4.5 Stars

This story begins as Sadie had just received the news that she had placed in the North American Portrait Society’s contest. Her mother had been an artist, and her father was a surgeon. Her father had wanted her to pursue a medical career, and she tried for a while, but art was what she was drawn to. This is the first time she’d felt as though she might be able to make it as an artist. Aside from opening some doors in the art world for her, there is a grand prize involved, which would help out significantly.

When she shares the news with her friend, Sue decides that it’s time for a party, and Sadie heads out to pick up some wine to celebrate with friends. Strolling down the wine aisle, listening to Smokey Robinson’s ’I Second That Emotion’ playing over the speakers, brings back memories, it was one of her mother’s favourite songs. She begins to quietly sing along, then dancing to the music in the aisle, as well, her thoughts drifting to the memory of her mom placing in this same contest. When she spots a wine on sale, she grabs as many as she can carry, and heads to the counter. It’s only then that she realizes that she’d forgotten to bring her purse. When the man in line behind her offers to pay for it, she declines his gesture, saying that she can just ‘run home’ and get her purse. He continues to insist that he is happy to help. She tells the cashier she’ll be right back, this time *with* her purse, and leaves. She’s waiting at the crosswalk when he walks out of the store. She’s not happy to see him carrying a grocery bag that she suspects holds the wine, and ends up with the wine after all, and that’s when the light changes.

Next thing she knows, her life has changed. Maybe permanently, maybe temporarily, only time will tell.

This is a story of family, the ones we’re born into as well as those we create through friendship, or love. Her family includes her dog, Peanut, her step-sister, Lucinda (although she wishes Lucinda wasn’t), her father and step-mother. For her, the people who treat her like family are the ones she turns to, and the ones who are there for her no matter what. Those are her family now. This is a story of finding those who become family through love and friendship, those we can count on for support, as well as a story of finding, and choosing, love.

’Love is healing. It’s unapologetically optimistic. It’s the thing that puts us back together’


Pub Date: 11 July 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

Thank you to the publishing company for letting me read [book:Hello Stranger|61884987] in return for my honest review.

This is the first book that I have read by Katherine Center. This being said, I cannot wait to read all of her other books! This book was fantastic. It is one of those titles that makes you wish you could forget everything you read so you can re-read it again for the experience. I loved the way each character had their very unique personality and that really showed throughout the book. About half-way through the book, I couldn't put it down!

There were just a few things that didn't sit well when it came to the plot. One of them being the fact that it was left totally open-ended as far as how Parker reacted to the way that Sadie spoke to her when she was hiding. I feel like we could have been given an outcome as to whether she took that information and became better, or whether it just made her more evil. The other aspect that didn't quite add-up to me was the whole situation with Joe. I would think that the conversation of Peanut would come up at some point due to the emotions Sadie showed when he was sick.

Other than these two things, this book was AMAZING! I now have all Katherine Center books in my TBR list here on Good Reads.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was fabulous! This book was sweet, funny, thought provoking and entertaining. I loved Sadie, Joe and Sue. I didn’t want the story to end. It was so good that I immediately bought another book by Katherine Center! Everyone should read Hello Stranger!

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist about to get her big break, when she develops prosopagnosia (face blindness). Her mother, who died when Sadie was just a girl, was also a portrait artist. Sadie's relationship with her father is strained. She has an 'evil' stepmother, and even more evil stepsister. Her family considers her a failure, and her spot in an upcoming art contest was to be her redemption. Not being able to see faces presents a major obstacle in her daily life but especially in her artwork. She's involved in a love triangle of sorts with her dog's veterinarian and her helpful neighbor.

I only recently discovered Katherine Center and have loved everything I’ve read. This book is no exception. Her characters are real and relatable, including Sadie's 14 year old dog Peanut. While writing about serious subjects, there is still a sense of humor about her books. And the twist at the end of this book was delicious!

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a love story with realistic characters and a thought-provoking plot. You won’t be sorry you picked this up……it just may be hard to put down!

Loved this book, even though the missed connections/unrecognized connection is not my favorite trope. I thought the characters were interesting, especially Sadie, and really enjoyed the structure and the pacing. I especially enjoyed Sadie's inner monologue and her gradual self-realization, self-awareness journey. There were a few plot holes where she couldn't recognize faces but yet still managed to see eyes dart, or lips purse, or other small details--that threw me off somewhat. Overall, still enjoyed every minute of it and would highly recommend.

Katherine Center puts her trademark dose of joy and human compassion into this story of one person who struggles with a rare problem - face blindness, after experiencing a freak accident. As our main character struggles to adapt to her new normal and figure out ways to remember people without recognizing their faces, she also begins to spend more time with a neighbor man she refers to as Joe. Joe turns out to be not what she expected, and in a very good way. This story is sweet, intriguing and unique. There is a fun little twist at the end as well.

Katherine Center has become a must read author for me. There are always great, believable characters, well written romance, and a twist. I really enjoyed the facial blindness storyline.

I absolutely loved this book. If you loved The bodyguard you're in for a treat.

Meet Sadie a struggling artist who just landed her big break by being of the 10 finalist in an art show. No all she has to do is win and get the $10,000 prize. Seems easy enough until the unexpected happens, she can't see peoples faces and her dreams are shattered. Add to the mix an absent Dad, a stepmother and a wicked stepsister. Life has never been easy for Sadie since she lost her mom but now more than ever she wishes she was here. This was such a raw, touching and heartfelt story. How many people have come to a point in their lives when they are faced with a challenge and their career comes to a halt, just not the right fit anymore, or worse your current circumstances are an impediment and you no longer can do what you love.

Due to her circumstances her not so nice neighbor Joe sees her struggling and helps her out. This unexpected change of character is not like Joe or maybe she has been misjudging him. She pictured him living his best bachelor life with half the women in their floor.

But wait there's more her adorable life companion Peanut gets sick, she decides to look for a new Vet. Enter hot (or so she thinks) Dr, Addison. The nice, charming, puppy saving hero of her life. She can totally picture their perfect wedding. She's only met him a handful of times but he is definitely the one..

She is catching feelings for both of these men, frustration is at its highest as she can't seem to catch a break from her prognosis. If you love happily ever after's Katherine Center did not disappoint. Can't recommend this story enough. I loved it and hope you do to.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

This was a hard story to get into for me. The first half of the book was boring and hard to connect with the main characters and the story, but the second half I enjoyed.

I loved reading about Sadie and her struggles with trying to paint a portrait when she was dealing with face blindness. Also trying to navigate her other senses to figure out who she is interacting with when she can't recognize anyone by their faces. I thought the plot twist at the end was beautiful and fun to read. I did see it coming though, but still loved it.

That being said, I didn't like reading about Parker, the evil step sister. She was pretty much a psychopathy and her character never grew throughout the story. I get why Sadie never wanted to ask for help on the way her up bringing turned out after her mother passed away. But I'm glad at the end she finally realized there is nothing wrong with asking for help sometimes. Especially since she found someone that only helps in anyway he can. Joe was my favorite character.

All in all, I did enjoy this story in the end,

I’ve thought a lot about this book and I’m not sure if I absolutely love it or only like it. The predictable story line is seriously shaken up with a very unique twist. The writing was wonderful and the characters super fun! The twist was just hard for me to get past.

I loved this storyline. I enjoyed the character growth and the life lessons that were learned. Great read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I so love that Katherine Center is having a MOMENT on bookstagram. She has long been a favorite author of mine, she writes books that truly touch your soul and leave you feeling better than when you picked it up. Even if you were in a good place at the beginning of the pages, you'll be left in a better place by the final page.

"The more good things you look for, the more you find." This quote. OH MY HEART. This is truly how I choose to live my life, I just never had these eloquent words to describe it. Thank you KC for sharing this wisdom with us all.

"Because tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice." This quote. I recently told my parents, during a particularly challenging time in my life, that I choose to live my life in the sun. I choose happiness and positivity. It's a choice everyday when I wake up. I say my prayers and I choose to get out of bed happy. Some days it's hard. Some days it's impossible. But everyday is a choice, I am in control and I have the power to choose joy. Maybe this book hit me at the right time. Maybe a KC book is always at the right place, right time. But this one hit me in my heart.

I could tell you what to expect, but there are synopsis for that. Here's what I will tell you. Center's author's note made me fall in love with her even more. She helps us all better understand why we love the "predictability" of romance books. Why the terrible covers lead us all to believe in Fabio and why joy is a choice we make and most importantly why reading should spark joy. If you've been around TheBerryBookReport for any amount of time, you've heard me preach that reading should spark joy. If it doesn't, it isn't worth your time. Thank you KC for echoing these thoughts and sharing them with the masses.

I started this review at 4 stars and in the 10 minutes it has taken me to gush my love for KC and her writing, I've changed it to 5 stars. To put it simply; this book sparked joy at a time when joy has been hard for me to find.

Although the plot was engaging overall, and although I liked the way the author explored the idea of face blindness and how it affected a portrait artist, I found the supporting characters to be shallow and cardboard. The evil stepsister has no reason to hate the heroine other than the fact that she's an evil step-sister. And the idea that the mother never knew her daughter was so evil didn't make sense. I would have preferred it if the author hadn't included that part of the story because it didn't do anything to enhance it.
I loved her dog and their relationship. I loved learning about the different techniques she tried when trying to paint with face blindness. There was a lot to enjoy about this book if you can overlook the cardboard supporting characters. Oh, and the landlord was so sweet! I loved him!

I chose not to share this review more broadly because I didn't want to bring down the book's rating.

This book was so fun. If you are looking for a feel good, warm hug, make you smile read, this is it.

I absolutely loved Sadie as a main character. Her struggling relationship with her father, step mother, and evil stepsister helped explain the way she viewed life and her constant need to turn away help until Joe helps her see the world in a new light - even if it is a faceless one.

I can’t stop smiling after this read.

Katherine Center can do no wrong, in my opinion.

This wasn’t my favorite book by her. It took me awhile to connect with the story, BUT in true KC fashion it was an easy, enjoyable read and the ending was well worth it. Do yourself a favor and stick it out with this one. KC, you did it again!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed Sadie’s story. It was uplifting and silly and honest. Yes, I predicted the main twist, but I found that I (surprisingly) didn’t care! This was my first book that I’ve read by Center, and it will not be my last!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute and amusing novel about a fiercely independent woman who develops face blindness after surgery, and eventually realizes that it’s not a bad thing to need help from others. Overall, I liked the book, but a lot of things seemed to be rushed and packaged away for a neat, tidy ending.

Obsessed!!! 5 stars 🤩 I knew I loved Katherine Center when I read the Bodyguard (and honestly I didn’t think her books could get any better), but this might just be my favorite Romantic Comedy novel of all time. Sadie was super relatable while also being unpredictable. I loved the plot and have never read anything like this before. Going to recommend this book to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me early access to this title. This one did not disappoint!

Hello Stranger is just too cha-cha for words. (Steel Magnolias fans 🤚🏻) Heartfelt, witty, and chocked full of life lessons!

I adored the MC, Sadie! She was the walking billboard for “When life gives you lemons”🍋 …make lemonade and serve it up with a slice of cake -preferably yellow, with chocolate icing!

@Katherine Center had me laughing out loud, with the most relatable quotes:

“And of all the bras I owned, how had I managed to grab the one that always slid off my shoulder? I yanked the shoulder strap up and pressed it in place sternly, like Stay.”

We’ve all been there, am I right ladies?

I laughed, (obvi), I cried, I swooned, and I fell in love with Peanut, the pad Thai eating pup 🐶 …and maybe a handsome Veterinarian or two. This book completely embraced me in the best bear hug, and left me with a smile on my face and hope dancing in my heart!

Hello Stranger is the perfect sweet rom-com (a sprinkle of kisses, hold the spice) That will leave you with the beautiful reminder to never stop believing in yourself!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

Sadie struggled with so many things throughout her life, losing her mother at such a young age was just the tip of the iceberg. Her dad withdrew, turning away from her and towards a stepmother who also did not support her. She tried to become strong and independent , not relying on anyone for anything. Accepting help was not allowed. She had a pretty good life: a career she loved, despite not supporting her financially; a best friend to support her, along with pseudo-parents; and her beloved Peanut, the love of her life in dog form. She was following in her mothers footsteps, and things were beginning to look up for her. I love a strong female character, and knew that despite never wanting to accept help, that is exactly what Sadie needed. And I couldn’t wait to find out who would provide that. The unusual concept of face blindness added a somewhat comedic turn despite the seriousness of her condition. Imagine not recognizing anyone you ran in to? How would you cope with this? This “blindness” seems to open up Sadie’s other senses. Her troubles force her to see things she was trying to hide from. It was interesting to watch all her preconceived notions fall around her feet as Sadie realizes that accepting help may not be the worst thing one can do. The one thing that bothered me was the art show scenes. I was surprised to hear see the art being trashed she vehemently. While I understand that the point was that Sadie was unable to see faces - art is such an emotional and personal thing that there is always someone who would like what she did. I felt that the art world was portrayed poorly here. And personally I did not feel that it truly added value to the story. But I hate when peoples creativity is put down in any way, so this is probably a more