This was my second by this author and has quickly become one of my auto buy authors! This book had so many layers and I loved getting to see all is Sadie’s character. The twist at the end was predictable but still very much enjoyed this one!

i've never heard of facial blindness prior to this book but it was interesting to learn about and see it take place in the novel. i enjoyed this it was a cute fun read. thank you netgalley for the e arc :)

Oh how I loved this book. I adored the message behind healing and getting through struggles in life. Joe is so admirable and sweet. I found myself relating a lot to Sadie and rooting for her happy ending in whatever form that may be. This was my first book by this author but now I want to read all of her books.

Face blindness was not something I had heard of, so this was new to me. The author did a great job of explaining it and how it affected the main character, and it was very interesting to see how she adapted (or tried to) as the book continued. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

So I liked this book, but it was totally predictable and completely unbelievable! And yet you can't help but love the characters and root for them! This was a heartwarming read that Katherine Center fans will not be disappointed by!

No one writes a romance like Katherine Center. I love that the heroine always has depth and a life outside of romance. Hello Stranger was no exception. Center has written another swoony romance that builds overtime until the anticipation nearly kills you and then leaves a smile on your face.

I recently read Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and I must say that it was a heartwarming and delightful read. The book follows Sadie Montgomery, an artist who is struggling with face blindness, a condition that makes it difficult for her to recognize faces. To make matters worse, she finds herself torn between two men, her dog's handsome vet, and her endearing neighbor.

The author has done an excellent job of creating a relatable and endearing protagonist in Sadie. Through her struggles with face blindness, we see how the condition affects every aspect of her life, from her art to her relationships. The book is also a reflection of the importance of family, and the author has done a great job of exploring family dynamics and the challenges that come with them.

One thing that stood out to me was the author's ability to balance humor and heart. The book is both funny and touching, and the characters are well-developed, relatable, and endearing. The book is well-paced, and the tension keeps building until the very end.

Overall, Hello Stranger is a heartwarming and delightful book that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted. The author has created a relatable and endearing protagonist in Sadie, and the book is a reflection of the importance of family, love, and the human spirit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies, heartwarming stories, and books that make you feel good.

Another gem by Katherine Center! We meet Sadie Montgomery and follow her as she experiences facial blindness, Chaos ensues in all parts of her life, and the reader is in for surprises throughout the story. I enjoyed her character quirks and seeing how she grew as a person. A great, fun read!

Having recently finished “Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

This was a unique romance filled with anxiety, unexpected challenges, humor and so many heart-warming moments.
Sadie grew on me throughout the story, although she may have been a bit intense at times. Her inner strength and determination was written in such a way that I too thought about who I want to be, how I want to live, and what really matters. As always, I am patiently anticipating meeting the next couple Ms. Center brings into my world. It is always something I look forward to!!

“Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing.”

I went into this book completely blind not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got into the story and how fast I read it. From the start you can't help but feel for Sadie. She's had a tough life and you can clearly see her struggles in many areas. However, as you read, you end up seeing more of her personality and how lost she actually is. I loved how through the book we get to see her slowly realize things that will make her grow and be happy (for real) and see her grow. This story really shows you how much we judge by what we see and how when you lose the thing you use the most, it change your whole perception. I loved Joe's character how thoughtful and sweet he was. Overall, I really liked this story and it made me go through a bunch of emotions. It was a quick read and definitely a story I would recommend.

Sadie Montgomery's life takes an unexpected turn when, after celebrating a major achievement, she finds herself diagnosed with face blindness—a condition that transforms every face she sees into a perplexing puzzle. In her journey to navigate this new reality, where every face is a disjointed collection of features, Sadie grapples with maintaining her artistic aspirations, addressing family challenges, and caring for her cherished dog, Peanut.

While facing these struggles, Sadie unexpectedly discovers herself entangled in feelings of love, lust, and a fleeting obsession, providing a temporary escape from life's complexities. Amidst the challenges, the story transcends traditional romance, exploring themes of personal growth, resilience against life's obstacles, and the art of letting go of burdens that hinder progress. This heartfelt narrative blends warmth, depth, and substance, addressing challenging issues with a gentle touch while delivering a compelling tale of falling in love and finding oneself.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This romance is set on such an interesting premise. Sadie is put in a situation where she cannot rely on her vision as she can't recognize faces and has to rely on the rest of her senses to get around and continue living a "normal" life. It makes Sadie question her judgment on top of the complications with her love life, her strained relationship with her father, her evil step-sister, and her struggle to establish her career as an artist. It's such an interesting and new perspective to set a romance in.

Katherine Center just know show to write a great, intriguing, romantic, sucks you right in kind of book and Hello Stranger was no exception. I really loved Sadie's story - it was hopefully and uplifting and the face blindness was such an interesting spin. And the love interest - so swoony. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved the Bodyguard by Katherine Center, so I was extremely excited to dive into Hello Stranger.

Thank you Katherine Center for sending me the ARC of this book. I apologize for getting to it 4 months after it was released to the public.

This book was definitely interesting and I enjoyed the face blindness plot. I believe this concept has been done before by another popular romance author but, I still found it intriguing. The descriptions of the face blindness were great and captivating. They allowed me, as the reader, to really get a good understanding of what was happening.

With that being said, the face blindness plot made the book extremely predictable. The ending wasn't a twist or anything close to a surprise, unfortunately. HOWEVER, that does not take away from the book being one that I found myself reading quickly and wanting to have Sadie figure it all out.

This book helped me get out of my reading funk since it was a quick and easy read. I don't think it will fall on my favorite romance books list, however I still did enjoy it.

While I loved the end message of the book, the journey to the end was a rough one. Joe shouldve caught on that there was some communication lapses with Sadie. The fact that she broke up with him and he never brought up one of the moments they spent together as "Joe" was so frustrating.
Parker was an unbelievable antagonist, with no real backstory on why she was so horrible and no redemption. There was a mention of her being upset that her life got uprooted but that doesnt justify the level of evil she was. Also the end "gotcha" moment for Parker where the step-mother and father learn about everything that happened, has no satisfaction value.
Overall, the ends did not justify the means and I felt frustrated until the resolution.

Katherine Center knows how to write a story that happens to be romance. As our MC Sadie, a portrait artist, struggles to adjust to (possibly temporary) face blindness while not telling anyone (what could go wrong?!), she has to deal with family trauma. Be sure to stay for the author's note and the acknowledgements.

Katherine Center’s books are a dose of serotonin. Funny, warm, and endearing. I started this one on a whim and read it straight through.
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Sadie is a portrait artist on the verge of her big break when an accident leaves her face blind. The story is basically her muddling around trying to navigate her new circumstances. Enter a couple of men who definitely make things more interesting! 🥰
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I don’t think you will be shocked by any reveals in this book, and I don’t think that is the author’s intent anyway. But you will be charmed. And smitten. And smiley. And that’s enough for me to keep choosing KC’s books over and over again! 💙
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Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced e-copy!!

The number one emotion I felt throughout this book was anticipation. I also started crying on page 20, so I knew it was going to be excellent.

I don't like miscommunication as a trope when adults just don't speak to one another. But this book was such a fascinating look at the challenge face-blindness poses. I loved how it all played out. And wished we got more romance.

Trigger warnings for graphic mentions of suicide and severe bullying.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Hello Stranger” by Katherine Center. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked ‘The Bodyguard’ by this author so I was eager to pick her latest book up. The premise of this was so intriguing! Sadie’s journey with face blindness and how it related to how she approaches her art was the strongest part of the book.

Sadie’s relationship with her dog was I think meant to be “quirky” but it was animal abuse? If you only feed your dog people junk food and live in a loft that isn’t air conditioned in the Texas summer that’s not a great look. How were they even living on a roof? How did Sadie’s paintings dry? How did they not constantly have heat stroke? I was very confused by this. I also assumed the beginning was setting up the dog to die which wasn’t the case but I was bracing myself for it pretty much the whole book.

So when Sadie’s dog goes to the vet, Sadie becomes weirdly fixated on the vet and is instalove about him. She was very stalkery which again I think was supposed to be “quirky?” For being head over heels for the guy, he was then kind of brushed aside and I don’t know if this was a purposeful misdirection. It made the twist effective as I forgot the vet existed for much of the book despite Sadie’s initial obsessive feelings towards him.

And then there’s Joe who I was actively rooting against most of the book. I get that the author wanted there to be a misunderstanding/miscommunication but it made Joe come off as a terrible person to the point where I didn’t understand why Sadie would give him the time of day let alone date him. Anyone that heard that elevator conversation would have assumed Joe was talking about a person and that he was a scum bag. It’s kind of a strange setup to have the love interest be so hard to root for.

The comically evil stepfamily was also a bit much. Sadie needed more of a spine or to just cut them off entirely.

I thought the mixup with the face blindness was actually a really cool twist. The problem was, I wasn’t able to overcome Joe’s horrible first impression to root for him even after everything was explained. It was too late for the explanation and I spent most of the book trying and failing to see why I should root for him.

3/5 stars

Absolutely loved this book! Found the characters and chemistry appealing that I didn’t even mind that I figured out the twist before it happened. Unique take on FMC & love in a modern era-cannot wait for this author’s next book!