Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist. After years of struggle, she's finally gotten her big break - she's a finalist in a portrait contest that would change everything if she wins. But just as she's getting ready to start her portrait, she narrowly avoids getting hit by a car and when she wakes up, she's suffering from face blindness, meaning her brain can't comprehend facial features. How can a portrait artist not see faces? To top it off, her elderly dog is struggling and Sadie finds herself torn between 2 new men in her life.

Somewhat predictable is some elements, but still such a good read. There were things that bothered me - Sadie's friends aren't very reliable and also her family SUCKS, and her determination to follow in her mother's footsteps to a fault - but Sadie's struggles got her to the end which was good. If you're looking for a feel good summer read with a satisfying ending, this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available July 11, 2023.

I’m happy to be reviewing another enjoyable novel by Katherine Center. I love how Center always gives readers a main character worth rooting for and Sadie Montgomery is no exception.

When Sadie wins a spot in a prestigious art contest, the last she she needs to have happen is an unforeseen medical emergency. But that is exactly what happens and because of it, Sadie develops temporary face blindness.

This is a catastrophe because Sadie is required to submit a portrait for the art contest. With a bit of help from her friend Sue, Sadie figures out a way to paint a face. But instead of using Sue as her model, Sadie ends up having to use Joe, her neighbor that she isn’t sure she trusts.

To add to the charm of the story, Sadie has an adorable little dog named Peanut and an evil step-sister named Parker that brings the drama to the forefront. Everything that needed to be resolved comes together near the end in an exciting and positive way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my positive review and recommend this book to other readers.

Hello Stranger was one unique and heartwarming story that I really needed! This is my second time reading a book by this author, and I should really read her more often. I read this at the perfect time because I am also in the middle of reading a dark romance and this was such a great change in pace. I really just needed something warm and fuzzy to sink my teeth into! I could absolutely see this entire book coming from the beginning. But I strapped myself in and enjoyed the ride. It was so sweet and dealt with real life issues, but it wasn’t all in your face about it. Though Sophie and Joe annoyed me at some parts, in the end, I really loved them both. They grew on me and I thought they were such a great fit for one another. This is easily one of those books that you can read in one sitting and is a perfect book for the beach. It’s a fun book that will captivate you from beginning to end.

I will say that I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio as well. It was such a great listen. The narrator, Patti Murin, did a fantastic job. This is the first time I’ve read a book that she narrated and I listen to her again.

The final thing I’d like to say is fuck Parker 🖕🏻😊 (I say this as nicely as possible)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Wasn’t that what kisses were for, after all? To light a little spark in someone else? A spark that would always burn for you?.”

Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, is finally getting her big break as a finalist in a national portrait competition. A medical emergency forces her to have brain surgery, but when she wakes up she can no longer see faces. There is nothing that can be done for acquired face blindness but wait and hope it resolves. Sadie must learn to navigate her world without recognizing faces, including dealing with her evil step sister, falling “love at no-sight” for her elderly dog’s veterinarian, and becoming friends (or more) with the maybe-not-so-obnoxious neighbor.

Katherine Center just does falling in love perfectly. This is my third book (I’ve read The Bodyguard and Happiness for Beginners) and it was just as good as the others. I loved the bit of mystery with a touch of unreliability since Sadie couldn’t see anyone’s face. The ending was perfection on how it all came together. If you’re in the mood for an emotional romance that makes you angry and laugh at the same time, this one is for you.

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (5 Stars)

Steam: 0/5 closed door, just kissing

Out: July 11th!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review

No spoiler review 👇🏻

The Bodyguard by this author was one of my favourite books of 2022 so I was so excited for this one!

This book was beautiful and I loved it! Kathrine Centre is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I can’t wait to read. Ore from her, and catch up on her backlist.

This book follows Sadie, she’s a portrait artist. One day she suffers an accident and it results in her having facial blindness. She can’t see people’s facial features. Which makes it hard when you are in a portrait competition….

It has its sadder moments but it’s all beautiful, funny, and romantic. I absolutely enjoyed this book. It’s a closed door romance with family drama, and learning how to adjust to a new life. I highly recommend this book!

CW: family drama, medical procedures, medical trauma, death of parent (past), bullying (past)

Katherine Center has done it again! She never fails to deliver a laugh out loud funny, tear-jerking, banter-filled novel that I love every minute of. I also enjoyed learning about acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia (face-blindness and did lots of googling for even more information. Who knew that was a thing?! Read this if you enjoy smiling.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for allowing me to read a pre-release of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

i LOVED this book. Its sweet and not spicy, which is a bit unusual for me as someone who loves spice. But the anticipation of them falling in love is what had me glued to the pages
I really like when romcoms take on a deeper issue, I feel like it connects us more to the characters, and this one was a really heartwarming story that I highly recommend to anyone who likes their romances to have a bit more depth

Sadie is a portrait artist, albeit a starving portrait artist. Hopefully that is all about to change when she gets a spot in a contest that she could win $10,000 for her portrait and prove her doctor father that she isn’t a failure. But when she has a non convulsive seizure in the street and is saved by a stranger, she finds out she needs brain surgery. The worst part? When she wakes up from surgery she can’t see faces. A portrait artist that sees faces like puzzle pieces. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Or could it be a blessing in disguise?

I love Center’s books. She does such a great job spinning characters in a way that just make you want more and more. This is a sweet, yet unexpected love story! Highly recommend!

This could have been just another chick lit book, but Katherine Center's main character has a condition called face blindness where she can't recognize faces - even her own. This would be bad enough, but for Sadie, it's made even worse because her profession is as a portrait artist. The story is interesting, characters are well defined, and there's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I actually laughed out loud.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book.

I really enjoyed Katherine Center's last book, The Bodyguard, as well as others of hers I've read, so I was excited for this book to come along.

The concept is interesting. Sadie is a portrait artist who ends up with Prosopagnosia (face blindness) after undergoing surgery. How does one navigate life without knowing exactly who they're talking to? Especially when entered into a contest where they have to draw someone's face.

I really wanted to like Joe more. There's a bit of a misunderstanding, but you don't find out that it's a misunderstanding until much later in the book and it paints him in a bad light to start. He's really swoony during a lot of it, but I was left with the first impression and it took til the end of the book for me to finally like him.

It's hard to get more into the plot without spoiling anything. There’s a twist to the story and the earlier you figure out the twist, the more frustrated you’re going to get with the last third of the book. I think the author handled the twist plot line as well as you can without the reader finding out, but it just made me frustrated and I didn’t enjoy it as much as others of hers I’ve read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. 3.5 Stars

Thoughts~
I have loved everything Katherine Center has ever written. She will always be an auto-read author for me, but this story missed the mark for me. I did enjoy parts of it, but then it just felt like it dragged on. The one thing I will always enjoy about Center’s writing is that she is so good at making us feel the characters' struggles. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to not recognize someone you normally would with the exception of her evil stepsister.

There is a fun little twist thrown in that was different, but cute in its own way. If you’re a fan of this author then I would give this a go! I will always read what she writes.

4.5 stars.

The thing about a Katherine Center book is that no matter what mood you are in when you pick it up, you will most certainly be smiling after finishing one of her stories. She's truly a comfort writer in every sense of the word! You might think - it's another contemporary romance, how different can it be from other books, but you'd be surprised my friend. Katherine Center has a knack for unique storylines that just feel like a big warm hug.

Hello Stranger was no different, it was sweet, sentimental and uplifting. And I can't stress enough on how utterly perfect that final twist was. I've read quite a few thrillers and yet, I could never have guessed that one, or should I say it was a classic case of "confirmation bias" haha (you'll get it, if you've read the book!) A story full of hope, heart and humor, Hello Stranger is a "love story that created a fantastic feeling of anticipation" (read the author's note to get this reference) and had me completely charmed. A must read for all romance readers.

I love reading Katherine Center’s books because they always fill my heart with joy and Hello Stranger did just that.
In this book we get to know Sadie, a struggling artist who just got the chance of a lifetime in a portrait contest. But life has other plans and after a necessary brain surgery she is left with face blindness. Now she’s having a hard time doing what she loves: painting faces; and also, being interested in two guys at the same time.
I loved Sadie, she was so funny and I could really connect with her and her fears and worries. I loved Joe too and even when I saw almost everything coming, I was still surprised of how everything developed.
The secondary characters are interesting too, although I hated Parker; and I liked how things changed for everyone, in a good way. I also liked how it talks about deep subjects but in a lighter way, making it easier to read. It was a gripping story and I really enjoyed reading it.

Even though Sadie Montgomery’s father, a famous surgeon, encouraged her to pursue a medical career, she chose to pursue her love of art. She has not found fame, but she is doing what she loves. On the eve of a possible win in an art contest, she suffers a seizure and learns that she has a cavernoma, a blood vessel issue in the brain and needs surgery. After the surgery, her life falls apart when she does not recognize the face of her best friend. What she sees instead are pieces and shapes and this is called prosopagnosia or face blindness. The doctors try to tell her that this may clear up once the swelling subsides, but if not, how will this affect her future? Meanwhile there are two men in her life, the veterinarian who saved her beloved dog, Peanut, and a man who lives in her building. How can she build a life with anyone when she may not recover enough to recognize them? The writing is done in a light hearted fashion, flows smoothly and the ending is a unique twist. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I absolutely adored this story! It's ironic because I would've said the plot was a little predictable and then I read the author's note about shifting our language and describing romance novels as being anticipatory and that's exactly what this story did. I might've been able to see where it was heading and the trajectory that the characters were on, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable to read.

I absolutely loved Sadie's growth as she tried to navigate herself in the wake of a medical crisis, dealing with a wave of grief, and trying to sort herself out within her different systems of support. Some of the things she said or did were so relatable, I wanted to just hug her.

Joe was a wonderful MMC and I love that he literally received the nickname helper. I wasn't sure if there was any way to redeem him from his super-sexist comments in the beginning of the novel but it was done so perfectly.

My only "negative" on this one was that the "evil stepsister" felt a bit too caricature-like rather than a flawed character, even with the addition of her own backstory.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for an eARC.

After not being able to get into the last 3 of Katherine Center’s books, I was hesitant to pick this one up, but I’m glad I did—it’s one of those rare romances where both main characters are really happy, good people. It is also closed-door (there are only 2 kissing scenes and minimal swearing) so I would happily hand this to my teenager.
It had a scene in it that that made me laugh out loud, which is rare, and the ending was so sweet. I do take a little issue with the fact that the main character was a little self-centered and didn’t ask a few questions she needed to, but she had also just had brain surgery.
What I might have loved most about it, though, was the author’s notes at the end that describe her experience reading her first romance novel at age 40. She describes perfectly why romance novels are thriving—every romance novel allows you to anticipate happiness throughout the whole book, and you are never let down. Her ultimate message is “Tragedy is a given, joy is a choice”-so read what makes you happy!
I had a lovely Sunday afternoon of reading this book and am very happy with my choice!

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc!

I can see why everyone has enjoyed this book/why everyone will enjoy this book! I unfortunately feel like I just had a different unusual reading experience from everyone else. I lost interest in the plot rather quickly, didn't especially care for or feel connected to our characters and the romance felt sprinkled in as a side plot rather than being the main plot in my opinion. However, this is NOT a bad book. I give my ratings based on my own enjoyment and unfortunately I just didn't love this.

What I can say is that this book is the epitome of a cute, wholesome, predictable story that will leave cheesy romance readers happy! Just because I didn't seem to enjoy this one does not mean I won't be on the lookout for whatever else this author writes. I did enjoy her writing style and the way she told the story.

I've never read anything by this author before and I really enjoyed the experience.

I'm lucky enough, also, not to be faceblind. I've heard the term, sure, but it doesn't really affect my life.

We suddenly find out that Sadie needs minor brain surgery, and unfortunately she suffers some side effects: in the form of suddenly becoming faceblind... right as she's announced a top ten finalist in a portrait art competition.

This book gave me a whole new insight about what that must be like, and it was fascinating. I stopped on more than one occasion to talk in awe to my hubby about what this must be like.

I really enjoyed the relationships she made and watching how they may change as she's relearning her new expectations and experiences. Dr Nicole has a special place in my heart now.

I was both happily surprised by where it went, and also able to predict parts of it... but that didn't deter me from enjoying this book.

Many thanks for being given a copy of this book on NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was so freaking adorable.

What would you do if you woke up one day and couldn`t see peoples faces? Like, you know that the faces are there, but you just can't put all those pieces together: eyes, noses, lips, ears - they are all just pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit. How about if you've just being given the opportunity of a lifetime - to paint in a super prestigious art competition - but the challenge was to paint... a portrait. When you can't see faces any longer?

What would you do if you couldn't tell people apart... because of this face blindness?

That's the situation Sadie finds herself in. She is finally ready to win a competition and prove to everyone that she has what it takes to be a good artist - when she ends up with face blindness. Add to that the inability to recognize people around her - including a helpful neighbour with a beautiful torso, an attractive veterinarian (with an amazing gait) , and the two coffee shop ladies who work in her favourite coffee shop.

Sadie's other issue is that she refuses to tell anyone about the face blindness (other than her father, step-mother and best friend Sue) - and so she finds herself in one situation after another... and not really realizing that not everything is as it seems (to her at least).

I didn't love Sadie to begin with -but she 100% grew on me. Most of that was because the author allowed Sadie to grow and realize her faults; she made her want to be better. Sadie's relationship with Joe was swoony - and gave me all the feels.

I was highly entertained, loved the banter and side characters (Sue was brilliant). This is targeted as "romance" but really - it's just solid fiction with some love thrown in (it's slow burn AND no spice - so if that really isn't your thing - you will likely really enjoy the story and character development). The details about face blindness reminded me of reading the book "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova - Katherine Center did a really good job of explaining face blindness.

4 stars! Quick, fast paced and fun. A perfect summer read.
(This book also deals with issues of: death of a mother, difficult relationship with father/step-mother, bullying, inability to ask for help.)

“Love isn’t blind, it’s just little blurry.”

So this was my first Katherine Center book and I absolutely loved it! I read this book in one day because I just couldn’t put it down.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is trying to get her big break. When she finds out she is in the top 10 spot in an elite competition, she has a nonconvulsive seizure which results in her needing brain surgery. After the surgery though, one of the side effects leaves her with face blindness.

I won’t say a lot since this book comes out tomorrow and I don’t want to spoil it for you! You will just have to see for yourself, and you will not regret reading this heartwarming book 🩷

Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Center, & St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.