This was my first Katherine Center book, but it certainly won't be the last. I loved this story so much! I honestly was intrigued by the synopsis. A portrait artist who has brain surgery and ends up with facial blindness. I really wasn't sure where the story was going to go, but it ended up being the most heart-warming and hopeful romance. Watching Sadie's journey of navigating through her new disability, learning a new way to paint and discovering that it's OK to need and ask for help was so uplifting. And Joe....all I'm going to say is *swoon* ❤.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I love all of Katherine Center's books, and this one did not disappoint. The twist at the end surprised me because I had a completely different guess in mind for how it was all going to come together in the end. The relationship was so sweet and so well developed. Some of the side characters and side plots were not as fully developed, which I struggled with throughout the book, but I do think it all makes sense because of the final reveal. Center's characters are always so relatable, lovable, and well-written. I love how witting and entertaining her writing is and can't wait to recommend this one to everyone!

Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard was one of my favorite romances of 2022 so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an eARC of her upcoming book Hello Stranger.

Hello Stranger has a unique premise—Sadie Montgomery is a starving artist in her late 20s who has spent her adult life trying to prove to herself and to everyone around her—especially her estranged cardiothoracic surgeon father—that she can succeed on her own without help from anyone. She is on the cusp of her big break when she suffers a seizure in the street. She comes to learn that she has a congenital brain abnormality –one that killed her mother when Sadie was 14—that requires surgery. Reluctantly she agrees to undergo the surgery and when she wakes up she finds that residual swelling in her brain has caused her to have a condition commonly referred to as face blindness—she literally cannot see anyone’s face clearly, including her own. This is something that is more than a little concerning for a PORTRAIT artist, let alone one who is taking part in a potentially career making competition in just 6 weeks. If that was not enough, she has a hard time distinguishing among friends and family (including her horrible-and-potentially-psychotic stepsister) let alone strangers, and her beloved dog gets sick soon after her surgery. Enter both a new vet (Oliver) and an annoyingly helpful hipster in her building (who she recognizes by the bowling jacket with “Joe” embroidered on it that he constantly wears). Sadie is drawn to both men but attempts to keep them at arm’s length in order to avoid telling them about her face blindness and to avoid letting anyone get too close. But she soon realizes that to find happiness she might need to learn to see the world differently.

In the Author’s Note at the end of the book, Center writes about her appreciation for the romance genre, writing at one point “tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice” and that pretty much sums up the thesis of this book. Sadie’s life was forever changed when her mother died and it is clear that she never really dealt with that loss. The dog her mother gave her is her closest friend, she taught herself to paint copying her mother’s portraits and has taken her mother’s Norman Rockwell-esque style as her own, she enters the contest her mother was a finalist for when she died, and the few possessions she has left of her mother (the dress, the rollerskates) are her most prized. Her father’s grief caused him to make a litany of poor decisions when it came to Sadie and that, unfortunately, caused even more tragedy to befall them both and, as a result, Sadie’s view of the world is that you should never rely on anyone for anything.

That level of tragedy---combined with that of losing her ability to see faces and its impact on the competition Sadie is so desperate to win after so much struggle—would seem like enough to set up the romance that is to help Sadie choose joy, right? Unfortunately, Center piles it on further with the sideplot of Sadie’s truly “evil stepsister”, Parker, who literally ruined Sadie’s life as a teen (not an overstatement), further estranged Sadie from her father, and is intent on causing more trouble for Sadie in the present for no reason other than she seems to be a sociopath. I found this to be just too much and I thought the sum of Sadie’s tragic past overshadowed the romance.

That said, I still enjoyed Center’s writing a lot and appreciated what she was trying to do. I just never expected to cry so much during what I thought was going to be a light hearted romance! I look forward to seeing what Center writes next.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the chance to review this eARC.

Katherine Center has done it once again with a clean and cozy romance. Sadie is a portrait artist who discovers what should have been a minor surgery has caused her to have face blindness, and right before a very important competition at that! While Sadie tries to get through this time she discovers that maybe people aren’t what they seem to be, and maybe she needs to be a bit more open to asking for the help she needs.

Katherine Center's novels are just the right mix of plot and romance. As a non-romance lover, I appreciate the unique ways that Center brings characters together and even when the outcomes are predictable, they're still fun. In this case, the sudden onset of face-blindness in the MC who paints portraits for a living creates lots of drama. The wicked step-mother and sister were a bit over the top, but brought some definite Cinderella vibes.

I loved the author's note on why romance books are structured as they are and how people seek them out for the predictability, rather than finding it off-putting.

And of course, I'm glad to know that most people with sudden face-blindness can still recognize their pets :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This was a super cute book. Definitely kept me guessing in some things but not on a thriller sort of way. I love all of Katherine Centers books because you aren’t just reading a story. You’re getting some life advice in every single one of her books!! This one is about taking chances and sometimes not seeing a situation like it truly is because we have already determined what it should look like. Such a good book!!

Katherine Center has done it again! I love that her stories are deeper than your traditional romance novels. I cared about the characters and loved to return to the story. I will say that I would have loved more of a love triangle but the book was adorable!

First off, I really want to thank Katherine Center and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have only ever read one other KC book (How to Walk Away) in the past and I really enjoyed it! While I haven't been able to read The BodyGuard yet, the hype around it got me really excited to read Hello Stranger. However, I'm left feeling extremely disappointed with this book. This review may not sound super original, but I think that is because the things that are good in this book are obvious and easily enjoyed, but the things that are bad in this book are SO BAD. *minor spoilers ahead*

First the good:
-The premise of this book is extremely interesting. A portrait artist who is suddenly unable to see/comprehend faces?
-The medical scenes were actually written quite well. As someone who has actually gone through a similar situation (without actually receiving a surgery) it can be so confusing to hear a doctor say you need to have an elective surgery but also the condition could kill you, with the rates of success varying so wildy. There is a scene where the main character, Sadie, realizes she can no longer comprehend faces and she yells to the team of doctors "Do you know what I do for a living??" and the room is silent. Honestly, powerful.
-The love that Sadie has for her mom is really one of the best parts of this book. It feels so real and raw and authentic.

Aaaand the bad:
-Sadie. As a character, she is just so incredibly annoying. She has a very "I don't take help from anyone" attitude, but it just comes across as whiney. Its also extremely confusing because she accepts free handouts throughout a LOT of the book.
-The side plot with Sadie's family is basically right out of Cinderella. A cartoonishly evil stepsister, a ridiculously naive step mother, and a father that bordelines on abusive but no one except Sadie can see it. Then there is a very bizarre backstory from her high school days that gets resolved in the most ridiculous way possible.
-And finally, perhaps the biggest fault of this book. I should have gone into this with more managed expectations. The premise of the book obviously leads itself to have a LOT of miscommunication tropes. But oh man, are they constant. Miscommunication is the main driver of this entire book. To the point where its actually ridiculous and the characters really have to go out of their way to make some of these situations happen. When "the big" miscommunication is first hinted at, it was so ridiculous that I thought there was NO WAY. But sure enough, there was a way. It was an extreme let down. I too, would want to drop everything and just go on a train ride through Canada if I was surrounded by people with this poor of communication skills.

Overall, I don't think this will totally put me off of Katherine Center books because there were so many glimmers of hope and I really enjoyed How to Walk Away, but I won't be recommending this book to anyone any time soon.

Katherine Center is one of my all time favorite romance authors, and this book did not let me down. Center always has quirky characters that seem so relatable, and Sadie is no different. I honestly felt like I knew her. I laughed, cried, and fell in love with Joe right alongside her. This is a book that I would read over and over again.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: 🔪Thriller
Recommend: ✅

“The Writing Retreat” is the very definition of a page-turner. From the very beginning there were so many minutes of mystery and I *had* to keep reading to figure out both what the hell happened in the past AND what was going on now.

Alex is a writer who is a slump when she wins a contest to go on writing retreat with three other women hosted by her favorite author, a mysterious older woman, Roza. She’s warned before by her friend that submitted her manuscript into the contest that one of the other attendees will be Wren, her ex bestie who she had a falling out with a year ago.

She when Alex, Wren and the other women arrive at the house, it is extremely secluded and cut off from society. Things quickly start veering into spooky and strange. Without veering into spoiler territory, all I can say is I kept thing of Rob Burgundy saying “The escalated quickly.”

The novel is dispersed in between our current action with passages of the novel Alex is writing. I have to admit I don’t always love these types of literary devices and I found it a bit off here as well. The action was SO GOOD in the house, I didn’t want to stray from it. But, I did leave to a great pay-off.

This is a debut novel by JULIA and I will 100% be anticipated her follow-up!


You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Isolated Settings
✅Books about Books
✅Twisty Thrillers

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I adored this book. This was my first Katherine Center book, and it definitely will not be my last.

From the onset, the character of Sadie grabbed me. I wasn't sure where the story was going, but I wanted only good things for her. I also felt a little connection with her need to do everything on her own and not ask anyone for help. I'm not quite as bad as her, but I definitely struggle to ask for help (to the frustration of my husband) if there is any conceivable way I can accomplish something on my own. Sadie, herself, was well-written and a great narrator for this book. I felt her emotions so many times during the book.

And for the rest of the characters, Joe was clearly the standout. I loved how Sadie's perceptions of him morphed throughout this book. At the start, I was appalled right along with her, and then as the book went on, my feeling surrounding him changed right along with Sadie's. I'm not sure how I felt about Sue, even by the end. I know she meant well in everything she did, but she kind of came off as a not-great friend throughout some of this book. Her parents, though, were so great. I loved them so much.

As for Sadie's family, I know we were supposed to hate Parker, but the things she did felt unrealistic to me, especially considering how their parent's always took her side. Parker was a legitimately terrible person, and I find it hard to believe that Sadie's family would believe her over Sadie in every single instance. This was honestly the one thing that made me not give this book five stars. It was just a bit too unbelievable for me.

Regarding plot, I guessed the twist (if you can call it that) pretty early on, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of this book. I kept reading and waiting for Sadie to catch up. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Until recently, I didn't know prosopagnosia existed, but I'm fascinated by it, and I enjoyed reading a book where the main character has this.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Read if you enjoy:
- Interesting Love Triangles
- Family Drama
- Sweet Romance
- Senior Puppers
- Strangers to Lovers Trope

After The Bodyguard blew me away and gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings, I had really high hopes for Hello Stranger. And it did NOT disappoint. There were so many heartwarming, funny and butterfly-inducing moments. Katherine Center is becoming a fast favorite of mine and an automatic "want to read".

I really enjoyed this book and am very grateful to have been given an advanced copy of it. I loved Sadie’s story and how she had to overcome the struggles she faced. Sadie is an artist who specializes in portraits but ends up having brain surgery and the part of her brain that recognizes faces becomes pinched by swelling and she becomes “face blind”. She meets the man of her dreams and then falls for another man. She goes through a lot only to finally find herself and is finally happy. The ending of the story was amazing and I read this book in one sitting. I highly recommend, this book was a really good romance book and i am so happy i was able to read it!

I had the opportunity to read themis book early through NetGalley and thought this was a great opportunity to branchnch out to a category I don't usually read. I didn't love the book but I certainly didn't dislike it either. I will say I didn't really get into the book until the final 10-15% of it. With that said I did enjoy that final bit a lot. The book had no suprise ending and I could see the "plot twist" well in advance. Overall it was cute and for romance fans, I would recommend this book.

Another great read by Katherine Center. This book makes you laugh and cry and swoon and leaves you feeling happy and warm. The plot was unique, something hard to come by in the romance genre, but Center managed to do it. Despite the uniqueness of the book, readers can easily relate to it, and Sadie is such a great character, and we need more guys like Joe in the world.

After having read What We Lost in a Fire, I was really excited to read this one. I have to say I was just a bit disappointed here. It was not the writing. I thought this was solid, however it was the obviousness of the plot and the weird stuff with the evil stepmother, stepsister, and father that just seemed to be fixed overnight. This was definitely one of those sugary sweet, cherry on top books that was a good palate cleanser. I think the best part for me was bringing prosopagnosia to light. I had heard of this condition, however it was different to see how it really tied into many elements of a person's life. I know a lot of this was put on for entertainment, but this really made the book original. I am not wiping my hands of this author and want to see what is next. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I absolutely loved The Bodyguard so was very excited to get a copy of Hello Stranger. I was hooked from the first page. I really enjoyed the premise and thought it was a unique twist on a few different romance tropes. Some of the family drama fell a little flat for me, but I'm willing to overlook it for a great love story with a side of art! It was a quick read, and I devoured it during a flight recently. Can't wait for it to release so I can share with my friends!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely loved this book!!! I love the MCs and the side characters as well. I felt all the emotions, all of them. I enjoyed watching Sadie’s growth. I 100% recommend this book to everyone that is in the need to be pulled out of a slump. This was a feel good book. I definitely plan to keep my eyes open for this author.

This was my first Katherine Center book and it was a great read. I read most of it in one day! I loved the journey that Sadie goes on to find more positivity in a seemingly difficult time in her life. She has to deal with the loss of her mother, a father who has disconnected with her, and a stepmom and stepsister who she refers to as “evil.”

Not only is she dealing with her deteriorating family dynamics, she finds out that she has a genetic condition that her late mother also had - one that killed her. She undergoes surgery to fix the condition and has some complications that may be permanent, but maybe not. This complication has a huge effect on her career and a competition that she had enter. Will she still be able to compete?

At the beginning of the book, Sadie meets a man in a convenience store and I kept thinking over and over what his relevance was throughout the whole book because he was never mentioned again. After her surgery, she meets a vet who she deemed her future husband, but when he stands her up, she starts getting to know a man who lives in her building.

The romance was a slow burn and had no spice, but the relationship was so cute. I loved “Joe” and how he helped Sadie come to terms with her condition before it all changed. She ended things with the vet to start a relationship with her neighbor. Without giving away too much, the ending had me laughing! I found myself doing a face palm! What a creative plot. I really enjoyed this book!

Sadie's life has turned upside down when a pre-disposed condition lands her in need of brain surgery and prosopagnosia also known as face blindness.

What a perfect time to start to fall in love with different men!

Katherine Center has a formula for her books and it really makes her stand apart. She creates these female characters with flaws and lots of heart and helps them grow, do the work and become better individuals as a result. It is truly inspiring for me to read her different stories and see how much she helps her characters improve on themselves in so many ways.

Her books always have little nuggets of humor and this one brought me to tears and made me laugh. It was such a feel good book and I had so much compassion for our main gal Sadie. Also, her EVIL stepsister was the literal WORST. I never can wait close to pub date to devour Katherines beautiful books and this one with a July pub date is no exception.

This book left me filled with hope, and made me want to dust off my roller skates.