I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book from this author that I have read and I loved it as much as the last one (The Bodyguard). The “love triangle” was hilarious and I really enjoyed the banter between Joe and Sadie. I liked the face blindness aspect of the story as well. I had never heard of that condition before so I actually learned a lot while reading the book. 4.5 stars

A huge thank you goes out to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read, listen to, and review this wonderful book.

Sadie is a (slightly-struggle-bussing) portrait artist who just found out she's a top-ten finalist in the same art contest her mother was in before she died. This contest means everything to Sadie... but then, she faces a medical emergency that requires brain surgery. A crisis that causes her to lose her ability to recognize faces (AKA face blindness). A PORTRAIT ARTIST who cannot recognize FACES. Yeah, that'll go well. On top of that, Sadie finds herself falling for not one, but TWO guys (without being able to see their faces). She also has to figure out how she's going to complete her portrait piece for the art contest without any sense of facial recognition. Did we mention that she also has an evil stepsister trying to ruin everything? At least she has her dog bestie, Peanut, and her human bestie, Sue, by her side.

THIS BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL BOOK. I loved it. I loved Sadie so much. Her voice, her character, her sense of humor, were all so well-written and relatable. I think we've all been at that point in our lives where we're failing at adulting, and Center nailed that in her main character. We love a great dog character, we love a great rom-com bestie, and we LOVE a hot veterinarian. This book checks off all three of those boxes. I enjoyed getting to learn about a medical condition that I really didn't know anything about at all. I'm a huge fan of psychology so reading and listening to Sadie battle her face blindness was fascinating to me. I loved the entire Kim family as side characters - they're adorable. The love triangle in this book is actually one that I loved (I'm not a huge fan of that trope usually, but this one is unique... read and you'll see why).

All in all, the audio was amazing. The story was amazing. The characters were amazing. Please read and/or listen to this fantastic book if you have the chance. I can't wait to read more of Center's novels.

This story was a fun uplighting story about Sadie Montgomery, a struggling artist who finally catches a big break by becoming a finalist in a portrait contest. Just shortly after learning of her winning she must undergo a medical procedure that leaves her with apperceptive prosopagnosia or face blindness. This leaves Sadie unable to identify not only new people that she meets, but also everyone that she already knows. Since her job is a portrait artist, it really complicates things.

This cute romance story also involves a romantic love-triangle involving her veterinarian and an awful-turned-sweet neighbor and a bit of family drama. This story is a great fun read with a couple of laugh out loud moments that will lead you cheering for the main character.

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

This was my first Katherine Center and now I know why people are fans! I will read more by her in the future. Romance isn't my go-to genre but I liked story. It's a little predictable, which is ok by me! Misunderstanding isn't a favorite troupe but this one was done well.

This was a quick and fun read. I loved Katherine’s book the Bodyguard so I had to scoop this one up. This opened my world to the very frustrating condition that causes face blindness. This felt very much like a version of Cinderella, evil stepsister and all. This was a solid 3 star book, light, cute and funny but there were some moments that felt a little much. All in all I enjoyed this book.

ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣
Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a sweet romance book!

Sadie has things going in her direction until she ends up in the hospital with a “temporary” condition in which she can’t see people’s faces but rather puzzle pieces. That is not a good thing for an up and coming artist.

I really liked this sweet take on what happens when we can’t see what’s right in front of us. Sometimes you need to see with your heart and not your eyes. Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review

All of Katherine Center's books are a joy to experience and this one was no different! The topic, however, was unique. I have heard of face-blindness or prosopagnosia before but don't know much about it, so I found it fascinating to read and learn about. The main character is a portrait artist who is struck with this new condition that may or may not be temporary, and it introduces all kinds of challenges. There were some parts of the story which I didn't find very realistic, but overall it was a fun and interesting read, the characters were really likeable and I enjoyed trying to unravel the mysteries within the story!

The audiobook narration by Patti Murin is lovely and perfectly suited to this book, she really embodies the characters and draws you into the story.

The concept of Hello Stranger is unique as I do not recall reading a story involving face blindness before, so I was excited to try it. The story follows 29-year-old Sadie Montgomery who is struggling in life. She constantly wants to prove herself to her father, who seems disinterested in her life. She has a rocky relationship with her stepmother, Lucinda, and has an evil stepsister, Parker. As a struggling portrait artist, she does not have funds, so she is lucky that her best friend, Sue’s (Soo Hyun) parents have an extra space in their building that she gets to live and work in for free. She believes her life may finally be turning around when she discovers that she is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition for a chance at $10,000. Unfortunately, she faints and ends up in a hospital where she walks out with a face blindness condition that may or may not get better. The story follows her life as she tries to adjust to this new way of life.

She ends up meeting a guy who lives in her building, Joe, who does not leave a great first impression. Luckily, he shows her a different side of himself and the two end up closer. When Sadie’s furry best friend, Peanut, gets sick, she rushes him to the hospital where she meets Dr. Oliver Addison. This adds even another obstacle in Sadie’s life as romance may be in the cards. This was an interesting addition and how it ends up does make sense, however, some of the details were lacking in how all the pieces should fit together. The relationships that are formed between Sadie and each suitor was well-done as they fit Sadie’s ridiculous nature.

As a character, Sadie was not likeable, for me. Some readers may enjoy her or find her more tolerable, but I found her selfish and narrow-minded. It was already odd to me how Sadie was almost 30 and struggling extremely with finances yet did not even bother to work part time to earn money while she continued to pursue her dreams. While I sympathized with her journey, the story does center around her character helping her or getting to know her, but she never seemed to reciprocate. Her character though does experience some growth, which was great, although I wish there was a little for her friend Sue. She seemed to lack empathy as Sadie is going through a lot and it was as-if she didn’t care. Since I was lucky enough to read the ebook version and listen to the audiobook, for me, the audiobook did help make the characters a little more bearable, but not the best. I think some of this story needed more work in the details, but I still loved Center’s writing style. Overall, I loved the concept more than the execution, but I think many readers will love everything. I look forward reading more from Center in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

This was such a fun read!! I loved the characters, the chaos, the drama, and the romance!! It was such a cool idea, to include a face blindness element. Prosopagnosia is something I’ve head of before, but only in a “from birth” scenario. I had no idea it could be caused by surgery or accidents. That added an element to the story that I really loved.
Peanut, you sweet little Lorax looking pup, I love you with my whole heart. I loved the veterinary care aspect of the storyline, as it added another bit of tension. I was rooting for little Peanut the entire time. Having the love of a dog is a feeling that absolutely blesses a person, and I love to see it in a book.
If you’re looking for a fun, emotional, super cute read, this is definitely it. Thoroughly enjoyable, definitely memorable. The narrator did an excellent job with this work.

This is a wild ride – in the best possible way. This story has so much going on with the heroine and so many lessons to be learnt. Sadie who is a portrait artist suffers facial blindness due to brain surgery, that may be permanent or not, no one can tell for sure until the swelling goes down. This alters her life and her perception of both people and herself. I love her journey both romantically and personally. The romantic interests in Sadie’s life add so much spice and intrigue to the story – and romance of course. This story brings out all the feels.

The narrator was easy to listen to and understand.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sigh such a great story. I could not put this down. I hadn’t read a story with this subject and found it super interesting. The characters were well rounded and awesome. Except for one, they can kick rocks.

I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend this! The narrator was wonderful.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Patti Murin. The narration was delightful and she made it fun to listen to.

This story is about a woman who has an accident and after surgery ends up suffering from face blindness. She can no longer recognize faces (even her own) and will stay that way until the swelling in her brain goes down. She is determined to go on living her life without telling people of her condition. She learns to recognize people by their clothes or hair styles. To say this is overwhelming for her is an understatement. Imagine not being able to see the faces of those you love or your own face! How utterly sad.

The story contains her dealings and struggles with her family members and the limitations put on her professional life by this condition. It was interesting, thought provoking, funny, romantic and makes you search the depths of your own brain and heart for how it would be to live with that condition. I absolutely adored the main characters and couldn't have been cheering them on any harder. Thank God for romances and happy endings!

I ended up with and audiobook and an ebook. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copies. All thoughts are my own.

My new favorite Katherine Center book!

This was so cute and funny and heartwarming. I loved the imperfect characters and the way they stumbled in their relationships. The anticipation of Sadie realizing who was who kept me reading this without stopping. I actually laughed AND cried.

I love Patti as a narrator. She did a fantastic job and while she does different voices for characters, she doesn't go over the top with male voices and I like that.

This story was cute and I like that K.C. had the idea after hearing an NPR story about face blindness. The story was what you would expect from her if you have read others. Characters and situations slightly over the top, life stuff for the mc to figure out and a cute romance.

This book was just the right amount of emotional and lighthearted cheesiness, and it was such a joy to read!

I got to listen to the audio book as an early review copy and Patty Murin (audio book narrator) did such a fantastic job! she embodied Sadie's voice perfectly and I think audio book lovers will love her performance.

The book it's self was delightful! I read it in one day because the premise was so intriguing to me. I have never read a book where our FMC developed face blindness, which is a neurological disorder where the person affected can't recognize faces. Sadie is a portrait artist so she's struggling to cope while ALSO falling in love with two men. Like now that's a juicy plot people!

This book was heartfelt, funny, hopeful, and romantic and I loved every second of it. I usually don't gravitate towards "cheesy" life lesson books, but this one charmed me and it will one hundred percent charm everyone who picks it up as well.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this ALC (advanced listener's copy) in exchange for an honest review. It comes out July 11!!

Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for my gifted ALC.💕

About: Sadie Montgomery, a portraitist just like her late mother, finally gets her big break: she's placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. Unfortunately, that same day she lands in the hospital with a "probably temporary" condition called prosopagnosia - AKA face blindness. The timing couldn't be worse!

As she struggles to cope with this new condition and the impact it will have on the competition, she's also dealing with a sick pup and a dysfunctional family: a mostly-absent father, an overbearing (but well-meaning) stepmom, and a wicked step-sister.

So meeting not one, but TWO, men is the perfect distraction! But Sadie's inability to see them clearly will cause problems galore!

Thoughts: This was an absolute DELIGHT! This is only my second Katherine Center novel but call me a fan! The humor is perfect, and I found myself smiling for most of the book. Sadie is so charming and I couldn't help but love her and root for her. The romance is slow-burn but very sweet. And I appreciate the way the author handled Sadie's family issues, and I thought that backstory added a lot of depth. Overall a very solid read that I binged in just over 24 hours 🥰 I read this along with the audiobook and Patti Murin delivers a wonderful performance from start to finish. Katherine Center+ Patti Murin are a dream come true! Add this one to your TBR ASAP!

4.5 rounded to 5💕

*Review will be posted to my Instagram prior to pub day.

But, I’m rescuing you.” he said like that made us friends. I wrinkled my nose. “I prefer to rescue myself.” - Katherine Center, Hella Stranger

Katherine Center does not disappoint! If you loved The Bodyguard, you’ll love Hello, Stranger! It’s quirky, a little cringy, fun, and something unique and new. The story follows Sadie who is an independent artist with a lot of family issues. One day something life changing happens and now she has to learn to enjoy life and her love of painting in a new way. I loved how relatable Sadie was, but be warned… the miscommunication trope is HEAVY in this one. Sadie won’t tell anyone what happened to her, so there are many awkward moments. Surprisingly, the miscommunication didn’t bother me much because the romance isn’t the forefront of the book. It truly is about a woman learning about herself and what it means to listen to all of your senses when one is dimmed. 4 stars!

“Happiness and sadness are all tangled together.”

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me, EVERY.SINGLE.TIME, and of course she has done it again with HELLO STRANGER.

Thank you @stmartinspress for my audio copy! The narrator, Patti Murin, was fantastic!

Sadie is an artist who needs emergency brain surgery that leaves her with a diagnosis of temporary face blindness. While she tries to recover and still continues to paint for an upcoming competition, Sadie wrestles with the aftermath of her horrible step-sister and tries to recognize those that mean the most to her. It had this teeny moment of “miscommunication” (y’all know how I feel about this!) but with the overlay of face blindness, I didn’t mind this at all, it flowed perfectly with the storyline.

By the end of the novel, I wanted to give Sadie, “Joe”, and Oliver the biggest hug ever!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it, make sure this is one to take with you to the lake, beach, or mountains- wherever you are headed this summer!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Bodyguard by Katherine Center and fell in love with her writing style. I was so excited to be approved to listen to this book early! Overall, I enjoyed the story. I didn't swoon as hard for this couple as with Hannah and Jack in The Bodyguard. I felt like they were lacking a solid emotional connection. Despite this, I did enjoy learning about face blindness and the complexity behind it. Watching Sadie grow as a character throughout the book with her struggles was fun. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a lighter, fun read.

The narrator, Patti Murin, was great. Her voice fit Sadie's character perfectly. It was a little quirky and she did a good job of changing her voice to fit other characters without it feeling cheesy. I am already looking forward to listening to her narrate more books!

Why oh why did I put off reading this book? It was an absolute delight! Katherine Center is definitely one of my favorite romcom authors and HELLO STRANGER is my new favorite.

First of all, where can I buy a Pajanket? Because I need that in my life. Second, this story was full of so many emotions but it was still lighthearted and fun. I loved every page.

I loved the narrator for this book. I feel like first person POV writing always lends itself nicely to audiobooks and humor is always a bonus. I loved listening to this book and can definitely see myself rereading (re-listening) to this one many times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️