I Dnfed this at about 20%. Unfortunately the author's writing doesn't vibe with me and I couldn't get into the story.

Sadly this is my least favorite title by Katherine Center. This book had a main character that turned out to be quite annoying. It was very sad with what she was going through with her face blindness, both it didn’t need to be brought up so repetitively. It took away from the story. It took me too long to finish the book because I wasn’t excited to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 STARS

Hello Stranger is a captivating romance that stands out due to its unique premise—one of the main characters suffers from face blindness, adding a fresh layer of complexity to the typical love story. The book delivers an emotional yet heartwarming narrative, with well-developed, likeable characters who feel both relatable and endearing. The surprises woven into the plot kept me intrigued, and the romance unfolds in a way that feels genuine and touching. The story also highlights the challenges and nuances of living with a condition like face blindness, which adds depth and authenticity to the character's experience. Overall, this book is a delightful and thought-provoking read, perfect for fans of romance with a twist.

Katherine Center literally never disappoints. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the uniqueness of the plot. It was not my favorite by her, but I did thoroughly enjoy this one!!

A slower but rememberable book an entertaining romance that deals with unexpected changes. Sweet but not spicy. Saw the twists coming but still enjoyed it.

*Hello Stranger* by Katherine Center is a heartfelt and uplifting romance with a unique twist. The story follows the protagonist, who experiences a life-changing event and finds herself navigating her emotions while developing a connection with someone unexpected. Center’s writing is warm and engaging, and she does a great job balancing emotional depth with humor.

The characters are well-developed, and I appreciated how the protagonist's personal journey of healing and self-discovery was handled. The romance is sweet and slow-burning, with plenty of moments that tug at the heartstrings. However, there were parts of the story that felt predictable, and the pacing was a bit uneven, which kept it from fully capturing my attention.

Overall, *Hello Stranger* is an enjoyable, feel-good read with plenty of heart, but it didn’t leave the lasting impact I was hoping for. It’s a perfect pick for fans of Katherine Center's writing or anyone looking for a gentle, emotional romance.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author. And this did not disappoint. I have already added this to my bookshelf.

Katherine Center is such a solid romance writer. Hello Stanger While this was not my favorite of hers, I did enjoy and thought it was very cute.

My first word of warning about me and my review, I LOVE anything Katherine Center. She’s my #1 girl, any new book announcement will immediately be preordered and shelved on Goodreads. As no shock to anyone, I loved this book and have been recommending it to everyone I know. The premise behind this one was so different than anything I’ve heard or read before, which just made me want to learn more about the female MC. Could you see the ending coming? For sure. I don’t mind it though since I know there’s going to be a HEA at the end and I enjoy watching the MC’s journey throughout the book. Tears were shared, I for sure laughed out loud, and (imo the best part about a KC book) by the end my heart felt so nice and warm.

"You can't see when you're not looking."

There are many lessons of love and grief in the engrossing romantic Hello Stranger by one of my favorite romance authors, Katherine Center.

Sadie feels she's on the right path when she's a finalist in a prestigious art portrait contest; until she's hit by a car, has a lesion on her brain that should be removed to avoid deadly consequences, and wasn't told about the remote chance of developing Prosopagnosia, face blindness. How's a portrait artist supposed to make a living when faces appear jumbled to her brain?

In the midst of this catastrophe, Sadie is dealing with unresolved grief over her mother's death when she was 14 years old. Her Dad remarried quickly giving Sadie her nemesis, stepsister Parker, who is best described as, "She has a pretty face. Too bad she ruined it by being pure evil."

I was genuinely thrilled to hear Patti Murin narrate this book with her ability to express grief, anger, sarcasm, love and humor with pure realism. When Sadie meets veterinarian Oliver Addison to treat her dog Peanut, she starts planning their wedding in her mind even though she has no idea what he looks like; then she meets Joe who seems to be a player but is always there when she needs someone.

I alternated reading and listening to this romance that blurred the lines with family drama, life changing medical issues and finding yourself. Sadie's two men care for her but neither knows about her face blindness. She's so focused on not needing anyone that she's not seeing the truth, an obvious twist, and it has nothing to do with her illness. We often look in the mirror and say hello to a stranger.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very interesting read. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book. It wasn't really for me, but I am sure that it will be loved by the right audience.

Another smash from Katherine Center. She is such a go to read for me and I was thrilled to receive one of her ARC’s. A perfect beach read but with depth!

I had to DNF this one. I did not appreciate the characters and I don't think that the author handled disability--the main topic--well at all.

Another classic Katherine Center book! Interesting characters and an interesting condition -prosopagnosia, or face-blindness. While this is not one of my favorites of hers, it was still a great way to spend reading time! I read this a couple of years ago and have since read The Rom-Commers which may now be my favorite so check it out too!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie is a portrait artist, like her mother. And like her mother she has a cavernoma, a malformed blood vessel in the brain. This condition killed her mother, so Sadie chooses to have surgery. What she didn’t expect was to get face blindness as a side effect of the surgery, just when she needs to do a new portrait to enter into the contest that could make her career. In the midst of this, she finds herself attracted to two different men, which causes a host of other problems.

Okay, I really like Katherine Center, but I did not really love this book. It is a 3.5 that I rounded up to 4 stars. Sadie tells someone she loves them BEFORE she tells them that, oh yeah, she had brain surgery that means she actually has no idea what his face looks like. And her best friend somehow manages to keep FORGETTING this major life-changing event about her? What kind of best friend is that? And I don’t know much about face blindness, but she didn’t notice that Joe, the neighbor she falls in love with, is also Dr Oliver Addison, the vet that she has planned her wedding to after meeting him once? They made a big deal about how gate would be recognizable, and she watched both of them walk a lot while planning their futures.

This is the second book I've read from Katherine Center and I enjoyed it thoroughly! Can't wait to read more from her!

I really wanted to love this one. I was not a fan of Sadie & I felt like it took awhile to get to the good stuff if that makes any sense. I loved the overall message of the story… it just felt like it was never going to get there. I know I am one of the few who didn’t enjoy this one.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. The face blindness was interesting, but of course caused chaos since the main character refused to tell anyone that she had it. In the end, it was just the miscommunication trope, which is my least favorite trope. There were also a few instances of too good be true moments that I just couldn’t quite buy into. But a fun and interesting read from an author that always delivers.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Katherine Center has yet to disappoint me!! I love the characters, the banter, the insane plots that make every bit of it feel alive!
I always know I'll have a good time when I sit down with one of her books.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an arc to review!

I’m a fan of Katherine Center’s stories but this one fell a little flat for me. The book was interesting and dealt with a condition I had never heard of, so learning about that was wonderful. There was nothing wrong with the story, but overall I just didn’t enjoy it as much as other books by Katherine Center.