This story was cute, adorable, charming, whatever else you want to call it. Sadie is in an accident and loses her ability to see faces. With Sadie’s job being a portrait artist, this result from her accident is tougher on her than most. Will she ever recover? While she is going through all of this, she meets a guy in her apartment building and her vet. I felt that parts were predictable, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment in reading it. Regarding the romance, the big twist at the end, I did catch on early to what was going on. I laughed and cried with Sadie as she went through her journey. This was a feel good light romance that was fun to read.

Through her meticulous research on face blindness, Katherine Center not only weaves a beautiful story in "Hello Stranger" about triumph over personal obstacles but also imparts a profound lesson on kindness, love, and the power of choosing joy.

Sadie Montgomery is a talented portrait artist, and her life takes an unexpected turn when she is diagnosed with face blindness. As a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition, she must overcome this newfound obstacle and paint a portrait with her new diagnosis. With her late mother's successful legacy in the same field, the pressure is on for Sadie to prove herself. I resonated so much with Sadie's yearning for her late mother's presence and her deep connection to her as an artist. This exploration tugs at the heartstrings, evoking both empathy and tears for Sadie's longing.

Sadie also grapples with several other challenges. These include dealing with a mean step-sister, navigating strained relationships with her father and step-mother, who lack affection, and managing her finances while caring for her aging dog.

The light romance element adds a delightful touch to the story. The scenes between Sadie and her love interest are crafted with perfection, striking a balance between giggles and sighs. You’ll definitely get all the sweetness you expect from a heartwarming romantic comedy, leaving yourself with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Patti Murin's narration is simply captivating. Her storytelling prowess keeps readers hooked, eager to devour every page. Murin effortlessly breathes life into a multitude of characters, making each voice distinct and memorable.

Katherine Center's "Hello Stranger" is a beautifully written novel that combines a compelling story with memorable characters. With its exploration of face blindness, the book sheds light on a lesser-known condition while imparting important life lessons. This heartfelt tale of triumph, love, and optimism will undoubtedly captivate you and leave you with a renewed sense of hope.

I love Katherine Center’s books. She has great characters that you can relate to. Yes there’s always a problem or issue but it’s not overly tragic. Always a good palate cleanser. Hello Stranger was no different.

Sadie is an artist who has finally gotten her big shot. She’s a finalist in a huge portrait painting contest. But life is never that simple for Sadie.

While walking home, she is almost hit by a car but luckily a Good Samaritan was able to push her out of the way. Unfortunately she did not go unscathed. After brain surgery, she is diagnosed with face blindness. She is not able to recognize anyone’s face, even her own. This is quite the obstacle since the deadline for the competition is soon approaching.

With the stress from the competition, major family issues and a geriatric dog; of course, she falls in love/lust with two very different men.

Sadie is not sure how she always gets herself into these messes but she’s got to figure it out and pray that the face blindness is only temporary and will correct before the art show for the contest.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Who has changed - me or Katherine Center? Lol. Her last two books have just seemed fluffier but I definitely liked this one a lot more than The Bodyguard. I think maybe I shouldn't listen to romance books on audio, because the narrator's voice makes the main character sound dumb. ANYWAY Katherine Center is great for non-spicy romance. I felt bad for Sadie in Hello Stranger because she had a really sad life! I wouldn't have liked this one as much if it weren't for the ending - it was really good!

Katherine Center where have you been all my life!!?? I’m blown away at how much I felt while reading Sadie and “Joe’s” story. Blindsided you might say.

Here is where it happened for me – when you locked me in with full-throttled investment:
“…as if my soul had been rained on and couldn’t dry out.”

UGH! This was when I knew I was going to love this book!

Not only was the narrator perfection, this was a unique and fun read. RomCom at its finest! So many interesting themes from light to a tad heavy. But don’t let that be a turn-off, while some of the topics were heavy, I never felt like I needed a break from the story. It was the complete opposite – I couldn’t put it down.

It was a story that indeed made me laugh and swoon.

And the Epilogue was everything – just when I thought I was getting a Happily for Now ending, it turned into a HEA!! And isn’t that what we all desire anyway? A perfectly predictable…um…I mean “fantastic feeling of anticipation” where “believing in love is believing in hope.”

Please, please, please, don’t hit stop before you listen to the author’s note. Sheer perfection. I’m already running to Katherine’s back list for my next read.

Pick this up – listen to the audio version (Thank you, Patti Murin for bringing Sadie to life). I promise, if you are always searching for the next best romance read, your search is over. And you can bet I’ll be recommending this to my book club.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC for an honest review.

After every single Katherine Center book, I find myself with a similar feeling of contentment - and honestly is there anything else we can ask for in a book? We are completely spoiled by the fact that KC just keeps giving us such special, kind, heartwarming books. Her latest, HELLO STRANGER, is absolutely no exception 🌸

I will keep this fairly short and just share a few thoughts:
•Face blindness 😱 holy cow. I didn’t know it was a thing until now and wow. I went down a deep hole of research after this book!!
•There is “seemingly” a trope throughout the book that some may not like. Just trust KC with this. She will never let you down.
•There’s a bit of a twist. I figured it out v early, but it didn’t take away from the fun.
•There’s real family drama along with found family love.
•A great dog 🐶
•It has KC’s classic formula of women’s fic + romcom!!

It is narrated by the incredible Patty Murin and you do not want to miss it!!!

Katherine Center at her very best!!! I loved the novel from sentence one. I also loved that “joy” is a choice!

This story is a power punch of hope, a shake of humor and a sprinkle of romance.  I especially loved learning about Prosopagnosia, aka: face blindness.  It was fascinating how Center wove the medical diagnosis into the story and its artist protagonist.  But most of all I appreciate the message she writes at the end:

"We're just all muddling through...we're all just doing the best we can...we're all struggling with our struggles..."

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the narration gave all the feels in the right places.

Thank you #Netgalley, Katherine Center & Macmillian Audio for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The book comes out July 11th.

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.

The narrator did a great job bringing emotion to this story and each of the voices she did for the characters were distinct. Fantastic job!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this book

Simple joys in life like when your book matches your flowers perfectly 😊💐

This author is very loved on bookstagram but I haven’t found one of her books that I have truly loved. This one was very cute. Following Sadie as she goes through an unexpected medical journey, and she tries to get the pieces of her life to fit together. It was charming, and I did like the authors easy romcom style.

But by the second half I was becoming increasingly frustrated with how ridiculous and obvious some of the storyline was. I never like when the main plot issue is a character’s lack of honesty. If she had just told people in her life about her medical issue a lot of her issues would have been resolved. Im an open book in my own life so always find this sort of thing extremely hard to relate to.

Basically it was a cute and charming read, but it lost me in the details. It’s one thing for a romcom to be obvious in who ends up together, but this one just felt like I wasn’t supposed to know what was going on but I did, so it all came off a bit forced.

I do want to read more by this author to see if one of the storylines will click better with me!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the audio copy! This one is out on July 11th!

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. I highly recommend the audio version of this book and I'll definitely be looking for more audiobooks by this narrator! I've been distracted lately while listening to audiobooks, but this narrator had me so captivated that I don't think I zoned out at all. I actually preferred the audiobook over the e-copy which rarely happens for me! Thank you for sharing both versions with me!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Katherine Center for the ARC copy of this book. I am reviewing the audiobook version.

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!

What an absolutely remarkable book!
The main character of the story is Sadie. She’s a starving portrait artist who just got the biggest break of her life. She’s been chosen, from a total of 2,000 entrants, to be one of ten finalists in a huge portrait show. She is beyond excited, when she suddenly has a seizure on the street, and her life is saved by a Good Samaritan as she is pushed out of the way of oncoming traffic. She wakes up in the hospital, and finds her estranged stepmother, Lucinda, by her side. What is going on? Why is SHE here?
The story goes on to say that her Mom died YOUNG. (Her Mom, the one who was an artist like her. The one she shared so many wonderful memories with. The one she is lost without…)
Her father remarried. And she lost everything and everyone…mostly due to her evil, conniving, stepsister Parker. We learn of the awful antics she pulled when they were kids, and those she is still pulling now! But hold onto your seat…it just keeps getting worse.
Sadie finds out that she has a rare disease in her brain. One that requires brain surgery…like Now…in order to save her life. And then she finds out it is hereditary…and her Mom died of the same thing.
Her Father comes thru now, as he is a well known heart surgeon…and he pulls some strings to get Sadie on the OR schedule.
BUT…Sadie does not want to go. Her big break is only a few weeks away…and she doesn’t want to give it up!!
Lots of interactions follow, and she agrees to have the surgery. However, when she wakes up, she realizes that she cannot see FACES. She realizes she has a condition called Face Blindness, where you can’t see a persons face, so you don’t know who they are!?!
She also realizes that her career is now over. How can she paint portraits when she cannot see faces!?
Additionally, she starts to have feelings for two guys. Joe, a womanizer who lives in her building. And Oliver, Dr. Addison, her vet who saved her precious Peanut’s life.
Absolutely LOVED the characters. Love how she literally paints a pix for us of each of them…so you feel like you are best friends with them! Love her best friend Sue, and her parents. Loved all the developments as they were introduced, and then ripped away.
Found myself laughing, and tearing up too…only minutes apart!
Wonderful read! 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of the audiobook, coming out on 7/11/23.

This book was good, I read The Bodyguard by Katherine Center so I was excited to pick this one up. I liked the story and thought the premise sounded interesting. A portrait artist who develops face blindness, that is a compelling premise. It was a bit predictable and had quite a bit of dramatic irony that was a bit frustrating as a reader. Overall I did like the story and would recommend it.

Sadie is a talented portrait artist and has been accepted into a prestigious portrait competition, which she hopes will finally launch her fledgling career. It means even more to her that she is following in the footsteps of her now deceased mother, who was also invited to be a part of this same event many years before. However, when Sadie least expects it, a medical emergency befalls her that will change her ability to do the work she loves so dearly and also reveals a unknown connection to her mother.

As Sadie recovers, her neighbor Joe becomes a kind and supportive presence in her life, but Sadie doesn't know if he can be trusted. Meanwhile, when her dog has his own medical emergency, she also makes a romantic connection with her veterinarian. However, he seems not as interested in her as she is in him. Many truths are revealed as Sadie's health improves, including this complicated love triangle. With humor and heart, Center once again delivers a thoughtful story with a strong leading lady and likeable supporting characters.

This book was super cute! Sadie finally has the chance of a lifetime when she finds out she is a top 10 finalist for a portrait contest. The only problem is, shortly after finding this out she has an accident which requires her to have brain surgery and face blindness. Struggling to live with her new reality, Sadie navigates the world and her surroundings with a bit of trouble because how does a portrait artist with face blindness paint a portrait? Along the way, Sadie finds love when she least expects it and grows in other strained relationships in her life.

Katherine Center does a great job of immersing you into Sadie’s world and her struggles with face blindness. The story leaves you with a cozy, warm feeling with how it wrapped up.

The audiobook was a perfect pace. I listened on 1.5x speed which is my normal listening speed. The narrators character voices were distinct and clear. I would recommend the audiobook to everyone!

Great read! Loved the characters. Enjoyed the healing, both emotional and physical that the characters worked through. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc.

Wow what an incredible surprise! I liked The Bodyguard but this was something else, so unique and special!

Sadie needs brain surgery and afterwards realizes she suffers from face blindness, this isn’t too helpful considering she’s a portrait artist! Sadie befriends Joe and becomes close as he helps her with her portraits.

This is such a sweet love story, but even more so Sadie’s character growth was incredible, I couldn’t help but root for her, the ending was perfect and I loved how it ended!

Hello Stranger is my first novel by Katherine Center and it definitely won't be my last. Meet Sadie Montgomery, a struggling artists trying desperately to prove her surgeon father wrong; not just about her career choice, but also that she isn't the evil girl her step-sister Parker convinced him she was.

After being diagnosed with the same condition that cost her mother her life, Sadie's dad forced himself into her life and pushes her to get brain surgery. When Sadie wakes up, she has the rare side effect known as "face blindness". Essentially she can see everything, except faces. Currently in the running for a huge break as an artist---a portrait artists---Sadie's life becomes chaos.

This rom-com hits the miscommunication trope on the nose. Also, Sadie's lack of self esteem makes a lot of her dialogue self-deprecating. I really enjoyed the character Joe, and while I had figured out the ending fairly early, I still felt it was an enjoyable and easy read.

Thank you for access to this ALC!

Katherine Center has done it again! This was such an original and beautiful story. This one also has the perfect blend of emotion, humor and plot. It really helps me to be able to connect with a character when emotions and humor are used in a book.

Main character, Sadie Montgomery is struggling at life. And just when she thinks the tide might be "turning" and her life might be looking up, she is dealt a very bad round of cards and has a lot to overcome. But the ever perky Sadie is determined to push through with few complications.

Not only is this a fun and clever storyline. There are characters in this book that make you really feel connected. In addition, there's solid family drama that finds a way toward a positive resolution but not without a little messiness along the way.

AUDIOBOOK: I loved the audio version. The narrator simply felt like a friend reading this book and kept my attention the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.