I am no “stranger” to Katherine Center’s books, so when I saw last fall that she was releasing a new book this year, I instantly pre-ordered it and have been looking forward to its July release. Hello Stranger is honestly one of her best. And yes, I absolutely say that about each new book she writes, but she keeps outdoing her own damn self. The main character, Sadie, is instantly lovable and just a little chaotic (but in the best way). She brings struggling artist to a whole new level. Suddenly faced with a life-altering (and possibly temporary/ possibly permanent) diagnosis, she stubbornly pushes through her life, determined to be “normal.” She’s funny and kind and is the kind of character you wish was real, so that you can be friends. Her family is… complicated, but she pushes through, always. Hello Stranger made me laugh, but it also made me (briefly) ugly-cry. I have read some exceptional books this year, and this one is a standout. If you haven’t read anything by Katherine Center, then first of all, you’re nuts and second of all, pre-order this and go buy something from her backlist. You won’t be disappointed. Finally, please take the time to read the Author’s Note at the end. It’s 110% worth the time.

I am extremely grateful to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for ending my wait and giving me an advance reviewer copy, in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I did not, however, cancel my pre-order, because this is a book I *need* a physical copy of.

As always this was an incredibly unique story. KC just puts the most fun twists on her stories. While I had a hard time imagining Sadie’s condition, I still really enjoyed this story !

Hello Stranger is a nice light romance with an interesting twist - Sadie, a portrait artist, loses her ability to recognize faces. She can't recognize her family, friends, enemies, etc. The book was entertaining and a quick read, and some funny twists at the end that you can see coming way in advance, but they're still fun when they happen.

Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Katherine Center's books are always good, but Hello Stranger will leave readers happier than they were before they started the book. There are serious issues addressed, "Face blindness," or "Prosopagnosia" being chief among them, but others include parental neglect, career and financial insecurity, bullying, and loneliness. And yet, simple joy is the emotion that's paramount by the end of the novel. We come to care deeply about what will become of Sadie, a portrait artist, after she goes "face blind" following an accident, and we become intrigued by her out-of-the-blue infatuation with a local veterinarian and her random encounters with an odd neighbor. I could outline the entire plot, but that would be silly. Just go read the book. In her acknowledgments, the author talks about her obsession with stories being a way of "practicing their soul-nourishing, page-turning, life-changing magic." And that's exactly what she achieves.

Well, I loved this! Sadie has brain surgery & ends up with facial blindness. The kicker? She’s a portrait artist. And during this time, she meets new people and new possible loves. Highly recommend. Especially if you loved Center’s book, The Bodyguard. Similar vibes, but I actually liked this one a little better! Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

Hello Stranger was a unique, refreshing and absolutely wonderful experience as a reader. I was absolutely smitten with the way Sadie used art technique to describe everything around her, and I was totally bought into the story from the first description of the man’s face in the convenience store. I can’t say that I didn’t have a few suspicions along the way about people and situations and outcomes, but at no point did that detract from the experience. I found the unique perspective captivating and such an important part of the story line. Sadie’s situation 100% allowed the reader to experience a “typical romance” from a brand new place. It was really fun to read!

I could not be happier that I got a chance to read an advanced copy of Sadie & Joe’s love story. Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @katherinecenter for the advance uncorrected proof that I have voluntarily read and reviewed. A full review will be posted on my social media account (@mel.reads.romance).

I'm a long time Katherine Center fan, so I was excited to get an advanced copy of Hello Stranger! Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it ahead of release.

I read the book as part of a buddy read on Instagram (thanks to @kelseyandherbooks for setting this up!) where we spoke to Katherine about the book afterwards, and it was exciting to hear more about her research process and writing process. I had never heard of prosopagnosia before so it was fascinating (and a little bit scary) to learn about face blindness and how it effects people.

Hello Stranger is about Sadie, who after undergoing brain surgery, ends up suffering from face blindness. She soon has to learn to navigate the world without knowing who she's talking to - while managing her strained relationship with her father and her (truly) evil stepsister.

There's a great love story in here & some twists that come along with that- lots of banter that made the book for me. You do have to suspend belief a couple times but overall I really enjoyed and as always am on the lookout for her next book!

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

4/5 - Really liked it.

After reading "Things You Save in a Fire," I knew I'd read anything Katherine Center would write. Luckily, this initial conviction led me to read "Hello Stranger" and plunge immediately back into that velvety-soft joyful (somewhat frantic) bliss of discovering another cast of loveable characters in a feel-good romantic story that I couldn't put down.

It's difficult to review this book without giving away spoilers, so much like the main character, I won't focus on the "appearance" of the story and instead comment on how it made me feel. I inhaled the book in under 24 hours, because the characters were crafted in a way that made me deeply care about their well-being. They felt entirely real and I wanted - needed - to see them arrive at a positive outcome. Although the twists and turns were a little bit predictable, the resolution of conflict was still so satisfying. However, I did agree with Sadie when she lamented how in romantic comedies, so many issues could be resolved with basic communication - as was the case in this book. Alas, then we'd have no book!

The reason the book is not a perfect five for me is that much of the resolution felt very convenient - unexpected characters show up in the last second to save the day. Everything resolves very neatly, which snaps the reader out of the story for a moment because it's so unlike real life. This is perhaps a criticism of the romantic story genre more so than of this book, but I did feel that "Things You Save in a Fire" did a better job of avoiding this pitfall and for this reason, rated that book a 5 and this one a 4.

That being said, this is still a wonderful book and it made me FEEL wonderful. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants to feel warm fuzzies or to be reminded of how good, albeit confusing, it can sometimes be to be human.

Another beautiful story by Katherine Center!

This unique story is about Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, and how her entire world gets flipped upside down when she hast to have brain surgery due to a genetic condition that accidentally causes her to develop a condition known as face-blindness.

This wouldn’t be so awful if she wasn’t, you know a Portrait artist who draws faces for a living! Or that she hadn’t just been accepted into an exclusive portrait artist competition that has a looming deadline. Sadie has to learn all over again how to draw faces and come to terms with her situation and possible future as being completely faceblind.

Through this process, Sadie learns how to ask for help, something that she never does. Her relationship with her dad, stepmother, and evil stepsister (seriously, she is so evil) all take on new challenges.

Learning to be more confident with herself Sadie accepts a date with the hot (at least she thinks he’s hot) veterinarian Dr. Oliver Addison who helps save her elderly dog Peanut.

She also befriends another tenant in her building, Joe. At first, Joe seemed like a really weird and obnoxious guy, but ends up being someone she finds comfort in. Soon Sadie finds herself totally into Joe and has to break it off with the hot vet. What could go wrong?

Full of funny banter, beautiful storyline, and dabbling in the emotional grief of a deceased parent and one’s identity, this story is another amazing story by Katherine Center.

This is my first Katherine Center novel and I definitely enjoyed it! I really enjoyed seeing how Sadie navigated the world after receiving her diagnosis and felt like the book read like a very close look at her thoughts, almost like she was confiding in us every step of the way. At times, I was a bit frustrated with her immaturity but I think she was also very relatable how much she wanted to just feel free. I liked the focus on strengthening the relationship you have with yourself as I love books that center introspection. I did also notice several plot holes and there were several times when I really had to suspend disbelief, which detracted from the enjoyment of the story a bit but it was still very solid!

Hello Stranger is another five star feel good read from Katherine Center. Sadie Montgomery defied her father and changed her major from medicine to art in college. Now she’s a struggle portrait artist barely making ends but hope comes when she’s a finalist in a portrait competition. The prize would go along way in making her life easier. Sadie is thrown for a loop when a series of events uncovers a brain malformation. A simple surgery later and Sadie cannot see faces. Just six weeks to go until the competition and Sadie is struggling to paint what she cannot see. Sadie finds love among the blurred faces she sees only for everything to become messed up before a sweet HEA. Sadie is remarkable, taking on tragedy then turning it into personal growth and getting all up in the feels. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

4/5 stars

Trigger warning: medical content, brain surgery, car accident, grief, death of a parent and suicide attempt.

I've read a few Katherine Center books and I tried to go into this one blind (no pun intended). It is a very unique premise of a book and I can confidently say that I enjoyed such a different, type of romance book and I loved the second half. The reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating was that the first half of the book was all over the place and I had no idea where it was going. I also did not like her step mother, step sister and father at all. I also thought her best friend Sue made some poor decisions.

At the end of the book, I was thinking, 'woah, what just happened' I really want to reread this or listen to it on audio next time so get the full experience of what happened.

Read if you like:
•unique plots
•well done love triangles
•laugh out loud dialogue
•family drama
•swoony romance
•charming characters

Hello Stranger was such a different kind of romance than I had ever read before! Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist who has finally caught what she believes to be her big break when her whole life is flipped upside down, Literally! Sadie can no longer see anyone faces! Through out the story Sadie and her dog Peanut meets Dr. Addison and Joe from her building. Faced with falling for two different men while not being able to see their faces is something Sadie had no anticipated all while trying to prepare for a portrait contest. Sadie endures so much throughout the course of the book and learns so many important lessons in life. She sees success different and she learns to see herself in a new light! This book was so fun to read! I spend a lot of time googling "What do people who are face blind see?" and imaged the likes of Salvador Dali's melting clocks as faces. I liked seeing something new and different in the romance department and it made me appreciate my ability to remember faces! Katherine Center made this book so enjoyable, fun and sweet while also making her characters develop and learn in a real way! 4 stars!!!

I really liked this one! It’s your typical story of a pre-med student who switches career paths to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist. On a deeper level, Sadie is grieving the loss of her mother, while having a strained relationship with her dad, and then being recently diagnosed with the same condition that took her mom’s life. Of course there’s romance involved, and the twist at the end surprised me. My favorite character was her rescue dog, Peanut. Not my favorite one by Katherine Center, but I still would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC for my honest review.

This was simply delightful. Katherine Center knows how to deliver a lovely, happy, feel-good time.

I also LOVED the author's note at the end of this, which was basically an ode to rom-coms - this book was incredibly predictable (in the best way) and she talks about how that's often considered a negative thing, but really that's what makes rom coms so fun to read.

The premise of this book is a portrait artist about to get her big break who gets in an accident and gets face blindness - obviously very problematic for a portrait artist!!

I don't want to say too much else because you should just let this delightful plot carry you along, but YEP SO FUN.

I loved Sadie and learned about a new to me health condition.

When portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery, recovers from an operation on her brain she is left with prosopagnosia - face-blindness. The severity of this condition can be permanent though often recovery comes when brain swelling goes away. Sadie has a major life opportunity at portrait contest that requires a new painting so the pressure is on.

The characters in this novel are well developed and easy to love. Cheering on Sadie's attempts to overcome a lifetime of hurts and find real love for someone, beyond her dog Peanut, made this a happy ever after romance.

When Sadie learns to 'see what she is looking for' we get a life lesson we can all use.

📚Book Review 📚

Title: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Edition: Kindle
Date(s) read: March 15-17, 2023

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist waiting for her big break when she has an accident. Following surgery and during her recovery she realizes she can no longer see faces, a brain disorder called acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia.

What does this mean for the portrait competition she’s won a spot in? She has 6-weeks to relearn how to paint faces. Thankfully she has the support of Sue, her best friend, and Sue’s parents.

Along the way we meet ‘Joe’, who lives in Sadie’s building and is not at all who he seems; her beloved Peanut, a 14-year old dog; Dr. Oliver Addison, who takes care of a very sick Peanut; Lucinda, the wicked step-mother; Parker, the truly horrid step-sister; and of course Sadie’s father who has kept her at arms length since her mother died.

It’s no secret I’m a huge Katherine Center fan. Think - I own all her books then went back and bought them all again when the covers were redesigned. That being said, I didn’t love this one. I realized while reading Hello Stranger that I really dislike the whole evil step-mother and step-sister storyline from something a non-fairytale read. And sadly, so much of this story circled around how much Sadie hated said steps.

Was it worth reading? As a Center fan, absolutely. Would I add this one to my physical book library? I don’t think so.

*Thank you St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley, for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.


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I liked the story but I think that more potential could have been brought out of the story. The twist at the end was not a surprise to me because I had already figured it out. I loved Joe, he is so cute. Sadie's character is a bit more complicated because she's the opposite of Joe's, in that she doesn't allow herself to be helped. I liked being able to see Sadie's character evolve in terms of getting help. There were times when I found the reading a little heavy because I felt like the plot was getting too technical when talking about Sadie's condition or was slow to start developing the romance. But I liked the story of the protagonists, they were cute together and helped each other when the other needed it. I take this opportunity to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just incredible. All of the characters, especially Emma, make you fall in love.

Emma goes through something that few people comprehend. After having brain surgery, she loses the ability to identify people by their faces. Her response to this is so relatable. Emma depicts the difficulty that arises when accepting circumstances beyond your control, and at times our responses are less than ideal.

Emma's friendship with Peanut was wonderful. I felt this was a sweet portion of the narrative because I love dogs. I loved watching Emma use her other senses to get to know Joe.

I don’t know how Katherine Center does it, but her books pack an emotional punch that leave their mark. Hello Stranger was a combination of humor, hope, and heartbreak that I thoroughly enjoyed. It took me a minute to warm up to Sadie, but as soon as I did I was sucked into her story. Watching Sadie navigate her face blindness in addition to confronting demons from her past made for an engaging story filled with growth. Add in an adorable dog and a dash of romance and this book had all the components for an amazing read that made me both laugh and cry. Center is one of my auto-buy authors and Hello Stranger solidified her place on that list for me.

*Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.