Katherine Center never fails me. Never. Her books are interesting, her love stories intriguing, and she just has a way with words that bring the book to life for you. Her characters are real, the situations relatable, even a crazy one like this. The face blindness gave us a hell of a story and a love triangle and I loved everything about it. Center has done it yet again.

I received a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was so sweet and cheesy, I couldn’t put it down. I drove my coworkers crazy reading or listening to it at work!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a fun read for this reading nurse. I enjoyed all the medical lingo and the situation the MC had to endure having a cavernoma, and eventually leading to a condition called face blindness. The story was fun, hilarious at times, but in all was a heartwarming story about a main character you just want to root for.

It was a fun quick read I really enjoyed!

Fun rom com with quirky characters and a satisfying happily ever after. It was a predictable plot but still very enjoyable.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Usually with a rom com, you get a meet-cute and then the story is fairly formulaic from there. Not this book! The story was ingenious and very enjoyable to read!

Sadie gets accepted into a painted portrait competition and then passes out before she can begin celebrating. She needs brain surgery immediately and when she wakes up, she has face blindness that may or may not be temporary. And being a portrait artist and not being able to see faces poses a huge problem. See? Ingenious!

We follow Sadie through this struggle as she tries to keep the diagnosis a secret from the general public and still meet the requirements of the competition that is 6 weeks away. The author definitely researched this face blindness and had different ideas to get Sadie to the finish line with her submission to the competition. And the interactions with people before Sadie had a way of identifying people were pretty funny. Her step sister was a horror and kept popping up!

A great ending and just a feel good book. I can't wait to read more of Katherine Center's work!

Sadie is getting ready to enter a potrait contest, Until she has a seizure, is pulled out of the street and sent to the hospital. This is where her life changes. She is left with a side effect that cause her to have to change a lot of things in life.
This was a fun story to read. Yes I say fun because even though Sadie had struggles it all turns out good in the end.

Another beautiful book by Katherine Center!! Seriously, everything she writes turns to gold, IMO. She took a sensitive condition and handled it with great care. I also learned while reading this book. Learning while reading a fiction book is pretty FAB, in my opinion.  

I both read and listened to this book. The narrator of the audiobook, Patti Murin, did an AMAZING job!! She added to the story and made the amazing book even better.

My heart broke for Sadie multiple times throughout the book and was put back together each and every single time. The ending was a HEA. I think I finished this book in about 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. If I needed to do chores, I just started the audiobook and kept right on going with my day. 

Read this Book If:

➡️You like HEA

➡️You like to learn while reading your fiction book

➡️You want to read a book that was different than anything you've read recently or ever because of the topics chosen.

This is a def re-read for me, so I marked this book as BUY. You need it. You need to read it and share it, and re-read it. I think this will be another top 23 in 2023!!!

Thank you to @katherinecenter, @stmartinspress & @netgalley for an eARC of this book. It's out NOW, and it's been out forever. I am the last person on the planet to read this book. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

I also bought this book from BOTM, so I have a physical copy for my shelves. yayy!!

Portrait artist Sadie Montgomery lands in the hospital, and learns she is in need of brain surgery. Swelling post-surgery leads to Sadie to developing acquired prosopagnosia, a condition where you have trouble recognizing people’s faces, also known as “face blindness”. As a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition, this couldn’t come at a worse time, and now Sadie tries to navigate through her new reality without the ability to identify anyone in her life, including two new men who have sparked her interest.

Through this novel I learned so much about prosopagnosia, which I’d heard of before but never quite understood. I thought this was a super creative concept, and I really enjoyed Sadie’s story. Katherine Center repeatedly delivers beautifully written, interesting novels, and this one was no exception!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted e-book!

A humorous and delightful story on discovering one’s self and the power of first impressions and how they sometimes never last!

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist who has been given a chance at a big break as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition only to wake up later after undergoing brain surgery diagnosed with “face blindness”. Panic-stricken in her new reality and with just weeks left for the competition, she strives to adapt and must find ways on how to get through until her brain heals. At the same time, she falls in infatuation with not just one, but two dashing men while also juggling trying to save her geriatric dog and handle the conflicts within her family.

I’ve never read about face blindness in a romance before and the unique spin Katherine Center put into this story kept me reading way past midnight. Echoing her words in her author’s note, the anticipation in this book made for a really entertaining yet heartwarming read. I love that she, time and again, manages to weave certain hefty topics such as unprocessed grief and a debilitating illness with sensitivity, lightheartedness and even optimism.

Did I figure out the ‘plot twist’ coming from a mile away? Yes and the reveal was just as hilarious as it is incredulous but likewise believable. Also, this book has got one of the most swoon-worthy confessions that I’ve read to date (I’ve read a ton of romances and this was saying something). The only reason I did not give this the whole five-stars is that I think one of the characters felt overly ‘cartoonish’ and unnecessary. Sadie’s issues with her family were resolved quickly, too.

My key takeaway here: we (and even our brains) tend to remember the people who have been kind to us during the lowest points of our lives. Choose to always be kind, one never knows what others are going through.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for my early copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was so funny and perfect! I couldn’t stop laughing throughout it and Sadie was so sweet. I loved how she grew throughout the book and found her single Mr. Perfect by the end.

I loved that we were able to learn about a health condition that I had never heard about. It was interesting to see how this condition affected Sadie’s work and lifestyle. I can only imagine the hardships in real life.

Hello Stranger ended up being such a surprise for me! I read this one for book club and loved it so much more than I had anticipated I would. Super cute and fun, highly enjoyed this one for a quick and light read. Loved!

Sadie Montgomery has just placed as a finalist in a huge (for her) competition. It’s been her lifelong dream to make it into the competition. But an accident puts her in the hospital, and she ends up with face blindness. The doctors tell her it’s probably temporary, but as an artist, it’s definitely devastating news. Now, she can’t recognize people, so her dreams seem to be going down the drain.

Sadie really loves her dog, Peanut. He’s 14, and when he got sick, she was freaking out. I was honestly worried that Peanut wasn’t going to make it. It just reminded me of my dog, because like Sadie, I’m very attached to my dog. Also, Peanut doesn’t like dog food and neither does my dog.

Anyway, Sadie learned to adapt to her temporary condition, and she stood up for herself against her POS stepsister, Parker. Seriously, I hated Parker. She was the WORST. And I was so irritated that no one believed Sadie over her Parker.

But back to Peanut. So when Sadie rushed him to the vet, she formed a connection with the veterinarian, Dr. Addison. He did save Peanut’s life, after all. But, she also started getting attached to her neighbor, Joe, who always wore a bowling jacket, which is how she identified him.

Joe was really so sweet. He was ALWAYS helping his neighbors, including POS..I mean, Parker (yes, the evil b*tch moved into their building). Anyway, Joe was just a great guy, all around. He saved Sadie’s life…in more ways than one.

There was a slight miscommunication, but it actually made sense in this case. And I really didn’t see it coming, though I did guess correctly about Joe being the guy in the very beginning. Also, Parker got her karma, so f*ck yeah.

Anyway, this was my first Katherine Center book, but I look forward to reading more from this author.

What a sweet romance! Was it obvious what was going to happen? Of course. Did it take away from my enjoyment? Absolutely not. Katherine does a great job writing adorable romance novels

I really, really liked this story! The unique premise that incorporates neurocognitive dysfunction got my attention, but I stayed for the emotional journey with a fabulous cast of characters. It has everything from the charming divorcee upstairs, to the evil step sister. There are several twists and turns I did not see coming. Overall the story just felt fresh!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book by Katherine Center is about a woman named Sadie who suffers from a neurovascular issue called cavernoma and prosopagnosia. Sadie's father disapproves of her life choices, and after losing her mother, her life changes. She has a seizure and finds out she needs surgery for cavernoma. After the surgery, she can't see people's faces and falls for two men. She has to make a choice. The book is emotional, inspirational, and heartwarming. I give it five stars. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing the digital reviewer copy.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
HELLO STRANGER
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: chick lit/romance
📖 336 pages
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🎨🐶🌫️😮🩺🥼💕

🩵𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩵

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy!

HELLO STRANGER is an absolute delight. The cuteness factor is off the charts 📈 , & while some elements are predictable, the overall enjoyment surpasses any predictability. The story evoked a myriad of emotions, delivering that signature depth characteristic of Center's work.

The heartwarming tale revolves around Sadie Montgomery, grappling with face blindness post-accident. Amidst the funny mishaps, the plot thickens with the added complexity of her recent invitation to a competitive art 🎨 competition. And it wouldn’t be a true love story if the leading lady wasn’t struggling with 1, but 2 men right? Sadie's journey is endearing, & her character's growth left me truly impressed. She is 💯 a bigger person than me 😅

The novel's charm lies in its ability to keep you hooked, & I even found myself pondering the mystery of how Sadie managed her makeup without sight for a good portion of the story 😂 .

Center's narrative prowess shines through once again, delivering a captivating romance that balances humor, depth, & the unpredictable nature of love. Sadie's character, despite the challenges she faces, resonates with readers, making this a must-read for anyone seeking a heartwarming & engaging romantic tale.

⚠️ death of a parent, bullying

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ animals
◽️ art 🖼️
◽️ romance with a twist
◽️ forgiveness

I loved Katherine centers the bodyguard. This one was harder to get into at first but I did end up connection to the characters and truly feeling their connection! It felt like something was holding back. Thoroughly enjoyed and know it is going to be popular !

I had high expectations but this just didn’t meet it. The writing from Sadie’s POV felt very juvenile. The condition is really hard to imagine. The ending was pretty predictable. Will definitely read more about face blindness though as it sounds fascinating.

Center weaves words in a way that's incredibly easy to read. I've loved some of her other titles, and was very excited to dive into this one! The premise is unique (a portrait artist who develops face blindness), main characters Joe and Sadie were likeable, the romance wasn't too cheesy, and the conflict didn't feel overused. Unfortunately, multiple points of conflict were built up and left unresolved. I was left wishing for just a bit more.

It was an easy, entertaining read but likely won't leave a long-lasting impression.