📖 BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Hello Stranger
AUTHOR: Katherine Center
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
DID I CRY: No
PUB DATE: 7/11/23
RATING: 7/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you @smpromance @stmartinspress for my #gifted advanced copy of #HelloStranger 💙

MY THOUGHTS

This book was a ride. My very first Katherine Center book. It took until the last 5 or so pages before I was able to decide how I felt about it🤣

I’ll start by saying that this was a very unique plot. It was certainly different than any book I’ve ever read. And for that I was intrigued by the book, regardless of anything else I found it interesting and wanted to finish to figure everything out. The writing was fun and light and really contributed to the romcom feel, but the author also tackled grief in a way that I appreciated. I also felt like the characters personalities were exaggerated which added to the comedic aspect of the book. The ending, while semi-predictable, tied the whole book together for me. It was a satisfying feeling of knowing what was going to happen and seeing it play out.

I didn’t particularly care for the MC. I found her condition to be an excuse to be just dumb. I wanted to shake her most of the book. I definitely didn’t connect with her & i had a difficult time empathizing with her. I also didn’t particularly care for the supporting characters, they were a lot. I was also a little disappointed by how prominent the B-plot was, and felt like the love story took a back seat to everything else.

Two words: delicious anticipation. I’m growing to really appreciate a good love story every now and then, and I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book. Hello Stranger gave me all the oxytocin-laden bliss Katherine Center intended me to have.

"Hello, Stranger" by Katherine Center is an absolute gem in the world of contemporary romance literature. Center has a unique ability to craft characters that are not just relatable but deeply authentic. I wasn't sure how I would connect to a romance where one character was unable to "see" the other, but Center pulled it off! In fact, Sadie's experience with face blindness, made the romance in the book that much more unique and therefore satisfying. I loved all of the twists and turns and reveals.

This is a delightful, heartwarming story; a book that reminded me of the beauty in unexpected connections and the transformative power of love. "Hello, Stranger," is a must-read, and it reaffirms Katherine Center's position as a true master of the genre.

Highly recommend.

This was my first ever read by Katherine Center and I went in completely blind, and I while I enjoyed the authors writing style I just didn't love the story as much as I hoped I would have.

I received this ARC in return for a honest review. Katherine Center never disappoints! This was a cute romance that reminds us there are “always other ways of seeing”. The books main character suffers from prosopagnosia or face blindness. I looked up the statistics and 1 in 33 people suffer from this condition. The main character is also an artist so as you can imagine it makes what she does very difficult. This book is mostly predictable with a few surprises you don’t see coming. If you want a book you can just sit back and enjoy pick this up for an easy fun read.

I’m a little sad because I struggled with this book and I usually love Center’s books. I found myself putting this book down and not wanting to pick it back up and it’s honestly because I couldn’t connect to the characters. The premise is so cute, Sadie a struggling artist has an unexpected medical emergency that leaves her with face blindness. She falls for two men who both help her. One, the guy that lives in her building and the other the vet who saved her dog. The problem is that I didn’t feel the chemistry with either love interest and the side story with her terrible family took way to long. The plot twist at the end was interesting. Overall, this was just an okay story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just SO perfect! I loved how descriptive it was about facial prosopagnosia, especially because I have a hard time with faces myself. While I don't have the condition, I do have poor visual working memory (in the 19th percentile!), which often leads me to not be able to recognize people (one time when I was little, I confused a strange man for my grandfather!) and can be harrowing. So this book really spoke to my soul.

And I loved the love interest too, gah. I immediately wanted to go back and re-read parts as soon as I was done. I really wish they had more scenes together, but I also loved reading about her on her own, so it was still so good! I cannot recommend this book highly enough and so very much look forward to what Katherine Center writes next!

Katherine Center did it again. I absolutely love her books. They address real life grief and struggles in many different forms. Her books show love and intimacy without being steamy. I would recommend her books to anyone!

I was excited to get an ARC of this book after reading The Bodyguard. Katherine Center’s use of dialogue in that book, along with the sassy female lead, made me fall in love with her writing.

I expected much the same from this book, and it didn’t disappoint. I absolutely adored the main character Sadie and her sass, her determination, and her passion. The banter she has with the other characters, especially with her “horrible” neighbor had me giggling. Throw in a cute dog, and I am sold. While Sadie suffers a medical emergency, she seems to lose control over everything (the little control she has), but her fight to persevere is so admirable. She goes from the brink of losing it all, to getting all she wanted (and needed!) and more.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as The Bodyguard, and I think it is mainly the dynamic with Sadie’s best friend that really threw me off. The abandonment and lack of sympathy (hard to empathize with a condition like Sadie’s when it is so rare) was just hard for me to digest or understand why that friendship was even included.

Still a very cute book, and alls well that ends well.

A little slow to start but overall an enjoyable and humorous ride. This was my first Katherine Center book and I will definitely be watching for her future books after this one

Very different book for me. A portrait artist on the verge of being famous has to have a surgery that leaves her unable to see faced clearly. Romance and women's fiction is how I would characterize this book. I loved it and loved the characters.

This was a funny, yet not funny situation. Losing your sight and still having to function. I wanted to love this book, but didn’t. Her other book, The Bodyguard, is a top tier amazing book and I compared too much to this. (I also figured out the connection, mid book) I look forward to her next book!

Katherine Center is a new to me author but won’t be my last. I read her book The Bodyguard - so I was more than thrilled to read this one. The premise of this story was so unique to me and parts of it made me feel so emotional. This book although a rom-com I felt it came with lots of layers and I couldn’t give it enough praise. I would recommend this author and book to anyone.

Thank you for the advanced copy for review.

I absolutely loved this book! The premise was unusual and I enjoyed that. Of course there were things that would have made it easier for the story to flow that caused unnecessary conflict, but I still enjoyed it.

Reading a novel by Katherine Center is always warm and fuzzy. They leave you with a good feeling and it’s like a breath of fresh air. This is my fifth book by this author and I can’t wait until her next one. While it is considered a romance book, it doesn’t get too heavy. It is definitely a light read but the author oftentimes provides insight into an area that you probably know nothing about. This time she delves into a condition called prosopagnosia – also known as face blindness. The main character, Sadie Montgomery is diagnosed with this condition following brain surgery to repair a blood clot. Throughout the story, you can see the effects of Sadie’s daily life and how it affects her.
Sadie is a portrait artist. She has recently placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But how can she paint a portrait of a person if she can’t see them due to her condition? What she sees is a jumbled face with disconnected features. Sadie attempts to do this with the support of her friend Sue and Sue's parents. She does not get the support from her father, step-mother or evil step-sister Parker.
When her dog Peanut gets sick, she needs to take him to a new veterinarian, who she immediately falls in love with. In her head, she starts planning her future with him until he ghosts her. Meanwhile, she is getting to know “Joe’”, a man that rents a place in the same complex that she has her studio in. Her relationship with Joe is quite humorous.
The ending was not a surprise to me but still entertaining to how the author would tie everything together in the end. This novel is for those that love romantic overtones, but not too heavy. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the last Katherina Center contemporary romance novel and also some from her backlist, although this entry in her catalogue was just fine for me. The main reason why it is just fine is it took at least 40% of the novel to properly become invested in it, and or me as a reader, that is just too long. Once I did hot that 50% mark I had a very good time.

The novel centers around our main character, Sadie. She is a portrait artist who has just been accepted into a portrait contest - it's a pretty big deal. But what happens as she's picking up wine for her celebration party isn't something she saw coming - long story short she needs brain surgery and that surgery leaves her with temporary (or permanent) face blindness. So she must learn to navigate everyday life and figure out how to draw a portrait while having face blindness. Not to mention she just met her new vet (after face blindness) and has a huge crush on him all while she keeps running into her neighbor where the chemistry seems to keep building.

Along with the romantic elements of this book it also delves into Sadie's poor relationship she has had with her father since the death of her mother. He remarried shortly after which also meant Sadie got a new sister (evil stepsister alert). Sadie's father, stepmother, and stepsister show up throughout the novel and that is a decent story arc.

I like Center's writing most of the time, but I didn't enjoy reading from Sadie as much as I like some of her other characters. So the writing and character development were fine. I will say, I called some things at the end, but there was one twist I really enjoyed and did not see coming. If the premise sounds interesting to you or you love Center's writing style, you should pick this one up. Otherwise I would say you can take it or leave it. Thank you.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read/devoured this and had a hard time putting it down.

While I had a hard time relating to Sadie’s condition, everything else about her I found relatable and I wanted to read faster to find out what happened in the end.

As I’ve found in all the Katherine Center’s books I’ve read it’s a fun ride to get to the end which is both what you were covering and also not anticipating but works out better than than what the main character thought she wanted.

I usually skip the author’s note but read it in this time, and really loved everything about it - and I am eagerly anticipating my next Katherine Center read!

Thank you for the chance to read this ahead of release! I posted to my Goodreads account at the time but couldn’t figure out how to send this through Net Galley until now (I was only using the app which doesn’t have that functionality)

I loved this quirky, sweet story. Sadie is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition but this chance of a lifetime gets derailed when she has a seizure. After waking up in the hospital wondering what caused the seizure, she is told that she needs “minor” brain surgery. The surgery is successful except for one hiccup. She can see everything clearly except faces. Faces look like disconnected puzzle pieces. That is problematic for a portrait artist! Doctors say that her condition will “probably” correct itself… but in the meantime, Sadie has to deal with a love triangle, a sick pet, and a series of mishaps all while trying to win the contest! You will love Sadie, her vet, her neighbor, her landlord and this book!

Katherine Center wows me with every romance she writes, and HELLO STRANGER raises the bar even higher! This is a lighthearted, emotional read that is perfect for romance fans everywhere. Sadie is a magnificent heroine, and it was a pleasure to witness her growth and journey!

This is a really really tough book to rate. I loved the premise and I think the author executed it perfectly. It was so interesting to learn about face blindness.

I was really put off by the MMC’s phone conversation the FMC overheard on the elevator. It was really fatphobic, and even though it was a miscommunication, it just didn’t sit right with me. There are much less harmful ways to lead the FMC to dislike the MMC, ones that don’t require the reader/listener to be exposed to such harsh and hurtful rhetoric.

I also found the FMC to be really clueless at times (this does not at all include her face blindness) which I just really can’t stand in books. However, I really adore Katherine Center's writing and how well she develops the relationship between her characters.

So I think I’m going to stick this at a 2.5 rounded-up.