She constantly and consistently gives us these characters that we not only can not get enough of, but we fall for them every single time. We see ourselves in them, or our sister, or our best friend, or the neighbor that lives a few apartment doors down. She has done it again with this one. Be prepared to like these two alot!

Katherine Center does it again! She is hands down one of my favorite authors, and I will happily read anything she writes. Like all of her books, this story tugged at my heartstrings! I loved, loved, loved it! I adored Sadie, Sue, and Joe, but of course Peanut was my fave! I had heard of face blindness, but I didn’t understand the ways in which it could affect a person’s day to day life until I read this book. I figured out the twist very early on, but I was ecstatic when I was right! I absolutely adored everything about this emotional, heartfelt, feel good book!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I saw so many great reviews about this book and was so happy to receive an advanced copy of it. However, I did not finish it. The main character, Sadie, got on my nerves and the book was just dragging on.

Center is a new-to-me author and, as with any new author, I wasn’t sure what her book would be like. Though I enjoyed Hello Stranger, I had a hard time figuring out what I was reading. Yes, there was a romance, but without much by way of on-page interaction. Was it women’s fiction? Not really, the only sister involved was an epically evil one and there were no troubled marriages, messed-up children, divorces, or mid-life blues. Our heroine was single, young, career-focused and carried childhood issues. Was it coming-of-age then? Not quite, though our heroine did have to come to terms with her mother’s early death and a new way of living. Was it rom-com-ish funny? In places, yes, and certainly the heroine’s first-person narration was, but it wasn’t slapstick, self-insulting chicklit either. So I had to read Center’s novel on its own terms, which is okay, to leave me wondering and questioning. Its premise is somethin’ else; here are the blurbish details:

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into―love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?―with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

“Other ways of seeing” is Hello Stranger‘s key theme and one I enjoyed immensely. As an artist, Sadie’s face blindness may or may not resolve, but it’s her artistic identity that comes into question. Her identity as a portrait artist is bound up with her mother’s identity as one. Center handled this beautifully, the past, the present, and the working out of how to stay true to the one while building the other. Sadie must “see” how she has identified as an artist as a way of holding onto her mother (and she was a wonderful mother), but has failed to forge her own artistic style and identity. The face blindness is never treated as a “blessing in disguise”, thank goodness, but as a way to develop character, Sadie’s, to work out what has stalled her artistic growth. What stalled Sadie *period*. Yes, her mother’s loss, but also her father’s disappointment. The “face blindness” isn’t only about figuring out how Sadie can still do art, but about her blindness to understanding herself and the people around her: her father and step-mother in particular. Though these relationships aren’t on-page super developped, what we do see of them is sensitively handled.

I’m making Sadie sound too sombre though. Despite her genuine issues, she has a light, droll voice. That moderates the melodrama. I liked Sadie a lot, even when she annoyed me. She annoyed me most when she was closed off to others, from embarrassment about her face blindness, from a false sense of uber-independence. As Sadie comes to these realizations I liked her more and more. And I liked what Center was trying to say thematically, about growth, forgiveness, compassion, and leaving the self-conscious self behind.

If I have a criticism about Center’s “romance”, it’s that there isn’t much of one. And yet it has such great potential. First, there’s sexy DVM who saves Peanut: Dr. Addison is delicious; then, the kind-hearted neighbour Joe. Center writes great banter; here’s one adorable exchange between Sadie and Joe:

“I appreciate the gesture, sir,” I said then. “But I’m fine.” “Why are you calling me sir? We’re like, the same age.” “Sir is not an age thing.” “It absolutely is. Sir is for old men. And butlers.” “Sir is also for strangers.” “But we’re not strangers.” “Gotta disagree with you there, sir.” “But I’m rescuing you,” he said, like that made us friends.” I wrinkled my nose. “I prefer to rescue myself.”

Center doesn’t make “rescuing herself” the point: there are times when Sadie can and does rescue herself. Center’s point and Sadie’s realization is that sometimes you have to ask for help and know how to receive it when it isn’t sought. Both of Sadie’s love interests are great that way: not alpha-over-protective, but just…well, nice. Kind. Thoughtful. Respectful. As I said though, there’s isn’t enough romance. And if Center is guilty of anything, it’s how much she packed into Sadie’s story: the theme of blindness and understanding, the opening up to love, the working out of family relationships. There are also wonderful neuropsychologist sessions that were terrifically executed. There’s a wonderful best friend. There are flashbacks that fill in Sadie and her family. There is so much, maybe too much. Everything, wonderful as it is, but especially the romance is given short shrift. Yet I still enjoyed this very much and would read Center again. Miss Austen and I agree Katherine Center’s Hello Stranger offers “real comfort,” Emma.

Katherine Center’s Hello Stranger is published by St. Martin’s Press and was released on July 11th. I received an e-ARC from St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley. This did not impede the free expression of my opinion.

Katherine Center does it again! This was such a unique story about a young artist involved in a freak accident that revealed a mass in her brain. After her brain surgery our main character couldn’t see faces anymore!

The character details are everything. Center did a fantastic job of capturing who the characters were without going overboard. I caught on to the main twist at the end but I loved seeing it play out!
This might be my favorite book by this author! I absolutely devoured it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the digital ARC of “Hello Stranger” by Katherine Center.

If there is one thing about me that you should know is that I’m a Katherine Center reader. Katherine Center has a way of writing books that feel like Hallmark movies. That’s exactly how this book felt while reading it. This book follows Sadie a portrait artist that has just become a finalist in her first ever completion. This is the perfect way she can prove to her father that she can be successful. Due to a sudden medical issue, she has to get surgery. A simple surgery that shouldn’t affect her daily life until it does, when she can’t recognize anyone's faces. Making her odds to win the portrait competition impossible. To make matters worst her soulmate aka her dog Peanut gets sick. Rushing to the vet's office she meets Doctor Oliver, and even though she can't see her face she knows he's handsome. Things get complicated when she starts to get close to her Playboy neighbor. Then again not all things are what they seem especially when you can't see clearly.

Was this book predictable? Well yes. But was it laugh-out-loud funny? YES. There were some many times while reading, that I was tearing up from crying so much. I especially loved the scenes in which she was at the vet's office bringing her dog his favorite meals.

Another thing that I adore about Katherine Center's book is that it's not all about romance. Sadie at the start of the novel doesn't stand up for herself. Hell, even her friend Sue doesn't respect her boundary. I enjoyed later in the book where Sadie starts to believe in herself. Even though the scenes in which she is being bullied are hard to read because you just want her to stand up for herself.

Now this book isn't spicy but is sweet. I love her relationship with one of the characters. Although I do want to say that there is a bit of a plothole in this novel that will have you shaking your head. But if you enjoy sweet romances and don't mind a predictable plotline, this book is for you.

If you are interested in hearing more about our opinion of this book you can check out our podcast Just One More Page. A book theme podcast is run by two best friends who love books. You can find our podcast on Spotify, apple, and on audible.

A special thanks to Netgalley and St Martin Press for allowing us to read this book early for an honest review. We also received this book as an audiobook too! The audiobook was such a great listen as the narrator has a voice that brings you right into the book.

“Hello Stranger” by Katherine Center is a fun, feel good story. This is the perfect book to help get you out of a reading slump or distract you from real life. It was easy to get lost in the book. I finished it in 2 days, which is difficult when you have kids, and even stayed up late to read it!

In the beginning Sadie seems like your typical starving artist, trying to catch her big break. Once she’s in an accident and has brain surgery that all changes for her. Sadie now suffers from prosopagnosia or face blindness. She now has to find her way in the world with this condition that tests her every move.

The face blindness aspect was really interesting. I’ve only heard about it in a college class and in Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. This aspect made the story unique from other romance novels. You can tell that the author did a lot of research on it. I felt like I could feel what Sadie was going through. It was interesting to read about how Sadie handled her diagnosis and tried to decipher who was who. I also enjoyed her trying to figure out how to paint portraits when she was unable to see faces.

Sadie is a very relatable character. I think we’ve all been in situations that have made us feel uncomfortable and we had to figure out a way to cope (or not cope). Sadie was a real person with real emotions and feelings. I liked seeing her work through her condition and try to find her way. I enjoyed Sadie’s character development throughout the story. She went from getting her big break to one of the lowest points in her life. She was able to overcome her fears (with some set backs) and forced herself to keep going and attend the art show even though she knew she wouldn’t win.

The majority of the characters are very likable. You can’t help falling in love with Sadie, Joe, Sue and the Kims. I enjoyed seeing Sadie’s relationships develop. The people in Sadie’s life are often the voice of reason. Sue and Dr. Nicole help her navigate the world around her and try to give her coping techniques. It’s easy to fall into a story when you enjoy the characters and are rooting for them.

Now Sadie’s family on the other hand is not likeable. Her family is far from perfect. The way her step-sister, Parker, treats her is horrendous. I also disliked Sadie’s Dad, he didn’t have many redeeming qualities. Personally I wish there was more growth from the family members. Parker is pure evil. I can slightly understand her behavior as a teenager but the fact that she continues to be vindictive and evil as an adult seems crazy to me. I kept hoping for her to have a change of heart or for her to get what was coming to her. Also, I wanted the dad to put in more effort. There was some resolution with him in the end but I wanted more. The step-mother, Lucinda, seemed to have the most redeeming qualities. Besides the obvious (face blindness), the family dynamics was the main cause of drama in the story.

The main romance trope in this story is miscommunication. I will start off by saying that miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes. It’s one of those things that makes me roll my eyes and say “really?!”. Now with that being said I will say that I think it’s well done in this book. The miscommunication has an actual reason behind it beyond something silly. Sadie literally can’t see faces and had brain surgery so it would make sense that the world and people around her can be confusing at times. Overall I think the miscommunication trope was done well and wasn’t too over the top.

Selfishly I wish there was some spice in the book. Joe and Sadie have such amazing chemistry, I wanted more than just some hot kisses but the lack of spice doesn’t bring the book down. If anything it makes their connection stronger and shows how genuine their relationship is.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the main characters and flew through the story. Personally I preferred Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard to Hello Stranger but I think that comes down to personal trope preference. The Bodyguard is fake dating which is one of my favorites. Both books are well written and extremely enjoyable. I will definitely be reading more Katherine Center books. I highly recommend this book for someone who is looking for a light romance, enjoys miscommunication and doesn’t need spice in the story.

Another banger from Katherine Center! Sometimes you just need a light, fun, and easy read that makes you laugh and feel like you're talking to friends. This book checks all those boxes! Admittedly the twist wasn't SO shocking, but at the same time, who cares? The journey to get there was such a blast! I will definitely keep reading all the books she puts out, and can't wait for the next one!

Sadie is just trying to live her best life as a struggling portrait artist when she is diagnosed with prosopagnosia (face blindness) after an accident. The timing couldn't be worse. She's on a tight deadline to complete a portrait for a contest that could make or break her career. On top of that, there's drama with her father and stepfamily, her dog is older and ill, and there's a possible love interest. All the hallmarks of a Katherine Center novel!
I have to admit that I never really understood prosopagnosia, as well as Sadie's living situation. She was also a tad too self-involved and immature for me. But, the story was still compelling and I didn't want to stop reading!
Hello Stranger has a cute ending and I especially liked the positive message in Ms. Center's Author's Note. She includes lots of reference materials about prosopagnosia and I would encourage readers to check them out (especially the Washington Post article) before starting the novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review.

*immediately adds to list of comfort reads* I am obsessed with this book! It could be because I’m currently going through a season of life where I’m struggling to find “me” but this one hit me in all the feels. It made me laugh, cry, and question everything. I loved the characters and the overall plot. The writing is beautiful and flows seamlessly. Instant favorite, definitely recommend💙

Sadie Montgomery thought she was at a high point in her life. She was a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition...but then she woke up unable to recognize faces as anything more than a jumble of features.

The doctors tell her it's likely temporary, but she can't help but panic. Meanwhile she's got family issues to cope with--and she's falling for two different men.

Hello Stranger has a zany premise, and the book is playful. But I found myself distracted and sometimes irritated by the over-the-top details.

Sadie provides an absurd and incredibly unhealthy dog diet for her beloved pet Peanut (takeout Thai food, for example), who is having health crises. This just seemed harmful and felt too ridiculous for me to buy into.

Her stepsister Parker is absurdly evil and vindictive. Eventually Parker is removed from the vicinity and only vaguely referenced again, but neither the years of systematic bullying and hateful behavior nor other family members' years of support of Parker and disbelief when Sadie attempted to unveil the truth are satisfyingly addressed.

I couldn't let go of the fact that it certainly felt more potentially dangerous than playful to me for Sadie to be entering into vulnerable, one-on-one, and sometimes romantic situations with unidentifiable people who might mean her harm.

And I just couldn't buy in to the idea that others' voices weren't a clue for Sadie as to their identity. She essentially shrugs and says she's not good with voices, but this just seemed so silly that I had difficulty buying into the premise necessary to perpetuate the lighthearted confusion--the heart of which you may easily identify.

The best-friendship was lovely, the dialogue was often sweet and funny, and the attraction was sweet and steaminess was entertaining.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

Katherine Center is also the author of What You Wish For, Things You Save in a Fire, The Bodyguard, How to Walk Away, Happiness for Beginners, and other books.

I couldn't get past the holes in the premise of this lighthearted, romantic, zany rom-com long enough to buy into the story of an artist with face blindness who falls for two men, despite not being able to identify them with any dependability.

LOVEDDDDD this book so much! This was my first Katherine Center book and I will definitely be reading more from her in the future! Hello Stranger is everything to me. It's like actually perfect. I couldn't put this book down. I would read at night and tell myself last chapter and then I kept reading 😭. The concept of the story is SO interesting. It was really cool to learn about face blindness too. I never knew the depth of it or how faces even really looked for someone with it. It was kind of hard to picture and I ended up imagining people as faceless even though it was described as just being puzzle pieces of the face in the wrong place. If you read the acknowledgments at the end of the book, it's amazing to see just how much research went into this book. A lot of the people KC interviewed for this book or already knew in her real life were actually written into the story as well. It's just really cool to me and I'm a huge Katherine Center fan now. I definitely recommend this book!!!!

As usual I loved this KC novel. Her books are the perfect bedtime material for me, at least once you get past the trauma which sets the scene! This book helped me discover that I believe my husband has mild facial blindness, and also provided me with laughs and tears! No one quite writes like Katherine, and I save her books for when I really need a hug in literary form. This one was not as amazing as her last release, The Bodyguard, but I’d still give it a strong 3.8-4 star rating! I So appreciate being given early access and really enjoyed reccomendinf this to several friends already.

I have come to absolutely love Katherine's books. Chefs kiss😘

Love the representation & the narration & how the story progressed.

Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down!

The main character of this book is Sadie. Throughout the novel, we see her face challenge after challenge- basically her life falls apart. I loved the character of Sadie. She's a total sunshine character and I loved her perseverance despite obstacle after obstacle being thrown at her. And despite everything she's going through, she still is kind to those around her and even goes out of her way to help other.s

The romance is one of my favorite that I've read recently! There were so many moments between Sadie and the love interest that were so sweet. I love how everything worked out for Sadie and her man, and the overall conclusion of the story was fantastic. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know!

Cute one! I didn’t love how it started but it got better. I liked how it all ended and wrapped up. Some characters weren’t great and felt annoying and I couldn’t connect but overall an easy, cute read

I typically fly through Katherine Center's books and for some reason I had a harder time getting into the story of Hello Stranger. In it, Sadie, recently was nominated to participate in an art competition. While she is celebrating her life starting to appear on track, she suffers a fall and learns of a condition that needs to be resolved ASAP. After brain surgery, Sadie wakes up and doesn't recognize anyone - she has face blindness. As a portrait artist, this is devastating. She only has a few weeks to paint her masterpiece for the show and she doesn't even recognize her own face let alone her close friends and family. While the condition may be temporary, Sadie has to learn to live in a world where everyone's face is jumbled and she must be attuned to their other features.

I thought the story was sweet and the pacing picked up a lot at the end. The reveal wasn't too shocking but a fun twist on Sadie's love life. This book had a sweet found family troupe along with some miscommunication, and lots of family drama. TW: loss of a loved one (off-page)

Instagram post review:
Sadie is celebrating her finalist for the North American Portrait Society when she is diagnosed with hopefully temporary facial blindness. She can see but faces are disconnected. She doesn't recognize friends or family and now she has to work on painting her most important portrait ever under these conditions. While attempting to rescue her career in the midst of this diagnosis, Sadie falls in love with not one man but two, a neighbor, and the vet caring for her beloved dog, Peanut. How will she decide between them when she can't even see their faces?

I received an eARC from St. Martin's Press via @netgalley for this book and unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite of Katherine Center's. I typically love her writing but since I was in the middle of a reading slump, this one didn't hold my attention. It was still a cute romance but a bit predictable and dragged until the reveal. The reveal wasn't too shocking but a fun twist on Sadie's love life. I thought the pacing picked up a lot at the end. This book had a sweet found family troupe along with some miscommunication, and lots of family drama. I did enjoy learning about face blindness and how about 2% of the population suffer from it. I wanted to be obsessed like I have in the past by Center's books but this one was just cute for me. TW: loss of a loved one (off-page)

⭐⭐⭐/5

#bookstagram #bookreview #romcom #novelsandneedlework #earc #netgalley #netgalleyreads
Edited · 4m

Let me start this review with saying that Katherine Center’s books spell summer to me ! I love reading these wonderful romance stories. It's a love story in all of the best ways:
Sadie Montgomery, the female MC, had a tough time growing up, her mom died, her father buried himself in his job and his quick new marriage. Twelve years later the loss is still palpable for Sadie, she is emulating her mother’s life down to continuing her artwork and wearing some of her clothes - estranged from her father she lives in her studio with her dog. But things are finally looking up - she is chosen as a finalist for a drawing competition (a competition where, of course, her mother also reached the finalist stage). But in a mirror image of her mother‘s life with a fat better outcome, tragedy strikes and she ends up having to have brain surgery. She is left with a condition called prosopagnosia; face blindness. Obviously one of the worst conditions a portrait artist trying to draw the portrait for the final round in a competition can have. Adding to the stress is that she is slowly but surely falling for two men, her dog’s new and extremely capable veterinarian and her helpful neighbor. There is family drama, with a hilariously evil stepsister and a scare with her beloved pet, Peanut. This book lays heavy on the miscommunication trope and is it realistic, taken to this extreme maybe not but maybe realism isn’t why we read romcoms, it‘s the predictability and the heartwarming plot. The book is extremely well written and I loved the author’s not on prosopagnosia after seeing it in at least two thrillers before seeing it here in a romcom this was the first book that gave me access to the research and the realities on what our brain can or can not do. I switched between the ebook and the audiobook version and the narrator was great as well.

I loved the author’s note with its insight into the research.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, so I look forward to her releases every year. Hello, Stranger checked the boxes on being entertaining and keeping me up all night reading, but was it great? Unfortunately, no. This book was like confetti- sprinkled with happy parts, but all of them disjointed. It was like riding a wooden roller coaster and being jerked around left and right and just when you think things are smoothing out, NOPE! There was too much going on and the story just didn’t flow well with all the randomness. It was wrapped up waaaay too nicely with a less than satisfying explanation. The surprise twist was already in the back of my mind, but I saw NO WAY for it to actually, sensibly come together. I one hundred percent look forward to what KC writes next, but this one was just okay for me.

I always look forward to the nice escape from reality that I get when reading Katherine Center's new books. While some are more hit than others looking at you, The Bodyguard, this was more of a miss. I wasn't invested in the romace, but I appreciated learning
about prosopgonia or face blindness.