✨Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ✨

Hello Stranger 📚 by @katherinecenter

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh, I want to go back and re-read this right after finishing it. I read this in less half a day, which happens with most of Katherine Center's books. Being one of my favorite authors, this was on the top of my most anticipated reads for 2023! Thank you to @netgalley for this #advancedreaderscopy to read before its publication date!

Katherine Center's characters are always so likable, realistic, and endearing. And the romance is 👌. She also tends to throw in an interesting plot, and this one tackles facial blindness (prosopagnosia). Katherine Center always ends with some powerful message that leaves you thinking (and most of the time, crying) long after you finished reading.

This would be the best book I've read so far this year...definitely recommend!

#winterreads #justread #bookstack #booklovers #romance #alwaysreading #readersofinstagram #bookreview #instareads #goodreads #bookworm #bookaddict #readersofig #bookreviewer #bookaddict #bookstagram #booklovers

Sadie is a struggling artist who has finally a shot at her big break after winning a spot in the top ten of a renowned portrait competition. Unfortunately for Sadie, shortly after finding out the good news, she finds out she needs brain surgery which causes the loss of her ability to see faces. This heartfelt book will have you laughing along as Sadie explores life without faces while overcoming the challenges that come post surgery.

Katherine Center has done it again - A heart warming, sit down and read in one session type of book. A must read for anyone looking for a rom com this summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I really liked this book, it was so unique! I am new to this author, but since hearing of this book, have seen her other books everywhere (I'm sure some scientist or philosopher made a rule in their namesake for this phenomenon (I'm also sure he was white and male)) and now I must read more!
I can honestly say I have never read a book with this plot line before-- it had ode to a Cinderella story with a splash of love triangle and personal self growth, with a side of humor and plot twists-- but the true uniqueness came in the main character Saidie's sudden face blindness after having emergency surgery, and her profession and passion as a portrait artist. I learned so much from reading this book (which is always awesome), and I was even ok with the love triangle subplot here when that usually isn't my favorite trope.
Mostly, the family dynamic threw me way off because I'm like "wow can a family really be this toxic???" Why yes, reader, yes they can. It's my own fault for trying to reject the Cinderella inspo here but it is undeniable there is an evil(ish) step mom, and an evil (totally) step sister. More-so, however, is the neglectful and toxic father! (Most of these characters desperately needed to learn some healthy coping mechanisms).
I was shocked in places I shouldn't have been, and I felt such satisfaction when a certain storyline finished the way I wanted it too. All around, this story was a trip I couldn't put down and I am excited to read more from this author.
Thank you for the ARC!

This was my first book by Katherine Center, and it will not be my last! I really liked the author’s writing style — it was easy to read, witty, and conversational. The main character was compelling and relatable (even if I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in her situation!) and I enjoyed the fresh take on the unreliable narrator trope. I did come across a number of grammatical and continuity errors, so I hope it goes through another round of editing before the pub date, but overall the story was solid and very enjoyable!

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling portrait artist that has just received a chance at her big break by placing in the top ten in a portrait competition. Not long after receiving the big news, Sadie finds herself in the hospital to have brain surgery. She is reassured that this should be a standard procedure with a quick recovery that will leave her as good as new in a few days. All seems to be going well with her recovery until she realizes that she cannot see faces. The doctors tell her that it should be temporary, but with only a few weeks to go until the portrait competition even temporary face blindness is too long.

Sadie has to relearn how to complete everyday tasks without all her senses working in unison. We see her struggle to know whether she is meeting someone for the first time or if she has known them for years. As she is navigating these new changes, she meets her neighbor, Joe, and her dog’s veterinarian, Dr. Addison, and finds herself developing feelings for them both. Sadie has to deal with all of life’s typical experiences including family drama, dating, and work all while adjusting to her new condition.

This book does a great job of bringing you through the experience with Sadie each step of the way and making you feel those emotions along with her. I could feel the frustration and embarrassment that she experienced at not being able to rely on her brain. The author does a good job of bringing hope and joy into the book even as Sadie is facing so much hardship.

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

This was such a sweet and unexpected read that caught me by surprise! It's different from what I usually read, but I absolutely loved it. Devoured it in just a few hours.
Sadie was a lovable character and so relatable with her struggles to share her difficulties with the world. Oliver/Joe was such a good character as well. Took care of all the people around him and I honestly did not see the twist coming regarding this character.
I think the author approached the neurological troubles in such a smart way, highlighting the struggles that can touch not only the person suffering but their families as well.
All in all, this was a very sweet book and I would recommend it to everyone once it is released!

Hello Stranger was cute, and well written, and I love the cover however, it seemed to miss the mark for me. Saddie is struggling, and when she thinks her luck has come around, life has other plans leading to her needing brain surgery which unfortunately results in her inability to see people's faces. Then her dog gets sick, and her neighbor keeps witnessing these awful, embarrassing parts of her life. However, she falls in love with two men, so that's a plus. As cute as the idea of the book was. it just fell a little flat for me; it felt like a 180 from The Bodyguard (which I loved). I felt like the characters were also a little immature for me, and it felt like a lot was going on in the book with not enough pages; however, Joe was a bright spot for me. Because of him, I continued the book even though the "plot twist" was pretty predictable. Lastly, There was very little romance, but the romance included didn't feel authentic. For example, when they said, "I love you," it felt like it came out of left field. It was a sweet and easy read that produced some laughs but was not my favorite.

***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely***

TW: grief and parental loss

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Sadie has been through the wringer over the last many years and could really use a win. Ever since her mother died, her Dad has been distant and unsupportive, his new wife has been a meddler and her step-sister has been a nightmare. She is trying her hand at that artist life but has been more starving than artist. She finally places in a prestigious art competition when a medical scare forces her to have barin surgery. When she wakes up, she can no longer see faces. Not ideal for a portrait artist.
As she begins to recover, she has to learn to navigate the world with "face blindness".

Such a fun book! I love Sadie and the whole cast of characters. I guessed many of the twists pretty early on but it did not take any enjoyment out of the book for me.

*Not sure it qualifies as a true trigger warning, but Sadie has some seriously toxic family members. Narcissistic abuse and one of them blames her for the death of her mom.

This is my second Kathrine Center book. With that said I absolutely loved this one. Sadie is loveable and so is Joe. I fell in love with both characters. The warm feeling of the story and the hope that Sadie would be okay kept me going until the end. It was kind of predictable and obvious as most romances are but it was fun and it was cute. One of I could read it for the first time again I would just to experience it again.

My first read from this author and it won’t be my last!
I really enjoyed the writing of this author, it was fun but serious; it was so real and relatable.
Ok, I’ve never had or heard of this condition that Sadie experienced! But I couldn’t imagine it, and the way the author explained it I can see where Sadie was coming from and how she was trying to trudge forward with her life!
I was so in love Oliver and Joe 😏, they were great companion options for Sadie and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with who she ended up with!! 😏😏
If I’m honest, the beginning of the book started a little slow for me; but keep reading folks, it gets better; I’m so glad I was patient with this one!!

I am a Katherine Center fan. I’ve read everything she’s written. This is by far the strangest story I’ve read lately. A very intriguing premise of a portrait artist who has surgery and can’t distinguish faces anymore. However, Sadie just drives you crazy, I got so frustrated I just had to stop reading.

This will not stop me from buying and reading her next new novel.

Thank you, Net Galley, for an ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I think, really think, this is my favorite Katharine Center book. But, let's be honest, they are all fantastic. This storyline has all the feels, I smiled so much, cried, felt everything. I feel in love with both of the MCs. Just, WOW!

I'm so glad I picked up this book when it was on "Read Now" a few weeks ago. It has such an interesting and fascinating concept — a woman who's an artist needs to have brain surgery, and she wakes up with face blindness. I was a little worried going in how this would be handled, but I thought it was done with a lot of sensitivity and care. Hello Stranger was my first Katherine Center book, but it won't be my last.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

3.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy of this book!

This is most definitely the most unique romance I’ve ever read, and I promise I mean that wholeheartedly as a compliment. I’ve truly never read anything like this, and I know many others will feel the same.

While I did not enjoy it as much as Center’s previous novel, The Bodyguard, it is still a gem of its own.

Hello Stranger follows Sadie Montgomery over the course of a few very tumultuous weeks as she works to complete a portrait for an esteemed portrait competition that she recently became a finalist for. Sadie is determined to win and to prove everyone that’s doubted her — her father, stepmother, and evil stepsister especially — wrong. There’s only one slight issue: she’s also recovering from a brain surgery in which a complication resulted in her having face blindness.

Sadie was such a lovely protagonist and she was extremely easy to root for. The (main) love interest on the other hand took some time to win me over, but once he won me over, he won me over.

I also surprisingly really enjoyed the inclusion of the painting competition. Usually jobs or hobbies in books are thrown in as a quick way to characterize a protagonist or give them some actual depth but this time it actually played a significant and interesting role in the story, especially alongside the face blindness. (I on particularly really wish I could see how her final portrait turned on.)

Speaking of the face blindness, I was honestly kind of confused at first at why it was included but it also ended up adding an interesting depth to the story. I loved seeing Sadie grapple with the big adjustments in her everyday life after the surgery and I really enjoyed watching her evolve and change her perspective of her condition over the course of the story. It turns out face blindness doubles as a very insightful metaphor toward Sadie’s own life.

Despite my enjoyment of all these plot elements, I have to admit that I often felt like too much was happening at once in this novel. There were so many threads that ultimately began to unravel at the same time and it got a bit overwhelming.

I had some issues with some of the comments made in this novel too, especially regarding a certain resident of Sadie’s building. I feel like that could have been excluded.

Additionally, I wasn’t a fan of how new plot points or details would be introduced that seemed to serve no other purpose than acting as a convenient plot device. An example of this is the plot point that’s introduced to get rid of Sadie’s best friend so that Sadie could spend more time with the LI.

Speaking for convenience, I feel that some of the characters in this novel — particularly those depicted to be the “villains” of this story — came off more as caricatures rather than realistic people mostly in order to evoke sympathy on Sadie’s behalf.

Then came the third act. Center is pretty creative with her “third act conflicts.” At first, I was like, “There’s no way this can have a logical resolution.” And then it did!! And then came the TWIST! Yes that’s right, this romance novel had a twist!! Multiple even, but I guessed the smaller of the two.

Overall: I enjoyed this and I have a feeling it’s going to be a favorite for many due to its creativity and uniqueness. If you’re looking for an engrossing and entertaining read with some deeper, more emotional elements, then I highly recommend picking this up in July!

I loved this book!! Katherine Center is one of my favorites and she did it again! Thankful to have gotten this early!! I will continue reading her books as soon as they release!!!!

This is my first Katherine Center book and won’t be my last!
Sadie is a struggling artist who specializes in face portraits. She also has a hereditary brain condition which needs surgery. Said surgery impacts her ability to “see” faces.
She can still see her beloved dog, Peanut’s face but he falls ill, and she rushes him to the vet. The vet is an assumingly handsome man named Oliver, she assumes based on his gait, scent, and other markers but she can't see his face due to her face blindness.
In her condo building, she runs into her neighbor, Joe, quite a few times and they begin to help each other out of jams. Some are quite hilarious!
Add in an evil stepsister & stepmother, detached father, memories of a deceased mother, condo building drama and a witty best friend.
I did feel the medical explanations and hospital stays were a bit much at the beginning (first 20% of the book) but set the scene for the seriousness of Sadie’s condition.

I loved Dr. Nicole and her advice! And I loved the ending even more!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review of this book!

First let me say, I am a HUGE Katherine Center fan. This book had a VERY creative concept and brought attention to a condition I had no idea existed, but was not as high on my list as some of her others.

Struggling artist Sadie Montgomery quiet literally lost sight of life in an instant. After getting promising news regarding her art (finally!) her ability to visualize faces is lost…. Which proves to be quiet the problem being as she is a portrait artist. Sadie continues to take hits, like dealing with the scumbag neighbor dating everyone in her building, her dog getting unexpectedly sick (that Vet though) and SURPRISE her evil stepsister showing back up in her life. One thing she did NOT expect to find was a herself in a love triangle with the Vet and Scumbag (maybe he isn’t so bad after all?) neighbor.

The book was a fun easy read, I just think some of the characters/relationships weren’t fully played out or well developed (mainly Sadie’s family). BUT I really did love learning about the condition Sadie had.

This book was so heart warming and fun. I was a big fan of The Bodyguard and was so excited to get the opportunity to an advanced copy of Hello Stranger. I loved the humor in the book (“gotcha therapy”…hysterical) and I must say I am in desperate need of a pajanket.

I loved this overall story line. I love how Katherine wrote both of these main characters so they were both so real and likeable. I was also very attached to the side characters, whether I loved them or hated them. In particular I thought the evolution of Lucinda through the eyes of Sadie was very well done.

We’ll be excited to stock Hello Stranger at Westsider Books this summer!

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who finally has a chance at her big break. Before she can celebrate this opportunity, she finds out she has to have brain surgery to remove a small brain bleed. An unfortunate side effect of the surgery, Sadie ends up with acquired prosopagnosia: face blindness. Sadie has to figure out how to create a portrait without the ability to see any faces. While juggling the hot veterinarian and Mr. Helpful in her building, Sadie has to figure out how to save her career.

Katherine Center won my heart over several years ago with Things You Save in a Fire. Hello Stranger was a delight. I was laughing out loud at Sadie's relatable cynicism and sense of humor. As someone who hates telling others why they're struggling, I totally understood Sadie.

I recently read another book that dealt with developmental prosopagnosia and it did not handle it with care; it felt like a tool to tell an interesting story. In Hello Stranger, however, it was handled with care and clearly well researched. It helped paint a picture (heh) of a challenge many readers may not be familiar with.

I wish this book had more romance. I loved swoony Joe and needed more of the hot vet... but overall loved seeing Sadie's journey to find self love and acceptance.

My first Katherine Center book and it won’t be my last. Lots of hope and happiness it was funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Face Blindness is something I had never heard of and it was interesting to me to read about it.