Katherine Center is my favorite female author and Fredrik Backman is my favorite male author. After literally 30+ years of devoted reading, I have decided.

This book of hers is by far my favorite of her books, all of which I really liked. And as if the book wasn't phenomenal, her author's note at the end solidified her positioning. She provided THE BEST romance novel, Pride and Prejudice is still up there, in such a clean, wholesome, feel good, but not boring way. And all of her books deliver on good old fashioned, hard earned wisdom, and solid values.

It's official, I think I would genuinely like to meet you Katherine and talk to you about your brilliance! But if nothing else, feel free to always consider me for ARC copies of any future books!

I absolutely loved “The Bodyguard” so I couldn’t wait to read this book! It was my very first Netgalley selection! This book has all the ingredients for a 5⭐️ book! It made me smile, it made me laugh out loud, it made me get mad at the characters and then love them again, it made me swoon! This book has little spice and I appreciated that! Katherine Center is definitely an author that I’ll be binge reading!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been thinking about it since I finished it. Without giving away too much I found Sadie’s ability to cope incredible. To have the one sense needed to pursue her chosen career as well as her big break and still persist was inspiring. To be a portrait artist without being able to see faces is nearly impossible. But she would not give up her dream.

I found the interpersonal relationships with her father and stepmother difficult to read but well written. I wanted to just shout at the father. The stepsister was evil but as things played out toward the end her behavior became understandable but not excusable.

Her relationship with Joe was interesting because she found so many things to not like about him without really knowing anything. I did figure out the twist but thought it was intriguing the way it was written and how Sadie figures it out.

Overall I loved this book as I have the others I have read by Katherine Center.

As someone who has a child that has seizures and has had brain surgery, I think there should be a trigger warning.

Katherine Center is such a joy, and her writing is so beautiful. I absolutely loved the story, I loved the concept. It was so fresh and new, I hadn’t ever read anything like it. That was fun. I loved the character development and the realness of the situation… Joe was such a pleasant surprise! He was by far my favorite character in this book, and perhaps my favorite MMC in any of her books.

BUT- I figured out the entire plot line REALLY early on. Like 30% through the book I knew exactly how it was going to end. And not in a “oh, it’s a romance, it’ll have a cutesy HEA” but in a “that little sneaky twist isn’t actually THAT sneaky”.

So while I still absolutely adored the book, it just wasn’t a 5 star read for me, which may be a first of her books.

Wow! What an amazing story! I loved the characters, the way the story developed, and the ending. I felt like I could relate to each of the characters in different ways, and was rooting for each of them.

Hello Stranger had the perfect amount of family drama, personal growth, and romance all artfully woven together. It was a delight to read - including the author's note at the end! Katherine Center knows how to create the anticipation and hope that make romance novels worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rarely do I reread any books, or parts of books more than once, but this one I have gone back about 3 times to reread the ending because I am not ready to move on to a new story yet. I loved the surprise towards the end, and kicked myself for not figuring out what was going to happen sooner. This story had quirky yet relatable characters, an interesting conflict, and a beautiful love story. I love a story that introduces me to a new idea or interesting fact of life, and the concept of face blindness was new to me. I loved all of the information the author included on it, and how she really seemed to capture what it would feel like to suddenly not be able to see faces anymore. This book was full of hope, and anticipation and I absolutely adored it. Another amazing story from Katherine Center! I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

This was such a wonderful comfort read! I couldn’t help immediately liking Sadie and rooting for her throughout the whole book. I appreciated the conflicts and obstacles written for Sadie, and even though what she went through probably isn’t going to happen to the average person, it was easy to relate to going through a time when everything seems like it’s falling apart and just wanting something to go right. And since this is a romcom, I really enjoyed the story of Sadie and Joe/Oliver, and I loved the ending.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more! I was hooked from the very first chapter, not once did I feel bored reading this. I was instantly invested in Sadie’s journey and loved how she was a little grumpy and ohhhh the family fued! Literally loved everything about this book! The writing, the characters, the topic of prosopagnosia (really enjoyed reading about this) the story & the lesson behind it.. this was more than just romance. I am very pleased with how this story panned out. Definitely a must read.

I am a Katherine Center fan from her first book to her most recently published The Body Guard. This book however was a bit disjointed for me. The main character, Sadie, suffers a concussion or seizure that renders her unable to see people’s faces in a normal way, which is especially troubling as she is a portrait artist…up for the biggest painting challenge of her life. So the timing is obviously tricky for Sadie. It seems like the characters were not developed. I really didn’t empathize with Sadie or care what was going to happen as it was somewhat predictable but also choppy and disjointed. I felt bad and sad that I didn’t love the book because I really enjoy this author. It was a bit madcap but not a win for me. That said, it was some simple rom com chick lit that made it a quick read, I just wish I could have enjoyed the characters more.

What an enjoyable read this was!! I loved the concept, and it made for a unique and meaningful romance! A couple of things were a little too "convenient' and I wish her step sister had been a little more nuanced, but the romance was sweet AF. I loved both MCs and a majority of the side characters.

Honestly I NEEDED this book. It was so heartfelt and laugh out loud funny, but the story had SO many layers to it. KC really knows how to steep a story with interesting, empathy-inducing situations. And the characters are never surface-level, one dimensional.
I’m now in love with Joe.
Don’t tell my husband.
Thanks Katherine Center!

Advance copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie is a struggling artist, who has just made it into a portrait competition in which she stands to make a lot of money. She is on her way home from the store when she has a nonconvulsive seizure on the sidewalk in front of her building. She wakes up in the hospital and finds out she needs surgery immediately because she has a lesion on her brain called a carvernoma. Her father, who is a thoracic surgeon, schedules her procedure right away. When she wakes up, her best friend, Sue, comes to see her and Sadie doesn't recognize her because she has acquired face blindness. The doctors give her hope that it is just temporary. When her adorable dog Peanut gets sick, she takes him to the veterinarian and meets Oliver Addison who ask her on a date. This then proceeds a whirlwind of events for Sadie.

HELLO STRANGER had me swooning! Just when I thought I couldn't love a Katherine Center book more...she out does herself again!! I just loved Sadie and Oliver. This was one I read in a day, because once you start you will not be able to put it down. The ending just left me speechless! I would LOVE to see this story made into a movie. After you read it, you will see why. I am just smitten! All the stars for HELLO STRANGER, I wish I read it sooner!! Enjoy everyone!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Katherine Center has a unique way of creating such an engaging story that you don't want to put it down.
In 2022 I read The Bodyguard with no expectations and fell in love with her storytelling and character development.
Hello Stranger does not disappoint. Sadie as a narrator is charming and heart breaking in turn and I was desperately cheering for not only her happy ending with her partner but also resolving the conflicts in her relationship with her family.
In the end I liked that things wrapped up in what I would call a realistic manner. Yes, Sadie got her happy romantic ending but that didn't magically fix her life, it just made it better.
Truly a delightful read. 4.5/5

I enjoyed earlier books by Katherine Center so was excited to get to read this through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about Face Blindness and it was interesting to read about it and how it affected Sadie's life. It kept me reading to know what would happen next and it did not disappoint.

Now I have to go read the rest of her back list.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this novel, which comes out in July, 2023.

And this is why Katherine Center is one of my favorites!! Absolutely love this book! Their love story was so cute and had me laughing out loud. It was sad with what all Sadie had to go through but to see all the happiness come together at the end was so worth it!!

Swoon! Guys, you're in for a treat! I adored this book. Its feel-good factor is out of this world. And yes, I did stay up until 3 am finishing it! Thank you, Katherine Center, you rock! You make my world brighter and more bearable, and yes, this book had me "in that blissed-out, oxytocin-laden, tipsy" state you aimed for. Bull's eye!

Here are a couple of quotes out of the many I saved.

“I’m no psychiatrist,” Joe said then, “but I’ve seen a lot of panic attacks. And this kind looks like that.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. I was always fine— whether I was fine or not.
“Okay,” Joe said. “A friend of mine— who clearly had a totally different thing from you— used to find it helpful for me to pat her back in moments that were nothing at all like this.”
“I’m not having a panic attack,” I said.
“Great,” Joe said. “Neither am I.”
“So I don’t need you to pat my back.”
“Cool. You don’t need it.” A long pause while he let that settle. “But we could just do it for fun.”
“Fine,” I said, too busy dying to fight.

And this is from a far too relatable scene where our heroine has to defend her work in front of an indifferent crowd.

Nothing to do but panic over life-altering decisions about where to rest my hands. They were too posed and awkward at my sides, but they felt hostile if I crossed them over my chest, and they had too much judgy-mom energy if I rested them on my hips. I just kept shifting them around. Was behind the back too goofy? Was clasped at the pelvis too suggestive? Was clenched into fists of misery too . . . honest?
Nothing worked. Every few seconds I tried a new pose. Like an animatronic scarecrow.

Thank you to the author, St Martin's Press, and to Netgalley for my advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review. This book has been the highlight of my year so far.

I loved this story. At first I wasn’t sure where it was going, but what a unique storyline! Sadie was incredibly relatable, and her face-blindness really made me feel sorry for her but she kept going. I loved the idea of having multiple characters that served different roles, and don’t even get me started on Peanut!! I can’t wait for more people to read this, it’s been one of my favorites I’ve read in a while. The writing was easy to read, and I literally laughed out loud at some points. Katherine Center’s voice is just amazing!

Hello Stranger was such a unique concept, bringing rom-com and an unusual diagnosis together.

Sadie is a portrait artist, who unexpectedly needs brain surgery and develops a complication where she can no longer see faces. Her character struggles and learns as she deals with this new reality. Katherine Center brings us through Sadie’s process in a heartwarming and romantic way!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to read this book! I loved getting to know Sadie during the ups and downs of placing as a finalist in a portrait art competition vital to her career and then almost immediately losing her ability to recognize faces. This book focused on Sadie and her life, rather than just her potential romantic relationships, which made it feel slightly different than the romances I typically read, including Katherine Center's last book, The Bodyguard. I was invested in Sadie, her art, and her relationships throughout the book and appreciated the care taken to wrap up each storyline and give me a chance to get to know each character. The ending was so satisfying and left me smiling.

The only thing that I didn't love was Sadie's best friend, Sue. I didn't feel like she was a good support system for Sadie especially during a difficult time, but I absolutely recognize that friendships and love are not always ideal and look different for different people and Sue's actions didn't seem to bother Sadie.

I took a class on on cognitive neuroscience two years ago where we discussed prosopagnosia (face blindness) and I easily learned more and better understood the condition through the story telling in this book which shows how much research and compassion was put into it. I also loved the Author's Note at the end of the book, because I've been wondering why I gravitate towards romance books and how we define and judge the romance genre and Katherine Center wrote about that in a way that expanded on my thoughts and validated an interest that isn't usually valued. I want to hear all of her thoughts and insights on romance books and life.