Hello Stranger was my fifth novel by Katherine Center, and definitely one of my favorite so far, though I have given all of them 4 stars. I just love how she writes her characters. They are flawed, funny, and so relatable. My pet-peeve about them is just that they are often irrationally obstinate to the point of testing my willing disbelief. That one negative aside, I know every time I pick up a Katherine Center novel, I am going to not just read a straight-up optimistic romance novel, but I am going to read themes that really touch my heart outside of the relationship ones. In Hello Stranger, the lead character is an portrait artist who has a brain surgery that causes her to lose her ability to see faces. While that inconvenience creates a perfect setting for romantic misunderstandings to create the necessary obstacles, it really hits hard in the area of how Sadie makes a living. So outside of the romance plot, that is a plot that really captivated my attention.

Hello Stranger made me laugh out loud a few times, brought me close to tears a few times, and overall just left me feeling good after I read it. Highly recommend both the book and the author to anyone who needs a pick-me-up read.

I could not finish this book. I found the writing to be very childish, there was no chemistry between the characters and the story was all over the place and difficult to follow and believe.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a fascinating story about a woman who has a medical emergency and is left with facial blindness. She’s also an artist who specializes in portraits so her ability to study the human face is greatly needed. I really felt for Sadie as she was in the cusp of a big break in her career when this emergency happened. She was also a very independent person and having to rely on others must have been so difficult for her.

Katherine’s writing was wonderful here. I loved how she mixed the romance in with complex family issues and even a medical condition that I knew little about. I’m glad she included more about the condition in a special note after the book was over. After the loss of her mother, her father did what he thought was best and married right away so that his daughter wouldn’t be raised without a mother. But he never told Sadie this and she thought he just forgot about her mom. This was so heartbreaking for both of them. I also enjoyed that Sadie does a lot to keep her mom’s memory alive including wearing her old clothes and roller skating.

The romance is so swoony! Her meet cute with Dr Oliver with Peanut is adorable and I loved that he wasted no time asking her out. Then she meets Joe when she’s at her lowest place and he helps get her out of her funk. I could have kept reading about the two of them all day!

Peanut was a highlight in this book. He was absolutely adorable with this high brow food taste. I’m here for more books about Peanut! 🐶🐾

I’ve enjoyed many of @KatherineCenter books and I think this is one of her best.

I recently read tow books that had “hello” in the title as well as two books about face blindness. Both of these things were purely coincidental but welcome ones at that.

I thought that Center did a great job of balancing the seriousness of the issue with much needed levity in this romance. I will say that The Bodyguard is still my favorite of her books that Ive read so far. This one was fun but its not super memorable in my opinion. I also was not a fan of the twist. I can’t go into details but I did think that it was a little far fetched. It brought me out of the story.

I did love the relationship between the two main characters that blossomed. I think Center handles banter between couples really well. I liked how independent Sadie was as she pursued her passion. I really need to dive into this author’s backlist now.

This book was poignant, funny, and charming. Sadie is a portrait painter who gets prosopagnosia, aka face blindness after an accident. Her doctors are sure it will clear up completely, but in the meantime she can’t work, and even her best friends look like strangers.

Her family has never supported her choice to be an artist, and her stepsister Parker is cruel to her and has been for years. Her stepmother doesn’t see it, Parker can do no wrong in her eyes.

Sadie is cautiously optimistic when she starts spending time with her neighbor, a nice vet who saved her dog’s life, and a maybe bad boy who lives there too.

Katharine Center approaches this subject with compassion, she takes a debilitating (albeit temporary) disability and finds the humor and personal growth opportunities in the situation.

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I was actually so impressed with this book. I was a little worried at first (hence the reason I put off finishing it for so long) but I shouldn't have worried.

The whole concept of the story was interesting to me. It's not the first time I've read or watched something that dealt with prosopagnosia (Bone Gap, Holding Up The Universe, My Unicorn Girl) but I thought the way they described it was good? (possibly? Someone with Prosopagnosia please let me know if the description was accurate)

I was a little frustrated with the whole non-communication, because a whole lot of hurt could have been avoided. But that would also have cut the book entirely in half. I did see the whole plot twist coming pretty early on, especially when certain things were mentioned several times.

I really really disliked Sadie's dad, step mom...but the biggest villain of them all was PARKER. Don't get me STARTED on Parker. I dislike her almost as much as I dislike Mahito from JJK. But it was interesting to see different familial relationships and feelings explored.

The Kim family was absolutely amazing, and they deserve all the love in the whole wide world. So was Joe for that matter. He was so kind and patient, and just the sweetest. Sadie was a little annoying at first, but I enjoyed watching her grow and learn more about herself.

I sobbed several times while reading this, so that means it gets even more bonus points.

Katherine Center has yet again created a story filled with imperfect yet endearing and relatable characters, and a story line that kept me interested once I finally got over myself and started reading.

Thank you to to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc!

This book was so fun and entertaining. I had the privilege to meet the author at a book event for this book and she was delightful. This story focused on an artist that has some unique health issues that make for a unique story. Highly recommend this book!

Katherine Center does it again!!! Hello Stranger is unputdownable and will make your heart happy and cry meaningful tears.

Sadie is an aspiring portrait artist who wants to do it all by herself, despite many challenges rising up to face her. Then her cute neighbor Joe shows up who she can’t seem to escape.

Sadie is a character you love to root for and this story is another delight from Katherine Center - 5/5 stars!

Katherine Center does it again with another binge-able romance. Hello, Stranger follows Sadie, a portrait artist who is accepted into a prestigious art competition. On the night she finds out, her friend Sue decides to throw her a party and while out to get wine, she suffers a seizure in the middle of traffic, and a good samaritan comes to her rescue, pushing her out of the way. Unfortunately in the process, she hits her head. She wakes in the hospital and learns she needs brain surgery to correct a blood clot that she's had all of her life, that she never knew about, When she awakes from surgery, she finds she now has face blindness and is now wondering how she will ever complete the portrait needed for the competition.

From there, the story is truly remarkable. I loved how Center weaves in stories of grief, friendship, and family along with all that Sadie endures. The love story is fantastic with a twist I didn't see coming, but in hindsight, probably should have.

I could not put this beautiful story down and I hope you add it to your reading list.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

I haven't always been the biggest Katherine Center fan in the past, but there was just something so comforting and saccharine about this particular novel that just kept pulling me back in. It was so different and quirky and fun and composed. Ultimately, it was a feel-good novel that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside and wanting to dig into another book exactly like it! A wonderful, fluffy, mid-summer read!

I looooove Katherine Stranger writing style. I love this book so much. she is a must read author for me. I also got the hardcover for this one because I like the cover. It's a fun and fast read. her writing and story are so enganging you won't be able to put it down.

My favorite book of the year! Katherine has created another delightful read!

This story was very heartwarming and I found myself wishing Joe was real! Sadie is so endearing and you find yourself cheering her on while Joe is such a gentleman. Katherine has a way of weaving humor throughout to bring some levity to this well-rounded story. Very well done and I highly recommend!

I was expecting more romance, but this was still a really great story! The romantic elements felt more like a side plot, to the main plot of Sadie navigating acquired face blindness after brain surgery. There are a lot of topics here: loss of a parent, grief, career/life crisis, family dynamics, bullying, and of course, friendship and romance. I kind of guessed a little bit that the ending was going to play out as it did, but wasn't too mad about it! The characters were lovable, the conflict was unique and believable (though we hate a miscommunication trope!!) and the ending was happy. Sadie was also such a relatable, hopeless romantic! The way she fully leaned into her crushes was so spot on. Would recommend this one :)

Another fantastic book by Katherine Center! I absolutely loved this! The premise, the characters, the writing. It had everything I love! It’s just a book that you put down feeling so happy after.
I can’t recommend this one enough!!

Katherine Center does it again! This book’s main character Sadie Montgomery, is an artist who is suffering from face blindness. She just got into a prestigious portrait art show and her affliction starts to manifest. She can’t see faces, so how can she possibly paint a portrait.

I knew I had to dive into reading Hello Stranger as soon as I finished The Bodyguard. I think Katherine Center books will become an instant read. I love the way she tells a story and has such complex main characters while introducing twists in the book.

The main character, Sadie, is relatable and the complicated. I had a hard time putting this story down because I wanted her to have the ending she deserved. The way she got there though was messy and filled with strife, but so worth it in the end.

I don’t think I can dive into the story too much without giving away key details but this is easily one of my favorite romcoms. It’s just filled with every emotion and the ending was fantastic.

Five stars because I won’t forget about this story anytime soon.

Another great book by Katherine Center. Fresh and delightful, I couldn't put it down. It, like a lot of romance novels, tends to be predictable, but that doesn't detract for me.

This was such an interesting and different plot so big props for that.

With that being said, I almost wish I hadn’t read the synopsis first, because I knew that the 2 men were the same guy, and I just wanted to rush through the book for her to figure it out. Like how do you say you love this guy but you didn’t even recognize his voice? I don’t know, I guess I can’t just since I have all 5 senses, but I’m thinking this could’ve been better if we, the readers, were left in the dark so that we could’ve figured things out with Sadie.

Minus a second star because the characters were…not the best. They felt like they were written for a teen movie instead. Like how was the mom SO oblivious? How did it just so happen that the random girl from middle school just happened to be at the art show on the night they talked about her after years of not seeing her? The sister was an over-the-top evil step sister from Cinderella. Sadie was just kind of annoying.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I stumbled across Katherine Center years ago and now I anxiously wait for the next book! This one was no different. I loved the story. It deals with strong topics and makes them real and always has a great message attached!

I absolutely loved this book!!! I am a huge Emily Henry fan, but I may have just found another author that I love just as much if not more! I cannot wait to read more of Katherine Center's books.