Having read and loved Katherine Center's The Bodyguard, I was ecstatic to pick up her next novel. Unfortunately, this book felt incredibly different than her last. Initially, I wasn't sure I was going to love the premise, but trusted Katherine Center's writing style. Sadly, once I got into this novel I felt let down in the area as well. While I love a good rom-com, this felt more like a cliche chick-flick. The plot was very predictable and characters flat. I'm sure this will be up someone's alley, perhaps for someone from a different demographic than me, but personally, I didn't enjoy this one.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

Hello Stranger is a quirky romance that was a fun light read in true Katherine Center fashion. Sadie finds herself as a portrait painter who suffers facial blindness after a brain bleed. There’s some laugh out loud moments. What i really loved was the authors blurbs at the end and how she describes what reading romances novels do to us and our need to have “fantastic anticipation”

I truly adore Center's books but this one was not my favorite. I was a little concerned with the description however it started off intriguing and I like learning about new medical conditions I'm not super familiar with. Unfortunately I found the book to be a little more tedious for my taste as I prefer more dialog and less descriptive paragraphs. I also found the twist very obvious and it was a little distracting. I still find Center a strong author but this one wasn't for me. I'm sure the next one I read will be amazing!

4.25/5 stars

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is just what I needed to help get me out of my reading slump. This cute rom-com follows Sadie Montgomery, a portrait artist, as she struggles to unwrap the struggles of her past, all while dealing with a new issue - face blindness. The premise of Sadie's work is painting faces, and this medical emergency comes just as she is about to get her big break. Over the course of the story, will she find love, be able to paint the portrait for her big event - pick up this must read to find out!

This is my second Katherine Center book, and I am glad that I got the chance to enjoy this one as well. I loved that this story focused on many different elements, but also did them all well - family, friends, love, personal struggles, pets. It was light-hearted and cute, and I will definitely be picking up more books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

HELLO STRANGER - Katherine Center

Fascinating! - 5 stars

Plot - 5 stars - Such an interesting scenario! Sadie has a terrible accident that affects the way she sees the world. And we watch as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog. Then she falls in love with two very different men! If her life were a little more in focus (literally and figuratively), 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.

Writing - 5 stars - Center and I are sympatico! Everything she writes resonates with me on some level. Even though I have absolutely no experience with this medical situation and am not an artist, somehow, I find myself relating intimately with the characters and understanding them. That's the beauty of Center's writing, I think, and is what keeps drawing me back for more.

Characters - 5 stars - I wasn't sure about Sadie at first because I had nothing in common with her, and her situation seemed so over-the-top unusual. Even as I got to know her, I found her insecurity to sometimes be annoying. And her jumping to conclusions (especially about Parker) felt paranoid. But despite that, I still loved her, wanting to get to know her better. She's smart and funny and thoughtful and interesting, and she seems like a fun person to be friends with. And I suffered right along with her as she struggled with changing her life's dream, relearning how to look at life and those around her.

Title - 4.5 stars - With her face blindness, Sadie finds that everyone around her is a stranger. But she must learn to cope.

Cover - 4.5 stars - A gorgeous bright cover that draws the eye. And once you look, you see a few important bits of the story included--roller skates, a rooftop, and Peanut, among other things.

Overall - 5 stars - Center has a beautiful knack of taking an impossible situation and looking on the bright side, making the reader feel hopeful in a seemingly hopeless situation. In addition, she seems to know what I want to read before I do, then gives it to me before I even realize that I've been looking for it. in this case, it was fascinating to see someone's life totally change, then the reader struggled along with her as she tried to accept the changes and work with the changes to make a meaningful life, yet different. As it turns out, the focus of the book wasn't necessarily about change but about realizing that you can look at life in a new way. The twist at the end was a total surprise to me (although I suppose it shouldn't have been), but it was a nice surprise and made me shake my head in wonder and gave me even more food for thought.

I loved this book so much! I will forever buy and read Katherine Center's books!

I thought the premise of Sadie's struggle with face blindness. I've never heard of this condition and found it interesting learning about it and how it affects people. I think the addition of her being a face portrait and learning to cope with this new reality made for a strong storyline. I enjoy romance books with substance and this one definitely fit the bill.

The content was unique, the banter spot on, and the closed door romance just what I needed. I like Katherine Center's writing style and enjoy her romance spice levels.

I recommend this to anyone looking for their next low spice romance!

I love Katherine Center. I loved the bodyguard and this book was no different. This book reminded me of Marian Keyes The Woman Who Stole My Life but in the best way! That was one of my fave books and this book competes with it! This book is going to stay with me for a long time!

If you're looking for the perfect swoonworthy read, this is going to make you laugh and cry! I don't want to talk about the plot other than what I alluded to above with the Marian Keyes comp but dang you will love this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!

I really needed happy, heartwarming and funny today and Katherine Center ALWAYS delivers. Her characters are always lovable and in this one our MC develops a unique syndrome after surgery that affects her livelihood and her love life in a big way. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was recently published and is available now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hello, Stranger is a sweet romantic comedy about portrait artist Sadie Montgomery. She has finally gotten a big break with a portrait contest when an accident suddenly leaves her with face blindness. Adjusting to her new reality is made more difficult by juggling her family and romantic relationships.

Sadie was a very endearing character, and I felt for her in all the ups and downs she was experiencing. It was fascinating to read about the impacts of her acquired face blindness. I enjoyed the romance, and the writing was funny and relatable. I kind of saw the ending coming, but enjoyed it all the same. This was a sweet read with relatively low angst, and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author!

Katherine Center does not disappoint in her most recent release, Hello Stranger. I had never heard of the condition the MC is experiencing and I was very intrigued. I felt for her, my heart ached for her. I did feel like some parts were a little far fetched, like the return of the girl from her childhood that she helped and the stepsister tormented. What are the chances that she’s the one Sadie lent her dress to! The behaviors that the stepsister exhibited towards Sadie felt over the top, especially for a grown woman.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I will ALWAYS read anything written by Katherine. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early.

Katherine Center's novels can be described as warm hugs with soon to be new friends. You can not help but fall in love with her creative plots, characters, and frankly the realistic journeys the characters go on from the beginning of the book to the end. Over and over Center reminds the world that kindness matters, and actions both good and bad have ripple effects. If Hello Stranger is your first Katherine Center novel, I strongly suggest you check out her other novels. Each one can be classified as a truly charming romances with characters filled with heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me a copy of this novel.

Another uplifting novel by one of my go authors Katherine Center. I had heard of face blindness but didn’t really know anything about it and to read a book that involves this really kept me interested. As usual, even when things are low, there is a positive vide and the characters work through things to have a positive outcome.
Sadie, an artist who paints portraits, learns she is a finalist in a prestigious art competition that could help her finally get recognized as an artist. She finds out she needs brain surgery and when she wakes, she finds that she has facial blindness. It could be temporary, but he time is limited to get the portrait painted for the competition. As she navigates this new condition and tries to relearn to paint without seeing peoples faces, she also starts to learn how to recognize people into their ways than their faces.
This has definately become joined the ranks as one of my favorite Katherine Center novels.

Katherine Center's writing is super charming and there's a warm and intimacy to the way she develops her characters that reminds me a lot of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Kate Clayborn. I loved Center's debut book and I will certainly be reading her next.

But. The main plot device of this book was so awkward and prominent that I kept being distracted by it. I figured out the twist pretty early, as I'm sure all seasoned romance readers would. But why would MMC fall in love with someone who was behaving so incredibly erratically? I spent a good half of the book waiting for the big reveal instead of really luxuriating in the MCs getting to know each other.

This one wasn't for me but the execution was strong and your mileage may certainly vary.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. She really knows how to write a romcom, and gives her characters a lot of, well, character. I've read books about facial blindness before, but never to this depth, and it was really interesting to consider the complexities of the story and wondering what it would be like to have one of the senses malfunctioning, throwing all the others off. Books like this lead me to wonder if men like Joe exist out there in the world, really and truly. Katherine Center is fun and refreshing.

Katherine Center’s Hello Stranger starts out with a great premise - what happens when a professional portrait artist loses the ability to see faces? Brilliant! But unfortunately, for me, the premise of the book was the best part.

The writing style is perfect for summer reading on the beach or by the pool. The pages move quickly and the first half had me reading well into the night.

But then I started to get a bit bored. And I admit to some eye rolling. The antagonist is a wicked step-sister caricature, too over the top to be believable. Of the two potential love interests, one is sexy and the other’s only character trait appears to be that he is helpful. Very helpful. And sexy.

I won’t argue that romances are built on a structure of some predictability. The protagonist will always have a happy ending. But I found every plot beat of this story to be predictable, including the twist.

I loved Center’s earlier novel Things You Save in a Fire, largely because it didn’t feel like a standard romance. I own a few of the author’s older books and hope they run more in that vein. Hello Stranger, while fun at times, just wasn’t for me.

I absolutely love Katherine Center she has become one of the few romance writers that i'll read. That said I enjoyed this one but did not love it as much as her others. The main character drove me a bit crazy with her decision making but the premise was enough to keep me interested. Sadie an artist about to be a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition gets in an accident and ends up with face blindness. A condition that should be temporary. Until then she has to deal with it and figure out to hang onto to her artistic dream. All the while also dealing with a couple of potential love interests. This is more a closed door feel good romance so if spicy open door is what you are looking for look elsewhere. If you loved her previous contemporary romance books you will most likely enjoy this one as well.

Sadie is a struggling artist living in her studio (aka her "hovel") when she learns that she's a finalist in a lucrative art competition. Things are looking up until a wild series of events leaves her suffering from face blindness. She can still see, but faces look like unrecognizable, disjointed puzzles. Sadie's life is turned upside down with these (hopefully temporary) limitations, but that doesn't mean her daily life comes to a halt. How is she supposed to paint a portrait for the art contest when she can't see faces? Ugh, why is that annoying guy always in the elevator when she has to be somewhere? How can she be planning a fantasy wedding with her pooch's hot new veterinarian when she can't even see his face?

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me, and this latest release is just one more reason why. As always, she's packed Hello Stranger with humor, tenderness, a dash of whimsy, and more than one tear. Come for the beautiful cover, but stay for the richly drawn characters, witty banter, and sweet anticipation. As Ms. Center so beautifully explains in her author's note, the appealing magic of romance novels like this one is the soothing feeling of hope - that even when it's all falling apart, you can't help but anticipate that things will get better. I categorize Katherine Center right alongside Emily Henry into what I've heard called "romance plus" because these are fully fleshed out characters dealing with really complicated situations. I find these books to be so well constructed and immersive that the romance almost feels beside the point, while also being a beautiful and vibrant part of the story. Seriously, though, don't sleep on her author's note. It's 5 stars all by itself.

I'm so grateful to St. Martin's Press, Katherine Center, and Net Galley for providing me with an advance review copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest review.

Let me tell you, this book is an absolute gem that deserves all the love and attention it's been getting! 💖

The novel follows the journey of portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery, who suddenly ends up in the hospital and with a condition known as face blindness. Now every face she sees is a puzzled mess…which is a bit of a problem for someone who makes a living off painting them! 😆 Sadie must quickly learn to navigate her life filled with family issues, career moves and unexpected romance between not one but two men! Clear solutions to her problems seem utterly out of focus but maybe there’s more to seeing life than just with her eyes. 👀

This book is so much more than a romance novel. It delves into themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the power of human connection. The characters are beautifully developed, and you'll find yourself rooting for them every step of the way. 💪❤️ What I loved most about this book is how Center manages to balance heartwarming moments with thought-provoking messages. She effortlessly weaves humor and tenderness into the story, leaving you with a warm and fuzzy feeling long after you've turned the last page. It is positively swoon worthy!🥰✨

So, grab a copy of "Hello Stranger" and get ready for an emotional rollercoaster of a book and uplifting reading experience! Trust me, you won't be able to put it down once you start! 📚🔥

Thank you St Martins Press for the advanced e-copy!

Hello Stranger follows portrait artist Sadie Montgomery as she just gets her big break; a finalist spot in a prestigious art competition. On her way to celebrate with friends she’s in an accident and wakes up in the hospital unable to recognize her friends and family. She’s diagnosed with temporary face blindness essentially sealing her last place finish in her competition. How is a portrait artist going to create an award winning painting if she can’t see faces?

I really really enjoyed this book. A fresh concept in the romance genre that I think the author did really well without being cheesy or super predictable. There was a twist that I didn’t find overly predictable and you really rooted for the main character to get a happy ending throughout. Many great life lessons wrapped up in this story. I would recommend this book to anyone who asked!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book.

I loved the overall message of this book, but it was a little hard for me to get into it. Sadie was a great main character, but I found her a little whiny in the beginning. Joe was a total sweetie and I love him so much! Would definitely recommend this one!