📖 Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎵 invisible string
🖊 “The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

I would give this book 100 stars if I could. I laughed, I swooned, I cried (like, a lot). I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for the foreseeable future.

Even with a supremely unique condition, Sadie is relatable and real and everything I want in a main character. She’s not a perfect person, she’s been hurt time and time again, but she grows and struggles (and then grows some more). She is just trying to make the best of her situation even when it seems life is targeting her in particular. Her growth is just magnificent.

I loved how well fleshed out the supporting characters were. Everyone was charming and had depth (even her “evil” family had their moments).

Sure, you can see the “big twist” coming from miles away, but the beauty in this story is how it’s told. We know that Sadie gets a happy ending, but the real pleasure comes from seeing Sadie learn how to get there.

I think the author’s note at the end summed it up best: “Love stories don’t have happy endings because their authors didn’t know any better. They have happy endings because they let readers access a rare and precious kind of emotional bliss.” I will happily deal with blissful anticipation if every book felt like this one.

Thank you so much for the chance to read this ARC!

What a clever, witty story. I loved Sadie’s navigation of this new world with prosopagnosia. It really makes us think about how we approach every day encounters with people.

I loved her journey with Joe and Dr. Oliver and even seeing her relationship with her dad and Lucinda was very fulfilling.

Overall, I think what stuck with me most was the concept of confirmation bias and how true that really is in our everyday. We see what we are looking for!

Thank you again!

This book is now one of my favorite romance books. It’s basically the epitome of romcoms. It was so beautifully perfect. It has such heart and soul in it. I loved Sadie’s voice and character from the very beginning. She’s snarky, funny, sweet, and a little broken, kind of like all of us. We all have things that don’t go exactly our way in our lives. What I loved about Sadie is that she faces her problems head on.

And the romance! One of the best I’ve read. Made so much better because of Sadie’s face blindness. Oh boy, it was so good, almost frustrating, but it made me laugh and smile and wish that Sadie would figure out her love life soon, because it was almost giving me anxiety! Anxiety because I knew from the beginning what Sadie obviously didn’t know.

The way that the author explored the intricacies and problems of face blindness was crafted so well, and really let me see what Sadie saw, and couldn’t see. And when she falls in love, you know it’s for real because she’s not falling in love with a handsome face, she’s falling in love with the person behind the puzzle pieces face that she can’t see.

I loved the tone of this book, the voice, the characters, the romance, the animals. Basically everything. Even her evil stepmother. Even the role that her evil stepsister played, though I really don’t like the wicked girl.

I really hope that someone makes this into a romcom movie. It’s basically crying out to be made into one. It would be so perfect and romantic and beautiful and fun.

One last thing, I loved the author’s note at the end, where she talks about romance books and why we love them and why they’re not just formulaic stories that don’t deserve attention. They deserve all the love, because they provide such hope and beauty for our own lives.

It releases this summer, and I am definitely buying it the day it releases! I need the beauty of the hardcover in my hands. *cue happy sigh as I stare dreamily at the beautiful cover* She even has her roller skate on!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc!

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It made me smile, laugh and get teary eyed. While I had heard of face blindness, I had never seen it in a romance novel- or anywhere actually. It made for a really unique story with some very different and interesting problems for the characters which is always great. Sometimes it feels like books rely on misunderstandings or a failure to communicate to move a plot along (meanwhile nothing else is really happening) all while leaving the reader wanting to shake the characters and yell at them to just talk already! But with the face blindness, the misunderstandings were understandable- her brain literally wasn’t working properly. In the end, it seems like the message of the book is: we need to slow down and see the things we’re missing and not be afraid to ask for and accept help. If Sadie had taken the time she might have noticed “Joe” sooner. Also, Parker is awful.
I read a free arc from Netgally and this is my honest review.

Omgeeee!! She did it again! Katherine Center does not disappoint in this fabulous, interesting and thoughtful new book! Her books are always filled with beautiful pros- I love her descriptions. Bring someone who is fascinated with brain science, I loved learning about an interesting facet of our brains from a personal perspective. And of course, the love story is perfectly balanced and nuanced. Trigger warning would be on grief and parent loss- but is very honestly dealt with in such a tender way.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors to read. Hello Stranger was on my most anticipated list for this year. Oh I loved it so much! That twist! My jaw dropped. I loved Sadie’s journey to overcome her new condition. It was so interesting. I went into this book actually pretty blind and I’m happy I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I love Katherine Center's books, but this new title took me awhile in which to become invested. I'm not sure what it was: maybe the main character's face blindness issue or maybe her unlikeable family members. The book eventually picked up and I did read it quickly and wanted to know what happened. I guessed the 'twist' before the main character figured it out. All of the problems were resolved, so it was a satisfactory ending.

This is my new favorite Katherine Center book! It’s the story of a young portrait artist named Sadie who loses her ability to see faces after she undergoes brain surgery. Sadie has to learn different ways to recognize people since she can’t see their faces. I love that this book shows the reality of dealing with a health issue, the times you want to give up and the small victories that push you forward, with heart and humor. I highly recommend this book!

Loved this concept! Can’t imagine how I would feel of that happened to me. Loved Sadie and her will to keep going and figure things out!!! Will definitely read more of this author

3.5 ⭐️'s rounded up.

Thank you NetGallery for providing me an ARC.

I will say at the very beginning the FMC was definitely annoying and over dramatic. But I'm definitely glad I pushed through. It actually became really cute when the MCs were brought together. Joe was definitely so adorable and I loved him. Sadie had some major growth too which I was really happy about.

Definitely recommend. Keep your eyes out for it in July.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Hello Stranger" and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoy reading books from this author. This was a very good story. It had all the things I needed from a book at that moment I read it. From great characters that you were invested in to love to drama. I did like the unique story also, it was really interesting. It was fun! It was heart warming, it was sad, it was happy. One of my go to authors when I need a good book to read.

I loved this book. My favorite rom com book I’ve read all year! Sadie was such a lovable character.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

I’ve read one other book by Katherine Center and enjoyed quite a lot, so I was excited to receive an ARC of Hello Stranger.

I enjoyed the overall story concept,but felt it was very predictable throughout the whole book. I also wasn’t a huge fan of Sadie, her attitude and how she was towards others was a bit of a turn off for me, though she tried to grow some. Her best friend Sue, was the worst friend possible, Joe was a little too boring and too perfect.
The bad events just kept snowballing and then tied up neatly, it felt like it wasn’t planned out and rushed.

I’ll continue reading Katherine Center books though, this would could just be a little better

Basically the whole story is a huge miscommunication. Which for me I have trouble with these parts of romances or tropes. There was just one miscommunication after another and nobody was opening their mouth about it. It drove me nuts. But again that’s just my personal opinion and a dislike of mine.

This took me too long to read and honestly I felt so out of touch with the MC.

I really wanted to like her but I just felt annoyed by how stubborn and naive she could be.

I gave it 3 stars but but it’s more like 3.5.

The main character was such a mess and whined so much about it.

But the writing was great and I loved the different type of amnesia and thought it made the story interesting and memorable.

Loved this concept! Can’t imagine how I would feel of that happened to me. Loved Sadie and her will to keep going and figure things out!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! I was so excited to receive it, you have no idea.

Sadie is a starving portrait artist who is trying to get her big break and she’s almost there. She has placed in a big art competition and has the opportunity to win $10,000.

One night she’s on her way to a party to celebrate her newfound success when she suddenly has a seizure in the middle of a cross walk and a Good Samaritan saves her.

While she’s in the hospital, she finds out that she has an irregular blood vessel in her brain and has to have surgery. This surgery leads to her developing face blindness. Bad for a portrait artist, right?

I absolutely LOVE Katherine Center’s writing/books. Seriously, give me all her books right now, they’re amazing. And have you seen the covers?!

Her characters all have such great personality and witty banter, it’s adorable. And they’re imperfect, they all have their flaws they have to work through and eventually become the best versions of themselves. It’s good when you’re sad that the book has to end.

I can totally relate to Sadie and her relationship with her dog, Peanut, too. I have an 11 year old mini doxie who I hope lives forever.

Ps, don’t sleep on the authors note! And the book comes out in July 2023!

As an artist, I found this novel particularly interesting. As a reader, I enjoyed the story line immensely. Katherine Center never fails to entertain me. I enjoy the knowledge of the subject matter she imparts and I love her characters. This novel has given me much to think about in my own life and also how we evaluate others. I thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of one of my favorite authors.

I have loved every Katherine Center book I’ve read, so it’s no surprise that I loved this one too!

This one has such a unique plot, relatable characters, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face while reading.

Thank you, netgalley for my advanced copy. I can’t wait to buy a copy of this when it releases and add it to my shelves!

4.5 stars.

Really enjoyed this one! This is my first Katherine Center book ( I know, I know!) and I loved it. Loved the twist at the end and didn’t see it coming.

The characters were middle annoying, but overall it was very entertaining. Thanks for the ARC, NetGellay!

I have been listening to Katherine Center’s books for several years and Hello Stranger marks the 10th one. This book has you really feeling so much for Sadie and all she has been through in her life losing her mom, having an absent father, stepmother others and the really awful stepsister then to have her develop a super strange and rare condition that affects her life and livelihood in profound ways. Wow, that is a lot and the hits keep coming. I enjoyed the bit of a roller coaster though I will admit part way through I wasn’t sure what to think because, as I said, Sadie went through a lot. I should have trusted the process. The epilogue and author’s note at the end should not be skipped.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity for an advanced look at another great Katherine Center book.