Oh man... this one was a rollercoaster for me.

I thought the premise of it was really interesting, but i struggled through the first 40%. Then it got better and I was def more engaged...then I almost gave up at 75% because something happened that had me going WTF??? THEN a twist happened (that I didn't see coming) and it all made sense and was super cute at the end, but like wowsers... I also couldn't past how horrible our FMC's step-sister was and I was not satisfied with how everything ended up... I was all over the place lol

The story had some really great character growth and many "life lessons" learned, which I appreciated, but overall just did not love this as much as I wanted too!

Audiobook was great though!

This was my first ever Katherine Center novel and I will most definitely be reading her backlist. Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC!

Being someone who has extensively studied neurology, I was familiar with prosopagnosia prior to reading this book and I think Katherine did a great job portraying a very emotionally draining condition. I found myself frustrated with and connected to the characters very quickly. The audiobook was wonderfully done!

Sadie is a portrait artist, up for a big contest, when she has a seizure while crossing a street and ends up with brain surgery -- which causes her to develop a devastating case of face blindness. She can't recognize the faces of anyone, they all look like they're scrambled. A terrifying state for a portrait artist, to say the least! Add in a wicked stepsister (really), a super helpful guy, "Joe", in her building, a terrible misunderstanding with her father and stepmother, and you can watch Sadie try to figure out what to do next with her life.. Rest assured though, it all does work out in the end.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The reader was great at relating Sadie's thoughts, and you really felt a lot of sypathy, as well as annoyance, for her. And you really HATE her stepsister!!

Thanks to #NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook.

Sadie is a portrait artist who has to have a quick little brain surgery. But then she awakes with (hopefully) temporary face blindness. Now she’s navigating life without recognizing people. Luckily there’s a nice guy in the building who helps her out.

Full disclosure: I was prepared for a solid 3 star read here. I mean that synopsis is crazy. But I loved it! It’s fun and ridiculous and sweet. Just the dose of HEA I needed in my life. I’ve read a handful of Katherine Center’s books and this is definitely the best yet. It’s trope-y but easy to look past bc I just loved the MCs so much. And the big truth bomb reveal was so satisfying.
Kinda gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes.
PS Don’t skip the authors note. It’s a good one.

Add this one to your TBR. You can pick it up July 11 or go put a hold on it at your library today.

Spice level: 🌶️/5
Audiobook: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

What a moving and beautifully written story! I've been doing quite well with new authors lately, and I'm so happy to have discovered Katherine Center. Hello Stranger is a truly unique and powerful novel, and I highly recommend it.

Sadie's tale was a bit tough for me because I just recently lost my own mother. While it's been awhile for Sadie, her mother's death was a pivotal point in her life. And literally everything that happens from the start of Hello Stranger is related to this loss.

Katherine Center's characters are complex and wonderfully developed, and the story flows along nicely. This has a very unique storyline, and I really enjoyed it - though I'll admit to a few tears here and there.

The audio version is nicely performed by Patti Murin.

Thank you Netgalley for my audio of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I normally don’t listen to or read romance novels, but Katherine Center is the exception for me. Her writing is so realistic and down to earth. Who knew an artist unable to recognize faces could find love in a portrait contest! Utterly delightful listening! Another five star from me for Hello Stranger.

Katherine Center does it again! This was such a great book!

What happens when an artist is forced to see things differently? There's bound to be struggle, confusion and a lot of learning. This book is a heartwarming, sweet story with elements of romance, family drama, struggle and ultimately happiness. Five stars - without question!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Patti Murin really brought this story to life! I loved this story being brought to life with her voice. All of the internal monologue was believable and I felt like I was listening to a good friend.
The story overall is quite swoon-worthy and can teach us all about life and the things we miss or don't notice unless they are taken away from us. I loved the writing style so much that I will be picking up previous published books. Bravo!

The first thing that stood out to me with this one was that it was based on an interesting concept. Sadie, the FMC, has to learn to navigate the world around her after losing her ability to recognize faces.

The main character’s lesson on jumping to conclusions was quite in your face, but you know what? Sometimes that’s the only way we figure things out.

I saw the “twists” coming — possibly from the time I read the synopsis. This didn’t detract from the degree of enjoyment I experienced with the story. I think that’s part of Katherine Center’s magic — the character development is so compelling that the plot is entertaining but doesn’t demand everything from the reader.

This is the second book I’ve read from this author and I think I’m just all in with her. Forever a fan of how she writes a character’s inner monologue.

The author’s note at the end about romance novels, positive anticipate, hope? Just a lovely touch to an already lovely book.

I enjoyed this one. I finished it feeling happy. The delivery of the audio was pleasant and contributed to the overall effect that the story had on the reader.

All the feelings. Every single one. Name an emotion, and I can confirm that I experienced it while reading this book. There is beautiful anticipation built in the story and in the characters (to use the phrase found in the Author’s Notes), and it’s made me so happy and hopeful that I could burst into song! Narrator Patti Murin (Broadway star) sounded exactly as Sadie sounded in my head. That sarcastic, over-reactive, naturally funny tone. Brilliant.

I want to preface this with a note: I read this before I listened to the audio book, and the audio book 100% kept me enthralled for the entire 10 hours, and this took me about a week to read in ebook format. Katherine Center and this narrator are just nailing it, one after the other.

This is a super cute (even though I don't normally like love triangles) love triangle, and the humor, complexity, moments of every emotion under the sun really tie it all together.

What I loved;
🛼 Peanut
🛼 Character growth
🛼 The cutest romantic moments
🛼 Learning about Prosopagnosia

And one of my favorite pieces of the plot, that you learn quite quickly, is anytime with her terribly awful step sister and her almost as bad step mom. Something about those two really really made me want to punch them, and I think thats just beautiful.

This was not for me. I found the main character to be very immature and independent at great detrimental cost to herself. Her entire family- step-mother, step-sister, and father have single-faceted personalities to the point of ridiculousness.

The plot was incredibly predictable, and the miscommunication trope was taken above and beyond what I consider reasonable and enjoyable.

Narrator was 5 stars.

Hello Stranger was a joy to listen to. Katherine Center always knows have to suck you into the story!

Hello Stranger is about a medical diagnosis I have only vaguely been aware of and was interesting to have it in this book. Made me think wow how would I do on this situation!

The narration was enjoyable to listen to!

I can’t wait to see what Katherine has in store next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audio book.

I have read and loved every Katherine Center books, and this book was no exception. I love her style of writing, and the humor that she has in her books. Lets face it, she just writes fun and smart books.

In this book, the main character, Saddie, had to have brain surgery, and ends up with face blindness. It was a condition that I had heard about. but didn't know much about it. It was really interesting to journey with Saddie as she navigates her new condition. Along with a dysfunctional family and a looming art contest, Saddie has a ton on her plate.
I really liked listening to this as an audiobook. The narrator was great!

3.5 stars. Sadie needs unexpected brain surgery, which her surgeon father convinces her to have right away. The only problem is, she's a portrait artist competing in the biggest contest of her life in a few weeks' time, and the surgery has left her with a post-op complication: she can't see faces. It's temporary. Probably. But still a problem, because she has to paint a new portrait for the contest, and her face blindness is making it an impossible task. Ashamed and frustrated, Sadie keeps her condition under wraps as she stumbles through caring for her dog, her career, and the surprising arrival of TWO seemingly perfect men into her life. She can't see their faces, but she knows one of them has got to be "the one" — doesn't he?

Alright so this story was adorable, but I found The Bodyguard to be much more on the "com" side of romcom, while Hello Stranger was pretty firmly a romance. The twist (if you can call it that?) is easy to predict, but I will admit that I did love Katherine Center's author note about predictability in romance novels (definitely don't skip it). Sadie herself is kind of annoyingly stubborn and isolating, but that's part of her journey, so don't get too exasperated with her.

Overall, this is a very cute story with some good "life lesson" type of takeaways, so don't skip it if romance is your thing! (It's not really mine, I'm here for just the romcoms, but I can appreciate it.) Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

Hello Stranger is Katherine Center's latest novel. She is an auto-buy author for me, while her books are at the heart romances, they also address deeper issues. Who would you be if you couldn't see faces? What would you do if you made your living as a portrait artist and lost the ability to see faces? Hello Stranger is another hit from Katherine Center.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my copy of this audio book. The narrator is great and I really enjoyed the afterword read by the author.

Me = disappointed!😫

I’m a huge Katherine Center fan, even proudly displaying several of her works on my favorites’ shelf. So what happened here?🤷‍♀️

Sadie’s dream is about to come true. She’s a struggling artist who became a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition. But now all that hard work may be for naught as she recovers from a repair of a leaking blood vessel in her brain. That’s right, six weeks before the final competition Sadie had to have brain surgery that left her with the inability to see faces!
And yes, it’s a real thing! Face blindness (Prosopagnosia).

I wish I could say I empathized with Sadie, but just couldn’t. She was such a despicable character even before her surgery. Selfish, whiny and rude.

The storyline itself gave me some difficulties. Inconsistencies regarding whose voice Sadie could recognize and who was a stranger every time they approached her.
Example:(view spoiler)

Those are just a few but they just seemed to be endless.

A buddy read with Susanne that we both came away with identical thoughts and feelings. It generated quite the discussion, let me tell ya!!

I see most readers absolutely loved this book and I wish we could have joined them.

We’re very much in the minority here, enjoying cocktails on Outlier island.🍹😎🏝️ .

I had both the digital and audio versions, and on the positive side I did enjoy the narration from Patti Murin.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio.

OMG!! I really love this one 🥰 It kinds of reminded me of the Korean movie or drama called The Beauty Inside, as the main female character also has propagnosia. However, I didn't expect the plot twist here in this one! And, I kept on smiling to myself while listening to this book everytime Sadie and Joe interacts lol

I can’t get enough of Katherine Center’s books! This topic of face blindness was very unique and not something I’ve seen as a topic in books I’ve read previously. This book kept my attention and I loved all of the characters especially Sadie and Sue. I will definitely be recommending this book! This was a great read on audio!

⭐⭐⭐⭐¼ (4.25 stars)
I've recently stumbled upon a hidden gem that left me with warm fuzzies and kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish. Katherine Center's upcoming release, "Hello Stranger," is a delightful mix of family drama, mistaken identity, and a medical quirk that had me hooked and grinning throughout.

Let's start with the main plot point of prosopagnosia, or face blindness, which was completely new to me. Center seamlessly weaves this unique condition into the story, adding an endearing layer to the main character's experiences and relationships. It's an intriguing twist that will make you appreciate the little quirks that make us human.

Speaking of the main character, Sadie Montgomery, she's an absolute delight to follow. With her lovable quirks and relatable personality, Sadie quickly steals your heart. Her journey is filled with charming mishaps and unexpected encounters that keep you eagerly turning the pages, hoping for her happily-ever-after.

If you're an audiobook enthusiast like me, you're in for an extra treat. Patti Murin, the narrator for the audiobook version, deserves applause for her stellar performance. The pacing of her narration is so spot-on that you can easily enjoy the audiobook at double speed without missing a beat.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review.

"Hello Stranger" is a charming and entertaining read that deserves a spot on your must-read list this summer. So mark your calendars for July 11th and get ready to be whisked away into a world of mistaken identities, family dynamics, and a touch of medical quirkiness.