“Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness.”

This book was a DELIGHT.

I might have liked it even better than The Bodyguard, which is saying something.

The characters were fantastic, the plot of prosopagnosia was clear, and interesting, without being tedious, and THERE WAS A DOG.

Was the ending predictable? Sure, but it was also SATISFYING – exactly what I wanted.

My only complaint was that I do wish the step-sister got more of a karmic b!tch-slap.

8/10

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this gratifying ARC.

This was a quick read that kept you invested. I think the premise was a unique one in a genre that has a lot of repetitive troupes. I enjoyed it.

Ok, hey, Katherine Center…

You really know what you’re doing here, huh?

I won’t lie, the cover got me. I loved it. I didn’t really care about reading the teaser after I seen the cover and recognized the author . I knew right there I would love this one and gosh darn it! I wasn’t wrong!

Katherine Center, you killed this one and I am so honored to have been an early listener.

I get weird requesting Romance and RomComs, as I’m basically a thriller reviewer. I took my chances after getting excited seeing everyone reviewing this so I requested the audio .

I’m from north jersey but drive about 1.5 hours every weekend to “the jersey shore” . Being alone in the car, my books keep me company and my oh my did Hello, Stranger, keep me company.

I would have arrived “down the shore” around 7am this morning but I couldn’t stop listening so I circled a few blocks and then got off at the beach to continue listening .

I’m obsessed with this book! It gave me all the feels and I can’t help but want to know more! Please tell me there will be a follow up book!!!!

Here is a bit of a teaser :

Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into―love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?―with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

This was my first book by Katherine Center even though I have a few others on my TBR. The cover was cute but it was the blurb that pulled me in. A portrait artist - right before the biggest competition of her life - has to have brain surgery and she suddenly can't see faces anymore. I'd be freaking if I couldn't see faces anymore, let alone if staring at faces was my sole income and the point of a huge upcoming competition!

While this was definitely a romance, I would say it had a competing second storyline of Sadie finding herself. And I think that made me like it even more. We not only got to see a cute love story (which about halfway through I guessed the ending correctly and I'm so proud of myself 😜), but we also get to see Sadie no longer painting just like her mother, but learning what makes her a unique artist and how she can move forward as her own person.

I loved the group of people that ended up as Sadie's second family. Although I wasn't a huge fan of Sue throughout the book. The surprise party. That just seemed so inconsiderate to me. I felt so bad for Sadie. And I would have been pissed if I were her. And I'm glad her dad and step-mother finally seemed to see the light, so to speak.

I can't go into too much detail about the romance aspects, but let me just say I was laughing so hard at the end of the book. This was a really good contemporary romance - just enough seriousness balanced with just enough humor. And I really liked the narrator, Patti Murin. I almost bought The Bodyguard as an add-on for my Book of the Month box this month, but I went and checked the narrator of that book and saw it was the same, so I'm opting to listen to it instead of buying the physical book.

Thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who finds herself dealing with a sudden health issue which ultimately results in her experiencing facial blindness. The idea behind it is a super interesting one in this genre. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work like I hoped it would. And this is coming off The Bodyguard which I read earlier this year which I did actually love.

Sadie was definitely going through it as a character, but I didn't really ever connect with her. I found her to be self-centered. Yes, she had some really bad circumstances, but the "poor me" attitude was not fun. Her family is absolutely dreadful, and I really never found a concretely satisfactory reason why they would be so incredibly cruel to her. It is kind of explained but at the end of the day did not add up.

The worst offense for me was the overall plot. I know it's romance, and we all know how romance novels usually end. In this case; however, it's frustrating to read an entire book when you know everything that is going on about the main character, and the main character remains clueless. (Maybe if she wasn't so self-centered and bothered to ask anyone anything about themselves she would have figured it out too?)

That said, I did like the writing and would continue to read from this author. The story is light and cute at times. It is a good quick summer read that I finished in one day. If that's what you're looking for, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

3.25 stars

This was a fun one! It was super witty and had some great swoon worthy moments and the narrator for the audiobook was fantastic!

I applaud the research Center put into this one and the fact that everything felt very realistic and without giving too much away, this one could have definitely gone the opposite way real quickly!

After reading and loving The Bodyguard last year, I was sooooo excited to read this one! While I did really enjoy it and found it incredibly unique, it did still fall a bit flat for me and this may solely be because of the hype around it and I was expecting to be blown away. HOWEVER, it seems like I am certainly in the minority as everyone else seems to be loooooving it!

Still an entertaining and joyful happily ever after story when you’re looking for something quirky and light hearted!

Throughout the book, I kept thinking to myself... Sadie is UNHINGED. Also, so is her evil step sister. I really thought, these are some of the first female characters I'm not going to like in the end. But then, the author pulled through. The ride you go on as you navigate Sadie's acquired face blindness along side with her is something else and so unique. I liked this book a lot and would recommend it! The audiobook narration was done well and was a joy to listen to. Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

Fiercely independent Sadie is at the top of her game. The portrait she entered in a prestigious contest was not only accepted; she is a finalist. All she needs to do to win - and thereby validate her life choices to her father - is paint the best live model portrait of her life. Not a problem except, following unexpected surgery, she finds herself unable to see faces. Add a sick dog, two interesting men, a spiteful step-sister, and her refusal to tell anyone but her best friend about the ‘probably temporary’ face blindness, and Sadie’s life is in as many jumbled pieces as the faces around her.

I enjoyed listening to this story. Center expertly balanced struggle and humor for a satisfying read. The image of Sadie race-walking her sick dog to the vets, only later realizing she’s still in pjs and slippers will stay with me. I cheered for Sadie, loved her neuropsychologist, and couldn’t wait to see how everything resolved. Narrator Patti Murin’s voicing and pacing were spot on, and hearing Center read the author’s note a bonus. Look no further for your all-the-feels with substance read. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Katherine Center just knows how to write a feel-good, laugh-out-loud rom com. The premise of this novel, a portrait artist with face blindness, was intriguing from the start and the mixture of romance and her personal and professional tribulations was well-balanced. More than once, I actually giggled out loud at the witty, unique prose. I eventually figured out the big twist, but not so early or so obviously that it ruined the ending. Another home run for Katherine Center!

I loved this book so much! I couldn’t get enough! The main character in this book was quirky and lovely. She loved her mom, however her mother passed away right before a portraiture competition. She now has an evil step sister Parker who tortures her at every turn. An accident happened, and Sadie had a seizure in the crosswalk. A random person rescued her and the rest is history, except now Sadie is diagnosed with prosopagnosia. She can’t recognize faces. Will Sadie ever be able to recognize her family’s face? Or her man friends? Read to find out.

The novel is very good -- the audio book hits it out of the park.

I read the ebook book first -- so here's a review of the novel (a review of the audiobook will follow):
HELLO STRANGER is a solid offering from Katherine Center that uses a strong narrative voice to combine comedy and romance in an engaging identity-search story (what some might call a late-20s coming-of-age story). The novel begins with a charming meet-cute, then takes a darker turn as Sadie (the portrait artist-heroine who lost her mother as a teenager) finds she has the same condition as her mother and requires brain surgery. The surgery is successful but leaves Sadie face-blind. The novel's description of the disorienting condition is fascinating, a compelling look at the world from a different perspective. The novel's twist (involving Sadie's misfiring brain and critical misidentifications) is relatively easy to spot from a long way off, but the strong character development and witty banter keep readers' interest.

This book may not be as strong as Center's stellar novels "The Bodyguard" or "Happiness for Beginners," but fans of Center will find lots to enjoy, and those looking for an absorbing beach won't be disappointed.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Just one week after finishing the ebook, I listened to the audiobook of HELLO STRANGER. I was worried I might find the second reading a bit tedious, but I enjoyed the audiobook even more than the print version. The audiobook reader (Patti Murrin -- who did a superb job with THE BODYGUARD ) is again wonderful -- by turns tender, impassioned, confused, and wryly self-deprecating (with a great sense of comic timing). The pacing is perfect: slowing down when discussing the medical science behind Sadie's condition, but sharp and snappy when reading dialogue. A pitch-perfect audiobook!

4.35⭐

You may remember (or you might want to search for it before or after reading this review) that my 8 July 2022 review of Center's The Bodyguard started like this: “This, folks, is what I'm talking about! If the modern version of the romance genre is going to encompass pretty much every work of fiction including a romantic relationship, this is what I want it to look like. . . .” Because I had a truly satisfying experience with The Bodyguard, I jumped at the chance to read Hello Stranger before publication. I was richly rewarded.

More and more books seem to feature introverted main characters. I am here for it . . . as long as the portrayal is done thoughtfully and accurately! Not all introverts are alike. Not all are shy, or nerdy, or socially inept, or dislike people, or, or, or. . . . [If they are any or all of those things, that's OK. My point is just that we come in many flavors.] Having introversion portrayed as a completely normal trait that is found in up to half the population (it depends on who you ask, with a common range being 33–50%) is important. It doesn't have to be made a big deal. Just acknowledging that extroverts and introverts gain, and are depleted of, their energy differently is a mighty fine start. There is such acknowledgement here.

The story is bursting at the seams with humor and relationships—two of my favorite things. In addition to the characters in romantic relationships, I especially liked Mr. Kim, who is Sadie's best friend's dad and Sadie's landlord. There are quite a few animal companions who play a part. [See minor spoiler alert hidden on my website review if you're interested.]
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I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about face blindness. I have read at least one other book in which a main character had this condition.

Humorous reference was made to Bob Mankoff's famous New Yorker cartoon “How about never?” If you're so inclined, you might read both his memoir—How About Never—Is Never Good for You?—and his article The Story of “How About Never”, dated 27 March 2014. [I read the former in July 2014 (it was OK—I'm glad I read it) and the latter this week.] Anywho, I was pleased to get the reference in Hello Stranger. I'm also tickled pink that Center uses the word “anywho” (not in conjunction with the Mankoff reference), enabling me to whip it out in this review. It reminds me, warmly, of my elders.

I often talk about how predictable I find a particular story. This isn't always a bad thing—it depends on how entertaining the story is overall and how well it's crafted. In mysteries, I like to follow the clues along with the detective, and I like to be challenged. If it's too easy for me to solve, I may not be as enamored with the book, which is reflected in my rating. By the same token, I don't necessarily disqualify any book whose ending I predict early on. I give brownie points for any twist I didn't see coming. In her author's note at the end of this novel, Center talks about how the majority of clues writers drop in romances, rom-coms, and non-tragic love stories are giving you things to look forward to (as opposed, presumably, to something to dread in mysteries, thrillers, and the like). Good point! Further, she urges us to stop saying “predictable” and start talking about “the feeling of anticipation.” I appreciate what she said and how she said it. I hope it will help me better express my impressions of a genre about which I have long been critical (at worst) or at least ambivalent. With this new language and attitude in mind, I will admit that I anticipated the most important plot point early on—but I'm not mad about it because the story continued to be engaging. I was surprised and delighted by a different plot twist at around 80%. Tell me when you get there . . . and whether you were similarly surprised or anticipated it.

Immediately after finishing Hello Stranger, I hunted down and preordered a signed/inscribed hardcover. Then, for good measure, I found and ordered a signed hardcover of last year's The Bodyguard, which I received so quickly that I've already rearranged my home library to accommodate these new prized editions. I've also added a bunch of Center's back catalog to my TBR list, which allowed me to realize that I have watched and enjoyed the movie adaptation of her book The Lost Husband.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected July 11.

I absolutely adored this book. In true Katherine Center fashion, the characters are well rounded, full of personality and believable quirks. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud repeatedly while engaged with this novel. Yet another five star Katherine Center read for me!

Thank you Katherine Center and NetGalley for this eARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thanks goes out to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook because it was SO cute! From start to finish I was absolutely hooked and totally enamored with the story and with Sadie herself. She was quirky and lovable and I couldn’t get enough of her. Throw in everything else this story gave (so many hilarious scenarios, a hot vet, a sweet dog, artsy things, and so much more) made this story dang near perfect!

I will say the core of the conflict didn’t do it for me (a lack of communication trope never does) but honestly it was very easy to overlook it, so basically ignore this part of my review. 😂

Hello Stranger comes out very soon (July 11th!) so get it on your TBRs!

Hello Stranger is the latest winner from Katherine Center. I had a hard time pausing the audio to get things done. The lead characters are both fun, and they have some flaws that make them real, as do the secondary characters.
When Sadie, a struggling artist with less-than-supportive parents, wakes up from an unexpected seizure, she discovers that she has face blindness, a neurological conditions which allows her to see most things, but renders her unable to see faces as full images. Since her specialty is Norman Rockwell-like portraiture, she despairs of having any future as an artist.
At about this time, she meets a neighbor who, on first encounter, seems like a heartless cad. However, the longer Sadie spends with him, her neighbor Joe reveals himself to be a good person, one to whom she's attracted. At the same time, Sadie begins a flirtation with her new veterinarian, a reputedly handsome doctor who checks all her boxes. It's a classic love triangle - or is it?
The narrator spoke clearly and voiced each character so they were distinguishable without resorting to really odd or grating accents.
Well done, Ms. Center. You continue to impress!

Katherine Center does it again! Hello Stranger was a delightful read! If you are new to reading Center's books, I would not recommend starting here! Hello Stranger has all the classic pieces of Center's writing style that I have grown incredibly fond of. Center always picks unique characters and plot lines that immerse you fully into the story.

Sadie is broke. She's struggling to make ends meet as a portrait artist. She's estranged from her surly father and is absolutely unwilling to ask him for any assistance. When said enters an art competition, she sees her opportunity to change her luck. As she's walking home from the grocery store, she lose consciousness and wakes up in the hospital being told she needs to have surgery. Reluctant, Sadie is ready to refuse, but her father (a renowned surgeon) shows up and takes control of the situation. The surgery is scheduled. When Sadie awakes from surgery, everything seems ok, until she becomes aware that she can't see faces. They feel like blurry puzzles. A portrait artist with hopefully temporary blindness is a devastating hit to Sadie.

This is a story about coping with unexpected life altering challenges and persevering in the face of adversity without becoming cold or closed off. Sadie can't see faces, but she learns new ways to recognize people. Sometimes it works and sometimes she has to adjust on the fly. The way Katherine Center creates relationships between characters is truly a gift. I always find myself wanting friends, family, and lovers like the ones she creates. I think my favorite novel of hers remains Things You Save in A Fire followed by The Bodyguard. Hello Stranger is such a new twist on classic Center elements and I loved it!

If you don't follow Katherine Center on Instagram, I highly recommend you do. I love her energy and her descriptions for how her covers come to be. She's such a warm and genuine author. I can't say enough about how when you like the author, it only adds to the quality of the book!

The narration for this audiobook was spot on. I almost exclusively listened to this one and only switched to the text once or twice for less than a chapter in total. I loved the narration!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this title!

3.5 stars

Sadie is a portrait artist who finally achieves a milestone in her career: becoming a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But her life is turned upside down when she has brain surgery that gives her temporary face blindness. How is she supposed to paint a portrait for the competition when she can't see faces?

I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I had a hard time liking the heroine. First of all, it's unbelievable that Sadie at first refused to get life-saving surgery because she didn't have "time" 🤡 What kind of excuse is that? 🤡 She was so insufferable. She came across as a whiny brat who spent too much time inside her head. I also hated how Sadie treated her stepmother. Lucinda actually tried to help Sadie multiple times, but she just got placed into the "evil stepmother" category 🤦🏽‍♀️

Sadie's life gets more interesting when she crosses paths with her annoying neighbour Joe, and when she starts crushing on her vet Oliver. As much as I didn't like Sadie, I was invested in the storyline about her face blindness, especially since she couldn't see the faces of Joe and Oliver. There's some family drama involving Sadie's father, stepmother, and stepsister. I usually love family drama, but the family dynamic here was a bit too stereotypical for me. Sadie's face blindness also causes a few interesting misunderstandings. It was easy to figure out what exactly Sadie was missing, but I still had fun joining her on this tumultuous journey.

I really liked the audiobook narration. It's my first time listening to Patti Murin, and I really enjoyed her narration and her voices. She made Sadie a bit more tolerable lol.

Overall, I had fun reading this book, but I had a hard time being inside the heroine's head. The book is well-written as expected from Katherine Center. The story also has a good message, but man, Sadie was just too annoying 😂

"The more good things you look for, the more you find."

Let me first start by saying, I started this book at bedtime last night. I binge read it all day today. I adored the story. I was not expecting a science/medical plot, but that is right up my alley. I love that the author got out of her own comfort zone and did so much research on the topic of being face blind. I did a little research on it after I read a psychological thriller about it. The topic fascinated me, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it here as well.

As I was in the last few chapters of the book, I was thinking about how I would review the book. The word I was throwing around was pleasantly predictable. It was an all around good story. The main character was one that you were rooting for from the beginning as her life was crumbling down. You hated Joe along with her in the beginning. Could you see the main plot line coming straight at you? Of course! Did that deter me at all from devouring the book? Heck no! It was just the story that was needed. I loved every single line.

But...then I got to the authors notes. Does everyone read the authors notes? Acknowledgements? I hope so, the authors put just a little more heart in them. When Ms Center was speaking on the predictable nature of a love story, she mentions that its what the readers want. It's why the books are read. She is 100% correct. I don't read books like this to get my heart ripped out. I want the story I see coming. I want to see them fall in love and live a happy life. As she stated, it's the structure, anticipation, and the hope.

This book was, as her others have been, delightfully wonderful to read. Thank you so much to the author and publisher to allow me to binge read this ARC copy of Hello Stranger.

It is hard to think that Katherine Center can top her own books but she does it every time!

Hello Stranger is such a sweet love story about Sadie, a portrait artist who is suddenly dealing with face blindness. As she copes with that as well as a myriad of other personal issues, she also encounters the kindness of two very possible suitors. How can she choose?!

Hello Stranger marries the severity of scary medical diagnoses like in How to Walk Away with witty, swoon-worthy banter as in The Bodyguard which only makes for a good time!

I listened to this one and I think I loved it more because of the content about Sadie's face blindness. I enjoyed listening to the description of what Sadie was feeling, it made for a much more authentic experience.

What a sweet, unique romance from a talented author! I loved the writing and the premise of this book as well as the characters and the relationship development. This book is a great palate cleanser after reading a heavy novel or a thriller.

While I had never heard of face blindness until I read this novel, you better believe I was Googling that. The author clearly did some research, and I appreciate that. Sadie has some daddy issues as well as a struggling career as an artist and now a diagnosis of face blindness right before a major portrait competition! If everyone looks like a stranger to her, then how could she possibly win this competition?

Sadie's little dog Peanut means the world to her, and when her ultra sweet and hot veterinarian saves Peanut's life, a little bit of a spark happens between them. She also takes a liking to her neighbor, Joe. After a bit of a love triangle and a twist at the end, you will end up with all of the warm and fuzzies. Wait for it!

Special thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.