I loved reading this book. It was uplifting and comforting. The book had a few twists and the author came across as knowledgeable on many medical topics. Overall the book held my interest, sparked my curiosity and was heartwarming.

As someone who's read nearly every Katherine Center novel, I can say this is unequivocally my new favorite. A romance centered, in part, around facial blindness isn't something I *expected* to read, but I'm so glad I did. And the main characters have a whole lot of heart: a protagonist who's struggling with her career, self-worth, and familial relationships, mistaken identities, sibling rivalry, and parental loss. This book had me rooting so hard for Sadie: for her happy ending romantically, professionally, and personally. Add in a swoony neighbor *and* an equally dreamy veterinarian? It's a must-read.

Face blindness has fascinated me since I learned about it years ago. In "Hello Stranger," main character Sadie Montgomery ends up with acquired face blindness at the worst possible time -- when she finally might have the big break she needs to make it as a portrait artist. An interesting neurological disorder plus a character who has an artistic passion, along with an impending deadline all combined for a compelling read. That is to say, I read this in less than 24 hours.

What I loved most about "Hello Stranger" was actually the Author's Note at the end. Yes, that may not be the norm. I am normally someone who adores reading the Author's Notes and Acknowledgements and Katherine Center's final thoughts elevated my enjoyment from 4 to 5 stars. Her conversation about Romance as a genre, with its predictable happy ending, gave me much food for thought.

I am adding Katherine Center to my list of authors that I will read whatever new book they release.

(Thanks to NetGalley for providing me the eARC..)

This was by far the best book I have read so far this year! This is such a great story of self discovery and does a great job of displaying g the full range of human emotion. Center really captures what it’s like to go though a traumatic experience and how difficult it can be to recover. There’s also such a great twist at the end that I barely saw coming, but it makes so much sense. Fantastic book!

Another sweet story from Katherine Center. Sadie finds herself with face blindness, a big chance to advance her career, and falling in love all at the same time. Readers will root for her recovery and ability to make good decisions with her limited ability to see clearly. A feel good book that readers will love.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.

Sadie Montgomery is an aspiring artist whose life gets turned upside down after having a seizure and being saved by a Good Samaritan. After finding out that she has a serious medical condition that requires brain surgery, Sadie undergoes said surgery only to wake up and find out that she received an unwanted side effect - prosopagnosia (face-blindness) - just after finding out she's a contender for a prestigious art competition focused on.... portraits.

As Sadie learns to navigate her life with her prosopagnosia, she picks up on other clues as to who people are. She's able to recognize her friend Sue, but she also meets two other individuals. Dr. Oliver Addison and Joe, one of her neighbors nicknamed "Helpful" by the owner.

That's all I'm saying because I definitely recommend going into this book fairly blind. It's a very sweet story about overcoming obstacles, physically and mentally, and finding out more about yourself when you don't have it all together.

There were some slow parts, and also some parts I think could have been left out, but overall it's a good, short read, and I recommend it!

Since about 2020, Katherine Center has quickly become a favorite author of mine. I’ve read most of her library, and look forward to her new titles. Hello Stranger was no different! This is a story of a portrait artist who suffers a medical emergency and has a difficult time getting back to to her art.

As with many of her books, Ms Center has perfected the story of girl meets boy, they fall in love and live happily ever after, described by Ms Center herself as HOPE.

Hello Stranger was a tad predictable at times, and there were times when I was annoyed with our lead, Sadie. After noticing that people have a distinct gait, how could she not figure things out?

I had never heard of the disease that afflicts Sadie and found it an interesting point in the book.

Another wonderful love story by Katherine Center.

Hello Stranger is the second of Katherine Center’s novels that I’ve read, and the second that I’ve rated 4.5 ⭐️s! I’m not usually a huge romance reader, but her novels strike the perfect balance for me of a romcom with depth.

Things are not going well for Sadie. She is a portrait artist in Houston making her meager living on Etsy. She secretly lives in her art studio after breaking up with her narcissist boyfriend. Her dad is emotionally unavailable since her mother’s death, and she has an evil stepmother and stepsister to boot! What could go worse? Just when she’s about it get her big break, enter brain surgery and face blindness.

The face blindness was such an interesting factor. I palpably felt Sadie’s anxiety as she tried to figure out who people were without being able to make sense of their faces and how her since of self was rocked to the core.

The interesting thing about having a main character with face blindness is that since she can’t make sense of faces, the readers don't get the character descriptions that we’re used to. I had a hard time picturing the characters and felt less connected to them for that reason…but maybe that’s the point! Sadie’s face blindness also made her feel disconnected.

Read this book. You will fall in love with Sadie and her adorable fluff-ball dog. You will want to crawl through the pages and give her a hug and tell her she doesn’t always have to be okay. You will relate with her struggle to accept help. You might be able to follow the clues and know what’s coming in the end, but the anticipation is so strong that you won’t care.

I read this book in one sitting-started after dinner and stayed up until the wee hours of the night. I couldn’t put it down! When you pick up this book, learn from my mistake, and start earlier in the day 😉

I was thrilled to get this book as an advanced copy. No spoilers, fans of Katherine Center will be sure to love this one. At first the concept of the storyline seemed far fetched, but it turned into a unique and refreshing story where I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. A very happy and optimistic book that makes for a fun escape!

I couldn’t put this book down, despite guessing the ending and all of its pieces!

Sadie has an unfortunate accident, when she is supposed to be celebrating her life as an artist. Many things change and she is not able to see faces anymore. It was definitely not a medical condition I had heard of before. But it was detailed in the story, as to not leaving the reader behind. She feels hopeless and frustrated, which I am sure all readers can relate to at points in their own lives. But the story was a fun one to read.

I especially loved the author’s note at the end about hope and anticipation.
Thanks to net-galley for my ARC of this story.

This is such a feel good happy book. That is so weird try say because it revolves around Sadie who's mom died, her step sister is pure evil, who had to have brain surgery which left her face blind when she makes her living as a portrait artist. The hits just kept coming but Sadie persevered and always believed in herself.
I love Sadie. She was such a beautiful human. I found the situations she was in over the top but so relatable. I loved the having face blindness lead her to "see" the neighbor that she hadn't known. I loved the love triangle between her, Joe and Dr. Oliver. I also kinda loved her step mother Lucinda, flaws in all.
Great story with great friendships, family, karma and love.
The book has so many lessons of believe in yourself, ask for help when you need it. You are cheering for Sadie the whole book. Great story.

Hello Stranger
By: Katherine Center

⭐️⭐️
Wheww man I struggled through this book!!

I didn’t not like how it drug on & on and how she lost her facial recognition.

I thought it was gonna be very different then what it was.

I will say once I got to the last third of the book it picked up and got better but still didn’t really enjoy it.

It took way too long for me to read cause it was so easily put down.

Overall ⭐️⭐️

First let me say the waves of emotions when I read this. In the first half of the book I was a little bored, it could have been the reading slump I was in. It felt drawn out to me, a little slow. The main character was a little annoying. Then I pushed through and the second half really came through. I had a great time. I loved the ending. The main character grew on me, our guy, loved him. He was great. Overall it was a great read. I will definitely be reading more by Katherine Center.

This was my second book by Katherine Center and I am starting to become a fan. I was so excited when I was approved for this eARC.

There were so many things right about Hello Stranger. I am often wary of romance and rom-coms. I get tired of clichés and overused tropes. Hello Stranger was different. Not only was the plot interesting, it was also unique. Sadie, as a result of brain surgery, experiences facial blindness. Doctors do not know if this condition is temporary or permanent. As a portrait artist, this might mean the end of her career. Seeing how she copes with her new disability, learning her family dynamics, and relating to her struggles made her a very likable protagonist. Her grief of losing a loved one and how it directly impacted her was very compelling. And her love interest, Joe, was swoon worthy.

Something I disliked were the many plot holes that were glossed over by coincidences. There were many times when I questioned Sadie’s judgment. Parts of the book were predictable, especially the ending. However, it didn’t stop me from enjoying this book. By the end, you are left feeling warm and cozy.

This was just ok for me. I haven’t read any of her books before but they have come recommended by friends. Ending seemed unlikely. I didn’t love it but it wasn’t terrible .

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book! Although I kind of figured out the ending fairly quickly, I did really enjoy the ride. There are some great points and lessons to be taken from Sadie’s experience, and I learned about a brain condition I have never heard of before. Would definitely recommend to any romance/romcom reader out there

After reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this book, so thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. In romance novels, I expect ridiculousness, coincidences, and predictability and I can suspend my disbelief for a lot of things... BUT there were some things that really bothered me.

ANYWAYS, I actually didn't see the twist until embarrassingly late in the book, which was refreshing for me. I did like Sadie's growth, but it felt like every other character in the book didn't grow in satisfying ways. I'm glad I read this book, I like Katherine Center's writing in general.

Full review with spoilers on goodreads!

A solid addition to Katherine Center's oevre. Hello Stranger will please fans of her work, but it was not as moving or strong a story as How To Walk Away or Things You Save in a Fire. The relationship between the two leads is solid, and I appreciate her attention to detail in depicting the neuroscience and psychological side of things, but the twist was pretty predictable from very early on, and I found the premise to be not as engaging as her other books.

A quick, clever, and delightful read. Although I saw the twist coming a little earlier than I wanted, I found myself racing to the conclusion because I was so invested in Sadie. I love thoughtful characters. I love complicated families. This was a great read!

A very heartwarming story! Center writes it in a way that makes you empathize with the protagonist, and the ending has a cute plot twist!