I love books that teach me as well as entertain me. As someone who works directly with medical issues and their cures, I was fascinated to learn about facial blindness for the first time and trying to wrap my head around the condition. This is going to lead me to some intense googling and researching.

This was my first Katherine Center read and it was really great! It was funny, intense at times, had tons of emotion, and also made you reflect about some of the bigger picture themes.

I loved Sadie’s character and the ties to her mom. I loved watching her take what is probably the worst instance of her life and finding the light through it all in the end. The things that don’t kill us do in fact make us stronger. Not to mention the hilarious twist at the end - I did predict it but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. I loved the comical way in which Oliver became and remained “Joe” as well.

I’m normally a huge fan of Katherine Center, but this one just wasn’t for me. I had to DNF.. I couldn’t emotionally connect with the characters and found the writing to lack her usual depth. Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

Another great book from Katherine Center!

What I loved about Hello Stranger was that a great portion of this book focuses on Sadie, our main character. It focuses on her relationship with herself, her relationship with her work, her relationship with her friends and family, her relationship with her dog, Peanut, and not just her romantic relationship.

I also found the premise of the facial blindness interesting. It wasn't something I knew much about, but it was very interesting to see how it developed the story, and how it taught Sadie that it's okay to ask for help and not everyone is a terrible human being.

This one definitely had me in my feelings over everything Sadie had to go through, and I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

What if you couldn’t recognize who people were? We discuss that in this contemporary book-

Accident - Sadie has just found out she is a finalist in a portrait competition when she suddenly finds herself in the hospital

Face Blindness - After surgery, she finds herself with face blindness, where everyone’s faces seem a jumbled mess. But at least it’s temporary

Portrait Painter - ironic, as she is a portrait painter, so how can she compete if she can’t see faces?

2 Men - and how is it that she is falling for 2 different men at the same time?

This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center. If you think I should read The Bodyguard, let me know. I did really enjoy this book, the characters were fun. The discussion about not being able to see faces being a comparison to people not noticing things in front of their face (and also needing to ask for help) was very insightful. However, it’s pretty apparent how this will all end, and I really kept talking to myself about how Sadie just didn’t “SEE” what was happening. Because she couldn’t. It was still a really cute read.

This is one of the best romances I have read this year! Recommending it to all my friends! Incredible story telling.

I loved this book. I was expecting a nice, relaxing beach read. While it definitely delivered, it also had a lot of heart. All the elements of the sub plots with her family dynamics were well told. I found her face blindness to be interesting as well. I would recommend this book and I will definitely seek out more by this author.

Hello Stranger is another solid read in the romance category from Katherine Center with a commendable primary plot line but a few flaws as well. The main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist who receives word she is a finalist in an art competition – a big break for her. As she is preparing to begin work on her entry for the final competition, she unexpectedly has to undergo brain surgery. It leaves her with a condition (hopefully temporary) called prosopagnosia or face blindness. Her struggle to cope with her condition, as well as mask it to all but a few, is compelling and pretty unique.

While Sadie’s struggle with her condition is laid out in detail, there were some puzzling inconsistences in this character. Some of the secondary characters and story lines are less developed and even a bit far-fetched. These issues were a bit distracting (prompting even an eye roll or two) but didn’t derail the overall story. Among the other highlights were Sadie’s genuine devotion to her dog, Peanut, as well as a bit of unexpected humor here and there.

Overall, Hello Stranger is another light, entertaining read from Center and includes her trademark dose of hope and happiness. While it is not among my favorites from this author, it was still enjoyable especially if you’re able to put aside any incredulous tendencies and keep your sense of humor on hand. On top of all that, Center keeps a few twists til the end just to keep things interesting!


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We can always count on a Center novel for something fresh, unique, and intriguing. Our heroine is a down-on-her-luck, mostly solitary portrait artist who, just when she gets her big break, is afflicted with face blindness. She sees everything else clearly, but people's faces are a jumbled, unrecognizable mess to Sadie.

In the midst of dealing with a new, hopefully temporary, normal, Sadie finds herself growing close to not one, but two men – her very kind neighbor and the hottie veterinarian of Sadie's dog, Peanut. That, along with trying to finish a portrait as a finalist for a national art competition is a bit overwhelming.

This one kept me reading late into the night because I was desperate to see how things would work out for Sadie. I was fascinated by the concept of face blindness, and I love how Sadie's story highlights the way that adversity can make us stronger and challenges can help us grow. Women's fiction and romance lovers of all kind will enjoy this compelling, insightful, heartfelt story.

I really enjoyed this latest work by Katherine Center. The main character Sadie, a portrait artist suffers from face blindness after a brain surgery. She struggles not knowing how long it will go on and if she will ever recover.

It was an interesting premise to base a romance novel on, but I found it a bit predictable at times. The book definitely had heart and heart breaking moments as Sadie is still reeling over the loss of her beloved mom. The relationships she has with her dad and stepmom were difficult and her step sister Piper was the worst. I liked the contemplating Sadie did and liked seeing her trying to adjust and change her mindset so that she might recover.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book

I loved the idea behind this book, however, I couldn’t fully get into it, or connect with any of the characters. The characters seemed too non realistic/immature to me. I wanted to sympathize with Sadie, but I just couldn’t. Even before her accident, she was very self absorbed and whiney. Parker as the villain was the typical evil stepsister, but for being in her late 20s, she still talked and acted like a middle schooler which was very hard to read and believe. The love triangle between Dr Oliver Addison, Joe, and Sadie made me cringe when she started planning hers and Dr Addisons wedding after their first meet. I do have to say that I liked the ending and how it all came together, but that was only the last 50 pages, and not enough to save this book for me. I loved the Bodyguard by Katherine Center last year when it came out, so I’m hoping her next release is a better fit for me!

This was my first Katherine Center book & I thoroughly enjoyed! (So it certainly won’t be my last!)

This book played with my heart & was very sweet 💕

Three ways to describe this book: light hearted, feel-good & leaves you with a smile on your face!

After reading and loving The Bodyguard last year, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of Hello Stranger! Some might find this romance to be a bit predictable, but I didn't see the "twist" coming and loved every chapter in this book. I'll now be reading Center's backlist and adding her to my list of auto-buy authors.

In Hello Stranger, Sadie feels like the pieces in her life are just starting to fall into place when a series of unfortunate events leads to a diagnosis of face blindness. This is a especially tragic because Sadie is a portrait artist and on top of navigating family issues and taking care of her sick dog, she now has to save her career without being able to see faces. As she tries to find her way, she falls in love with two very different men adding even more complicated emotions. Throughout all of her struggles, Sadie learns perseverance, hope, courage and the importance of trusting and leaning on others around her.

Hello Stranger explained prosopagnosia in great detail and being able to understand the condition, helped me connect better to Sadie's character. I definitely felt for her especially as she was taking care of her elderly dog and trying to forgive and reconcile with some members of her family. I think some readers might find Sadie and her evil stepsister, Parker, to be a little immature, but I was entertained by the Cinderella vibes. Overall, I found it to be a charming, enjoyable romance and it met my high expectations after reading The Bodyguard!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Katherine Center for the ARC copy of this book.

I adore this book! Katherine Center is easily one of my favorite authors and all of her new books automatically go on my TBR because I know each one will be amazing. Hello Stranger did not disappoint. I loved "watching' Sadie's journey throughout the book. So much character growth. I don't want to say too much about the plot and storyline because I feel like its important to go into the story without much knowledge. There is a great twist at the end too.

I cannot say enough positive about the book and highly recommend it! Now, it is easily one of my favorites!

the title of this book should be HELLO PERFECT!!!

i LOVED this story so much. we follow sadie, a portrait artist with a troubled family life. her mother passed away when she was a teenager, her stepsister is the devil, and her dad and stepmom she's not close with either. sadie is trying to make ends meet while getting ready for a competition where she placed in the top 10 for portrait paintings - this could be her big break!! UNTIL she finds out about a neurological condition that she has that leads to her having face blindness. she can see everything else clearly except for their faces - a jigsaw puzzle of features. this leads to obvious trouble for our portrait artist! but BOY does she find herself through this journey and the growth is just so beautiful. the ROMANCE?? not heavy in the story. this is about sadie and her life and she's so funny and lovable and i love that the romance isn't the focus. but with that being said, when the romance happened it was perfect. the situation and coincidences and how everything comes together is genuinely perfect to me.

long story short, i could go on and on about how i swooned over this story. but i will just implore you to get a copy for yourself and see.

HELLO STRANGER PUBLISHES NEXT WEEK!!! enormous thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for the arc

this was adorable. I loved the storyline and it was such a heart-warming, feel good book! I really enjoyed the writing style and the characters were great 🥹 this was the first book I’ve read by this author & I will be reading more! I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for an adorable romance read!

This book is available July 11th, thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy 💕

After brain surgery leaves portrait artist Sadie Montgomery with a (hopefully) temporary medical condition of face blindness -- prosopagnosia -- her world is turned upside down. Sadie is on the cusp of living her dream of being a successful artist, finally earning the chance to showcase her work in the coveted North American Portrait Society competition. But how is she supposed to create an one-of-a-kind, blow-your-mind portrait when she can no longer see faces? With a little help from her best friend, Sue, and her "gigolo" neighbor, Joe, Sadie is determined to not let this opportunity go to waste. But a sick dog, an evil stepsister, a cold and distant father, and a growing attachment to the man she thought was a "dog" -- and not the cute kind like her own pupper, Peanut -- Sadie's hopes and dreams seem out of reach... and out of focus.

Thoughts: Katherine Center's books will always be an auto-buy for me, but this wasn't one of my favorites. While I know that it would've ruined the story, it was frustrating as a reader that Sadie could've cleared up the entire plot by just telling people about her face blindness but was too stubborn to ask for help. Also, there's a scene towards the end with Joe, Sadie, and Sue that has way too much back-and-forth that could've happened "off page", especially considering readers will have already figured it out thanks to Center's awesome explanation of Sadie's condition throughout the book. We didn't need the extended commentary. But where's what I really enjoyed: Joe's character is witty, and his one-liners with his ability to handle Sadie's anxiety without a second thought make him such a likable character. And while Sadie is not my favorite of Katherine Center's characters, I did like the chemistry between Sadie and Joe as well as Sadie's relationship with Sue and Sue's parents. And Center clearly did her research on prosopagnosia, carefully and creatively weaving info throughout the novel for both Sadie and readers to discover more about the condition. There's a lot of great humor even with the heavy plot, and combined with Sadie and Joe's chemistry, this book is very enjoyable.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I devoured this book in a day. Black sheep of the family artist daughter catches her big break as a top 10 finalist in a portrait competition only to need brain surgery and develop acquired prosopagnosia aka, she can’t discern faces. Introduce not one, but two love interests whose faces she can’t see! Add in a bold best friend and a pet dog with the palette of a foodie. It’s a win for me! The way the plot twist was woven in and wrapped up, I also really enjoyed. The miscommunication trope wasn’t too dragged out, either. The author touched issues like grief and family dynamics that made you want to read for more than just the romance! Would highly recommend and enjoyed this more than The Bodyguard (so, if you liked the bodyguard, like I did, you’ll love this).

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book.

I have never read this author before, but I am definitely going to try her other recent novel, The Bodyguard. I loved this one!

The main character is Sadie, and she is experiencing face blindness after brain surgery. Which is unfortunate since she works as a portrait artist. Her life definitely gets complicated between navigating her job, juggling two love interests, and dealing with some tricky family dynamics.

Face blindness isn’t unfamiliar to me, but I’ve never read a fiction novel that depicts someone experiencing it. And I found it so interesting! I was really able to empathize as I saw what Sadie was going through. The frustrations and anxieties were very real to me. At times I didn’t think I was going to like her character, as I found her a little self-absorbed. But by the end she really grew on me.

There is an over-the-top villain, too. Almost cartoonishly villainous. I loved it.

The story was predictable, but it’s a romance novel so what do you expect?

I really enjoyed this book overall. It was a fun, fast read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good contemporary romance.

I typed out my long winded review and then my internet went kaput so it is now lost to the ethers. Annoyed so here's a brief version until I can muster up the patience (and caffeine) to re-write.

I adored this story! It was a book that, immediately upon finishing, made me go "I want to read that again!"
I have knocked off one star for plot holes but I fully understand this isn't a completed copy so hopeful these will be remedied in the final rounds of edits (as well as several typos, including character names).

Sadie seems like a hot mess character which I resonated with at times. I adored Joe's character, he's just so dang helpful and loveable, lol even if the first encounters with him make us feel like he is a true Weasel. Peanut was also a favorite. The insta-infatuation with Dr. Addison was on the verge of being cringe but then I reminded myself that Sadie's going thru brain trauma so can cut her some slack.

I lol'ed, I swooned, I got all the lovey-dovey feelings; I loved this.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the early copy to read and review. I think at this point I can firmly place myself in Katherine Center FAN camp.

Hello Stranger was a such a feel-good and heartwarming story, filled with Katherine Center's typical humor and the sweetest characters that you can't help falling in love with. It was a unique, emotional, and inspirational read, and so much more than just a romance. It is about finding hope and not giving up, despite all the challenges and difficulties in your life. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.