I am so glad that I came back and gave this author another go after not liking her last release. She impressed me with this one. I have rec this to my friends and family and even bought a couple physical copies. Such a good and interesting read

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me and I have loved all her books. This one fell flat and I was so disappointed. There were several things that just didn't work. Also, there was a huge continuity error and I hope was corrected before the book was published.

I am always honest with my reviews, and it pains me to say that this was not my favorite Katherine Center book but please do not let that discourage you from reading it. I have read so many rave reviews! Now that the book has been publishd, I plan to reread it to see if my opinion has changed.

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Katherine’s previous book and didn’t have high expectations as the synopsis sounded like it might not be my cup of tea. Spoiler alert - I was wrong. This was a quirky and entertaining romance novel that was very easy to read. To be transparent there were times when I wanted to bop the MC on the head because her behavior was mildly irritating but also I’ve never experienced the traumatic events she has so who am I to judge…she’s prob handling it better than I would. Katherine also managed to write it in a way that the plot kept me engaged even if the character wasn’t my favorite.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a true delight! Sadie Montgomery life is complicated, but it has just started to turn around. She is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But, then after complications she is diagnosed with face blindness? What does that mean when you are portrait artist?

This novel was incredible and I read it in a day which involved staying up too late. Sadie was such an interesting character who I connected with and enjoyed her journey. The secondary characters helped create the perfect story. The romance was beautiful and complicated in a good way. (To avoid spoiler I am not being too specific. ) I loved the writing style of hope and how it created fantastic anticipation. I appreciated the themes of being compassionate with our selves and others, embracing our humanity, and being reminded that we see what we expect to see.

"It takes a certain kind of courage to be brave in love. A courage you can only get better at through practice."

Hello Stranger will be a favorite of 2023 for me. The writing was magnificent, the characters were endearing, and the themes of hope and perseverance resonated with me. I very highly recommend.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Katherine Center has done it yet again! Katherine has a way of writing swoon-worthy romance moments mixed with belly laughing comedic wit. I went into this blindly but was more than pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-Book ARC.

After an accident, portrait artist Sadie suffers from hopefully/probably temporary face blindness (aka acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia). Will she be able to paint a portrait for a prestigious competition in this condition? And, what about dating?

Well. Hmmmm. So far my 2.5 star rating is in the minority, but overall, I was very disappointed by this plot and found the execution lacking. The meet cute at the beginning was well, cute, and I liked many of the characters, including Sadie, her dog, Peanut, her best friend, Sue, and new friend, Joe. I also absolutely LOVED Sadie's ritual on her deceased mom’s birthday of baking her mom's favorite cake and talking to her like she’s still alive.

However, I did not like Sadie's irritating stepsister, Parker, and the way she constantly bullied Sadie felt tiresome and overdone. I typically love books by this author but this one was missing the light hearted humor and much of it felt like one long pity party for Sadie. The overall message of the story was good, but the twist (which I guessed early on) was super lame in my opinion. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but let's just say that I don't buy the reasons presented.

If you're looking for another book about face blindness, then I would highly recommend Rock Paper Scissors (4 stars) by Alice Feeney!

Things You Save in a Fire (5 stars) and What You Wish For (5 stars) remain my favorites by this author.

Location: Houston, Texas

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was delightful! Center was able to take a serious subject and turn it into a lighthearted adventure. I adored the "anticipation" between Sadie and Joe. The family and friend dynamics only enhanced the overall plot of the book. Overall, it was a fast paced, perfect read for summer.

My only complaint was there not a single Chuck Norris joke! (Center's longtime readers will get it)

First I would like to thank St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of struggling artist Sadie Montgomery and her adorable, spoiled senior dog Peanut, as she struggles with sight blindness, brought on by a "minor" surgery. Throw in a (maybe) hot vet and her (possibly) hot yet annoying neighbor, Joe, and you've got a perfect recipe for falling in love in the least likely ways!!

What I Loved:
- Peanut, I am ALWAYS a fan of pets in books cause who doesn't want to read about pet shenanigans
- Joe, he lives in Sadie's building and their landlord calls him "Helpful" he is always there to help and support the people of the building and just sounds like a guy I'd be happy to have in my life
- Face Blindness, I had heard of it but it was super interesting experience to read about an artist who lost the ability to see faces
- Sadie, I just appreciate reading about someone who is just struggling and dealing with day to day cause I feel like that is more relatable than characters who have it all together
- Setting, I'm a sucker for any stories set in Texas and I love that this was set in Houston since I am familiar with the city and that helped me build it in my mind

I ended up really liking this book, I will say it did have a bit of a slow start and I'm still a bit confused why the step sister was necessary for the story but once it got going I could not put it down. Anyone out there that likes a slow burn friends to lovers romance that has unique medical conditions, cute animals and a crazy hot neighbor then you should absolutely check this book out!

I absolutely adore Katherine Center. Her books never disappoint and this one is definitely a favorite. I honestly had to do a little research on this one. I had never heard of Prosopagnosia. I wanted to see if it was a real thing. Spoiler alert it is! I was shocked to read that Brad Pitt thinks he has this. I fell in love with both characters and rooted for them throughout their journey in this book. I laughed at Sadie and even teared up at times sympathizing with her. This book had me speculating but still doubting. I really fell in love with this book from the beginning. This is a must-read!

I enjoyed the concept but the problem is that I really did not care for the protagonist, Sadie. I get that Parker was a horrible person and I understood the struggles as an artist, but I ended up reading the story more for the fun lighthearted side while trying to ignore the parts of Sadie's personality that irked me. It was an enjoyable story otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book exceeded all expectations! I had not read a Katherine Center book until picking up this one and it did not disappoint! The premise of the book was unique, the relationships, complicated and the inner turmoil, raw. If you're looking for a not so typical love story, this is the book for you!

Thank you @stmartinspress @netgalley for my review copy!

📖Sadie is a portrait artist with a lot to prove to her family. When she wins a coveted spot in a portrait contest, this is her big break. However, after an unfortunate accident and subsequent brain surgery, Sadie finds herself with face blindness. So wouldn’t it be just her luck to have her portrait submission due, have to figure out how to navigate life now that she can’t recognize anyone, oh and also fall in love with two different men?!

💭I started out a little unsure with this one, but I’m glad I stuck it out because I ended up being totally sucked into Sadie’s story. The face blindness aspect of the book was so interesting. I loved learning about the condition and it also made a unique plot for the story. I also liked that it was a nice balance of funny romcom type moments, but also some heavy emotional stuff too.

📚Read this if you like…
Miscommunication trope
Funny banter
Romcoms
Family dramas
Closed door romance
What Alice Forgot by Lisa Genova

✍️How I rated other books by this author:
Things You Save in a Fire- 4⭐️
The Bright Side of Disaster- 3⭐️

I absolutely adored this title. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Katherince Center and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sadie is an artist who has just been chosen as a top ten finalist in a very competitive art competition. She was one of the ten chosen out of 2000 entries so it's kind of a big deal - this could make or break her career. Upon venturing home from the grocery store one morning, Sadie has an unexpected seizure in the middle of the road and is saved by a good Samaritan who then calls 911 to have her sent to the hospital. Upon her hospital admission and a barrage of testing, Sadie has an enlarged blood vessel that needs to be operated on sooner rather than later. Obviously, Sadie is totally against this because she only has six weeks to complete her painting for the competition. She decides to have the operation basically by the force of her father who happens to be an MD. Sadie's surgery goes incredibly well and she's the poster child for healing after brain surgery... until she realizes that she can't see faces. Well, she can... but they are all out of order, kind of like a puzzle. Why is this a problem? Well, for obvious reasons of recognizing people, but also... Sadie is a portrait artist. Her piece for her competition must be a portrait and well, that requires her to be able to see one's face...

I loved this title. Was it predictable in a sense? Absolutely. Did that take away my enjoyment of reading? Absolutely not. The way it was done was perfection. I also learned something new because I totally didn't even know this disorder existed! I loved the happy ending and all the routes we took to get there. Well done, Katherine Center! This was my first book by her, but it surely won't be my last.

Fun meet-cute with a twist. I had never heard of prosopagnosia (face blindness) before but I resonated with how it was applied and given representation here. The main character feels very true to many women my age and the what-is-my-life-going-to-be-and-with-whom struggles. The author made Houston feel romantic, which was funny having growing up there I did not picture it as a setting for a quirky, artsy twenty-something. I do think the book pushes your ability to suspend your disbelief at the end when the two love interests are actually one person, but you're so far in at that point, that as I reader I just accepted it and was satisfied with a happy ending

3.5 stars rounded down. It had an interesting twist, but I wanted more from the ending. Also, found the main character to be juvenile at some points…could be due to her childhood? Overall, an entertaining read, but I won’t be reaching for it to reread!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a romance following Sadie, a portrait artist, who ends up with acquired prosopagnosia (facial blindness) after having a seizure and resulting neurosurgery. Needless to say it makes her romantic life a little bit complicated, not to mention the fact that she was supposed to compete in a portrait competition when everything goes down.

I will admit, I was slightly disappointed by this book. I loved the last book I read by this author, The Bodyguard, but this just didn’t really do it for me. It took me a while to get into this book because I found the protagonist kind of annoying. I think the idea was unique and the writing itself was good overall, but at times the “catch” of the book seemed so obvious that it was painful to read. If you are going to pick up something by this author, I don’t necessarily think this would be the best place to start.

“ᴡᴀꜱ ʜᴇ ꜰʟɪʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴏʀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴘᴀɪɴ? ʜᴀᴅ ʜᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴡᴏɴ ᴍᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ?”

This was a very unique story that drew me in from the start. The female MC Sadie is a portrait artist and suddenly has an obstacle preventing her from painting faces. This in itself caught my interest as I had never heard of her condition - face blindness - so it was interesting to learn about and how we form our own opinions of those around us based on presumptions from their face. When that one element of recognizing someone or judging someone goes away - what do you do?

This book had so much substance to the plot and subtle twists that it kept you engaged. I loved the side characters in this story from the landlord, to the bestie, and of course the love interestS. Is there a bit of a love triangle going on?

I thought the story did a great job of dealing with toxic family dynamics and overcoming grief. How do you build a life for yourself when you lose your support system, and are still grieving the loss of someone? It was very interesting seeing Sadie navigate all of these dynamics and work to overcome and balance her life. She never came across as a damsel in distress, and very much was find a way forward person.

This was my first book by @katherinecenter , and I will definitely be checking out her others!

Read if you like…
🎨Forced Proximity
🎨Witty Banter
🎨Family drama
🎨HEA

Thank you to Netgalley, Katherine Center, and publishers for the arc.

Thank you to @netgalley for this copy! I liked The Bodyguard so much I chose this for my BOTM and am glad that I did!

I loved how unique this story and plot was. I could instantly connect with Sadie, because who hasn’t had moments in their life where EVERYTHING feels like it’s going all wrong. Thankfully I cannot relate to her diagnosis, which raised great awareness of a condition not well known. I’m not a fan of love triangles but it was mild and added for a fun twist. You’ll know when you read, I don’t want to give too much away. The connection between Sadie and Joe was adorable. There is zero spice in this but I didn’t notice nor felt it was needed. All books need a PEANUT! Glad this one featured a pup. I recommend it to those looking for a different romance and who are ok without spice.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

My first introduction to Katherine Center was “The Bodyguard,” which I absolutely adored. “Hello Stranger” hits many of the same notes and I can see why she’s exalted for comfort romances.

⇢➤ Plot: Sadie is a semi-starving artist finally getting her big break in the art world: a portrait contest where she’s one of ten finalists. She goes to celebrate but is in an accident outside of her apartment. The accident reveals that she needs imminent brain surgery. The surgery is a success, but a build-up of fluid against her fusiform gyrus leads to facial blindness. Sadie must complete her portrait against all odds— while also reconciling familial trauma, and more alarmingly, her growing feelings towards two men she can’t actually see: her veterinarian Oliver and her neighbor Joe.

⇢➤ Pros: This is one of the best resolutions of a love triangle I’ve seen. I hate the trope, but it works here.

Center’s ability to weave a character’s life story through small quirks and possessions is great. From her style of art, to wanting to keep a flower behind her ear like her mother, Sadie becomes a cohesive character and built largely through the lens of grief. Much like Hannah’s red cowboy boots, Sadie’s roller skates represent joy in unlikely places. She is an amalgamation of paint, loss, and second chances.

Joe and Oliver, too, are intricately detailed— their drive to help, their love of animals, and their backstories make them into believable love interests. Even Sadie’s father, a side character, had a moment that brought me to tears.

I cannot speak on the representation of individuals with facial blindness, but the author goes into detail about the research and effort she put into learning about the condition. Center’s knowledge of neurological function is impressive. I didn’t expect to read a romance that included “fusiform gyrus” but it flashed me back to undergrad neuropsychology in the best way.

I binged this in a day and stayed up to read it into the night.

⇢➤ Cons: Parker, Sadie’s stepsister, is cartoonishly evil. I enjoyed getting some insight into her character towards the end, but she read like a female Ted Bundy for 90% of the book. I would have gotten a restraining order as soon as I turned 18.

Miscommunication is a frequent subplot that works most of the time, but is endlessly frustrating. Joe’s introduction is the most egregious mishap. From the first overheard conversation with this man, I hated him, and that misunderstanding isn’t cleared up until 70% in. That made it hard for me to genuinely enjoy his character or the moments they shared when I kept flashing back to the elevator conversation.

Finally, while she is a character largely framed by tragedy and is meant to evoke sympathy, Sadie had moments where she is just unlikable. Chalk it up to brain trauma and her mother’s death, but barely congratulating your best friend’s marriage and yelling at Joe for everything BUT the elevator conversation? Her priorities were not always clear or understandable. I wanted to see more of her evolution and growth.

Overall, this is still a fun read filled with unlikely scenarios and persevering love, which is just what I want out of a romance. Also, I want a dog like Peanut.

⇢➤ Recommended for fans of: “Love Theoretically” by Ali Hazelwood and “Part of Your World” by Abby Jimenez.

I love and devoured The Bodyguard by Katherine Center so I was super excited for this book. I should not have been excited, this book is so boring and I had to push through to keep going through this book. Idk, I didn't even really like the premise. I can not recommend this book especially following The Bodyguard. 2.5