This was really wonderful. Charming characters, and even the somewhat implausible aspects--which are requisite for any romance novel--were cute and satifsying.

What an amazing summer read. Delightful, thought provoking…what makes us “us,” how do we come out of tragedy and how do we continually redefine ourselves?

Sadie is an aspiring artist who makes the finals for the North American Portrait Society. Then she has a seizure crossing the road, has brain surgery at the insistence of her estranged surgeon father, and ends up with face blindness (which “might” be temporary.)

Trying to create new portraits is more than problematic, and juggling new relationships with the dog’s vet and her neighbor prove complicated.

We follow her journey into her new normal, foibles with developing relationships, and delve into the estrangement with her family.

This book will have you rooting for Sadie, cheering at parts, and wishing you could just slap some characters. This author writes as if the characters are our oldest friends and it is always my favorite thing to enjoy her new books. Well done, Center! Please keep them coming :-)

I really loved this story! While I cannot comment on the representation of face blindness, it felt like we got into the characters head and providing it’s an accurate depiction, I feel like I have some kind of understanding into something that I didn’t even know about before this book!

I really loved the whole story and the cute little twist toward the end was everything. I absolutely adored it. I loved the artistic nature of our main character, the family drama, her personal struggles, doctor/therapist visits - it felt so real. I’m here for it. I absolutely loved it. Even the “villain” was perfection.

4.5⭐️ - I had too many eye rolls for it to be 5, but it’s so close!

I loved this book!

It was funny, it was real, it was heartbreaking, it was all the emotions. Sadie has been through it. Life has happened and she is going with it and doing her best.

What she doesn’t expect is two (sort of) relationships at the same time! In the middle of having health issues!

Also peanut and Sue (and her family!) are the best. Parker is the worst and I sincerely hope she does some soul searching in her next chapter.

Go on this journey with her! Laugh with her, feel the feelings with her, and everything in between!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

I adore all of Katherine Centers books and this one is no different! This book was the first time I had heard of facial blindness so it was really neat to learn something new while getting a romance story mixed in one. The characters were fantastic as well. The narrator was perfect for this book as well. I loved everything about this book I had to buy a physical copy! Highly recommend 💜
Thanks to netgalley and McMillan audio for providing me a copy in return for an honest review .

This book was so good 😭😭😭
I’m completely in love with the MMC and it was such a unique story bringing to my attention a medical issue I didn’t even know people faced!
The story was original and sweet, I loved the writing style, the love story was adorable and even though I wish there was a little more closure with some family stuff I devoured this book and enjoyed every single second of it

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

The main character is Sadie Montgomery. She is a struggling artist who paints portraits. She has recently entered a competition and she might have the chance to win 10000 dollars. This is the same competition her mother, who passed away, entered too. Sadie wants to demonstrate to her father that she can be successful in doing what she loves.

However, six weeks before the competition, she learns that she needs to have brain surgery. The surgery has minimal risk and after it, she could begin painting her portrait. What Sadie was not expecting is to stop being able to see faces. After her surgery, she develops acquire apperceptive prosopagnosia. When she realizes this, she freaks out. To make matters worse, her dog, Peanut gets sick. She takes him to the emergency vet. Dr. Addison is able to save Peanut and even without seeing his face, she falls for him. She's thrilled when he asks her out. But things can't be easy, she also meets Joe. He lives in the same building as she does. At first, she dislikes him but the more she gets to know him, the more she starts falling for him too.

What I liked about this story is I didn't know about face blindness, and it was interesting to know about this illness. Katherine Center writes books about complex women, but she has a way to show the strength of these women characters overcoming odds. I like strong women characters that overcome adversity and this one fit the bill for me.

Narrated by Patti Murin who brought this book to life and did a good job giving voice to the characters in this story. This was again another favorite for me though The Bodyguard was a tad better this one did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of Hello Stranger for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen if you are looking for your new favorite romcom mark your calendar for this one. I loved absolutely everything about this story. The characters are delightful and the one liners will have you laughing out loud.

The narrator Patti Murin is brilliant and really brings Sadie to life.


Also I adore a good authors note, and if you are not a romcom fan please find her note from this book.

Huge thanks to Katherine Center, Macmillan Audio and St. Martins Press via Net Galley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This book was beautiful. I love the amount of time and care and research the author put into the book to make sure it was something that could potentially happen as well as asking for guidance from people with the processing disorder. The love story was wonderful and is fun because while the MC can’t “see” the face of her crush, we’re able to and it’s so fun.

Gripping and Emotionally Resonant: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, Narrated by Patti Murin

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, narrated by Patti Murin, is a genuinely captivating audiobook that exceeded all of my expectations. From the interestingly unique storyline to the incredible resilience of the main character, Sadie, this book took me on an emotional journey I never anticipated.

Sadie's character is beautifully portrayed as someone who constantly faces adversity and challenges within her family. Despite being the black sheep and living life as the underdog, Sadie's unwavering strength and ability to move forward is inspiring. I found myself rooting for her and amazed by her resilience in the face of the hardships her family continuously puts her through.

Patti Murin's narration added an extra layer of depth and impact to the story. Her delivery was impeccable, and I was particularly impressed by the way she handled the nuances of the dialogue. Murin's attention to detail, such as the pop of her P's and the subtle pauses at the end of sentences, made it feel as though she was having a personal conversation with the listener, bringing the story to life in a remarkable way.

Overall, Hello Stranger is a gripping audiobook that left a lasting impression on me. Katherine Center's skillful storytelling, combined with Patti Murin's exceptional narration, made for a truly unforgettable experience. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys a compelling and emotionally resonant story.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were all so loveable and the story hooked you from the start. I didn't know face blindness was even a thing. Sadie, very suddenly, find her world turned upside down by this condition. As an artist who specializes in portraits this is a devastating blow. We are along for the ride as she tries to navigate her knew life. Meeting a very intriguing man along the way.

I love that this book was much different from the typical romances I read. The main character, Sadie, acquires prosopagnosia, or face blindness right at the beginning of the book. It is such bad timing because she is a finalist in a portrait painting contest, so she NEEDS to be able to see faces to be able to finish her entry for the contest. She is hoping this is her big break, so it is really important and a lot is riding on her winning the contest.

All the while, she is struggling after losing her mom and then having a falling out with her father.

To make matters worse, her sweet elderly dog Peanut, who is EVERYTHING to her, gets sick. While at the vet she falls for Peanuts vet, Dr. Oliver Addison. In addition to this, she starts falling for a helpful man named Joe who lives in her building.

Which guy will she choose? Will she win the portrait contest? Will Peanut be okay? Will her face blindness ever go away?

While there wasn't a LOT of spice I really enjoyed the book. It was a great story that kept my attention and I got through it very quickly because I needed to know what happened at the end!

I also love the colors of the cover, I feel like they are so bold and will stand out when you see them in public or on someone's shelf.

6 stars!
I loved the book Hello Stranger and gave it 5 stars, but I love the audio even more! Patti Murin has the PERFECT voice to bring Katherine Center's characters to life. Her comedic timing is spot-on. Katherine Center's dialogue has this special banter between the characters and Patti Murin captures it perfectly! Plus, she does the BEST male character voices of any female narrator I've ever heard! Patti Murin and Katherine Center are a match made in audiobook heaven! I loved this audio so much and I'm so sad that it's over!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to enjoy this audiobook in return for an honest review!

A good read and audiobook! I liked learning about a medical condition that I haven't heard before. However, Sadie's constant self pity was a bit too much for me to like her. She has many reasons to feel unhappy. But I read contemporary romance stories for mostly happy giddy banter. The narrator did a great job and made the story brighter than it is. I do love the ending though and able to guess about Joe. I like the story when Joe entered the scenes.

This story followed Sadie. She's a broke artist trying to prove her dad wrong because she quit medical school for art school. She wants to win this art contest to win some money but unexpectedly, a medical condition appeared and demanded her to undergo brain surgery. After that, well, meeting people becomes a challenge for her. She thought to stay home and wallow in her bad luck but of course can't. She needed to go pick up her pet peanut from the vet office. There's family issues and love issues. I think it would be cool if Sadie painted jigsaw puzzle portraits but she didn't.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read, listen, and review!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors and this was another fantastic book by her! The chemistry was great and I loved the love story, but, as always with Katherine Center, the emotion, and the true meaning of the story is what gave me all the feels. I I truly felt connected to Sadie, and felt all of the emotions she went through throughout the book. The message of finding courage and asking for help in our times of struggle is something that really resonates with me, probably resonates with everyone. I did find Sadie‘s stepsister to be childish, and I would have light more closure on the family dynamic.

I listen to this an audiobook, which was narrated by Patti Marin. She did a fantastic job of really bringing Sadie to life. She did great and giving different voices to the different characters, and really added to the overall enjoyment of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this audiobook I highly recommend everyone check this one out!

Struggling portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery is reveling in the biggest achievement and opportunity of her professional life when she ends up needing brain surgery. She wakes up from said surgery with face blindness. As she learns to cope with her (hopefully temporary) condition, much heartache and hilarity ensues.

Okay, to be fair, it's not hilarious for her, but as the reader, sliding the puzzle pieces into place as the story goes on, it's priceless. Sadie's facial blindness and her inability to see things clearly are a poignant reminder that we are often lacking in perspective. I love how Katherine Center weaves real life lessons into her stories.

Patti Murin does an amazing job narrating this story. She captures the wit, the snark, the attitude, and all the feels. I'm not always a fan of narrated romance books, but she more than does the story justice, she makes it even better. <3

Ummmm this book is incredible. I just cannot stop thinking about Sadie and Joe and the entirely refreshing and unique story. It filled me with so many butterflies! Endless hopeful anticipation! Loads of second hand embarrassment! It truly is a romance at its core and was such a fun and enjoyable read. I don’t want to give too much away, but I highly recommend this book. Even though I saw the “twist” coming a mile away (I’m confident that is intentional) it only made the story that much more entertaining. Pick this one up ASAP (especially on audio; the narrator does an INSANELY good job or testing Sadie and the wild range of emotions she is experiencing).

HELLO STRANGER, let me start with saying how beautiful the cover is! Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors that I always have to read! Her writing is always wonderfully done, and this one didn't fail!

📆 pub date: 7/11/23

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

This book was thoughtful, sweet, funny, and had a beautiful message. I really enjoyed the premise of this story since I was already familiar with prosopagnosia and it truly sparked my interest.

It had a lot of amazing moments and grief/family relationship struggles were a large part of it. Those elements were well done & absolutely made me emotional. This also reminded me a lot of the movie A Cinderella Story.

I couldn’t rate this higher than 3-4 stars because it was just horribly repetitive and predictable. The decisions the main character made, and even things she said, were very cringe. I understand characters have to make certain decisions to further the plot, but Sadie’s choices truly did not make sense to me. She made her life unreasonably difficult by not communicating, especially with the love interests in this book. I never enjoy the miscommunication trope, and this book is just one big miscommunication.

Most things did not make sense, and then to add insult to injury the author spent many pages of the final chapter explaining why so many of those choices made no sense, in an effort to clear up any confusion. It was all tell, no show, and what should have been a swoony romantic ending to bring our main characters together turned into all dialogue.

“Omg you didn’t know?”
“How did that happen?”
“What are you going to do next?”

I didn’t get butterflies, I didn’t grin from ear to ear, it felt so sterile and lacking emotion. Even the plot with the “evil stepsister” that was so heavily focused on throughout the book was abruptly ended. I expected so much more closure from that situation.

I appreciated the message behind this story, and I truly enjoyed the excellent narration on audio. I highly recommend this as an audiobook for sure.

I did enjoy the beginning to middle sections, but the ending really took me out of the moment and left me feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan audio for this ARC & ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

What a unique book!
I really enjoy when I learn something new in the midst of reading a good book. I didn't even know face blindness was a thing and especially how it worked.
Sadie started off on a really rough foot and made a lot of opps assumptions. It was enjoyable to watch her on the journey of recovery and figuring out life in general. It definitely wasn't enjoyable for her during that time.. except a few parts! Reading the book I was dragged right along with her and how she viewed the world and tried to find ways to help.
Not only was it fun watching Sadie, it made me really think about what assumptions I make about people... and I can see their faces! Just like in the book I wonder if there would be some pleasant surprises.
I would recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC copy. These are my honest opinions