I absolutely loved this book! Sadie is so endearing and Joe is great with her! Katherine Center does an amazing job at keeping the reader engaged and wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of HELLO, STRANGER to read in exchange for an honest review! This book is set to publish on July 11, 2023.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who has finally gotten her big break as a finalist in a prestigious competition. In the middle of planning her piece, she finds out she needs to have emergency brain surgery. Upon waking, she's left with a side effect of face blindness. "It's temporary," the doctors all say. But with her livelihood and this competition at stake -- not to mention her friendships and relationships -- Sadie seems to have everything to lose.

For a romance novel, this one is clean. As someone who is very self-conscious about more *ahm* sensitive scenes, I really appreciated that. The plot seemed to be more focused around Sadie and the toll that becoming face blind takes on her. Told in first person, the reader gets a front row seat to Sadie's thoughts and feelings as she navigates this new aspect of her life. While there is some growth in her character throughout the book, I was honestly disappointed in the direction it took. I also found the "twist" fairly easy to guess early on, and I wasn't sure I would even finish the book. I think I expected a bit more curiosity about others from a grown female character. The miscommunication/love "triangle" aspect really just didn't work for me in this book, although I am glad she ended up with the right guy in the end. The biggest piece that I really enjoyed and kept me engaged was Katharine Center's writing. I felt like she did an excellent job portraying the anxiety Sadie was experiencing as she wrestled with the direction her life took.

CW: loss of a parent, grief, gaslighting

Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope―and hang onto her artistic dreams―she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places―and people― you least expect.

~~~

Katherine Center is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine and Hello Stranger just reaffirms that fact!

This book had such an interesting premise with Sadie's face blindness! I knew it would affect her life so much but it was affected even more than I could have imagined! I felt enraged, happy, touched, teary, and so many more things as I read this excellent book!

It was a great balance of serious, funny, sweet and swoony and I will pick up anything Katherine Center writes!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the Arc

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

This was a thoroughly enjoyable romantic read that I read in one day. I’ve always been a fan of romance novels but I loved that I learned about something new in this one. Ive never heard of facial blindness before and did not realize it was a legit thing.

I loved the main character, Sadioe. Having had a craniotomy before, I can relate to her feelings. There’s never a good time for a brain surgery. My favorite part was when she was roller skating on the roof.

I also enjoyed Joe’s character, once I realized he was not a weasel. I enjoyed the twists and turns towards their happy ending.

This is book #4 for me by Katherine Center and I always enjoy her books!!! This book starts out with Sadie who is crossing a busy street when all of a sudden she has a seizure and is rushed to the hospital. After she has brain surgery she has something called prosopagnosia which means face blindness, and she can’t see faces. This book has all the feels and emotions and I loved it from the very first page. I loved each and every character and just the whole story was fantastic!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published July 2023. You don’t want to miss this one!

Such a wonderful read. Very deep and thought provoking while still being a classic rom-com. Although not my normal genre, I feel like this book put a new spin on standard happily ever after and I'm so glad I read it.

Sadie is a character you love almost immediately. You empathize with all of the trouble that comes her way while rooting for her to take life by the wheel and just drive. I cannot imagine dealing with the life altering experiences that she handles, but the Katherine Center does a wonderful job of explaining this world perspective to someone who cannot understand all of the implications. Joe is a wonderful character that I would love to be my boyfriend if I already didn't have a husband :-)

I knew how the pieces fit together earlier on, but consistently wondered how the story was going to bring all of the pieces together. It did bring them together and you couldn't help but smile and cheer when they fit perfectly in place.

I'd recommend this book to not only those that enjoy rom-com, but also any fiction because I think it is a great story that can be enjoyed by most.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in return for a voluntary review.

Okay so... damn. This book was really good. Like, really good. To the point that I demolished this book in about 4.5 hours. I want to review this without giving any spoilers away which is going to be tough, but here we go:

- Center's writing is brilliant. It's engaging, easy to follow whilst building/delivering the story brilliantly. Her plot was unique in the midst of many contemporary romance books that are currently coming out which usually follow or include a certain set of tropes. The faceblindness plot...unexpected but brilliant, and I also like how it wasn't just a quick fix "oh I had it and then I don't" scenario.

- I really enjoyed the FMC. She had a dark cloud over her for a lot of the story but I think I would to had I been in that situation, but I enjoyed reading how she started to view the world in a different light, focusing on things that a lot of us take for granted.

-The MMC(s) I LOVED. They play a huge part in the plot and the plot twist.

-The last chapter I was sitting here like "WHAAAAT" ...IN A GOOD WAY. I really don't want to give anything away, but I approve.

The epilogue... It was nice to see in the future as all epilogues do but I think it would have hit a powerful punch without it.

Either way, this was a great read, one of my favourite so far of 2023 which I know it's only Feb but I *have* already read 62 books so it has decent merit. I look forward to reading more from Center in the future!

Another winner from Katherine Center! I love the way she writes her characters - I feel like they think and talk the same way I do so they're really relatable. This story was super enjoyable and cute and I really enjoyed reading it. The MC was kind of frustrating in her refusal to ask for help but I think that was also really relatable. Overall, super enjoyable and what a fun plot twist! 4/5 for me

This is my very first Katherine Center book, despite multiple of them being on my bookshelf.

Sadie, who has to have brain surgery, develops prosopagnosia, which changes her ability to see faces. Sadie meets a sweet veterinarian (who she claims as her future husband before their first date), who stands her up…. During the same time she is falling for a guy, Joe, that lives in her building,. She breaks up with the veterinarian and then Joe ghosts her. Imagine her surprise when it turns out they are one and the same person, Sadie just didn’t know because she could never see his face. This book also mixes in some family trauma/drama.

What a phenomenal concept, along with stellar writing. I read this in an afternoon and I’m so sad it’s over. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this amazing book! I am going to pull the rest of Katherine’s books off my bookshelf to devour this weekend!

ARC received from NetGalley

Ok I loved this book! I hadn't read any of Katherine Center's books before, but they are definitely going on the TBR now. I've read my fair share of romance books recently, but the plot to this one was very unique. It also let me nerd out a bit as "face blindness" was a diagnosis I encountered during my clinical work in a hospital!

So quick plot rundown - Sadie is a struggling artist who after an accident is required to have brain surgery. Following the surgery, she encounters a medical complication known as "face blindness", which means she's unable to recognize faces. Highly stressful for anyone, but even more so for a portrait artist with a huge project due. Add in some family drama, an evil step-sister, a bit of love triangle (not really, but can't get into this without spoilers). mental health representation, and you've got a story! I could tell I was going to enjoy the book as soon as I started, but the more I read, the more I fell in love with everything. This book had me feeling butterflies one minute to tears the next. There is also a final reveal at the end of the book that had me grinning like a crazy person - it was perfection.

Tropes: light reverse grumpy X sunshine, miscommunication

TWs: death of a parent, cheating (not MMC or FMC), suicide (mentioned, not part of current plot)

You're in for a treat !

It's not my first Katherine Center book but it's by far my favourite! The beginning is a bit slow but after that you have depth of character, positivity and authenticity, interesting themes like grief, acceptance, finding joy...
A good 4,5 for me !

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Hello Stranger
by Katherine Center
Published: St. Martin's Press

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC.
Love Katherine Center's books. When I first started reading this book I was not very fond of Sadie and her personality. But typical KC books you (me) change your perspective
of the main character. I enjoyed reading about Sadie and watching her grow as she had to navigate through that short period of her life after being diagnosed with Prosopagnosia.
Really enjoyed reading about Peanut but did need more Peanut time ha.
I highly recommend this book!

4.5/5 stars! This book was so incredibly unique, I couldn't stop reading. |loved the plot and the main character Sadie. One of my favorite books in the world, Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, also has a character with face blindness so I was instantly drawn into this book.
While not to disregard the struggles that come along with face blindness, this book somehow makes it's extremely romantic in that it's rooted in falling for someone or getting to know someone for who they truly are. To know someone so deeply you don't even have to know what they look like, you don't have to see their face to recognize them - you just intrinsically know them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found Sadie incredibly relatable and real. I read this book in a few hours it was so entertaining!

Sadie is an artist, more importantly she is a portrait artist, so her life is thrown into complete turmoil when a freak incident leaves her lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a condition known as ‘face blindness’. Is this permanent or temporary? No one is sure, but Sadie must figure out how to navigate her life and relationships while dealing with her new reality.

This story features a beloved pet, dysfunctional and toxic family relationships, and a fun and slightly quirky love story. This is the third Katherine Center novel I have read and I have really enjoyed the author's more out of the box approach to a romantic storyline. Overall, while I predicted the outcome early on in the story, I enjoyed the characters so much that I was definitely invested in continuing to read so I could find out how they navigated all the twists and turns ahead of them.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me this book for review consideration.

I was THRILLED to read Hello Stranger in advance of its release, and let me tell you - it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this story and devoured it in under 24 hours. Sadie, a struggling portrait artist, has a nonconvulsive seizure which leads to required brain surgery. While procedure goes well, it leaves her with face blindness. This means she can see everything, including face features, but her brain can't put the pieces together.

Over the next six weeks, Sadie tries to paint portraits, deals with her incredibly terrible stepsister, and ends up falling in love with *TWO* men. And let me tell you, Joe is the kindest and most swoonworthy cinnamon roll!

I found Sadie very relatable. She's struggling, but she doesn't want to accept help or reveal her face blindness in fear that people will pity her. This leads to super sweet scenes between her and Joe, and very funny miscommunications/mixups that while anticipated, resolve in very satisfying and entertaining scenes. I also must give a shout out to Peanut, Sadie's "Texas fluffball", and his hilarious eating habits. I loved their relationship and could very much relate as someone who is obsessed with their cat.

I highly recommend this book! I would have liked more spice between Sadie and Joe, but when Katherine Center is telling me a story, I don't miss it!

This book was a unique romance that had me guessing throughout the whole book! It had me trying to predict the ending and which guy she was going to choose. The banter between the characters was great! Sadiie's character development continued to deepen as the book went on. I enjoyed each character and the author took the time to develop each one. It was a fun story to read and had me guessing the entire time. I thought the neurovascular approach and Sadie's condition was very interesting and made me want to research more about it. I particularly appreciated the author's note when Center talks about how romance novels can bring anticipation. This book was so much more than a romance-it had plot and good character development individually and collectively.

This book had a little of everything I wanted in a cozy romance! Cute dogs, fun bff, evil stepsisters, hot vet men...etc.
I really enjoy how Katherine Center always makes the women in her stories fun, quirky, and lovable. It was an easy, fast paced read that I finished in one sitting.
I thought the "face blindness" piece was fascinating and that she did an amazing job weaving that into the story. The romance bit is very PG and cute - it perfectly highlighted the beginnings of something sweet.
My favorite was her Author's Note about Hope and Anticipation so definitely read alll the way to the end.
I definitely recommend this book!

✨Book Review✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katherine Center is one of my top 3 favorite romance authors EVER. I loved The Bodyguard and The Things You Save in a Fire is one of my favorite romance novels ever. She will always be an auto read for me. In the past, I have loved her books because of the depth of characterization and detailed stories that are more than just romance. They’ve dealt with tough issues and I’ve appreciated how’s she’s written about those issues. For me, the romance genre can be tricky because typically, the romance *formula* is so predictable. I enjoy reading them because they can provide some relief from heavy books and they tend to be light and fun. Sometimes I just need that. But Katherine Center’s books have been so much more than that for me in the past and I love that about her books.

Unfortunately, Hello Strangers fit more into that formulaic, predictable romance pattern than other books of hers that I’ve read. It was a slow build romance, which I appreciated, there were other big issues going on (loss of a parent, absent dad, evil step family, medical issues from an accident, discovering your true self etc.), but none of it really went too deep. It tried to, but I just didn’t FEEL it like I have in her past books. I’ve also read another book with a main character dealing with prosopagnosia or face blindness (Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven) so I didn’t find it quite as unique as some other readers may have. I thought the evil step family was over the top and beyond ridiculous. I rolled my eyes multiple times with that storyline and ultimately I just never fell in love with the romance.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Were my expectations too high? Probably. But it DID fit into that fun, light, easy to read romance book that I typically expect when picking up a book in this genre. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I think my problem is that I expect so much more when I pick up a Katherine Center book and I didn’t get what I was expecting. I think people will enjoy this book. Just go into it knowing what you are getting: a fun, light, easy to read, over the top, predictable romance novel.

Incredibly grateful to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced digital arc of this book. Hello stranger is out in July

I haven’t ever read a book quite like this and don’t think I will have the privilege of this newness again. Sure, it had typical elements of friendship and romance, but with a surprising dose of medical mystery, drama, and associating twists and turns. The elements of how grief from earlier in life affected the main character and those around her - and thus the plot - was interwoven seamlessly too.

God, I love Katherine Center. This book was an absolute delight. I fell in love with the characters, and the story kept me super interested. This romance involved one of my least-favorite tropes - miscommunication - but it did it really well. Absolutely recommend and can't wait to see what Center writes next!