I love all of Katherine Center's books but especially this one. The twist at the end was surprising and the subject brings light to a condition I have never heard of before. Highly recommend.

Ughh Katherine is so so good!! One of my favorite feel good authors. I can always trust her books to not hurt me. Whenever my anxiety is too high to deal with things, I turn to her books to distract me. This new one is no different! What an incredible and different concept for a love story.

Sadie, a strangling artist, who also doesn’t have the emotional support for this career from her father, and her mother has since passed away. I find a lot of relatability there. As an artist myself, on top of all of that, I couldn’t imagine then losing my eyesight without even a little clue it was coming.

After she’s saved in the middle of the street by a Good Samaritan, she had surgery and when she wakes up she’s unable to see people’s faces. Everyone looks like a stranger to her. At the same time she becomes a finalist in a prestigious portrait contest.

I loved the representation for a disorder I didn’t even know existed. And the twist was perfection.

Sadie, a budding portrait artist, catapults into the art scene with a promising entry in a prestigious show. However, her dreams shatter when a sudden collapse leads to brain surgery, leaving her with face blindness. A portrait artist now struggling to recognize faces, Sadie grapples with the looming contest, familial tensions with her (evil) step-sister Parker, disappointed father, and an unexpected love interest. In the chaos, she must confront her altered reality and decide whether to embrace the challenges or forfeit the opportunities that have unfolded before her.

I'm a huge fan of Katherine Center, but if you haven't read "The Bodyguard," I would start there! It's still my favorite of her works!

4.5

“I guess that’s the great thing about life; it gives you chance after chance to rethink it all.”

This book had such a unique concept, face blindness. I have only read one other book that hits on this topic but it was nowhere near this. The way the story was written, weaved and then layered was fantastic.

I mostly enjoyed Sadie's character, she was relatable to me only in the way she was always in her head reaching for conclusions, even if they didn't quite make sense. Joe's character was a bit off putting at first but eventually grew on me.

While the 'twists' and reveals were so predictable (saw it coming from the beginning) I think the center of the book was on learning to love yourself where you're at and through your journey. The way you can be free to love someone else more solidly when you have a foundation of self love to pull from.

What I didn't like - the best friend dynamic; I didn't understand how Sadie's best friend, someone you are supposed to be closer to than anyone else, could continuously forget about all the stuff she was facing and be so flippant about it.

Hope. This fills you up with it - I think it's been a theme for me lately. August = Hope

This is a book that isn't driven by plot or characters but a blend of the two delivering a story that is entertaining but also emotionally captivating.

I always forget Katherine Center is fade to black and pretty tame and I kept trying to fall into this book but it just wasn’t for me.

This is the 5th book I've read by K.C. and she doesn't disappoint. While I found this one pretty predictable, I think that was the point. We know who the people are (or suspect) but Sadie doesn't. She only has certain ways to tell who a person is and she keeps those tells in a box. Sadie's character development after her surgery is huge, and i love watching her character grow -- especially when she begins to accept Lucinda. Like she's not the greatest but she's not a monster.

But Parker - I don't know how you redeem someone like that.
Joe & Oliver - I have all the heart eyes.

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.”