I truly expected more from this book since I feel in love with Katherine Center previously books. And this wasn't it for me. I wasn't vining with the characters or their chemistry with each other. That's something important to have when it's about a romance book. Honestly, I kinda felt bored while I was reading this book. Sorry but not sorry.

I’m entirely bummed to report Hello Stranger was just okay for me. 😞 Perhaps my expectations were too sky high after I fell hard and fast for Katherine Center’s writing in The Bodyguard.
When Sadie, our main female character has a seizure/subsequent brain surgery/and experiences face blindness, her shot at taking home the winning prize in a portrait art contest narrows drastically. She bounces between the sweet and helpful guy from her apartment complex (Joe) and the intriguing, mysterious vet (Dr. Oliver Addison) whom she takes her elderly, ailing dog Peanut to for care.
My kindle told me we didn’t see any romance or even the beginnings of connections forming until over 40% into the book. The pacing just felt off. Although Sadie was dealt a poor hand during the snap shot of this part of her life, she couldn’t get out of her own way to pick up the pieces and make smart decisions. The way she frustrated me kept me from feeling a sense of empathy for what she was going through. I saw the “plot twist” coming from a mile away at the very start of the book and the wrapping together of all the loose ends just felt cheap to me. I did however really appreciate the research the author for this book, as well as her author’s note where she shares the sentiment of wanting to reframe rom coms as “hopeful” instead of cheesy or predictable. This one was just a little too on the nose to get my full seal of approval, but I’ll pick up her upcoming book without hesitation regardless!

Katherine Center is a must read author for me. I have to say that this one is my top three of her books. So good!!! Her books have a twist that is just delightful.

I adored this love story! Very creative storyline and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved Sadie and was rooting for her the whole time. I wish I would have picked this one up sooner. Katherine Center is an auto read author, especially now. Her stories do not disappoint. I can't wait to share this with everyone!

A lovely romance by Katherine Center, Hello Stranger follows artist Sadie Montgomery who must navigate a hopefully temporary case of face blindness.
Unable to paint, make a living, or recognize those around her, Sadie inexplicably falls in love!

**I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Center has become an automatic read for me, based on her previous book, The Bodyguard, and this book, Hello Stranger. I absolutely loved it!

Center has a way of crafting a female character who lives with an issue or a disability of some sort and shows how even with these factors, the character can find happiness and acceptance. In this book, Sadie has to relearn so much when she experiences a medical episode, and it is through her that the reader learns so much about her condition. Center does her research, for sure!

Highly recommended!!

What another great read by one of my favorite authors!! Really enjoyed the characters and had me captivated from start to finish!!

Katherine Center is typically an author I enjoy a lot, but this missed the mark for me. It's an interesting concept for sure, but I wasn't feeling the romance and didn't buy into it.

Things we Save in a Fire will forever have my heart. <3

I decided to give this title three stars, The story was great, I unfortantely just had a diffifcult connecting with any of the characters and their stories. This is my first Katherine Center book and am looking forward to reading more in the future. Thank you!

Oh I LOVE Katherine Center books and this was no exception!!! This is beyond just being a romance book, but its about growing in all areas of your life. I felt like I understood the main character and what she was going through. I know I read this post-pub but I will be sure to add this to my recommended reads list! Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC!

What I liked:
- the *very* unique premise
- no spice
- sweet characters
- pets!!

What I didn't:
- too unique and entirely unrealistic conclusion. i can understand that romcoms are FICTION and not real life. that's why i read them. this was on another level.
- sadie was annoying i'm sorry?? where is the critical thinking??
- the characters were one dimensional. joe was perfect and parker was evil and sadie was clueless. the dad was the only one with some character development.
- took 50% to get into it. i almost DNFed.

glad i did not DNF - sweet ending and fun book to read while students are testing!

I liked the book and understood the message it was trying to convey. The main character was a little hard to like. The story was a little over the top for me but the book was a quick read. It also had me reading more about true facial blindness.

I absolutely love Katherine Center's writing and I think I've read nearly all of her books. This one didn't *quite* hit the mark for me, but was still an enjoyable read.

Despite the fact that Sadie had some pretty serious medical issues early in the story, it's still written in that Katherine Center-esque heartwarming and fun way, full of plenty of humour and heart. Just like reading some of Lisa Genova's books, this story deals with a medical issue called "face blindness" and it's hard to read about when you've never actually experienced it yourself (think, Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova). However, the story goes on about how Sadie has to learn to view the world and the people in it a bit differently - especially if she wants to submit her portrait for the contest that is sure to set her life on track.

I will say, I did not like Sadie's family, and Sadie did come across as self-centred throughout the story (but is it really hard to imagine that, given what she's going through? She's bound to feel frustration.). There is also a "twist" at the end of the story (as there usually is) that was not much of a surprise at all.

However, as with all Katherine Center books, this was still an enjoyable read, despite my issues. I will still recommend her books to readers who love romantic comedies, laugh-out-loud stories, and interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eCopy of this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and these thoughts are my own.

I will read anything Katherine Center writes. She is pure magic on paper! This book is about a woman who has suddenly acquired face blindness and wakes up in a hospital room and all the faces she sees are all jumbled. I cannot even imagine this! And here's the kicker, she's a painter, and paints portraits!! As always, there is a love interest, a dog and all the feels. Highly recommend!

While I didn't like this book as much as I liked The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, I still thought it was an enjoyable read. I also thought the premise was clever and it slightly reminded me of the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I still think this would be a book that I would purchase and/or read again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an early copy of this book with me!

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I've read a few Katherine Center books (and enjoyed them). However, this one wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing this one honestly. The premise of the book is really unique - our female main character ends up diagnosed with face blindness. She is a portrait artist, which makes this increasingly difficult to do her work. What also ails the FMC, is that she is a finalist in a competition - one of her greatest life achievements. Cue the difficulties that ensue when it comes to the final piece for the competition! In addition to this struggle faced by our main character, there is a budding romance as well. I found this book to have a great idea and I've heard great reviews on this one!! I just was not vibing with this one....it'll certainly work for many, just not for me.

I love Katherine Center's books. They are always heartfelt, heartwarming, and sweet. This is no exception. A character with face blindness sets the premise for looking at the world in a different way. The characters are real, easy to fall with with, and relatable. There were laugh out loud moments and I couldn't put the book down because I had to see how it all resolved. Safe to say I will read anything this author writes (I already have her next book on my shelf!).

Such a cute love story with complex characters and fun side stories. I really wanted more of Sue and Witt, maybe next book? Parker and her issues got annoying, like could anyone be that bad? Is that even accurate? I loved learning a bit more about facial blindness.

Thank you Net Galley for a free e-arc of this book.

I’ve loved Katherine Center books in the past, but this one didn’t hit for me. It felt rather simple and a little cliché. Although I learned a bit about facial blindness - I found it odd she couldn’t distinguish people, she’s known forever, by their voices.

Overall it was a cute story with a nice message and I’d recommend it to people who are looking for a that type of read.

This was a very cute rom-com by Katherine Center. I felt that it had a unique premise with the facial blindness and enjoyed learning more about prosopagnosia. It was full of witty banter as I've grown to expect from Center. I'll be honest that it wasn't my favorite of her novels, but I still really enjoyed it overall and her novels are quickly becoming "Auto Buy" books for me.