Gosh Katherine Center has never written a bad book!
Hello stranger follows our main character, Sadie as she navigates suddenly experiencing face-blindness.
I absolutely fell in love with Sadie, her character was so fun to read about. There were laugh out loud moments and moments where I wanted to cry.
The authors note was really phenomenal and I think it should be posted everywhere for every person to read. The anticipation of this novel was phenomenal!!

Struggling artist, Sadie, develops face blindness after a near death experience which makes it hard to make a living as a portrait artist. We follow her as she struggles through that and develops a farfetched crush on her dog's vet. This was really cute and clever and humorous in parts. I love this author and will keep reading her books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available July 11, 2023.

When struggling artist, Sadie, has a brain surgery that affects her ability to see faces, she is tasked with finding a new way to paint a portrait for a contest that could change her career forever. When her original model leaves, Joe decides to volunteer to help. Despite her inability to see faces, Sadie starts falling for Joe and starts seeing a connection between them.
I gave this book 2 stars because it was okay, but I honestly found it kind of boring. We barely get any time between the two main characters before it was over. This book was more focused on Sadie’s family relationships and her portrait, when it would have been nice to get more romantic moments between the characters. This book was a bit too short and fast-paced for me. I found the ending to be a bit dumb. I don’t understand how she wouldn’t have known that. Other than that, Sadie seems like a realistic character. She is uncomfortable with asking for help and putting herself out there, which I can understand. Joe is the ultimate nice guy but not really unique in any way. Overall, I didn’t really care for this book but I feel like it would be good for someone who is looking for a quick easy read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

after reading 3 of her books i’m convinced nothing will come even CLOSE to THINGS WE SAVE IN A FIRE 🥹

it could have been me but this one missed the mark for me a bit. however like THINGS WE SAVE IN A FIRE, i loved the family themes in this one 🫶🏼

no steam/little romance (in my opinion) which is similar to her past work but the romance seemed forced in this one. as in, they said ILY and i was like woah, what? it came out of nowhere!! the plot was very creative though—a woman experiences negative side effects of a surgery and can no longer see people’s faces 🫣 i would freak out!!

how cute is this cover though?! check this book out and LMK what you think! thanks to St Martin’s Press for the gifted early copy 💙 this is deff a good/lighter comfort read! had me laughing a few times

TW: parent loss/grief

The story was a bit too predictable but I loved this idea that I knew very little about. It absolutely still seemed genuine.

Things are finally looking up for Sadie Montgomery. After struggling as an artist, just as her physician father predicted, she’s placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society’s annual competition. Unfortunately, the competition coincides with Sadie requiring emergent brain surgery. Also unfortunate, afterwards she’s diagnosed with a “probably temporary” side effect known as face blindness.

“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 in love―not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.”

I was so pumped to read this book after discovering Katherine Center’s work last year. The unique premise along with my love for everything KC drew me right into this one. Not to mention the gorgeous cover! Just like all of KC’s work it was written beautifully with meaningful messages woven in, the story flowed well & I enjoyed the interactions between the MC’s.

As much as I hate to admit it, sadly a few things just didn’t work for me. I found some of the plot a little too over the top & exaggerated at times while a couple of the secondary characters felt cartoonish. I’m someone who can usually suspend my disbelief pretty well & I struggled to buy this story as believable. I was also able to predict a big part of the book & spent the rest of my time reading waiting for my suspicions to be confirmed.

With all that said, if you are a KC fan or are intrigued by the blurb, I definitely recommend picking this one up. While it didn’t work for me, I’ve seen several 4⭐️ & 5⭐️ reviews, so who knows. This could be your next favorite 🤷🏻‍♀️

Katherine Center is an auto buy for me. An aspiring artist is the main character and she is so wonderfully described throughout the novel. Well-plotted and paced. A must read.

I was so stoked to receive an advance copy of this knowing her other books have been such crowd pleasers! After reading this, it's easy to see why her writing style is so loved. This had an enjoyable flow and was a great, light hearted comfort read. It was exactly what I needed during this past stressful week.

I loved the family dynamic of her 'chosen family' as well as the storyline of her relationship with her mother. I also loved the sweet beginnings with Sadie's love interest and the moments they shared together (especially over birthday cake).
This barely has any spice so if that is your cup of tea this book might not be for you. The miscommunication trope is not my fav so this wasn't quite a hit for me but overall I enjoyed it.

I read Hello Stranger in one night. I was interested in the rarely touched-on issues (Prosopagnosia, cavernomas) and Center is a talented wordsmith. I went into this expecting more of a romance, but the book's focus is definitely Sadie and her struggles. The romance is basically a subplot, which is a shame because I wish we had a little more information on the love interest, particularly regarding his ex-wife and his need to constantly help people.

Do not expect any crazy twists or turns. I was able to predict the ending very early on. There are a lot of "coincidences" and carefully structured conversations that will make you go, "really?" But, as long as you are okay with a mostly predictable read (maybe you're the type of person who likes to read the last page?), you will like this book! Center really transports you into Sadie's world.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sadie's personality, especially in the beginning, was hard to connect with which made me have to force myself to keep reading. I get the challenge that was implied and explained over time with the family, but she fell flat for me as a character. Many fragmented sentences or one word sentences that was very distracting. I don't know what editors are thinking when I keep seeing this with a lot traditionally publishing books. There were some redeeming qualities to the story, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Oof. Let me just say, I love the author and I LOVED The Bodyguard. Perhaps it was me and my mood, but I just did not enjoy this one. There wasn’t any sort of depth, yet it had waaaaay too much drama.

This was the first Katherine Center book I have read. It made me think of how I view things in life and challenged me to think more positively about aspects of my life.

I enjoyed getting to know Sadie as a struggling artist and facing the challenge of having a medical condition that left her unable to recognize faces. I did find the relationship with her family especially her sister who went out of her way to try to ruin Sadie at a young age and continued into adulthood a little too much, However, I overall enjoyed the book. I loved how Katherine weaved the relationship of Sadie and Joe throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Such an amazing story! This had me at hello. Sadie is an artist, but when she discovers she needs brain surgery and a little complication leaves her with prosopagnosia, or face blindness, how will she navigate an upcoming portrait contest or friends, family, and neighbors when she can no longer recognize them?! This was such a fabulously unique story of loss, helplessness, courage, empowerment, friendship, and love. Sometimes not seeing, can help you see all the other more important things that matter, and lead you to find love in the most unexpected way. Definitely recommend this one!! Thanks so much to Katherine Center, the publish, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this amazing ARC!

I didn't expect a story about a mc with prosopagnosia to hook me so immediately. After all.. how is an artist supposed to paint a portrait with face blindness?

Sadie's struggle to escape her condition was intriguing as it really forced her to look inward and reevaluate her views on everything around her. Katherine Center gave Sadie such a unique voice that had me laughing out loud through the entire book.

This story just got warmer and sweeter the farther along I got.

First of all, what a crazy but intriguing premise for a story to begin with. It sounds so far-fetched but as the medical condition gets explained suddenly all the things that seems so ridiculous begin to make complete sense and, thus, you get sucked into the story - so invested in the love story between Sadie and Joe.

And the plot twist at the end....was NOT expecting that. I'm not often blindsided with twists but this one truly came out of nowhere and it put the biggest smile on my face.

I do feel like more time and attention could have been paid to Parker's character to really establish her history and build a better foundation as to why she is so terrible towards our FMC, Sadie. She is clearly the "enemy" of the story but she's so terrible that sometimes it was hard to buy that anybody could be this horrible to another human being. It is explained a bit but not enough for me to fully buy in that someone could be THAT bad of a person.

I especially appreciated the Note from the Author at the end - it's such a beautiful ode to the power of romance novels that perfectly articulates why they are so beloved.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I consumed it in about a day and I can't say I've ever disliked a book that I finished so quickly.

Happy Reading!

Thank you Katherine for getting me out of a reading slump!
Your books just keep getting better and better.
I enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book. From Saide, to Sue, to Joe and the Kims. They were all a pleasure. Sadie had a lot to work through. From her past to her new face-blindness and she worked through it all as many of us would. This is one of the things I love about Katherine’s books. Her characters are so real. You can see yourself in any of them. I love Sadie and Sue’s friendship.
And let’s not forget Joe. What a sweet man! And the evolution of Sadie and Joe’s relationship- so sweet. Go read this now!

What an interesting read about dealing with unexpected circumstances and seeing beyond the moment. Really enjoyed the journey between these two characters and the way their relationship developed. I found elements rather predictable but cute all the same. I’d recommend for a light read and those eager for a little enlightenment as they look at life.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
2.5 stars
Once again I'm in the minority on this one. I'd loved every Katherine Center book until The Bodyguard which I disliked so much I almost DNF'd it. Sadly, same with Hello Stranger. I really did not like the main character of Sadie. Even from the very beginning in the grocery store scene - who in the world is that mean to someone who is simply trying to help? And did he truly not recognize her later? Why didn't he say something? Well, I guess there wouldn't be a story otherwise. The whole thing was ridiculous. I did like Joe a lot, but could tell from the first elevator scene with him exactly how everything with him would turn out, so no surprises at the end of the book. I kept waiting for it to get better. I found myself speed reading and skipping sections, which is never a good sign. Two strikes in a row won't stop me from reading this author in future but I can't say I wasn't disappointed again.

What an interesting story! I sat down to start it with the intention of doing other stuff, like parenting, and instead ignored all my responsibilities until the last page. It was funny. It was charming. It was mean (you'll want to strangle the stepsister). Sadie grew on me. I try not to read a description of the book beforehand so I wasn't sure where we were going. But she quickly became a character I felt I needed to protect. And throughout the book anyone who loved on her you love and anyone who hurt her you wanted to be hurt. The book is that good! I learned about something I'd never even heard of before and that was also quite enlightening. We never know what a person is going through... so nice to exhibit compassion at all times. Great reminder!

This is without question my new favorite Katherine Center book!! She sure knows how to pull on our heartstrings with the most amazing characters and sentimental stories.

Center has a way of writing characters that are so deep and relatable and from the moment Sadie started singing that Smokey Robinson song I knew she was my kind of gal. I felt like I knew her from that point on. I cried with her as she struggles, I laughed at her antics, and I just couldn’t help but swoon as she fell for her unlikely prince charming.

As for Joe there aren’t enough words to fully describe how much I loved his character.

If you like laugh out loud dialogue, swoon worthy romance moments, love triangles, adorably written dogs, family drama, and unique plots then this is for you!

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review