I knew I would love this book because the author is Katherine Center! Sadie is an aspiring artist. She has just won a place in a portrait artist competition. She is excited and wants to win. Just weeks before the competition she suffers a seizure. A problem is found in her brain and she needs surgery immediately. The surgery went well but there is a complication, she has what is commonly known as face blindness. It might disappear but it might not. Sadie is frantic, she is a portrait painter who can’t see faces. I can’t say too much more through fear of giving away too much of the story. Sadie learns an enormous amount through her ordeal, about who she is, expectations, connections with other people and love. It is truly an amazing story, unique and heart warming!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will forever read anything Katherine center reads. She’s the best!!! This one was a cool concept and I flew through it!!! I don’t think it’s my favorite by her but parts were so cute

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not a holiday read but it sure feels like one. It’s light, funny and full of heart! I love the feel-good story with a bit of light drama thrown in just like any Hallmark Christmas movie. The fact that the main character had acquired prosopagnosia (face blindness) is a bonus IMHO - love that the author integrated this rare condition into the story to raise awareness.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Whenever I am craving for comfort reads I always go to KC books and so far, I haven’t ever been disappointed!!! I always end up rooting for and loving her characters! Hello Stranger is such a nice book that I am sad it isn’t out until next year (July 11, 2023). I wish it’s available now because the WORLD needs to read it ASAP! Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin Press for my ARC. Love love this book!

Perfection!
Can I give this more than five stars? From word one to the end, it was perfect. Perfect for my mood, Perfect for my reading preferences. I adore Katherine's writing and whatever book I read last is my favorite. As with her other releases, Hello Stranger will always be in my go-to re-read pile.
Sadie wants desperately to make it big - or at least be able to pay the bills - as a portrait artist. Her big break is finally here and she's ready to knock the competition out of the park. She'd love to prove her father wrong and pay the rent without stressing. An accident leads to a must-have surgery and Sadie's surgeon father will not let her wait a minute longer than necessary. The swelling has lead to the inability to see faces - hopefully temporary - but the six weeks to compete is rapidly dwindling.
I loved Sadie, I loved the romance, I loved the full cast - even that she-devil-who-shall-not-be-named. Katherine has this amazing ability to pull all of the emotions out of me and weave these threads throughout that seem innocuous until it means so much more later. Her cyclical style is impactful and makes me want to start over immediately to see what I missed.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I love Katherine Center!! And not just because we are both C(K)atherine’s 😉

As usual with Katherine Center’s books, the banter between the characters and the inner monologues of our main character Sadie had me literally laughing out loud! I learned a lot about prosopagnosia (face blindness) that I didn’t know before and really appreciated the informational note at the end of this book.

Sadie Montgomery made her big break as an artist and is a finalist in a portrait competition. Things are finally going her way until an accident lands her in the hospital where she discovers she needs an unexpected, minor surgery. When Sadie wakes from surgery, she can see everything around her except people’s faces. They tell her it’s temporary and the face blindness will go away over a few weeks time. Sadie tries to navigate her normal, while refusing to tell anyone but her best friend Sue about her face blindness; which leads to some complications when she meets a new love interest.

I loved that the story focused more on Sadie’s self discovery and growth as a person and artist, and her love story was woven in between. I loved Sadie and of course the Kim’s, her bestie Sue and obviously Joe! The characters were so likeable!

Did I know how it was probably going to end? Yes. Did I absolutely love it? Also, yes!! As Katherine Center wrote in her authors note “this love story really created fantastic anticipation”. What we all love about romance novels is the hope and happy endings that we know are coming. So although we may sometimes think romance novels are predictable, it’s the predictability/anticipation that makes us want to keep reading this genre!

Thank you NetGalley and Katherine center for the advanced readers copy. This book was everything I needed!

I was so blown away by this author’s book, How to Walk Away, that I immediately read all of her previous books and eagerly awaited her follow up novel, but unfortunately each book always disappoints me. They just have not been anywhere as captivating or moving. While this book is still not as amazing in my opinion it does have its own charm. It took me a bit to get into it, and it didn’t help that the author derisively described someone as a generic white guy, and the the main character Sadie is so prickly that she is rude. Despite that it’s worth giving this book a chance because it is a very unique story as Sadie must grapple with so much at once. I strongly recommend if the concept intrigues you that you just dive in as there is a lot that could be spoiled if things are given away in the reviews. Personally I saw where it was going but it’s still a fun journey to get there. I think I have now read all of her books and this one I believe is the next best one to my favorite of hers which you should definitely read if you have not. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.5, that I'm rounding up to 5 because I just love Katherine Center's writing. It is insightful and captures the reality and messiness of being human. I rarely ever re-read books, but I think this is one I might just re-read just for the chance to read the ending again (insert happy little sighs). Trust me when I say that if you are struggling with certain aspects of this story (as I was), you will get your payoff in the end when it all comes together.

I really adored this story and its characters, especially the MC Sadie. She was so sweet, despite some pretty tragic circumstances she has faced in her life.

My only issue with this was personal. I saw the big twist coming very early so that led to some frustration while reading. I know other people have read this and didn’t predict it so it may not be THAT obvious.

Overall, I still really enjoyed it and think Center’s likely got another summer hit on her hands.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun and intriguing read! If you've read anything else by this author, you'll love this one too! Can't decide if I liked this or The Bodyguard more!

This was my first book to read for pleasure in months! An early release by Katherine Center was an obvious choice - all of her books are wonderful, feel-good reads. I especially enjoyed the uniqueness of the story paired with the author's extensive research on Prosopagnosia. It was interesting to learn about something that is not well-known in the context of a beautiful, romantic story. Though I guessed the twist, the "anticipated hope" made the story a joy to continue reading.

Artist Sadie Montgomery is rebuilding her life after a series of struggles. When she learns that she'll need brain surgery, she is told that the recovery will be easy and she will be able to move on with her life. However, she suffers a complication that renders her "face blind", unable to recognize faces. This was an interesting dilemma to read about, and to follow Sadie's highs and lows. As she finds herself torn between two men, a sweet and satisfying love story emerges.

First I have to say that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Katherine Center, the author of this book. So as soon as I got my hands on this book, it went straight to the top of my to-be-read list. However, I have to say that this was not my favorite of her books.

Hello Stranger follows Sadie, an up and coming portrait artist who has just had her first big break and makes the finals of this big portrait show. Then she has brain surgery and ends up with Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, so she can't see faces to paint anymore. The rest of the book follows her struggles to become accustomed to this huge life-altering thing that has happened to her.

I felt like the main character was lost alot and didn't show much growth. So even though there is a sweet romance plot line, at the end of the book, I felt like the character was still at the beginning of her journey. So I guess there was no closure for me.

I think that if you're looking for a romance that maybe explores new things (like prosopagnosia), has some other unexpected twists, and is a little "heavier" than your typical romance, it is worth a read. Especially if you already like Katherine Center like I do.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. It's a cute little romance, but the interesting part is the face-blindness that the MC contracts from a surgical procedure. It's fascinating to learn more about this little-known problem, and how it relates to someone that has such a huge part of their life tied in with faces. I admit, I kinda had the punchline figured out, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment of the reveal. The pace of the book was great, the relationships between the MC and her friends and family progressed nicely. I would definitely enjoy reading more by this author.

Hello Stranger- Katherine Center
4⭐️

Katherine Center always delivers the perfect romcom when I need it most! This was exactly what I was needing during a rough week to bring my spirits up. I have realized that the predictability factor that most romcoms have is so comforting. It is part of what makes romcoms what I want to read when I’m having a bad day. You can feel consoled reading it knowing that everything is going to turn out okay. I started having these thoughts while reading Hello Stranger and coincidentally enough, Katherine had a whole authors note at the end of exactly this!

“Romance novels, rom-coms, happy love stories-they all run on a blissful sense that we're moving toward something better. The clues writers drop in romance novels don't give you things to dread. They give you things to look forward to…It's the structure-that "predictable" structure-that does it. Knowing you're heading toward a happy ending lets you relax and look forward to better things ahead. And there's a name for what you're feeling when you do that.
Hope.”

Thank you for putting exactly what I was feeling into words, Katherine (and much more eloquently than I ever could!)

All that being said, I loved this book. Such a fun story line and a great romcom.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Pick up your copy on July 14th, 2023! 🥳

I am a fan of Katherine Center. I read very little romance, but I always make a point to seek out her new books. Reading each one is like unwrapping a delicious candy and savoring it until the very end.

Mrs. Center's new novel, Hello Stranger, centers around the story of a portrait artist who has an accident that results in face blindness shortly after learning she is a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition. This rocks her world, rendering her unable to paint faces and leaving her at the mercy of those around her. Artist Sadie is unwilling to share her struggles with others, determined to hide her face blindness from those around her.

The struggle of her new reality leads her to explore new methods and styles of painting and re-evaluate her relationships. Fortunately she can still recognize the face of her beloved dog. When two men come into her life, including a very hot vet, things get even more complicated.

Can she paint her prize-winning portrait and possibly find love?

I rate this book 5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and found the subject of face blindness very interesting. I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of a light and humorous read.

Thanks to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin's press for sharing an advance copy of this book for review.

Thank you to St Martins Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I liked this story. It was interesting and different but still cute with the usual misunderstandings and HEA you can expect from a RomCom. The main character annoyed me a lot of the time. And I really didn’t like her internal dialog/the way she asked rhetorical questions constantly.
Was I happy to do the thing?
No.
Did I do it anyway?
You bet.

Over and over and over.

If you’re a Katherine Center fan, I recommend this one. But if not, I could take it or leave it.

Hello Stranger - Katherine Center
Read it for the:
- Character growth
- Complex family relationships
- Unique plot
- Uplifting message
- The Nice Guy

Romance: Closed-door; kissing only
CW: brief mention of attempted suicide, bullying, death of a parent, strong language.
Final Rating 4/5

Hello Stranger is a worthwhile read, a page-turner with well-built tension, complex character dynamics, and a refreshing plot.

I was invested in the plot from the first chapter and found the premise to be the perfect setup for comedic situations. What I wasn’t expecting, but was pleasantly surprised to have, was the emotional moments. Artist and fiercely independent Sadie, now finds herself struggling to recognize the faces of others, and having to open herself up to receiving help. I enjoyed reading her interactions with other characters.

I loved that Sadie was conflicted over her ideal match, Vet Dr. Oliver, or the resident-building nice guy, Joe. I liked both characters. Although readers could piece together what was happening between Joe, Sadie, and Dr. Oliver, I liked how it was explained in the end and the resolution was satisfying. Personality, I think Joe is the single, nicest, male main character ever written, and I couldn’t help but root for him.

My only issue was that I had trouble connecting with Sadie. Her character was described as joyous, a artistic spirit, a girl dancing in the isle of a store. But her internal thoughts conflicted with this image as she was negative and, at times, critical of others. It was like her character was divided. She had it rough, I understand but I wished I could see a bit more growth from her in the story.

But this did not impact my overall enjoyment of this book. Katherine Center knows how to write a balanced story that will keep you glued to the pages, I cannot wait to read what comes out next.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

One of the most unique plots I have read. Imagine being a portrait artist and finally achieving recognition in one of the most prestigious contests, only to lose your ability to do your job due to a freak accident. With the help of a stranger, or two (or one?), you may be able to submit your contest portrait and fall in love along the way, but of course it won't be simple.

Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.

In the Author’s Note, Katherine writes about receiving her first romance novel as a gift. She then writes about falling In love with them and devouring them. I know exactly how she feels. While I do love a good suspense, thriller, historical fiction, memoir, etc. nothing beats a good, fun, happy romance novel. And I am learning that I can rely on Katherine Center’s books to give me that feeling.

In Hello Stranger, Sadie’s character is witty, defensive, kind, and artistic. After losing her mother as a teenager, her relationship with her dad gets rocky. As an adult, she chooses to follow her dreams to be an artist and much to her fathers dismay, she drops out of med school. As an artist, she relies heavily on her eyes and what she sees. When an emergency brain surgery changes the way she sees things, her whole world gets turned upside down and she must learn how to navigate life in a whole new way.

Katherine Center pulled me into Hello Stranger from the very beginning. It was a definite “snuggle up on the couch and get nothing done for 2 days” type of book which had me giggling and sighing out loud.

This might be my favorite Katherine Center book yet! This is the second book I've ever read that talked about facial blindness. The first book I read about it just mentioned in so I loved how in-depth and educational this book was about the subject. I loved Sadie's character and really admired her strength during what I imagine was a very scary time for her.