Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors but unfortunately Hello Stranger was a miss for me. The premise of the story was intriguing: an artist named Sadie develops face blindness after an accident and everything she perceives about the world and her art shifts. At the same time, she falls in love with two men whose faces she can’t see.
While the premise is compelling, Sadie as a character is a problem: she is selfish, whiny, and comes off as bratty even before her surgery. For someone who claims to be self sufficient, she goes through crisis after crisis and can’t seem to get out of her own way.
If you normally love Katherine Center, you should still check this book out and decide for yourself.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc. The premise of this book was good, I did feel kind of bored throughout reading but overall a cute, cozy read! 3.5 stars

READ, THIS, BOOK, NOW!!!! I absolutely adored Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. Center just such an amazing job of creating storylines and characters that are so different than any others on the market. Her books immediately hook you and keep you turning the page. It was funny, heartfelt, and informative on a topic I had never heard of. I also truly did not see the twist coming at the end. Absolutely in my Top 10 for the year.

I only fell in love with reading romance about a year ago. It was my "Hello, Stranger" moment, if you will. Romantic relationships were a part of the books I'd been reading, but not the focus. And then I found some authors that made the pieces fall right into place for me. I've discovered Katherine Center's work relatively recently, and perhaps you can imagine my delight when reading the Author's Note in Hello Stranger and discovering that Center also had a similarly-timed, surprising, and delightful fall-in-love-with-romance moment. Oh, do I ever love a sense of connection with an author!

I also love a sense of connection with a character, and Sadie Montgomery's sassy independence, quirkiness, and self-deprecating humor was charming, though tinged with a bit of sadness. She is a portrait artist who, due to an unusual medical issue, is now living with a condition commonly known as face blindness - but that's not where the story begins. She has had a very strained relationship with her family since the death of her mother, which left her determined to succeed on her own - but also lonely. Her best friend, Sue, balances out what Sadie views as her shortcomings - Sue is cheerful, outgoing, and has a loving family who has welcomed Sadie in as if she's one of their own. And occasionally a "generic white male" appears in Sadie's life, for better or for worse. *Cue the somewhat obscured romantic storyline that makes you simultaneously crave reaching the end of the book to figure it all out but also wanting the sweet, slow burn to last forever* Does Sadie make mistakes? Absolutely! Some she can see coming and some she can't (but perhaps you, dear reader, can!). And we see that sometimes a serendipitous moment can change everything.

Katherine Center has created endearing characters in Sadie, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, and Joe; love-to-hate them characters in Dr. Montgomery, Lucinda, and Parker; and the best cheering squad you can imagine in Sue, Dr. Nicole, and Augusta. Her writing evokes a wide range of feelings; I laughed, wept inwardly, and had several a-ha! moments that would have been visible on my face to anyone nearby. Hello Stranger is a masterpiece of what Center explains to us (in her Author's Note) is a "positively valanced" novel, and I look forward - with great anticipation - to what she has in store for us next.

Sadie has been struggling ever since she gave up med school to pursue her dream of being a painter. She wants to follow in her mom's footsteps; becoming an artist, a top 10 finalist for the North American Portrait Society, and diagnosed with a rare brain disease. After her emergency brain surgery, Sadie's main side effect leaves her with face blindness. This is a HUGE issue as she has to paint a face for her final portrait work. Oh, and she has fallen for two someones she can't see.

Katherine (great name btw) Center is slowly inching her way up to my top rom-com authors, Emily Henry watch out. This is my second book by Center, my first being The Bodyguard and this one had a bit more depth to it. I laughed, I teared up, I thoroughly enjoyed every page and finished this in 2 days with 0 interruptions. It was a perfect palette cleanser and just what I needed to refresh my reading streak. Thank you so much Katherine (again love your name) St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I recommend this book if you are needing a cute, fun read. Rating this a 3.5.

This book was another Katherine Center hit for me. It was charming and heartfelt. The premise was a little out there, but I think it all came together well.

Sadie is struggling with life. Her family life isn't great, her job is not going well, and she lives in a hovel. After having brain surgery, she is also suffering from face blindness, very inconvenient when you are a portrait artist. This book is her story of working through life issues and perhaps finding love along the way.

I really adored this book. It brought out all the big feels for me. I loved her complicated love situation, I enjoyed the zany situations that the face blindness gave us, and I loved her journey toward reconciliation with her family. Sadie grew a lot throughout this book and learned a lot about letting others in. It was just a feel good book that left me smiling. I also really loved Katherine Center's author's note about romance novels and why they are the best. The hope that they bring us is important and worthy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. They always leave me with a happy feeling.
In this book, Sadie Montgomery has just heard she is a finalist in a portrait painting competition, the same one that her mother qualified for years ago, right before she died. But, Sadie has a seizure and awakens in the hospital to find that she needs to have emergency surgery on her brain to repair a defect which could cause sudden death. After having the procedure, Sadie has face blindness, or prosopagnosia, which means she can't recognize faces. This is disastrous for a portrait artist, but she still attempts to do her work. Her father has remarried, and Sadie's stepsister, Parker, is nasty, making Sadie's life miserable.
Meanwhile, her dog, Peanut, gets sick, and Sadie's vet, Oliver, asks Sadie on a date. Sadie plans out (in her mind) that she will marry Oliver. Then, a man in her building, Joe, takes an interest in Sadie. Now, Sadie is torn between the two men.
Of course, I saw the twist early on, but still enjoyed this love story, and Sadie's road to finding her way to seeing what she needs in life.

Hello Stranger Katherine Center

Hello, indeed. This is one of the best books I have read in 2 years! I enjoy a lot of books but this one will stick with me for a good, long while. I ordered it right after I finished the ARC.

Hello Stranger centers around Sadie Montgomery who is a struggling portrait artist who has an opportunity to win a National Portrait contest to show that she is good at what she does. While shopping for a celebration, Sadie has a medical emergency and needs surgery which causes her to have face blindness. Remember the part where she is a portrait artist? Hard to do your job when you can't see faces. The concept is so interesting and it was neat to learn more about face blindness. We see Sadie having to figure out how to live with this condition. She has her terrible family to deal with: a father who seems to really dislike her, a stepmother who is too much in her business, and an absolutely horrible step-sister that I was hoping would get what was coming to her. Sadie has her best friend, her friend's parents, and her wonderful dog, Peanut, in her life to help along the way. Along her journey, Sadie meets and falls in love with two men for different reasons. There is a twist at the end that makes the whole book.

I have only read one other Katherine Center book but she really makes her characters well-rounded. Sadie was fully formed and I loved how she truly discovers a new part of herself. While this is a romance at heart, I do like that we were on the journey and struggle with Sadie. Every character was brought to life and given something special to make them memorable.

Read the author's note at the end. I love how Katherine speaks of her joy for reading and how she started writing romance which can get a bad rap. Please go and read this book. You will not regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

I am DNFing this book after the ugly fatphobic conversation the main character overhears from a character who will clearly be her love interest. I’ve skimmed the rest and have learned that he’s talking about a dog, but Center should respect her readers more than to include this ugliness. Her last book was so unpleasant for me that I feel like this is a sign to stop now.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Katherine Center often says to read for joy… and, her latest book is full of joy.

What happens when you paint portraits for a living and lose the ability to see faces? Sadie is on top of the world one minute, celebrating the amazing news she is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition, and then wakes up in a hospital the next minute. Sadie develops face blindness due to a complication after a brain procedure. How will she paint portrait if she can’t see a face? And, how long will this side effect last?

Sadie has to learn to navigate her world without being able to know who is in front of her. Sadie also has to deal with her estranged family - a father who married quickly after her mom died when she was 14, a step-mother who doesn’t understand boundaries and an evil step-sister who still lives to make Sadie’s life hell.

Sadie soon meets two very different men, and falls for both, for different reasons. It seems the only constant in her life is Peanut, her beloved dog. As Sadie starts to realize there are different ways to see those around you, she must also learn to accept help from those around her who want to help her. She also has to reset how she handles emotions. One of my favorite lines from the book - “Our thoughts create our emotions. So if you fixate on your worst-case scenario, you’ll make things harder for yourself.”

Katherine Center’s author’s note at the end was spot on too - so many look down on romance novels, but why not read a book that leaves you feeling better than when you started it? Read for joy indeed!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for early access to this book for my honest review.

Hello Stranger
By Katherine Center
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Sadie Montgomery was finally getting the chance she’d been waiting for to show her father who ignored her very existence and her mother posthumously that she could make it as a portrait artist! That is until something turned her world upside down. How could a portrait artist recover from “face blindness?” I was so amazed at the way the author explained a true condition unknown by most in a way the reader could understand and sympathize with the character! It was fascinating! I was rooting for Sadie page after page! I loved how I was surprised at many turns and changes Sadie made throughout and how her growth enhanced her relationships. I listened to this book on audio and it was phenomenal! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the amazing Katherine Center for the ARC.

The day after I got home from vacation I was a little depressed so I knew it was time for me to read this one. The authors books are always like the warmest and softest hugs for me and this was no exception. While I love every aspect of her books where I think she really shines is in her great characters and Sadie was the most relatable and overall likable character I’ve read about in awhile. She made me laugh, I cried a little for her and I really admired her resiliency. I normally don’t like a love triangle but the author made me enjoy it here and that’s really saying something. Charmed was my overall takeaway here, I was charmed by Sadie from the moment she had a grocery store dance party by herself. I was also charmed by Joe after thinking there was no way he would ever win me over after his first scene and I was charmed by the amount of heart and passion this book emanated. Pure sunshine and delight here, loved it!

I went into this book without reading the blurb (because I trust this author that much) and I was pleasantly surprised by the plot. It's shocking and serious yet there are light moments. I'm not going to relay much about it here to give you the chance to go in blind too, because it was a fun experience.

This isn't a straight up romance novel, it's more contemporary fiction with some romance aspects. It's about Sadie's journey and that should be the focus. I liked her a lot, she was easy to relate to and root for.

I highly recommend this novel for Katherine Center fans, I think it's one of her best yet. I also recommend it for readers of chick lit and contemporary fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for this early copy! I absolutely adore Katherine Center and will read anything she writes. The Bodyguard was one of my favorite books last year. Hello Stranger was no exception!!! I predict this will be a favorite read of the summer. Absolutely loved it!

Imagine not being able to recognize faces; not even the faces of those you know. That’s what happens to Sadie Montgomery in this captivating novel from Katherine Center. Sadie is a portrait artist who is about to get her first big break in a prestigious art competition. Before the competition she has a medical emergency that requires brain surgery. Once she wakes up she’s unable to distinguish faces otherwise known as facial blindness.

Along her journey she meets two men. Joe is a neighbor in her building she initially dislikes after overhearing a disturbing phone conversation. Then she meets Oliver the vet who saves her beloved dog Peanut. She has an instant chemistry with Oliver and fantasizes a future with him one day. But Joe is not all he seems and as Sadie spends more and more time with him she starts to question her own skewed perceptions and assumptions.

Sadie’s mother died when she was young and since then she has made choices in her life that mirrored those of her beloved mother. This often puts her at odds with her father and toxic step family which leaves her feeling like she doesn’t belong. Her best friend Sue and Sue’s family are her lifeline. They provide a wonderful found family for Sadie.

As Sadie prepares for the art competition she’s faced with the choice of painting as she always has, like her mother or developing her own sense of style and identity.

I devoured this book in one night. It was captivating and sensual and the anticipation of what would happen next kept me wanting more. An absolute feel good romance. The author did such a great job painting the picture of facial blindness, something of which I had no prior knowledge. And the surprise … or not twist at the end was a nice touch.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

This is the third book I’ve read from Katherine Center and I just really enjoy her writing style. I found this book to be so fun and enjoyable for the very reason a few readers complained about it. It’s a delightful fairy tale with villains, true love, and a heroine who can rescue herself but also learns it’s ok to ask for help. It’s a story that problem seems to incredible to be plausible and that’s what makes it fun. You just have to roll with it.

Here’s the thing about rom-coms: they aren’t meant to be realistic. One should automatically assume that disbelief will need to be suspended to enjoy it. Let’s be honest- real life love stories are messy and don’t always end happily, which is probably why rom-coms appeal. Anyway, Center has a fantastic author’s note at the end that talks about this.

I absolutely loved that Center created a medical reason that drove the plot and created all the rom-com tropes we all read rom-coms for, like the big third act misunderstanding. And it worked so well because it wasn’t like Sadie, the MC was a total idiot for the misunderstanding- her acquired face blindness was the cause. Brilliant.

The face blindness was used very deftly to explore change, adaptability, and Sadie’s significant childhood traumas. At first I kind of thought Sadie was a victim and a whiner and as her story develops and she reacts to her medical condition, which also impacts her livelihood as a portrait painter, you start to discover the depth of the trauma and grief her family has experienced and why she is the way she is. I did get frustrated with her complete lack of awareness - with or without the face blindness.

I was blown away towards the end when I unexpectedly bust into tears at the sadness of her experience. And in this case, the unspoken conversations that usually create the romantic tension, were also used to explore BIG topics like grief and forgiveness. This novel has a lot of emotional depth.

I really liked the love interests - Joe the Weasel and Oliver the vet. You can probably guess the ending early on, but even if you do the rom-com journey is so fun. The supporting characters had some fun, developed personality traits. The rich descriptions of Houston and portraiture were interesting.

In terms of constructive criticism - I don’t have many notes. Parker as the villain sometimes felt too cartoonish even though she is proper psychopath. That didn’t quite work for me narratively. The pacing in the beginning felt slow and too much time was dedicated to trying to verbally describe experiencing face blindness. I thought some tighter edits could have resolved that. Center’s endings tend to be pretty long. I have still enjoyed them, but when an ending is like 50 pages it’s hard not to get impatient for it to end. I think some tight edits here would also help with pacing. The last 50 pages specifically felt too wordy. I’m sure the final version will be typo free - the e-ARC I received still had some typos.

That’s all I’ve got. I really liked this book and highly recommend it.

Funny, moving, and instantly engaging, Hello Stranger has one of the most fascinating set-ups I've ever encountered in a romance novel. With a great main character and a unique premise, this book is impossible to put down.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

I honestly don’t have much criticism of this one. The premise is intriguing—broke, portrait artist, Sadie, winds up needing brain surgery which results in a questionably temporary condition known as “face blindness”—meaning that she can no longer process faces. They look like puzzle pieces of features that haven’t quite been put together. But that’s not all: Sadie had just finally gotten her big break by becoming a finalist at a prestigious portrait competition. In a matter of weeks, she has to adjust to her new life and attempt to paint what she can no longer see.

Not only is the premise great, but the characters are quite lovable. Sadie’s life is really taking a turn, but she’s incredibly resilient and unintentionally charming. The story is told through her experiences, so we find things out as she does, making her an unreliable narrator and causing a lot of hilarious confusions. It’s been a long time since I’ve genuinely chuckled at something I’m reading, and this one had me laughing out loud by the end.

I also really appreciate that it didn’t wrap up too quickly. The pacing at the end felt perfect, and don’t even get me started on the warm and fuzzy feelings I got from these characters. And, the love story did not disappoint. Joe and Sadie’s dynamic is so funny. I could have gone without some of the sub plot about her evil stepsister—that felt a bit too juvenile and over the top—but I was satisfied when it played into the central conflict moment. Overall, great story-telling, funny moments, and lovely characters.

Why are you still reading? Go put this on your wishlist! It’s out next month—July 11th!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

📖: (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC for an honest review. This is hard book to review, because it’s really not like anything i’ve ever read. Certainly not like any other romance i’ve read. This is a very emotional book, that had me tearing up quite a few times. I really liked Sadie as a main character, i really felt for her, and enjoyed her inner dialogue. What she was struggling with was very complex and hard to describe and i think the author did a great job making it understandable. I would definitely say this was more of a women’s fiction than a traditional romance, it was definitely Sadie’s story, with more of a romance side-plot. And the writing was so good, it definitely kept me invested despite that. I will say, i did get a little impatient with the plot with Joe/the vet, just because as a reader you basically knew what was going on, but Sadie didnt, and you were just waiting for him to say something, and for her to find out. and he could’ve said something and cleared everything up so easily! Also i did not love the evil stepsister side plot, she was just a little TOO psychotic where it just felt a little unrealistic. But i did like the resolve of her and her father.
Overall, really beautiful writing, and once i got into it, i really couldn’t put it down, just some parts grew a little tedious. 3.5/3.75 stars.

I can't believe I'm giving such a low rating to a Katherine Center book, but this one was really not for me! The concept is absolutely fascinating: Sadie, a young woman who makes her living as a portrait artist, has to have lifesaving brain surgery that leaves her with a condition called face blindness; suddenly, she cannot recognize the faces even of people whom she has known for years. Not a great development for someone who has been accepted into the finals of a prestigious art competition, which requires her to complete a portrait in six weeks' time!

My main problem with the book is that Sadie decides she is not going to tell anyone (except her best friend) about this condition. This, obviously, leads to HUGE misunderstandings that could have been cleared up if she'd simply been honest. It's a (possibly temporary) disability, and her reasons for being so secretive just didn't add up to me! It made me think of what film critic Roger Ebert once referred to as "the idiot plot," a storyline that only functions if people behave like idiots.

Also, Sadie has a stepsister who is so evil she practically runs around cackling, "Ha ha ha, I just love ruining your life" (only a slight exaggeration). I can't get into the ending because I don't want to spoil it, but it was just one wacky misunderstanding after another. Very disappointing!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the review copy, via NetGalley.