This book is both hilarious and filled with romance while also balancing serious topics. Sadie has been trying to prove to her father for years that she never needed him after her mother died. She's a struggling artist who is filled with witty banter and optimism except when she needs to ask for help. There's great conversations about dealing with grief, how to evolve after life changing diagnosis but also above all, there's a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book because I was surprised with how much I found myself loling. Sadie's romance is one that has twist and turns and while it may be predictable, it def kept you on your toes.

This book is an invisible string type beat - I could hear Taylor while reading at the end I swear.

This is one of those books where at times, the plot is ridiculous but also really engaging so you’re just having fun reading which I always enjoy! This book really was fun and I loved following Sadie’s journey after her incident. I will say there were parts I thought were odd or should’ve had more of a definite resolution (*cough cough* her family issues) but these weren’t deal breakers for me by any means.

Where this book really got me was the end with the main reveal. I was genuinely shocked and could not process at first, it made the book sooo much better to me that I bumped up my rating.

Genuinely such a fun read, definitely pick this one up!

This story is one about finding love where you least expect it and possibly during one of the most confusing times in your life. On top of everything, how does a portrait artist paint faces she suddenly can’t see? Sadie struggles to find her identity amid the new challenges she’s been presented, but through self-discovery and a strong support system, she fights to persevere. I thought this concept was interesting for the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more of their work!

After years of feeling stagnant and like a failure as an artist, Sadie finally catches a break. She places as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. She's riding high, until she's not. She wakes up in the hospital after having a seizure in the middle of the street and being saved by a Good Samaritan. She finds out she will require surgery for a malformed blood vessel in her brain. She wants to put it off until after the contest, but her father is adamant she get it done immediately. Sadie comes out of the surgery with prosopagnosia, face blindness. She can no longer see faces. Sadie has difficulty navigating life with her condition. Everyone she meets is a stranger until she can place them based on other cues. Then two men enter her life - her dog's hot new vet and her sexy neighbor.

This was a big HUG of a story. From her amazing BFF and her sweet parents, her adorable dog, Peanut, her therapist and of course Joe - I loved it all. Did I forsee the twist? Yes. Was it any less enjoyable? No. As, Katherine states in her author's note - we all want that HEA when we read a romance. We're not here for the surprises. We're here for that feel good, fuzzy warm feeling and this book delivers that in spades.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I anxiously await new release from Center like no bodies business and this one made me so so happy. I found myself smiling the whole last 10% and I wanted nothing more than to just start it all over again. These characters were amazing and facial blindness doesn’t get very much attention for the amount of people who suffer. Just buy this one guys - it’s beautiful.

I really enjoyed this novel by Katherine Center. Sadie, an artist had to have brain surgery and as a result, she has developed face blindness. I had heard of this condition but I did not know a lot about it and Center helped me understand it better and see some of the challenges people deal with that have this condition. This book had romance, a sweet dog, family issues, great friendships and was a very entertaining read. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Hello Stranger - Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Sadie is a portrait artist who just got the news that she is a finalist in a prestigious art competition. Sadie is over the moon until a near miss accident happens which results in her needing brain surgery. Sadie’s surgery went well, except for some swelling which made her have a rare side effect. Sadie had prosopagnosia! (Face blindness)
Sadie on top of it develops feelings for two different guys, and needs to complete her portrait in 6 weeks without being able to see any faces.

I mostly enjoyed this read! I felt the miscommunication piece got incredibly frustrating at times and it was a very slow burn. The last 30% was great tho! I loved how it came together and tied most things up.
I love that Katherine brought awareness to Prosopagnosia but I do think some parts of her experience seem hard to believe.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

This was cute and enjoyable!

No big surprises but I enjoyed myself all the way through reading this one!

I also listened to the audiobook and the narration was very well done.

Both the book and audiobook are recommended!

Sadie Montgomery wants to follow in her late mother’s footsteps as an artist and a woman. Unfortunately, she is following a little too closely. Shortly after earning a spot in the North American Portrait Society competition, Sadie suffers a seizure that leaves her with ‘temporary’ face blindness. Determined to complete her portrait, Sadie explores alternate techniques with the ‘helpful’ neighbor next door. Will Sadie be a winner in art and love? Or, will her dreams fade away with the faces she can no longer see?

I am and will continue be a huge fan of Katherine Center, however, I believe we are entering into a new era of her writing. Historically, Center’s books have been rather serious, featuring people at their lowest points in life. Only through sheer perseverance and resilience, are her subjects able to overcome the obstacles standing in their way. But, the release of The Body Guard (2022) marked a shift in Center’s tone.

Hello Stranger is a delightful read, worthy of four stars. It features Center’s new upbeat and lighthearted tone. Fans won’t be able to help falling in love with Sadie and her story, as she hilariously struggles to get through life.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for allowing me to read and listen to Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! I have read two of Katherine Center's previous books and this was my favourite. 5 STARS!

Katherine Center is an artist with words. She is able to pull me in and make me feel all that the character is feeling.

Sadie is feeling quite a bit in Hello Stranger. After having emergency surgery, Sadie develops face blindness. Face blindness is a terrifying condition that means her brain cannot recognize anyone. Also as a portrait artist this diagnosis cuts off her career path. Hello Stranger was an immersive experience in having your world flip turned upside down.

Sadie is ultimately alone in the world. Her mom died when she as young and her father remarried not long after giving her an evil step sister. Seriously, the step sister has gone out of her way to make Sadie’s life a nightmare. Finding an unexpected friendship with a neighbor is the ray of sunshine in this story.

I do recommend this book. The writing was excellent as usual. The story just didn’t hit me right. I think my empathic nature didn’t work well with it. This wasn’t the light and fluffy read I was expecting.

Be sure to check content warnings.

Death of parent - described in detail on page
Face Blindness
Bullying
Suicide Attempt (detailed from past of a friend)
Broken Family

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. My review is my honest opinion.

Loved this book. It’s like a warm hug. It’s interesting hearing about face blindness and what it’s like. There are many topics including bullying that are touched. The writing is absolutely amazing.

💙💛 Hello Stranger 💛💙

You know when you read the synopsis for a book, and you just know—somewhere deep in your soul—that you are going to love that book?

That was Hello Stranger for me.

The first book I ever read from Katherine Center was The Bodyguard, and I loved it. I was kind of worried that Hello Stranger wouldn’t live up to the first for me, but there was no need for me to worry in the slightest. (I’ve already gone back to reread some of my favorite parts because I loved them so much.)

Hello Stranger is an emotionally deep story that retains all the fun and magic I found in The Bodyguard. Sadie is a portrait artist who, after a medical emergency, can no longer see faces due to a condition called face blindness. While not blindness in the traditional sense, it is absolutely devastating to Sadie and her hopes and dreams. Cue to the best kind of love triangle, some very fun moments, some very tender moments, and a story that will leave you feeling that no matter what, everything is going to be okay.

Katherine Center has found a way to strike the perfect balance of fun, quirky, and whimsical with depth, real-life, and hard situations. Hello Stranger will forever be a perfect example of my favorite kind of read, and I know I’ll be reading this one again and again.

I loved Sadie, and her journey and growth. I loved the cast of characters who supported her. I loved the uniqueness of the plot and the conflict. Overall a delightful read and one I would absolutely recommend time and time again.

What to expect:

🤍💙 Down-to-earth characters who could be your best friend
💙💛 One of the sweetest and best love stories
💛🤍 Perseverance and a stron heroinę
🤍💙 A darling ending and epilogue
💙💛 The soonest of leading men
💛🤍 Writing that makes the book unputdownable

Loved loved loved this book. Can’t wait to read it again.

This book was so. much. fun!!! I found myself grinning the whole way through. The plot was unique (but still delivered everything promised in a romance novel), the main character was quirky and funny, and the main love interest was completely lovable.

I appreciated that this book was closed door, though it did have the sexiest non-sex scene I’ve ever read. (IYKYK) 😍😅

My only complaint was that the evil step-sister character was way over-the-top. I felt like the same conflict and plot could have been written without her character being such a cartoonish villain. But it definitely didn’t ruin the book overall for me.

Was this a literary masterpiece? No. But it was cozy, hilarious and swoon-worthy and I loved every minute. Katherine Center has definitely become an auto-read author for me!

This book was such an interesting concept and was portrayed really nicely! Before opening this book I had never heard of face blindness, but I felt like I learned so much. Sadie is a portrait artist who has a seizure that leads to a hospital visit where they discover she needs brain surgery. After waking up from surgery she has some swelling which results in temporary face blindness. This diagnosis leaves her career hanging in the balance and her struggling with the idea of how her life will look if her face blindness isn’t temporary. Sadie is learning how to keep her career afloat while juggling meeting new people without seeing their faces and trying to recognize people she’s met previously without being able to see their faces. With a big twist at the end, this book wraps up so perfectly. Ends with an HEA!

Katherine Center is AMAZING!!! She has concreted herself on my top favs!!

Hello Stranger was amazing! I loved Sadie, I wanted her life! I felt for her so much. She kept getting kicked while down, anyone would expect Sadie to just roll over in defeat but nope she is brave and kept going!

Katherine Center writes a beautiful journey of Sadie. She had me so invested that at points my heart hurt and other times I was literally LOL!

A beautiful story about love and finding who you are! Sadie was so relatable even tho she had a rare thing happen to her. She was so funny and a great character! CAN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE LOVE INTERESTS? Love it so much! Katherine Center has a way with storytelling that leaves you wanting to read more!

A great book that I could not put down!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

I’ve always loved Katherine Center’s book & I inhaled this one!

There’s just something about her writing that I LOVE and each time I read one of her stories I want more & I don’t normally read romance!

I mean I wouldn’t consider this a full romance, there’s romance but it’s more about our main character coping with her face blindness through the story, which I really enjoyed that aspect. And I mean of course it has the cutest moments!

This book has me smiling at the end & I really enjoyed it.

Cover is a bit misleading- it makes you think it leans more towards a rom com feel than a literary/women's fiction feel. But that is the only negative. Well written and didn't let you down if you have high expectations after reading her other books. Story is well developed and creative, character develop is great. Definitely will be a seller in our store.

Hello Stranger is characterized by witty banter, an interesting and thought-provoking premise, likable characters, and a side of romance.

Sadie has placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society completion when she finds herself in a hospital bed diagnosed with a condition known as face blindness. She can clearly see everything except faces, and those she sees as disconnected puzzle pieces. Because she’s a portrait artist, this is obviously a life-changing and challenging career complication. In addition, she’s dealing with family issues including a mean half-sister and a sick dog. This is not the most ideal time to fall in love with two men!

I’m picky about my women’s fiction reads and Katherine Center is at the top of my favorite author lists. Her stories feature closed-door romance, limited profanity, witty banter, and substantial themes.

The disorder that our main character faces is face blindness (or Prosopagnosia) and this is what I enjoyed most about the story. Center does an amazing job of describing this condition and its effects on someone’s life. This story reminds me in some ways of Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.

Sadie’s career and her love life are complicated by face blindness. In typical Katherine Center style, the romance storyline is engaging and full of intrigue (can’t say more because ***spoilers***).

Katherine Center dependably delivers lovely and relatable characters. Sadie is likable and I cheered her on as she navigated her difficult diagnosis and restructured her life with determination and positivity. Sadie’s love interest is a major plot twist and an all-around good guy.

If you are a Katherine Center fan and appreciate contemporary fiction with a slow-burn complicated romance, witty banter, an invisible disability, and a turned upside-down life, you might love Hello Stranger. It’s perfect for your beach bag or weekend getaway and might be an engaging light read for book clubs.

Thanks #NetGalley @StMartinsPress for a complimentary e ARC of #HelloStranger upon my request. All opinions are my own.