Hello Stranger by Katherine Pannill Center is such a great read! I laughed, sat on the edge of my seat and stomped my fee and was breathlessly surprised! A fun lovely!

Katherine Center did it again! I love her stories and how she can combine romance with more serious topics. How her characters not only fall for someone but also work through their situation and whatever it is there are having to go through. Hello Stranger started a little slow for me but then once it picked up I was hooked. I loved the original story here, how the characters met and fell for one another, and the lessons the main character learned by the end of the book.

Well Katherine Center has done it again. She’s the queen of feel good romances. I really enjoyed this one. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get really into this one but once I did, I was hooked. Loved Sadie’s personality and her inner dialogue was so funny. I’m a sucker for witty banter and hilarious inner dialogue so this one was right up my alley. Can we talk about Joe? We need more Joes! Always willing to help, calm, nice torso (😂) and supportive. Give me all the Joes! The vet romance storyline was a little cheesy for me but it all makes sense for Sadie’s character. I can’t say too much because I don’t want to give anything away but can we make big twists in romances the new thing? I didn’t see this one coming! Anyone see that one coming? Center’s books are such comforting reads for me. I typically smile goofily throughout the entire thing and then close the book with a warm fuzzy feeling. 😊 This one was no different. I loved the message of always looking for the good in situations and when we train our brain to look for good, we usually find more of it! Don’t miss reading the authors note too! It’s a gem.

Read if you like:
▫️feel good romances
▫️quirky female leads
▫️twists in romance!
▫️heavy pet storylines (🤍 Peanut)

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a sweet and uplifting romance novel.

When Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, develops Prosopagnosia (face blindness or facial agnosia) following brain surgery, her whole life changes.

No longer able to recognize people by their faces, including her evil step-sister, she needs to find a way to navigate the world, and this includes dating.

I loved this novel so much and was happy for the use of a lesser know medical condition.

Oh Katherine Center, you have done it again! Katherine Center has been an auto buy author for me for a long time. I absolutely love everything she writes and Hello, Strange follows suit.

📚 Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center
✨ Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Love isn't blind, it's just 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.

Thoughts:
💕 A feel good read that I could not put down.
💕 This was a book that I was able to listen to in one session.
💕 Loved Sadie and the journey she goes on. When life does not work out as planned she continues to forge ahead to accomplish her goals.
💕 Family drama, laugh out loud moments and hopeful romance wrapped in this super cute cover.
💕 I just loved the author’s note at the end. It makes me like Katherine Center as a person as well as an author.

I liked this a lot, just like all of Katherine Center's books it's the perfect amount of sweet, heartwarming, a nice closed-door romance, and a story of redemption in some way for the main character. She has a bit of a formula to her books but it really works for me and I will continue to read her novels as they come out. In this case there was a tiny bit too much predictability for me (I saw the ending coming a MILE away) but it was really cute and I loved the way things wrapped up in such a loving, kind way. The type of book that feels like a hug, or like a warm cup of tea. What a lovely read.

HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center is a rarity from this prolific, uplifting, talented writer. It felt more like a puppet being directed with strings than the relatable, hilarious reads Center provides (as in the recent THE BODYGUARD). The premise is interesting: a portrait artist is struck with face blindness with weeks to go before the ultimate competition for portrait artists. She has already placed in the top ten of over 2,000 competitors, so the onset of her inability to see faces in their entirety is a particular torment, complicating her precarious life with family drama and a strange neighbor. All the pieces and parts were there, but somehow they didn't hang true nor create the magic of a Center novel for me. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Oh Sadie! She's a portrait artist who has been cobbling it together for years and just- just- as she's chosen to compete for a prize, she has a seizure which reveals a congenital condition that requires brain surgery. And then edema in her brain leads to face blindness. As much darkness as there's been in her life, there are also bright spots such as the Kims, who own the building where she lives, her little dog Peanut, and Joe, her neighbor, as well as oddly enough, her persistent evil step mother Lucinda. Not so much her evil step sister Parker. She meets Oliver, the hot vet, when Peanut is boarded at his office and reconnects when Peanut has a medical crisis but Oliver stands her up. The one who doesn't is Joe, who is a steady presence despite what Sadie thinks she knows about him. There are a lot of misunderstandings here (and you'll have to suspend belief that she would not have made one of the connections) but for each one, there's something sweet at the end. Can Sadie finish her painting? Will she find true love? Will she find a way to talk with her father? No spoilers from me. Center is a terrific storyteller who had me turning the pages. Don't miss her afterword about the romance genre. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A great feel good read that made me smile.

I am a huge Katherine Center fan and this one did not disappoint. It was funny, quirky and heartfelt. I went into this book without knowing anything about it and what a unique storyline it was! I do feel that Sadie’s stepsister was a bit much and perhaps that storyline was a bit overdone, but other than that I loved it. So fun! Couldn’t put it down.

This book was perfect, but not nearly as perfect as that authors note! 🥹🫶🏻

This book was also just so wonderfully and beautifully hopeful!

This novel follows the story of Sadie, our FMC and Portrait artist, who acquires face blindness after a necessary brain surgery weeks before her big artist break!

I adored Sadie’s character so much!
Watching her life crumble around her had my heart aching and tears in my eyes more than once! I just wanted to hug her and tell her it would all work out! Seriously, 10/10 on the character growth and development! Watching her pick up the pieces of her life and embrace her now in a new a hopeful way was wonderful!

And the ROMANCE!! I was swooning, and laughing, and crying over and over! It was perfectly done!

I caught the twist before the big reveal, but I was a dramatic light bulb moment when things clicked into place and I was suddenly giddy and hoping I was right! (I was!)

As someone who reads A LOT of romance books, this story felt so fresh and unique! Can’t Recommend it enough!

Read this if you like:
-a geriatric dog with a very refined palate
-slight Cinderella vibes
-roller skates
-stories about face blindness
-a golden retriever of a MMC
-a FMC in the middle of a life crisis
-neighbors to friends to lovers
-fake kissing for good reasons!

CW: seizure, brain injury, death of a parent (before book), bullying to the point of attempted suicide (not to the MC but mentioned multiple times), familial emotional abuse, mention of cheating on a spouse

Katherine Center’s books are typically the perfect balance of witty, sweet, and tender, and Hello Stranger is so exception. Sadie is an extremely quirky and lovable artist who undergoes brain surgery and wakes up experiencing face blindness. This is particularly difficult for her, as she is a struggling portrait artist trying to make her big break. As she recovers and learns to live with this condition, we meet a cast of characters that help and hinder her, including her beloved senior dog Peanut, her best friend Sue, a neighbor dubbed The Weasel, a distant father, an evil stepmother, an absolutely wicked stepsister, a kindhearted landlord, and a dreamy veterinarian.

I loved being transported into Sadie’s world. This book made me laugh out loud, cry, and at some parts, cringe. Sadie’s stepsister was so incredibly cruel that I experienced an almost visceral reaction during her scenes. As always, Katherine Center did an outstanding job crafting and entire world of characters with very real problems. This was the sixth Katherine Center book I’ve read, and it was a pleasure as always!

A sincere thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the digital arc of Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest review.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC and then Macmillian Audio for very kindly providing an early preview of the audiobook!

Hello Stranger follows Sadie, a portrait artist who, after an unexpected seizure and subsequent surgery, finds herself unable to recognize faces. While this would be devastating to anyone, it comes just after the news she's been selected to be in a life changing portrait competition. Compounding with her sudden onslaught of mishaps, she begins to have feelings for a handsome veterinarian and a charming man from her building.

I absolutely loved Patti Murin, our wonderful narrator. Her voice gave everyone such personality and life. Her inflections were top notch. I'm not one to laugh at books, but I found myself giggling so many times. This has to be one of the best narrators I've listened to in my burgeoning obsession with the medium. Obviously, a good narrator isn't much without good writing to read. I loved how this was written. It felt like Sadie herself was telling me all about her life. I found the writing witty and light.

But, that's where my happy feelings end. While looking over the few negative early reviews of this book, I found many said Sadie was unlikeable. I actually did find her enjoyable, but again, it may be that Patti gave such an amazing performance. But I can't say I found any other character particularly likeable. We have the comedically evil stepsister, the complicit stepmother, and a cruelly distant father. While I was told that Sue was actually Sadie's best friend, there were two major things that she did that made me question that fact. In accordance with early review code, I won't get into spoilers despite my biggest gripe being the ending. The end conclusion was very obvious so I can't tell if it was truly supposed to be a reveal or not. There was something so obvious that could have been corrected right away and would have completely cleared anything and everything up. The fact that didn't happen still baffles me. I also feel like there was very little character development. Everyone was the same, for better or worse, at the beginning as they are at the end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 11, 2023

After loving The Bodyguard, I was so excited to read this new one from Katherine Center. Unfortunately I only enjoyed the final third of the book. The first two thirds were a real struggle for me. This continuously made me so uncomfortable—with its content and the casualness of constant awful things. Her mom died and her stepmother, stepsister and father are AWFUL humans—there are repeated abusive interactions and it’s seemingly for no reason! There’s a laundry list of toxic or stressful situations. Page after page left me feeling uneasy. But wait! There’s a very attractive man who asks her on a date so everything is fine! Even though this ends with some ah-ha/gotcha/cutesy moments, the journey there was be unpleasant.

Unfortunately, our MC Sadie is a jerk along the way as well. The male MC is a gem though!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center’s books remind me of my favorite movies, maybe they're yours too, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, While You Were Sleeping and the like. Hello Stranger is no exception. Sadie is funny, quirky, in so many ways deeply relatable, and truly lovable. I haven’t met a Center leading lady who wasn’t just right. We meet Sadie just before she is diagnosed with face blindness, experiencing disability and navigating the diagnosis and reality of its impact on her life and career. She isn’t just dealing with her new reality as a result of her condition, she also is on the precipice of a career changing competition and dealing with childhood trauma, grief, and complicated and strained familial relationships. Surrounded by a cast of fantastic supporting characters, another Center hallmark, Sadie struggles, stumbles, triumphs, learns, and grows. She also meets some handsome, charming, and compelling strangers along the way! I am hesitant to say too much because I don’t want to spoil your fun reading their sweet story but buckle up for some delightful, laugh out loud, hopeful anticipatory sweet romcom-y love story goodness.

In her author's note in this book describing her love of this genre was the best description I have read about the hold these stories have on me. She references Nora Ephron and I often read Center’s books and imagine them in an Ephron-esque world. If you’re new to the genre or to Center’s work this 10th book is a great place to hop in.

atherine Center strikes again. I won’t go into detail about my KC love because I already did that in a recent post. But this is, yet again, another banger.

In this, Sadie has a medical event that leads her to having face blindness. As she’s trying to navigate her new (temporary?) life she keeps running into her previously-horrible but now not-so-atrocious neighbor, Joe. Joe insists on being kind and helpful which leads Sadie to a dilemma - does she cut off hot veterinarian Dr. Addison when things may just be getting started, and go for Joe? All of this on top of dealing with her less-than supportive family and a PORTRAIT competition she’s in the running for, Sadie is spiraling. Love and hijinks ensue.

Now listen… this is a book about face blindness. You don’t go into it expecting normalcy, 100% realistic situations, and no funny business. There’s obviously a level to which you’ll have to suspend your disbelief, and that’s absolutely ok with me. This is like an early 2000s romcom and it was ADORABLE.

Read this if you like -
🛼 Senior dogs
🛼 Vintage vibes
🛼 Hot men
🛼 Family drama
🛼 Strong women

I would recommend this for just about anyone who likes cozy romance! Or just anyone in general.

I love Katherine Center, but unfortunately this one wasn’t a hit for me. I had a hard time buying into the romance and didn’t relate to the main character very much. It still contained the sense of humor readers come to expect from Center which kept me reading. The plot point with the MC’s family was also a sticking point for me. It seemed so big and so traumatic but then it felt like the “resolution” at the end was rushed or didn’t meet the level of what happened. Thank you for net galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was great! I chuckled when I figured out what was happening and rooted for our girl (& guy)! There was so much hope and joy in this story. The sister was so fun to hate and the people that Sadie surrounded herself with were a delight!

👁👁Sadie, Sadie, struggling artist with a major dilemma🎨

I loved this story, with so many challenges for struggling young artist Sadie to handle and the possibility of romance showing up in the midst of a medical disaster. And the two men she is attracted to despite not being able to recognize their faces: original. Will she be able to complete a painting and win the portrait competition? Will her geriatric, Pad Thai-loving dog survive his medical crisis? Will Sadie come to a truce with her evil step sister and leave past hurts behind or get the support and validation she craves from her father? Can she settle on the right man? And will she recover from her medical issues? Every new challenge made me grow more attached to Sadie and more invested in the answers.

The story has plenty of disappointments and cringeworthy situations that test Sadie's character and resolve. The characters are realistic; I particularly liked Mr. Kim, her landlord/father of her best friend, who knows when to turn a blind eye, and Joe, the neighbor who can't resist helping others. And I liked the little twists the author included, like when Sadie kindly helps a distraught woman remedy a wardrobe disaster caused by her stepsister and the woman comes back to return the favor at a most opportune moment. But the biggest twist was the best and made for a lovely climax that stunned and pleased me to no end.

The plot also has an educational element to it as it delves into face blindness and how it manifests and affects day to day existence.

A sweet romance that I definitely recommend.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Katherine Center books are always warm, fluffy goo-balls of humanity and this one is no exception BUT. Some of this story just felt *too* contrived. The evil step-sister. The mom who died of the same condition and the family that didn't seem to... talk? For over a decade? The evil ex-wife. The too-good to be true but also perfectly fine hovel in HOUSTON? The magic appearance of a key character from the past. And the twist that could be seen from a mile off... The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get that Sadie so easily forgave a man who called a woman "blubber" and a "b*tch." But even with all that, I still feel like a better person for reading a Katherine Center book. So yay.

This was my first time reading a book by Katherine Center, I’ve seen so many incredible things about her books! While I thought Hello Stranger was super cute, there were a few characters that I really didn’t like, and unfortunately that affected what I thought of the book as a whole! The medical condition that the mc Sadie has was so interesting to me because I had never heard of it, although I can’t imagine how incredibly frustrating it must be to have to live with it. The ending though, ugh, it was so freaking cute, I loved it so much!