the face blindness was such an interesting spin. And the love interest - so swoony. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved the Bodyguard by Katherine Center, so I was extremely excited to dive into Hello Stranger.

Thank you Katherine Center for sending me the ARC of this book. I apologize for getting to it 4 months after it was released to the public.

This book was definitely interesting and I enjoyed the face blindness plot. I believe this concept has been done before by another popular romance author but, I still found it intriguing. The descriptions of the face blindness were great and captivating. They allowed me, as the reader, to really get a good understanding of what was happening.

With that being said, the face blindness plot made the book extremely predictable. The ending wasn't a twist or anything close to a surprise, unfortunately. HOWEVER, that does not take away from the book being one that I found myself reading quickly and wanting to have Sadie figure it all out.

This book helped me get out of my reading funk since it was a quick and easy read. I don't think it will fall on my favorite romance books list, however I still did enjoy it.

While I loved the end message of the book, the journey to the end was a rough one. Joe shouldve caught on that there was some communication lapses with Sadie. The fact that she broke up with him and he never brought up one of the moments they spent together as "Joe" was so frustrating.
Parker was an unbelievable antagonist, with no real backstory on why she was so horrible and no redemption. There was a mention of her being upset that her life got uprooted but that doesnt justify the level of evil she was. Also the end "gotcha" moment for Parker where the step-mother and father learn about everything that happened, has no satisfaction value.
Overall, the ends did not justify the means and I felt frustrated until the resolution.