I definitely paused my other books when I was approved for Katherine Center's new book, Hello Stranger. And once again, Center delivers a wonderful book.

Center has cemented herself the queen of feel good reads. She has a knack for crafting stories with characters that have every right to feel hopeless, but yet choose to see the good and beauty in the world. Hello Stranger's Sadie is absolutely in this camp.

It's impossible to close a Katherine Center book without cracking a smile. When I finished Hello Stranger, I grinned and marveled how Center can take all the ugly emotions in life and turn them into a joyous, optimistic story. As always, I can't wait to read her next book!

NOTE: I received this ARC from NetGalley!

I found this book to be very charming. The two leads were very likable and though it was predictable, the Prosopagnosia (face blindness) aspect was fascinating and didn't feel like a gimmick. I found some of the family dynamics with her stepmother and stepsister in particular to feel a little scattered. All in all, an enjoyable read!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of Hello Stranger. I loved this book so much! I am a huge fan of Katherine Center and Hello Stranger was no different. Sadie is a portrait painter who, after experiencing a medical emergency, develops facial blindness. Hell Strange is the story of how Sadie grows and changes as a result of this facial blindness. The character development of Sadie was really emotional and the romance that follows is very sweet, with lots of chemistry. I loved how the book made you laugh and cry throughout. This was a 5 star read and I cannot recommend this to readers enough!

I was granted an ARC of this wonderful novel by one of my favorite authors. It did not disappoint. Sadie has fallen on tough times. All she wants is to be loved by friends and family and be left alone to her own dreams of becoming an artist. I found myself rooting for Sadie She counts on her good friend Sue and Sue's parents for understanding and help. Her mother passed away and her father just doesn't connect with her. Her step mother and stepsister are, in her mind, evil. Without giving too much away I will tell you that an unfortunate event sends her to the hospital and where it is determined she needs surgery. After this surgery she is left in a peculiar state. This post-surgery event will change her life. I thought it interesting to learn about this very real problem. The story goes on and Sadie's life changes in many ways...and while she feels hopeless....she learns how to cope. This story has love and laughter all over it. I found myself racing to see how this would all turn out for Sadie and discovered that this story taught me that one should never give up hope.....I recommend it whole-heartedly and
as always await the next masterpiece from this author.....

Katherine Center writes tug at your heart books that have a misunderstanding before the finish. The FMC, Sadie, is an artist. After getting nominated for a huge prize, she suffers an episode that requires brain surgery. After brain surgery, she suffers from Face Blindness. She can't see faces.

This book documents a portrait artist and her struggle with finding out how to learn people with this new (maybe temporary) disability.

Joe is her neighbor, that has lived in her building for 2 years and she's never seen before the day of her surgery.

I will say that I can give this book 4 stars because although Joe is a cinnamon roll MMC, this movie is just too predictable. I could predict the plot twist far to far in advance. I still enjoyed it, but it was very easy to predict.

Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing and Netgalley for eARC.

WOW. This book is for sure one to add to your summer TBR list next year! Coming out July of 2023, Hello Stranger, features Sadie, an aspiring artist who was at the peak of her career. She had just found out that her artwork would be featured in a portrait contest when she had an unexpected seizure in the middle of the road. Luckily for Sadie, a bystander flew in to save the day…and her life.
Essentially, Sadie had suffered a traumatic brain injury and needed surgery in order to resolve the issue. After having surgery, she was left with prosopagnosia aka facial blindness. She could no longer make out anyone’s faces. She recognized people based on their other characteristics like voice, hair, and gait.
This condition caused a lot of confusion for Sadie and obviously she struggled with her job since she was a portrait artist. The one constant through all of it though? Joe. Read the book to find out more about the swoon-worthy character that Joe plays.
Much of this book focused on traumatic brain injuries, specifically venous malformations. It went into detail about brain surgery and also prosopagnosia.
As a venous malformation survivor myself, this book spoke to me. When I was 17, I wasn’t as lucky as Sadie and my malformation burst. I had a massive stroke requiring immediate brain surgery. It was a scary time and I feel so lucky to be alive. I love seeing awareness being brought to something that many individuals are unaware of so HUGE kudos to Katherine Center for being an advocate and truly making me (and so many other people) feel seen. ❤️

Katherine Center has done it again! I've read all of this author's books and while I've loved all of them, I have to say that this was my favorite! It has a unique storyline, engaging characters, interesting relationships, and an ending I truly didn't see coming. I found myself laughing aloud at the end, surprised and in awe of how she pulled it all together!

The main character's experience with facial blindness was something I'd never heard of before, and I found it very interesting to learn about. I appreciated both Center's research on the condition and her insight and character development on how all challenges can bring positives as well. I highly recommend this book- looking forward to what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my gifted review copy.

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

Katherine Center has done it again!! Already an auto read author for me, her books are always warm and inviting. This one did not disappoint. Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist. She is estranged from her father and has a Cinderella-esque relationship with her step mother and evil step sister. Her struggles seem to go from bad to worse when she learns she needs brain surgery and her father (an accomplished doctor) will not allow for delay. Coming out of surgery, Sadie feels great, until her bestie Sue comes to visit. Faced with an earth shattering surgery complication, Sadie must figure out how to navigate both life and her impending art show final.

During this time, Sadie finds she must lean on new cues for people and society. She notices people she hadn't previously, including her neighbor Joe and her new vet Dr Oliver Addison. This becomes critical when Sue is whisked away. Sadie realizes Joe is a supremely helpful and caring human. He assists Sadie work through more grief and trauma than even Sadie realizes. Just when I began to wonder where Dr Oliver Addison had gone after saving Peanut, he rears up in the story for a tense and ultimately glorious ending.

Katherine Center has a talent for taking things most people take for granted and showing us, with a swift kick in the behind, how much we are missing out on. This book leaves readers feeling the warm and fuzzies with a side dose of "don't forget to see and appreciate the things around you".

This is my second favorite Katherine Center book! I was skeptical after reading the description but it sucked me in and I am lucky to have received an early copy from the publisher!

Loved this book! I am always a fan of Katherine Center but this might be my new favorite! This was just such an unique romance that I read so quickly.

I’m in love with Katherine Centers’ plots. In Hello stranger an aspiring artist life blows up in a matter of weeks and she’s left figuring out how to put the pieces back together. Figuratively and literally because she can’t recognize anyone’s face. From the first chapter I knew I was going to enjoy this read. The story takes the reader along with recently diagnosed ,Sadie, and highlights the brain condition of prosopagnosia. Never having heard of this condition prior, it was interesting to see it highlighted in the main character along with her process of healing and seeing things differently. In general I loved the theme of being forced to look at life differently, wether that be the strangers you’ll never see again or the people who’ve been in front of you the entire time.

Everything comes to a complete stop when a new Katherine Center book is released. My #1, must read, comfort reads. And this one does not disappoint. Although I actually saw where this one was going early on, it certainly did not take away from the enjoyment I got from reading it. It was an absolute honor to get to read this in advance. Thanks NetGalley, much, much appreciation!

I didn’t think it would be possible to love one of Katherine Center’s books more than The Bodyguard…but this one was incredible! Sadie is such a fun and unique character, Parker a perfect villain, and the circumstances were like nothing I’ve read before. By the end I was just as heartbroken as the characters and then Katherine lifted me right back up like I knew she would. Can’t wait to buy this one for everyone I know!

Five big stars! Honestly, I didn’t think anything could beat The Bodyguard, Katherine Center’s most recent release. I was wrong—I just stayed up until 1 AM, reading Hello Stranger in one sitting! I adored everything about this book: the protagonist, the love interests, the pup (I’m a sucker for any book with pets)! Would strongly recommend to any person who loves a sweet romance.

Just when I thought The Bodyguard was my favorite Kathrine Center book, she surprised me AGAIN with Hello Stranger!

Netgallery, thank you for giving me an advanced copy of this amazing book.

I absolutely loved Joe and Sadie. Their story was told incredibly well and the twists and turns within their relationship kept me rooting for this ship to finally set sail.

I don’t want to say too much in case I accidentally spoil it, but the topics, the banter, the friendship and romance was so well written!! If you get the chance, PLEASE read this book!

Every time Katherine Center comes out with a new book, it becomes my new favorite. And this one was no exception. Her writing is light and breezy, and even when bad things are happening, you feel hopeful. This was a great story. It had grief and hardship, but also warmth and humor. It was informative, but also swoony and quirky! It was just a joy to read. Highly recommend.

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

So excited that I got to review Katherine Center's new book. I loved it! It was one of my favorites so far. What an unexpected set of events. People got their due. She ties it all together so well.

If I could I'd give this book a million stars.
I fell in love with Katherine Center's How to Walk Away. Every time I think she can't write something better, she does.
Hello Stranger is a must-read. This story will warm your heart, make you cry, and give you a lot to think about.
Highly recommended

Katherine Center is an automatic read author for me so I was very excited the publishers sent me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I will do that with please!
Katherine is right in her wheelhouse on this one. It’s got a lovable main character, great side kicks and an adorable love interest! There’s laughter, crying and a plot twist you can see a mile away but love it anyway.
If you haven’t read any books by Katherine center before you can’t go wrong with any of them, but put this one on your TBR for sure!

This is the second book I’ve read about “face blindness”. The whole concept was so very interesting to me. This was a funny at times and thought provoking at times read. I really enjoyed this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.