When I first started reading this book I wasn't sure how I felt about it but the more I read I enjoyed the concept! I began to like the characters way more as I kept reading as well. I read a lot of romance novels so having a twist within the book kept me engaged. Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars. Thanks NetGalley for the arc to review :)

3.5/5 The story was filled with all the cute romance moments you love to read. I really liked the premise of Sadie having to learn how to know people by things outside their looks. Overall it was a solid romance read, I saw the ending coming a little more than I prefer, but as the Author's note states its about the journey and I did enjoy that very much!

Such a fun and artsy read! Emotional rollercoaster full of different events that the main character, Sadie Montgomery, goes through. I couldn’t put it down once I started. What a whirlwind of different situations Sadie has to endure. Upcoming art show, surgery, and an unexpected love triangle!? Oh; and of course her adorable doggy, Peanut. It’s a cute story and I highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist about to have her big break. She's placed in a competition which would not only help her financial situation with the large prize money, but would also kick start her career. After a chance meeting with a man in a grocery store, she is struck by a vehicle in the crosswalk on the way back to her apartment. When she wakes up in the hospital, she finds out that she had a seizure caused by an inherited problem in her brain. She must have surgery to correct this problem. After waking up from surgery, she realizes that she cannot see faces any longer. They look like a jumbled mess of parts. This condition is called prosopagnosia or "face blindness." Unfortunately for Sadie, this really throws a wrench in her only form of income. If she cannot see faces, how can she create portraits?
At least she can still see her dog, Peanuts face. When Peanut gets sick, Sadie takes him to a new Vet and he happens to be the most attractive man she's ever seen (even though she cannot make out his face). He has a swagger about him that she is really attracted to. Shortly after this, she meets a man named "Joe" who also lives in her apartment building. She sees him coming in and out of multiple women's apartments and assumes he is some kind of player. She also overhears a phone conversation that really turns her off from him. But somehow Joe keeps popping up in her life and she realizes that he is not as bad as she thought. He is super helpful and really seems to get her. As their relationship continues to blossom, Sadie must decide between the hunky Veterinarian, Oliver, and Joe the helpful man from her apartment.

Let me just say I love all of Katherine Center's books and this one was no different. She just has a way of telling a story that is so original and pulls at your heartstrings. They are always emotionally involved yet somehow lighthearted reads at the same time. I was so excited to get an eARC of this title and loved it so much that I also purchased a physical copy from Book of the Month. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

While others have said they could see what was going to happen, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Every one of Center's books, I've enjoyed!

Disclaimer: thank you to netgalley, St Martin's press and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this book.

Y'all, idk if they put crack in the pages or what but I straight up inhaled this book like it was a slice of my favorite pizza or something.
I don't know anything about face blindness but it definitely shows that the author did the research. I googled it to see if it existed and for real did not know! It seems like a distressing illness. This is my first Katherine Center book but I don't think it will be the last. I always appreciate when authors write about difficult topics. It's something I hope to do one day. This was a really fun read and I read 83% of it last night because I could NOT put it down lol.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me this Advanced Readers Copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of Hello Stranger. Katherine Center is such an amazing writer and clearly puts so much love and work into her romance novels!

KATHERINE DOES IT AGAIN!

I didn't think it was possible for her to release another story as sweet and heartwarming as her previous titles but.... I was wrong! This story is packed full of unique characters and storylines. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will fall in love. I highly recommend!

What a delightful read!

Sadie is a portrait artist preparing for the biggest moment in her art career. But an emergency surgery leaves he with a rare condition: face blindness. What follows is a heartwarming story of love, challenges, humor and hope.

What worked for me: I loved learning about this rare medical condition at the center of the story. i love how the author makes the reader think about our approach to life. I loved the romance and the humor. It was just a wonderful story in which to escape to each night.

What didn't work for me: I genuinely enjoyed this implausible story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-galley of this book.

Hello Stranger is based on the concept of face blindness. I have read books with characters who are face blind before but always in a mystery/thriller context, not a romance background. In this book, Sadie is a portrait artist. Her sudden face blindness directly impacts her work and livelihood as well as her love life. This created a lot of different pieces of the story to follow and rounded out the plot.

Sadie herself was not a strong character. She was somewhat flighty and childish. She did have a lot working against her but she also leaned into that. I found Parker’s character to be over-the-top obnoxious, but I did like a lot of the other supporting cast. I enjoyed the semi-plot twist with the love triangle a lot-although the reason Joe was mad at her fell flat in the context of how his character is displayed.

I did enjoy the book overall but it is not my favorite by far. I enjoyed The Bodyguard much more and found this one to be disappointing in comparison to that one.

I really liked this book. It was a really good read and well written. Thank you for the ARC! I really appreciate it!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is giving me Cinderella vibes; Sadie has an evil stepsister Parker who consistently bullies her and has turned Sadie's dad and Parker's mom against Sadie. After meeting a dreamy guy in a store, Sadie has an unfortunate accident that leaves her with facial blindness after brain surgery. Her neighbor Joe befriends her while see crushes hard on her dog's veterinarian. Who are these men, what do they look like, and which one will be her prince charming?

This is such an interesting story! I loved the growth in Sadie as she learned how to live with face blindness. The romance and love story were beautiful, too. Sadie's family was beyond frustrating and I didn't love her best friend all that much either. I did love how it all came together in the end and really enjoyed this one!

After an accident she developed face blindness which leads to her developing a crush on 2 guys.
I guessed the plot twist really early.

Really cute fun heartfelt and interesting. I've always been a fan of Center but her books about physical/medical challenges are my favorite for sure, probably because I'm a.nerd.
This wasn't the first book I'd read featuring facial blindness but it was the most interesting and I really loved that Sadie was an artist. I pretty much knew what was going to happen but that didn't make it any less fun either. Definitely recommend it to anyone.

This was a fun, relatable and fast read for me following Sadie's story of facial blindness post brain surgery. Family drama, romance, everything that I enjoy in a book.

I love love love Katherine Center however I was a underwhelmed by this book. It still was a quick read but I didn't really enjoy the chemistry between the MMC and FMC. I think the facial reading disorder was a little too weird for me. Overall, I still enjoyed reading it but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a friend.

Katherine Center is an author I go to when I need a good story, a strong but flawed female lead, and something I want to read in a single sitting. I love Katherine Center’s writing and HELLO STRANGER is no exception. It has the romance, the comedy, the conflict, the villain, and the bow. I appreciate any book with an artistic element so I was immediately drawn in with Sadie being a portrait artist who qualifies for a prestigious art competition just as she has a terrible accident and develops facial blindness. The novel follows Sadie as she tries to use her other senses to fulfill her dream while stumbling her way through new and old relationships. I really enjoy the way that the author builds her characters and her storylines. Even if it was a little predictable at times, it doesn’t get in the way of it being a great story. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A fun, fast, read. This one highlighted a brain disorder called Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. She wrote about it in a way that was informative and respectful, but also allowed for humor. The romance was light and funny and I was really rooting for the main character. The ending was perfect for the story. The only thing that detracted from the book for me was the familial relationships, specifically with the stepsister and the resolution of that part of the story. This author is my go-to for romance and I can't wait to see what she writes next!