OMG this book was great. This author always delivers.

Great characters for the most part.
An aspiring portrait artist who loses the ability to see faces. What could be worse. Absolutely nothing. She’s also falling for a guy and putting up with a stepsister from a Cinderella story. Ok that is maybe a stretch, but she was a jerk.

Katherine Center writes books that keep you turning the pages. Keep you hoping things work out and have endings that will have you weeping with joy. A first rate book to keep you rooting for the main character.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KatherineCenter, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5 huge stars. The full review will be posted in June. This is just for now. Loved, loved, loved, this book!

I love Katherine Centers books yes after this she will be an auto buy because all of ther books are amazing. Ah as an art student I couldn't imagine what life would be like with not being able to see someone's face. Oh this book was everything I teared up at one point, I laughed and smiled in others. Oh this book! You have to read it. I think it's better than the bodyguard.
I just reviewed Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL

So so SO GOOD. This book was entertaining and so well written. It was so descriptive but not repetitive. A perfect rom-com with a really unique twist- the protagonist develops face blindness. You just can’t help but root for her and her happily ever after. I literally laughed out loud at the end! It was the perfect twist and it felt so realistic! Definitely going to be reading more from this author asap

"Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can't-- but that you yourself never could if you weren't so lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing" - from Katherine Center's latest novel.

This book takes the reader on a unique journey and into the life of protagonist Sadie, who has just received the biggest break of her career as a portrait artist and a chance to win $10,000. She is put into a position in which her survival - on all levels - rests on her ability to adapt and persevere after unexpected brain surgery.

It was great to watch Sadie take on the many challenges before her, and ultimately 'win' in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

What a delight! This book was everything I wanted in a romance - there's a serious undertone with grief that's extremely well written, but also a someone playful plot around face blindness in a professional portrait artist. Sadie is involved in a freak accident that leaves her with a tough diagnosis and even tougher side effects. Up for a prestigious portrait competition, she suddenly cannot comprehend faces, and even her best friend looks like a stranger. As her work life falls apart, things seem to be going great in the dating world - she meets a hot guy in her building AND starts falling for her local vet. Hijinks ensue as she struggles to finish her portrait entry and figure out which of the TWO guys is the ONE.

It's well worth reading the author's note at the end of the book - it has some great thoughts about the role of contemporary romance in a post-COVID world and it really resonated with me!

Sadie has finally landed the opportunity of a lifetime to paint in a portrait competition. In a series of unfortunate events, Sadie develops face blindness after a seizure. She’s struggling to paint her portrait for the competition when her dog gets sick and she has to rush him to the vet. The only thing going her way these days seems to be in the romance department- between her helpful neighbor and her dog’s veterinarian, she has more than enough romantic interests!

What I loved:
- Portrayal of complex family relationships
- Memories of her mother
- Unique premise
- Surprising love triangle
- the chemistry!!

I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the unique plot. Definitely recommend for romance fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy.

Sadie is a starving artist who finally gets her big break: she is a finalist in a national portrait competition that could pay out a big prize plus give her a lot of exposure. However, a medical emergency results in her becoming completely face blind: she can’t see faces, which means not only is she struggling with everyday life (is that person who just said hi a friend or foe?) but she is failing miserably at painting even a basic portrait for the competition. The medical and social aspects of face blindness were fascinating, as well as their implications, but I struggled to really like Sadie as a character. While Katherine Center’s protagonists are usually awesome, strong women, Sadie’s constant vilification of her family seemed somewhat unwarranted, and her general immaturity made her hard to identify with. I still loved this book enough to stay up and read it in one night, but it wasn’t quite as great as Center’s others.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader’s copy of this awesome book. I loved this book so much! I thought it was brilliantly written. The premise is compelling and the romance is a lot of fun. And there’s a cute dog!
I was hooked from start to finish. There’s a moment when I figured out what was going on with the romance and I felt proud for figuring it out. But then I realized that was the exact moment the author meant for us to figure it out so that we could excitedly read the rest in anticipation of the lead figuring it out too.
Amazing! Can’t wait to read more from this author. It was a perfect romcom.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book did not work for me, both personally and on a more technical level.

First, the only other Katherine Center book I have read is The Bodyguard, which was much more romance focused/driven than this one. Because of this, I went into this book expecting it to be a romance, but instead the romance does not even begin to start till the 50% mark, and the book before this point felt repetitive and boring to me. But I also don't read much contemporary literature that isn't romance focused, and so this part of why the novel didn't work for me is more on me and what I like in books and seek out in books, than the actual books' fault.

That being said, I do also think there were issues with Hello Stranger that went beyond my personal taste in the genre. For one, regarding the way the romance didn't start till the 50% mark or so, it also started extremely abruptly? The main character goes from hating this guy so much she proposes kicking him out of her apartment building to suddenly being into him after a single interaction. In general, I felt like the main character read extremely immature/childish as well. Her inner monologue, the way she came to decisions, as well as her conversations with others, felt like it would have fit much better in a YA book where the main character was in high school. I also felt like all of the characters in this novel, including the main, were very shallow and veered into being caricatures. In fact, the 'villain' of the novel IS a complete caricature; a super villain who behaves atrociously towards everyone for no reason (and nothing comes of this as well). The main character also seemed to experience no growth either, and everything sort of fell into place for her by the end without her actually doing anything.

All in all, this was a really disappointing read, because I gave The Bodyguard 4 stars and so this new novel was one of my most anticipated of 2023. But I struggled to get through this, and if it hadn't been an ARC or had been on my most anticipated list, I think I may have even DNF'ed it.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

My Thoughts: After struggling portrait artist Sadie has a seizure, she learns she has to have what should be a fairly straightforward brain operation. Unfortunately, the surgery leaves her with a (hopefully temporary) condition they refer to as "face blindness". She can see faces...sort of. Her brain just can't make sense of the features, which stops her from recognizing even her best friend. The timing is terrible, since Sadie just got what should be her big break in the art world. Will her life fall apart, or will a select few people help her through?

Honestly, I love Katherine Center's writing style and will read anything she puts out. While this wasn't my all-time favorite of her books, it was still a solid 4-star read. She writes such good, relatable characters and Sadie is no exception. I really related to her worst-case-scenario way of thinking, and loved seeing her grow over the course of the story. There's a fun twist at the end that I sort of guessed, but it didn't make it any less satisfying!

I continue to be a huge Katherine Center fan, and am grateful to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for allowing me an advanced e-copy of this delightful novel!

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. I am a huge fan of Katherine Centers work, so when I got the notification that I was approved to read an advanced copy of her newest story, my joy was high. This book was phenomenal, and I think it’s my new favorite by Katherine. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I realized about halfway through what was possibly happening and when it turned out to be true, I was giddy at reading it all happen. This book taught me about new things that I wasn’t aware of. It made me laugh, it made me smile and it had moments of sadness. Overall, this book is a must read for sure.

3.75 🌟 rounded up to 4.

A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC. Be sure to pick up a copy of this on July 11th, 2023!

This book was sweet and very relationship driven through a very different lens of a medical drama/situation

As the end neared I kept thinking oh its this, but then wasn't sure how it would happen. I thought it was well done but not as predictable as other reviewers seem to think!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the medical aspect of it. There were a lot of components, family drama, personal drama, medical drama. I wish there was more closure with Parker, maybe her side of it. Overall, very good! A little easy to predict as you got towards the end, but it made you want to see how it was going to come together!

4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 5). I have loved every single Katherine Center book so far that I’ve read! I was thrilled to be approved for an advanced copy of Hello Stranger, which comes out in July. I wanted to wait until closer to the pub date to read it but I was way too excited, so I just need to remember to post my review again once it’s released! If you are a fan of Katherine Center you are definitely going to want to put this one on the top of your summer reading list.

First off, I love the author’s writing. She has a wonderful way of making you feel connected to each and every character! I absolutely adored Sadie, Joe,
Dr. Nicole and Sue in this one! Especially Joe! When you first start the book you’ll think “ughhh who does this guy think he is” but keep reading…I promise you will fall in love with him in no time! I felt sad for Sadie because she had it rough losing her mom at the age of 14. Her dad became distant with her and remarried. Lucinda, her step mother, was not so good to her and her step sister, Parker…she was the devil in disguise!!! Honestly she is one of the worst characters I’ve ever read…so incredibly cruel! So basically after Sadie lost her mom she felt like she had no one, which made it hard for her to accept help from anyone. The storyline about her losing her ability to recognize facial features was quite interesting. I can’t even imagine waking up and not being able to recognize anyone.

So the story was alittle predictable with what would happen with her torn feelings between Joe and Dr. Addison, but honestly I didn’t mind at all. It was a really fun read! I laughed out loud so many times while reading it. Even though it includes struggles and sadness…it has the perfect amount of humor to keep a smile on your face as you’re reading! And the ending…I LOVED IT!!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! I highly suggest picking up a copy on the release date: 7/11/23. 😊

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads pages:
*Instagram- bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

Hello Stranger was an absolutely adorable read. I enjoyed getting to know the main character through such an unusual scenario. While the twist at the end was predictable, the realness of Sadie made the book entirely enjoyable. It’s so nice to see fun and quirky characters.

Couldn't finish this one, I've enjoyed this author before but I think I found the premise of this one. a bit hard to wrap my mind around, plus I found the main character a little irritating. Might pick it back up at some point but didn't love it this time.

4/5 stars

This is exactly the book you didn’t know you needed!
Katherine Center is a literary magician; things are chugging along and BAM-you are invested in the story and cannot sleep until you know what happens. This is exactly what happened to me.
Read if you love:
-Love at first sight (or not sight?)
-Adorable fur baby sidekick
-Letting go of expectations
This book was all kinds of sweet (read-no spice). I couldn’t help but fall in love. Katherine Center pulls at heartstrings while simultaneously having her readers shout at the characters to WAKE-UP. Filled with coincidences, moments of frustrating and predictability- this book is guaranteed to get any reader out of a slump!
I also learnt a lot about face-blindness and the challenges that come with it. It was very educational while still being a light and fun romance. Center does a great job of balancing difficult topics with lightness and laughter.
A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC. Be sure to pick up a copy of this on July 11th, 2023!

I really enjoyed this book despite the twist being a little predictable it was a fun read and I liked most of the characters.

I received an ARC of ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 from @netGalley which was my first book by Katherine Center. After what’s supposed to be a fairly simple brain surgery, Sadie gets a condition that is causing “face blindness”. Not so easy for anyone, and even so to a portrait artist. Although it sounds like a heavy topic, it is actually a fun [clean] romance laced with humor. It was pretty predictable but not annoyingly so and definitely makes me want to add Center’s other books to my TBR.

It took me a minute to get into this one but once I did I enjoyed it! I thought the idea for this story was unique and touching. Katherine Center does it again!