I’ve read the majority of Katherine Center’s novels and they surprise me every time. I always start them thinking it’s going to be a fun, maybe fluffy read. While they hit the fun mark every time, Center’s novels weave humor, romance, and fun with interesting, thought-provoking, and sometimes difficult themes.

In Hello Stranger we meet Sadie, a struggling artist who happens to have the quirkiness I love in a main character while still dealing with some heavy stuff.

A traumatic brain injury in the beginning of the novel takes this book on a unique and interesting path as Sadie struggles with living life with face blindness. Throw in a love triangle, an evil step-sister, and past trauma and this novel will have you laughing one minute and wanting to cry the next.

Typically, a storyline that involves miscommunication frustrates me. However, the pacing of this story made it feel more like an anticipation for the resolution than frustration.

This would have been a five star read for me if we could have gone a little deeper into her family relationships and gotten to know some of the side characters a little better. I would have liked to see some more of Sadie and Lucinda’s relationship growth. In addition, I felt the way her father treated her at the beginning and end were very different without a lot of reasoning for why. The explanation given didn’t cover his current treatment of Sadie in regards to her career.

Overall a great, fast read. I highly recommended!

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center writes books with heart and Hello Stranger is no exception. This one left me feeling hopeful and ready to do good in the world. Grateful to have read this one!

I loved this sweet book! Katherine Center is a great author and this one is now my favorite book of hers. The story was engaging and I found myself rooting for Sadie as she goes through the aftermath of brain surgery and the impact to her everyday life and her career. It was fascinating to read about the topic of face blindness and confirmed bias all tied within family relationships, friendships, a career, and love interests.

Her backstory is heartbreaking but adds to her journey of coming into herself as she recovers. Her relationships with her friends and family definitely adds to her story and her continued sweetness despite how others treat her really makes her character shine. The romance aspect was very satisfying and I loved how her relationship developed over time.

Even though Parker was such a PITA, I would love to read her backstory and find out if she has what it takes to change or if she stays stuck in her "hurt before I get hurt" mentality.

I 100% recommend this book and don't miss the amazing author's note at the end.

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity for the ultra-early read! I'm thankful that I was able to enjoy this book early while providing my honest review of my reading experience.

Katherine Center is one of my go-to favorite authors. She writes, largely, feel good books with a lot of heart, little moments that make you think and books that bring a little sigh of satisfaction at the end. "Hello Stranger" was no different.

The storyline, in which the main character has Prosopagnosia (how's that for a big word?) or more commonly known as Facial Blindness, was intriguing and not one I have come across before. Add in that she is a portrait artist and in the finals for an art competition and Sadie has quite the dilemma on her hands! Add in a romance (or two, or one) and some fairly comedic missteps and you have all the ingredients for Hello Stranger.

I will say that I didn't really get the side-storyline of her Dad, stepmother and stepsister but it didn't detract at all, it just didn't really add IMO.

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review!

Imagine if you woke up from a surgery & everything had gone well, but then you realize you can not see people’s faces? They are there, but they look like a scary version of modern art to you - all mismatched - face blindness is what it’s called. This is what happens to Sadie, who happens to be a portrait artist & kind of needs to see peoples faces. This book is heartwarming & had me up late at night wanting to know what happened next. I think I’d recommend going into this one blind (pun intended) because it was just the sweetest read & I adored Sadie’s journey the whole way through. Katherine Center can do no wrong in my book!!

TW/CW: seizure, bullying, past death of a parent, medical issues

I’ll only read for a few more minutes… the famous last words of any bookworm, and in my case, were said last night. I had started Hello, Stranger and wanted to get just a little bit more before I went to bed. Naturally, I stayed up late until I finished it, being unable to put it down. It’s been awhile since I did that with a book, which I guess is just a testament to how much I enjoyed this story.

Center has a way of marrying the mundane with the comical with the outlandish to create a story that is nothing short of pure sweetness. Hello, Stranger was no different. The story starts off with a bang, as Sadie goes through a traumatic experience that leaves her with a new diagnosis: prosopagnosia, or, face blindness. As a portrait artist with a deadline, this creates a whole other set of issues besides the inability to tell who she’s talking to. Throw in an attractive (she thinks) new vet and a mysterious neighbor, and you’ve got a romcom for the books (pun intended).

One word to describe this book is heartwarming. With her new diagnosis, Sadie is more vulnerable and has to face some of her past fears. She receives help from a therapist, and the sessions are somehow both comical and serious all at once. The relationships, both past and present, are developed in ways to show Sadie’s growth and to challenge her. The romance, especially, was sweet. I was able to guess the ending, but that wasn’t necessarily negative. Albeit, I did stress read for awhile trying to reach the ending.

My only complaint was that the Joe’s truth took so long to come out. I was holding a serious grudge against him for almost the entire book. That was one helluva introduction.

Heartwarming and fun, if not a bit far fetched…I enjoyed this romantic romp by Katherine Center. Great characterization, an ending that was a bit predictable but still completely enjoyable!

This book was delightful and so enjoyable to read. The characters were interesting and the story was so different from anything I had read before. This just might be my favorite Katherine Center book!

4.5 out of 5. I love Katherine Center. I was VERY excited when I got this ARC and dropped everything an started reading it. I loved it. It is a wonderfully cute romantic battle against the odds, with strong anticipation. I'm using anticipation because I'm not going to use predictable because that is one of my favorite quotes (rants?) of the book about the way to describe romance movies as predictable: "sometimes i see people grasping for a better word than predictable to describe romance. They'll say it was predictable but in a good way. I see what they are going for. But maybe the word predictable has become predictable. It's so saturated with negativity at this point that threes no real way to update its vibe. Maybe we need a better term - I propose we start using Anticipation. "

I love how much of a fan of romance books and movies the character is. I was so identified in so many moments. These where some of my favorite quotes:

"Love stories do not have happy endings because their authors didn't know any better. They have happy endings because they let readers access a rare and precious kind of emotional bliss.. joy is just a important. I think the ways we take care of each other matter just as much as the way we let each other down. That light matters just as much as darkness. That play matters just as much as work, and kindness matters as much as cruelty and hope matters as much as despair."

"love is nourishing. We all sense it deep down, I hope past the snark and the tough guy exteriors. Love is healing. Its unapologetically optimistic. ITs the thing that puts us back together.

If you need some hope and nourishing, and a bit of happy endings, go read this book as soon as it comes out. Katherine Center, i will read all that you write.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist. Unfortunately she has a lesion on her brain and needs surgery right away. Piece of cake they say. Unfortunately after the surgery she has face blindness. How is she supposed to compete in an art contest when she can’t see faces?! To complicate matters, she doesn’t want anyone to know her condition.
Sadie is quirky, funny and an optimist but even she can’t see how she can make her big break in her current condition.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite feel good authors! Hello Stranger has a fun little twist on the quest for love and self discovery. I was definitely rooting for these characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Katherine Center does it again! I loved the twist at the end even though I had figured it out. This was a really cute, quick read. I am noticing there are more books being wrote with Prosopagnosia (face blindness), and it is really interesting to learn more about it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I’m not quite sure how much I like this book. The main characters, Sadie and Joe, are pretty perfect for one another. The secondary characters of Sadie’s stepsister, step mother, and father are horrible people and the parts where they were on scene were annoying for me to read.

If I take them out of the equation, though, the story line, pace, and dialogue was perfect.

This is a story that, at its core, is about seeing past people’s outer visage and discovering what’s really on the inside; what makes them tick; what kind of person they truly are. The fact that Sadie has temporary face blindness propels this core belief throughout the story until at long last she gets to see herself and recognize her worth above all else.

It took me a while to get thru the book, but I’m glad I stuck with it because, in the end, it was a great story.
4 stars from me.

Five fabulous stars for this one! She tells such a beautiful story, an intricate weaving of a journey full of both happiness and joy, with some heartbreak and unfortunate events mixed in. Katherine Center is one of my "auto-buy" authors, and this book did not disappoint. I stayed up until the very late evening, because I just had to get to the end!

Prosopagnosia, otherwise known as "face blindness", is only a term I have heard used in mystery novels- I absolutely loved her real life take on this condition. She did a wonderful job telling the story of Sadie, a face-portrait artist recently diagnosed with this condition. Sadie is all sorts of quirky, hopeful, sad and says some of the most relatable things every! I found myself laughing out loud at her responses and thoughts towards others in the book.

Thank you Katherine Center for giving me the boost of oxytocin that I needed to round out 2022, man it's been a rough one! I will be buying myself a copy next summer. Do yourself a favor and make sure you read the author's note, it explains perfectly why we need romance novels in our lives.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and St. Martin's for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be published on July 11th, 2023- definitely add it to your list!

I often get asked by my colleagues what I love most about books. I’m an optimist at heart and, to me, books are possibilities filled with endless adventures. The kind of book that is unforgettable contains a tangible magic you can’t explain, you just have to experience. Hello Stranger is that type of book. It’s simply storytelling magic.

Sadie, our main character, is an artist, specifically a portrait painter. She feels like she’s been a disappointment to her father who’s a renowned heart surgeon. He wanted her to pursue medicine so she’s always trying to find ways to make her father proud. Sadie’s mom died when she was in her teens, and her dad, well, just checked out. Sadie from then on was emotionally abandoned. She is left to the whims of an apathetic step mom and a truly Cinderella-esque evil stepsister.

Sadie earns a prestigious spot in a portrait competition. She wants to win so she can prove to her dad that she was meant to be an artist. Before she starts painting, she gets injured, has brain surgery, and develops prosopagnosia, which makes her unable to recognize faces.

I really can’t say more because I went into this book blind and it was an enchanting experience. From Peanut, the Thai and croissant eating pup, to Sue (Sadie’s best friend) to Mr. Kim (Sue’s dad) who just has a giant heart this novel is filled with a cast of characters that create a beautiful ensemble. Plus, Hello Stranger has one of the sweetest Heroes I’ve ever read in a book!! You will adore him!!

I absolutely was mesmerized by this novel! I truly can’t wait to own a copy for my shelves. As soon as I finish this review I’m reading it again!! This book deserves all the stars, accolades, and love. Charming, captivating and unforgettable! 5 stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another great book by Katherine Center! I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to more books from her. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Being a huge Katherine Center fan, I expected this to be a fantastic read, but it took my breath away!

Hello, Stranger introduces us to portrait artist Sadie Montgomery and prosopagnosia, or face-blindness. Sadie is a struggling artist who earns a spot in a prestigious portrait competition, one that could be her lucky break. However, Sadie needs surgery, and it cannot be put off. When she wakes up, she cannot see faces anymore, not even those of people she's known for years. She is diagnosed with prosopagnosia, which throws a major wrench into the competition and her life. And that's all I'm going to say about the plot. Part of this book's magic is how Center has the reader sorting things out alongside Sadie.

I devoured this! The unique plot and the unforgettable characters, particularly the kind and very relatable Sadie, pulled me in immediately. I was at turns laughing, crying, cheering, mad and swooning, and always deeply invested. Even though handled with a light touch, this book makes you think as Center addresses some big themes, including how we often dismiss or take in pieces of information and validate our various opinions, including how we “see” others.

Center is an amazing writer, and this is a captivating, magical book and so full of heart. Center says in her Author's Note that romances bring anticipation and hope, and "this love story really created fantastic anticipation." And I couldn’t agree more!

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for the early invitation to review this ARC!

Imagine having a life altering seizure in the middle of a crosswalk. Now, imagine that it reveals a life-altering brain problem. That requires brain surgery. That leaves you without the ability to see people's faces. This is exactly what happens to Sadie Montgomery, portrait artist and slightly hopeless romantic, and leaves her without a chance at a portrait contest she's been waiting all her life for the chance to win. At the same time, she runs into her future husband (who she hasn't been on a date with yet), the charming veterinarian Dr. Oliver Addison, and her helpful neighbor Joe, who also has some redeeming qualities despite his less than illustrious first impression.

Despite the fact that this book starts with brain surgery, it is filled with laughter, enthusiasm, happiness, and optimism from beginning to end (literally from the front cover!). Sadie is a burst of joy, and as she navigates her altered brainscape, where everything seems topsy turvy and she doesn't even know what's real and what isn't, it's both a lesson in how our brains play tricks on us and an adorable (if ridiculously contrived) romance. While there were parts that were too contrived for me, such as much of the family drama and some of the ending scenes, I still loved the story, especially the main characters. This story was so vibrant and fun. Katherine Center, as usual, has provided a beautiful escape from reality!

I will start by saying that I really enjoyed The Bodyguard by Center because it kind of played off of a few movies AND reminded me of Christina Lauren who are an amazing duo. So, I went into this book with a lot of expectations for something equally good. The premise certainly was unique and drew me in. And overall, I enjoyed the book enough to give it 4 stars.

My biggest challenge was that I really found that the first part of this book dragged a bit. There was too much focus on Sadie's injury and resulting face blindness. I was happy to understand what she was going through and how it impacted her art, but at a certain point, it was like beating me over the head. Yes, she's going to have a hard time with her work. Yes, it sucks because she can't see anyone to recognize evil Parker. But I felt it was too much and pulled me out of what was (I think) intended to be a contemporary romance. I will also say that Sadie was not the most likeable person for most of the book which always pushes my buttons. If I don't like the main character, I have a hard time rooting for them to come out on top in the end. And Sadie seems very selfish and self absorbed for the first part of the book. Even if I were to look at the story as less romance and more portrait of a person maturing, I don't feel as though she matured enough for it to be anything but the romance I thought it was.

But I still genuinely liked the book. Joe is a wonderful character, and while the plot twists didn't really surprise me - I don't think I'm a brilliant plot twist unraveler - they were still an interesting way to weave the stories together. Even though Sadie's family is awful, her adoptive family is so supportive that I really wanted her to see that sooner. Some reviews said that Sue was not the best friend to Sadie, and I guess she wasn't in some ways. But I also think she put up with a lot in their friendship that we weren't privy to in the novel.

And Peanut. Such a fun doggo. Loved his penchant for human food.

What a fun read! I love a good romance novel. This one did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend it!