Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who just received what could be her big break, she's a finalist in a competition where the grand prize is $10,000. On the night that Sadie plans to celebrate this little victory, she is almost hit by a car, but thankfully was pushed out of the way by a good samaritan. While at the doctor following this close call, Sadie is told she has a condition in her brain and needs surgery to correct it. After the surgery, Sadie has a side effect of face blindness, and is forced to find an alternate way to paint portraits as she can't make out the faces of anyone around her.


I don't think Katherine Center romcoms and I get along. I requested this one from netgalley before I read The Bodyguard (which I had high hopes for and ended up absolutely hating). So needless to say, I didn't have high hopes for Hello Stranger.

Thankfully, and surprisingly, I ended up enjoying it a LITTLE bit more. The story line interested me, especially all the facts on face blindness. But I just can't get over the juvenile feel of ALL these characters. They behave like they are children, especially the "evil step sister". That entire character was just a reach. The romance? Lacking so much. Where's the banter? The chemistry? The tension? Anything good??? And all the god awful miscommunications. Why in the world would a brain condition, a medical condition you can't help, be embarrassing?? Why would you tell no one about that?? And how can you not recognize voices????

I started off this review thinking I'd round it up to three stars but talking about it has just convinced me to round down to two.

This is my favorite Katherine Center book yet!

Sadie has gotten the opportunity of a lifetime as a finalist in a portrait art competition. If she wins, she will be $10,000 richer, and since her side etsy art business isn't thriving, she needs it. But when she wakes up in a hospital bed, she discovers she will need brain surgery to fix a cavernoma. After a successful surgery, she wakes up and realizes she has a big problem. She can’t recognize anyone's faces. This is a big problem for many reasons, but especially the fact she needs to be able to see in order to complete a portrait for the competition.

After she has had time to process her very big problem, she heads to the vet to pick up her dog, peanut. It is there that she meets her future husband, the gorgeous vet. Well, she thinks he is gorgeous. She can’t actually see his face, but she knows there is something there. They end up making plans to go on a date after the competition, but in the meantime meet for coffee. While waiting for him at the coffee shop, she ends up running into a neighbor who she has a very little opinion of. But this neighbor ends up becoming a close friend, and she begins to realize she can’t keep the neighbor and the Vet… and she has to make a decision..

Too bad she doesn’t even know what they look like…

I could go on forever with a synopsis about this book.. But that would give too much away. This book brought real attention to a very real condition, face blindness. I loved Joe, the neighbor, so much. He was so kind, witty and an overall great human being. I also loved Sadie, I just found her to be a little frustrating at times. Her optimism was great, but she was very naïve.

I definitely recommend adding this book to your TBR! It was a beautiful story! I loved the narrator, she was clear and had a very inviting voice! I went back and forth between audio and Kindle!

I really liked this book. It was light-hearted and fun. It had several laugh out loud moments and a few surprising twists. This is my first Katherine Center book and it won't be my last. Such a fun read. Highly recommend!

The audiobook was well done. The narrator was expressive and easy to listen to. I felt she captured the tone of the book very well.

Book Releases July 11, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the Audiobook ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Add Hello Stranger to my favorites list! Katherine Center has a knack for creating and exposing beautiful growth in her characters. There is not a main character she has written that I am not rooting for and love so much! This book explores prosopagnosia and the impacts it has on daily life. I knew very little about it but loved learning more! Sadie beautifully represented this diagnosis and how so many of us take for granted that we just automatically recognize people! I had a physical and early listening copy and enjoyed transitioning back and forth and was completely swept away into this story.

There were so many amazing and thoughtful takeaways, so many times that I laughed out loud, and so many times where I clutched my heart in understanding of these characters. I loved this story and Katherine Center you are a QUEEN!

Below are two of my favorite quotes from the book. I will think about Sadie for some time to come. Thank you so much @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early physical copy and @macmillianaudio for the early listening copy! You HAVE to grab your copy out 7/11!

“Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can’t- but that you yourself never could if you weren’t so lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing.”

“We’re all so limited and disappointing and so, so wrong. Much of the time. Maybe even most of the time. We’re all so steeped in our own confirmation bias. We’re all so busy seeing what we expect to see. But we have our moments, too. Moments when we see that tire blowout and stop to help. Moments when we pay for the person behind us in the drive through. Or offer up our seat to a stranger. Or compliment someone’s earrings. Or apologize. Sometimes we really are the best versions of ourselves. I see that about us. And I’m determined to keep seeing that about us. Because that might be the truest thing I know. The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

4.75 stars!

I loved this as an audio!! I had the pleasure of reading it on kindle and experiencing it through an audiobook was even better. The narrator was very expressive, and I felt like she captured the tone of the book so well.

I love the story. It’s my second Katherine Center book and I adored the MC and her storyline. Her growth was beautifully portrayed, and the catalyst (her face blindness) was such an interesting plot point to build around. Additionally the surprises at the end were so cool, well thought out, and built up. I loved the story overall.

4/5⭐️

Release Date: July 11, 2023

There are so many reasons I shouldn't have enjoyed this book as much as I did.

😕It has:
- �a frustrating main character
- �a predictable and implausible plot
- �a couple of secondary characters that are one dimensional

❤️But, It also had:
- �a very lovable male MC
- �incredible audio narration
- �a satisfying ending

Turns out that I was just in the right mood for Katherine Center, and, as she says in her author's note at the end, anticipation plays a huge role in our enjoyment of stories.

Waiting for the MCs to figure out their misunderstanding kept me listening even when I had other books I was supposed to be reading! To me, that’s the sign of an enjoyable read! ☺️

🎧And I can’t neglect to mention the stellar audio narration by @pattimurin, who, IMHO,
should be narrating way more audiobooks!

Thank you to the @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my ARC of this book.
Thank you also to @macmillan.audio for my ALC.

I *inhaled* this book in one sitting. Katherine Center sprinkles her books with humor, swoon, heart, and real relationships with just enough suspension of reality to make it fun. This books reads like a 90’s Nora Ephron rom com classic that you could watch over and over again and never get bored. Learning about prosopagnosia (face-blindness) was a new concept to me, and it added an interesting element to the story told only from Sadie’s point of view, where everyone was a stranger to her when she couldn't recognize faces. I was obsessed with Joe, and how he was such a golden retriever hero (ya know, because he loves animals *wink*). I laughed, I cried, I felt my heart melt into goo – everything you could want in a romantic comedy book. I want to reread this book a thousand times, and if you’re an audiobook lover, Patti Murin brings so much life to her narration of this story.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies of this book.

I love Patti Murin as a narrator. She is so easy to listen to so I was super excited to see that she narrated this book.

This review is based solely on the narration because I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around this book. I can’t decide how I feel about it.

4 stars for brilliant narration!

4.5 stars.

You can't see when you're not looking.

Katherine Center has been a favorite author of a few of my friends and I had to see what the hype was about. Hello Stranger is my first read (audiobook) by her and I have to say it will not be my last. Her characters were great and I loved the arc for them and the journey they took.

Sadie is a struggling artist, but has recently gotten some great news that can catapult her career. Her best friend convinces her they need to celebrate, but upon preparing for said celebration Sadie's life takes a drastic turn that changes her life in the most unforeseen way. She doesn't see things in the same way she once did and that effects her artistic ability and perhaps her future. But Sadie isn't alone in this new life she has found herself in. She still has her dog Peanut, her friend Su and Sue's parents, Mr Helpful Joe, and a major attraction to her new vet Dr Addison. Even if she doesn't want to share what is going on with herself, she has good people around her.

This was an unusual story that dealt with something I wasn't too familiar with, but I enjoyed Sadie and the way it turned her life around in the most unexpected ways. She was such a positive character even when life continuously handed her lemons. She had a past that wasn't the best and family that mistreated her since her mother passed. But it's art that brings her close to her mother and for that, she wants to succeed.

Katherine Center gave us a unique story with great characters (and one horrible one) that took us on an unexpected journey of opening one's eyes when we can't see. Seeing what's right in front of us even when we are blind to it. I can't wait to read Ms Center's backlist as this book was such a joy to listen to. Told in only Sadie's POV, the narrator did a fantastic job of creating humor, romance and such liveliness with her performance. This may be my first Katherine Center book, but I'll definitely be back for more.

Katherine Center is happiness. I was first introduced to her when I picked up her book, The Bodyguard, last year. I fell in love with her writing and have been working through the rest of her backlist ever since. I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook of her newest release, Hello Stranger! I loved the story, the narrator, & that I learned something new! This read was sweet, funny, and a joy to read! I 100% recommend this! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for a review.

✨Review - Hello Stranger by @katherinecenter

This was such a great road trip audiobook. While this book has undertones of meaningful content, I feel like it wasn’t trying to take itself too seriously.

Sadie, a portrait artist, finds herself in uncharted territory when emergency brain surgery leaves her face blind. And of course, it’s during this crisis that she meets not one but two eligible bachelors who she finds incredibly attractive, even though she can’t see their faces.

It sounds like a crazy plot, right? And in some ways it is, but Center makes it work. I did struggle with some of the supporting characters, and I saw some of the plot points coming a mile away, but overall this was an entertaining read and I was somewhat surprised by the ending. And I learned quite a lot about face blindness and found myself Googling it even days after finishing the book.

A huge thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for a complimentary audiobook listen in exchange for this honest review.

After being saved from almost being hit by a bus, Sadie finds out she has a rare neurological condition called Prosopagnosia which causes face blindness. Imagine suddenly not being able to recognize faces AND you’re also a portrait artist. As Sadie tries to navigate her new (hopefully temporary) reality, she’s also faced with family drama, her own dog’s illness, a new love interest AND figuring out how to manage a huge career competition in which she’s a finalist.

As always, Katherine delivers a funny, heartwarming, light story with noteworthy significance. Her main characters are so well-developed and not only witty but also relatable. Even with a dysfunctional (and downright mean) step-family, Sadie manages to RISE ABOVE and I almost screamed in excitement when she finally found her voice and spoke her truth! The love triangle added to the swoony, even if unlikely, romance. I was not expecting the final reveal/twist so that whole bit just solidified my love for this story!

The audiobook narration was great! I will say I deducted half a star because sometimes it was easy to get distracted while listening, especially when her immature, evil step sister stepped in.

But overall, I LOVED the message and Sadie’s growth through her challenges! The medical/nurse nerd in me appreciates the research that went into her brain condition and how it was effectively written into the story. 👏🏽

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

I hate when I finish a book with good, not great, feelings about it and still remember the moment 20% in when I was convinced it was going to be a 5-star. Because Hello Stranger was there, it had the hook and it just couldn’t deliver. I do feel like the romance genre is so oversaturated at this point there needs to be a clever gimmick or an author’s brand recognition to stand out. And the premise here was enough to deliver on that initial intrigue - a portrait artist who becomes face blind and accidently falls for the same man twice without seeing his face.

I didn’t even care that the main couple barely interacted in the first quarter of the book. Sadie carried it herself with the sudden shift to her world from becoming faceblind. She has complex relationships outside of the romance - and I particularly enjoyed her grudging acceptance of her stepmother. I did not enjoy the cartoonishly evil stepsister who was characterized as outwardly psychotic. I generally dislike one-note female antagonists, particularly when she’s facing off against another woman.

When Sadie and Joe do begin interacting, their dynamic was equally as fun to watch. Sadie resenting him for a misunderstanding was one use of miscommunication I actually enjoyed, and provided an interesting imbalance to the relationship. But there did come a point where I just started to question… why is she hiding that she is face blind?

Most contemporary romances demand some suspension of disbelief, and the premise of this one was so fun I was ready to suspend it all initially. But I think the gimmick dragged on just a little too long that I started to question how Sadie fully believed she was in love with this man without even having known what his job was. She makes some assumptions about pet sitting but in the weeks they get to know each other I can not in good faith they didn’t have a conversation at least in passing about “Joe’s” full time job.

I had fun with this one, but a strong start does not always stick the landing. In the end, I do think Hello Stranger could have resolved some of its issues in the latter half a bit more effectively.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center!

I read Center’s novel The Bodyguard in 2022 and fell in love with her writing. She has a gift for writing unique protagonists and for creating romantic tension. Her novel was warm, funny, and very heartfelt so I was eager to read more from her. In Hello Stranger, Center once again delivers with another story of falling in love and learning to stand on your own. In the book, a young artist develops face blindness as she is about to undertake her most ambitious and important portrait to date. Without being able to correctly interpret faces, she must navigate complicated social situations while also reframing her approach to her own craft. Sadie is a compelling character and I enjoyed the rich bench of supporting players in the story. The novel struggles with some of the elements of miscommunication and misperception; I love romance, but a few of these situations prompted eye rolls rather than surprise or swooning. Also, the character of Parker is a profound misstep and is so over the top cruel that her presence weighs down the novel in an unfortunate way. Overall, this was a fun read and I am excited to check out more of Center’s work!

Taylor swift songs: “enchanted”, “I think he knows”, “labyrinth”

Age rating: 13+ (closed door/not steamy)

*EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THE AUTHOR’S NOTE!! IT’S AMAZING OH MY GOSH!!*

This is quite different from her other romance book, “the Bodyguard”, but I heavily related to it!! It was really great!! Also the concept was super intriguing: what does a portrait painter do when they suddenly can’t see faces anymore? Brilliant!

Like the main character, I have experienced a sudden illness/issue (severe Rheumatoid Arthritis) that basically derailed my life. I related SO MUCH to Sadie’s determination to not tell people, because she doesn’t want them to see her as needy/a burden, or see her any differently. To someone who hasn’t experienced that, I don’t think they would fully get it, but the people who get it, GET IT!

The illness, acquired face blindness (Prosopagnosia), was so well researched and explained!! Additionally, in the acknowledgements, Katherine Center explains that all of the characters of color, specifically Sue (Korean) and her doctor (from Trinidad) were well researched and based on people Center knew in real life! We love to see it!!

This was an overall fun book with really cute romance, but I loved the depth that is brought in with the grief and coping that comes with a sudden onset illness that disrupts your life! I would very much recommend this book to anyone, especially if they want to understand the thoughts and motivations behind people who have chronic illnesses and try to hide it or try not to ask for help.

I did feel like this was leaning a little towards Women’s Fiction with Romance rather than strictly romance (since it deals mostly with the character growth of Sadie and her coping and dealing with her face blindness) but the romance elements were great!

Great job, again, Katherine Center!! She is an auto-but author for me!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a delight! A portrait artist is no longer able to recognize faces after an accident. Suddenly this single girl has two men vying for her attention, a sick pup, and portrait contest to win. The narrator was excellent and the story felt the most fun romcom. Five stars all the way!

I cannot fully put into words just how much I LOVED this story!! This book was everything that I could have ever wanted and more. Seriously I could not recommend this audiobook more! This was the first Katherine Center book that I’ve read and she absolutely blew me away. I also really loved the way this book was read for the audiobook version. I absolutely loved how the person reading this made sure to give each character a distinctive voice that let me as a listener really feel like I was immersed in the characters conversations. This book’s main character, Sadie, had the most unique challenge as a portrait artist that kept you absolutely hooked wanting to know what she would do next. I loved reading her story and watching her navigate her way through each challenge her life sent her. To make things even better the men in this story were absolutely SWOON WORTHY!! And don’t even get me started with the TWIST at the end?! I kind of saw it coming but I was still pleasantly surprised to read it and watch all the puzzle pieces finally make sense. All in all one of my favorite books I’ve read this year!!

“And the idea that anything could just disappear at any moment is something you suddenly understand in a whole new way.”

In this one you follow Sadie Montgomery, an portrait artist up for a big contest that could change her life. But then she finds herself in the hospital with face blindness, which they say should be “probably temporary”. While dealing with this, her pup is also sick, her friend is potentially getting married, dealing with a annoying neighbour and trying to date her vet!

I must admit, I loved how cute this book was. I love a romance with very little smut but a great story line and Katherine Center hit it perfectly. A unique story line, many twist and turns, and a strong female lead! I give it a 4/5! I enjoyed it to much I bought The Bodyguard and have it on my shelf.

Title release date is July 11th! Make sure to grab your copy!

This story has everything you could want: therapy sessions, two love interests - a hunky neighbor and a hot veterinarian, an evil stepsister, and an AWESOME main character with a cute dog named Peanut.

What more could you want!

Sadie has an accident that causes her brain to distort faces - an obstacle for anyone but a major tragedy for this portrait artist.

In order to avoid giving too much away, I’ll stop with that description - just know you should pick this one up!

I've long been a fan of Katherine Center, and "Hello Stranger" did not disappoont! One of the things I appreciate about her books is that while they are romance (not my favorite genre), they carry a little more real-life emotional weight and trauma than the typical Hallmark-style fluff. I would say that "Hello Stranger" lands a little less in this corner than some of her previous books and a little closer to the fluff side, but gosh what enjoyable fluff it was! I adored the characters from the start, easily rooted from them, felt their romance and struggles were believable, and was swept away by their casual and playful banter. The book has a fun premise, delivers a fast pace, and is perfect for the beach, your next plane ride, or just curled up on your couch.