Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

HELLO STRANGER was my first Katherine Center book, and I found it to be an enjoyable quick read! A heartfelt, sweet story with a great premise and effortless writing this was a cute and fun book full of endearing characters. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

Like her late mother, Sadie Montgomery is an artist - a "starving artist". Her specialty is Norman Rockwell style portraits and while she's struggling to earn recognition, she works hard at her craft. After learning her work has earned her a coveted top ten spot in the same competition her mother had placed in, Sadie is excited to start on the portrait she'll enter in the contest. This is it . . . this is her big chance. The only fly in the ointment is the discovery she needs surgery that can't wait. She has six weeks until the show so no problem, right? When Sadie awakens from surgery, it quickly becomes apparent that she can't identity the faces of those around her. Her doctors explain she has "acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia aka face blindness", but not to worry. It will resolve itself shortly; however, days pass without any improvement in her condition. Meantime an emergency trip to the vet with her dog Peanut proves interesting as she feels an immediate mutual attraction with the new vet who soon asks her out. Embarrassed over her condition, she stays silent about the fact she can't tell what his face looks like and accepts his invitation. And just like that, Sadie has made the decision to keep her face blindness to herself, telling no one. She learns to cope and identity people in other ways - like by clothes they routinely wear, etc. Her annoying neighbor Joe proves to be quite helpful when she needs a hand, and in spite of herself, she has to admit there's also a budding attraction between them. So here she is - a couple of weeks until the portrait contest, a contest she knows could change her life and she can't paint. If that's not enough, she finds herself falling for two men . . . and she doesn't know what either of them looks like. What's she going to do?

Hello Stranger is a highly entertaining, light hearted romance with heavy underlying subject matter. I've never heard of face blindness, but can imagine it would be quite terrifying for anyone - let alone someone who depends on "seeing" faces for their career. Through Sadie's struggles with the issue, readers learn more about neurological disorders and available coping skills one can utilize. Center does a fantastic job with character development and plot twists while setting a steadily increasing pace and hopeful tone. A healthy dose of laughter and an emerging love affair (or two) make this one a delight to read even as Sadie is faced with deciding which of the two men vying for her attention she'll choose. Never a fan of love triangles, I was concerned going in as to how this would play out. It took me until near the end to see what was happening and while it's not completely believable, it makes for a highly entertaining read. Fans of romance and rom coms will enjoy this one.

I could never imagine having face blindness… especially if I was a portrait artist! This female MC has to undergo brain surgery and in the process suffers from face blindness. She then has to navigate her life in a whole new way… throw in some family drama, confusing identities, and processing grief and this rom com is another hit from Katherine Center!

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for the early release.

I finished this book in a few hours, it was a delightful read.

Sadie Montgomery is an independent portrait artist living in Houston and she doesn’t need anyone to save her. She has entered a portrait painting contest and is in the top 10. She will need to paint a final piece for the final judging panel, except after having brain surgery Sadie can’t see faces anymore. Her 14 year old dog peanut brings her comfort, she can still see his steadfast face that’s been with her through all the turmoil in her life. Including an evil stepsister determined to cause havoc.

I love a good Rom Com book that has some depth to it. Sadie has great character development and I loved to see her accept and overcome her medical condition. I loved seeing her friendship with Joe deepen and how she sees past her initial impression that he was a gigolo.

Heartfelt, funny, and delightful.

Thank you NETGALLEY for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been enjoying other Katherine Center books and this one does not disappoint. Her books seem to have more substance to them than some other romance novels and I appreciate that about them. This book in particular really hit the mark dealing with the issue of face blindness. I wasnt sure where it was going. Sadie really is a character you can root for, and you feel really good about where we leave her at the end of the book. Her step sister Parker is one of the most unlikeable characters I have ever come across and her meanness came out in every word that was written for her.
Sometimes I had to suspend disbelief a tiny bit, but it was a very satisfying read. I also recommend reading the notes from the author. I love insights into the reading process and it made me an even bigger fan of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried liking this book, but I'll be honest, this is one of the most frustrating books this year.

I'll start off with the things I liked.

The premise is really unique. It's my first time encountering someone with face blindness, and it's interesting to learn more about it, and how people with similar issues try to navigate life. I also really liked the main character's best friend, Sue, and Sue's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kim. And kudos to the complex family relationship that Sadie has with her father and stepmother.

On the other hand, there were two main things that bothered me so much. Firstly, the evil stepsister. I thought we've left that with Cinderella. You know, absurdly irrational caricature-evil step-sibling. The stepsister here is so one-dimensional, and obsessed with Sadie for no apparent reason. At one point there was an explanation about her having some kind of childhood trauma, but it felt more like an afterthought instead of an actual "villain origin story."

Also, I am a hater of miscommunication trope, and this book is just one miscommunication after another, so imagine my frustration. I thought that with face blindness, Sadie would be more critical in other aspects, but nope. There's a major miscommunication, but I can't go into details without spoiler.

All in all, kind of disappointed with the book. I was just hoping for a nice, fun read, but the book instead just frustrated me.

I really was not sure about this book until I was around 80% done. It reads easy and is undeniably interesting from the beginning, but it took me awhile to to really get into it, and once I did, I could not put it down for the life of me. It is such a unique, clever concept, and it is impossible to not fall in love with Sadie, and feel frustrated with her and heartbroken with her. I adored Joe, and truly, I appreciate less traditional romantic leads. His persistence and appearance in her life from the beginning really was well done. Peanut was also a delight. I loved The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, and while this is starkly different, I love it just as much, although probably a lot more. I look forward to reading any other books she releases. Justice for Buttercup.

I love everything Katherine Center writes and this book is no exception! She just knows how to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Hello Stranger has an unusual premise for a romance novel and kept my interest throughout. I loved the main character and her journey through creating art, grappling with face blindness, and finding love. This book kept me on my toes and I loved the little twists and discoveries peppered throughout. The love interest was adorable and lovable. It was well-paced and had laugh out loud moments. Wonderful!

This is okay. I found that I didn’t relate well to the main character. She hates her step sister so much but without her face didn’t even recognize her? I mean that seems unrealistic to me. And I probably just spoiled the whole book… anyway I think I’ll finish it but right now I really want to DNF, everyone says the ending makes up for the beginning so maybe…

I love this author. I read thrilled to receive this book as an ARC from netgalley.com. It wasn’t the best book I’ve read by Katherine Center but I enjoyed it very much. It was confusing in the middle but after reflecting on that, I think that is purposeful! Center writes the book in such a way that she makes you love some characters and hate some of the others. Thank you to netgalley.com and the author and publisher for this ARC in trade for my honest review. Do not miss reading the author's note. It was profound, and hugely affected my rating and affinity towards this book. Read it. You won’t be sorry.

ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Katherine Center for providing a copy of this galley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I’ve read by Katherine Center and it was positively delightful! I obviously knew where it was going from the beginning but it didn’t make it any less fun to take the ride. I’m always glad to find a romance with an interesting premise to make the story more compelling and Sadie’s face blindness gave this a very different way of making the miscommunication work.

The only negatives I have are similar to what I’ve seen others say. Parker’s obsession with ruining Sadie’s life doesn’t seem terribly believable. Like maybe the high school stuff makes sense but to continue with the hyper fixation seemed extreme. The other, less important thing was this galley had a number of mistakes that were confusing enough to take me out of the story occasionally. I know they will be fixed so I didn’t let that impact my overall review.

Possibly my favorite part of this whole book is the author’s note. It makes me feel validated and helps to encapsulate what it is about romance that keeps me coming back for more every time. It is a love note to people who read love stories and it made me want to read everything Katherine Center has ever written!

Sadie, a struggling artist, finally gets her big break when she is a finalist in a portrait competition. But then she has a seizure in the middle of the street which leads to brain surgery and her recovery isn't as quick or as easy as she had hoped. In comes her insufferable neighbor, Mr. Joe Helpful, who she can't possibly be attracted to because she is destined to fall in love with her dog's handsome veterinarian, Dr. Oliver Addison! But as time goes on and Sadie's recovery continues to be a struggle, she starts to think that maybe Joe isn't so bad after all.

My thoughts:
I can't get enough of this book and I'm so sad it is over! This funny, lighthearted, Cinderella-esque rom-com was a total delight and totally binge-worthy! This was my third book by this author and it didn't disappoint! I've already pre-ordered a physical copy!

Katherine Center is a genius when it comes to writing lovable, relatable characters (except Parker, she can just go away).

I was really blown away by face blindness! I found that fascinating and found myself googling what having face blindness might be like! Such a unique topic and a lovely story to cover it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

➠ ʙᴏᴏᴋ: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

➠ ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: 7/11/23

➠ ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 5/5 sᴛᴀʀs

➠ 💭 Y’all…I’m convinced Katherine Center can do no wrong when it comes to writing books. She just continues to impress me book after book. If you are looking for a book about an struggling artist who has been put through the ringer and gets diagnosed with a medical condition right before the biggest show of her career centered around a love story, read this. I promise you won’t regret it.

👍🏼
🧠 I’ve heard about her condition before, but never knew the ins and outs of it. I loved learning so much about it and bringing more awareness to those that have this condition.
🔚 The epilogue!!!! If you read this book, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE EPILOGUE. I’ve never thought about romances this way, but it was so true.
🙋🏼‍♀️ A lot of people have said that they didn’t like the MC, but I loved her. She is so beyond strong from what she has went through, but continued to move forward.

Such a refreshing new romance from Katherine Center and unlike any that I have read thus far. I knew after reading the first page that I would love this book. There are many wait what? moments, some serious really thought provoking moments, along with some humorous moments. Sadie is an Artist who thinks she is on the road to her big break when everything changes. She is a very lovable character who you continue to root for as she maneuvers her way through face blindness, parent relationship/ family issues, and learning that asking for help isn’t a weakness. Sadie’s struggles are very relatable as no one wants to fail and everyone deserves to feel loved in some way. This book is a fun rollercoaster of emotions. Life is not easy but, “The more good things you look for, the more you find”. I got this book as an arc for an honest review.

Overall book rating is 3.5/4stars.
Sadie is a portrait artist who has an accident and then brain surgery leading to face blindness. The first 40% of this book spent a lot of time describing her inability to see faces and left me feeling very claustrophobic and uncomfortable, at no fault to the book of course, but it is what it is. So the first half is 3 stars. However, I throughly enjoyed the second half and the leading man was delightful. Sadie has it rough in the family department also. I find my least favourite characters are never the evil villains striving for world domination but the regular mean people who you could encounter in your every day life, IE Parker.

1. Oh, this was the best romance I’ve read in a long long while. This was my first Katherine Center and it will absolutely not be my last.
2. This was funny and heartwarming and silly and serious.
3. I seriously enjoyed watching the events unfold as Sadie learns to really see people after brain surgery leaves her with acquired face blindness just as she’s supposed to be painting a life-changing portrait for a contest her mother had been about to enter before her own death left Sadie isolated and rejected within her family.
4. While going through all the detritus associated with all of that, Sadie falls for the vet that saves her doggo Peanut’s life but also falls for the helpful guy that lives in her building.
5. This is that book that when it’s over you smile, hug it to yourself, and seriously consider just turning back to page one and starting over all over again. I preordered a finished copy of this one as soon as off finished. I cannot wait to reread this!

This is an insightful, unique romance, with a twist!! I could not put it down!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
The author has created such an intriguing story that I continued to read it for hours on end. She gives us a medical mystery of sorts that incorporates the changes and impact in someone’s life, along with the ability to compensate for that change.

This story is a combination of humor, stress, emotion, friendship, strong ties, and romance. It’s surprising in so many ways and the wonderful twist at the end simply makes it that much better.

Center’s ability to write a story that just captures your heart and soul is truly magnificent. You know when you continue to think about a book after you’ve closed the cover you have a true winner on your hands. Something has gotten down deep in your soul and has made an impact on you. That is how you know a truly creative writer and beautiful storyteller and this one has it!

While this is the first story I’ve read by this author I am intrigued enough to search out additional books by her. I love the way she captures life details, emotions, and relationships with others that take you along for the ride. I adore the way she writes a romance that is so unexpected and yet complex in many ways.

Hello Stranger truly is a unique work of art, an insightful, unique romance, with a twist! I highly recommend you check it out.

Hello stranger takes us along through the story of a struggling Artist named Sadie and Norman. Well written, highly recommended

This was my first Katherine Center book and liked it! I was hooked immediately in the blurb when I saw the main character was an artist who couldn't recognize faces. Face blindness is such a unique condition that I had never given thought to and this book made me appreciate something in life I take for granted - like the ability to recognize faces. My mom is an artist so I loved reading the artist side of living with this condition. The thing that really stood out to me was Sadie's inner dialogue and character arc. We get to see her journey of learning to view the world around her through positivity and not through only one lens.

Some people may say this story is cliche and too predictable, but the author does an amazing job at answering those remarks in her author's note. Romance books are SUPPOSED to be predictable. Believing in a happy ending outcome is called "hope" and Ms. Center delivered what what she wanted this story to give - joy and positivity!

My big issue: Although I really liked the love interests and they were given some backstory, I did not connect to them emotionally enough to be super invested in the romance.

I'm looking forward to reading more of her books soon!

* Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Hello Stranger

4.25 ⭐️

Sooo glad I got to enjoy this ARC from @netgalley! And I’m even more excited to actually see @katherinecentwr and discuss it in @kelseyandherbooks upcoming buddy read discussion!

I love Katherine Center’s writing; it’s always this balance between romance and tough life situations, laugh out loud funny pieces and sob crying. Hello Stranger is full of all those emotions.

Joe and Sadie (and Sue too) were such true characters. It took my brain a while to warm up to Sadie, but she was so beautiful in the end, with her grief and warmth.

Last comment: I don’t always read the notes from authors at the end, but the buddy read group kept saying how good it was. Do yourself a favor and read it.