Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center came back to her roots and I loved every second of it! My favorite thing about her style of writing is the tragic accidents that the main character must overcome and through healing, they find love.

In this novel, we meet a struggling portrait artist. Sadie, who has a nonconvulsive seizure resulting in face blindess. This means she can't recognize anyone's face, not even her own. Let's not forget that she has an evil stepmother and stepsister who enjoy playing on her weaknesses. Through her struggle though she learns that there are positives, like helping strangers and using other senses to navigate the world. As nice as that all sounds, still has a 3 weeks to produce a portrait for a national competition that could change her life. Which "stranger" will be kind enough to help her?

Overall, the plot was pretty well developed. It wasn't dull and didn't drag. The romance part reads like a semi-predictable Hallmark movie, but I'm not mad about it. I look forward to that and expect it when I pick up a romance book. I do think Sadie is one of Center's most dimensional characters thus far. We learn so much about her past and present because she also developed the side characters so well. In summary, I would definitely recommend this books to others, and I hope Katherine Center continues to use her magical writing formula on her next novels.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook. Expected publication 7/11/23.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is selected to be in the top ten of a local portrait competition. That night, her friend, Sue, decides to throw a party to celebrate Sadie's accomplishment. Also that night, Sadie has a non-convulsive seizure due to a cavernoma while walking across the street. She has brain surgery which causes edema and results in her having acquired prosopagnosia (face blindness). This is difficult for any person to live with, but especially Sadie as a portraitist with her competition looming in 6 weeks.

To add to the difficulties of her situation, Sadie meets two men - a dashing veterinarian (Dr. Oliver Addison) who saves her dog, Peanut, and a charmingly handsome womanizer in her building with a heart of gold (Joe). We learn that Sadie's mom passed away when Sadie was a young girl and her father quickly remarried. Sadie's stepmom, Lucinda, and stepsister, Parker, are the Kardashian-Jenner equivalent of the evil stepmother and evil step sister. Parker takes every opportunity to torture Sadie and use her face blindness against her. The book takes place over ~7 weeks (with the epilogue taking place 1 year after the events in the book).

Was this book cheesy? Yes. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it exactly the hopeful, light-hearted, balm that we sometimes need? YES! When I'm looking for a 'feel-good' read in the future, I will definitely be sure to look at Katherine Center's previous works for options.

I really enjoyed this book. There were definite moments when I laughed out loud, it was smiling while reading. This was a quick read that I couldn’t put down. I read it almost entirely in one sitting. I liked the character of Sadie. The real winner for me though was Joe. I like the majority of the plot, but it certainly was predictable. The number of coincidences got to be a tad too high for me. It was interesting reading about a diagnosis that I knew very little about: face blindness. It really was a unique part of the book, and prompted to Google about the disorder to learn more. I would recommend this book to a friend who was looking for a cute rom com story.

I think this book would be served best to have some final editing before publishing. There were some typos and errors throughout (ie. using “thought” instead of “though”)

I immediately had to read another Katherine Center book after reading The Bodyguard. I fell in love with her writing and this book was no different. The whole premise of the book was so interesting, I found myself invested in Sadie’s life and couldn’t stop reading. Definitely recommend!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. The writing was easy to read and flowed well through the storyline. I loved Sadie and her quirkiness. I loved the love interests and even her best friend Sue. I was riveted and even she’d some tears as Sadie worked through her past traumas and grief. It was just beautiful. I also really appreciated that the ending, while it wrapped everything up nicely, it didn’t make everything perfect. It left some things messy, but that’s real life. Things are a bit messy.

I highly recommend this book and I will definitely be moving her other book up on my TBR.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5
🌶 🌶️ /5

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did (and stuck it out) it was worth it. After loving "The Bodyguard" I was delighted to see this book show up on NetGalley.

Sadie has face blindness after some necessary brain surgery and forgets the good and bad of the men she is dating and her utterly toxic family. (Come on, whose family is perfect? But hers is even worse than mine!!!!)

Not the best book, not the worst...but enjoyable. If you find it lagging, stick it out...put it down for a day and then come back to it..you won't regret it.

I can see this flying off the shelves of our library: I will recommend it far and wide.

S-W-O-O-N. That spells *I freaking loved this adorable, charming, delightful, lovely, warm-hug-of-a-book!* Adjectives. Just all the happy adjectives! When I get this excited, I speak only in thesaurus.

The Plot: After collapsing in the street, Sadie learns that she has a malformed blood vessel in her brain that will require surgery. As a portrait artist, faces are kind of a big deal to her, so you can imagine her horror when she develops face blindness after the procedure and can no longer recognize faces. Uh oh. Along the journey to recovery, she learns to navigate her new reality—with a little help from Oliver, the handsome veterinarian who treats her dog, and from Joe, her annoying yet attractive neighbor. I know, I know: It would appear that I’m describing a love triangle, but hear me out. This is a really good one. Everything about it feels organic, nothing contrived or manipulating about this geometric dilemma of love. In fact, it’s THE BEST love triangle of all time. Promise. What follows is literary bliss!

Beyond a doubt—while the plot is simply wonderful and the pacing is absolute perfection—the characters are where this book truly shines. Sadie is as authentic as they come and someone I’d love to have a cocktail with. She’s smart, competent, and inspirational, not to mention witty. If I could reach into these pages and hug her, I would. And the fellas! They are stand-up-and-shake-your-pom-poms cheer
-worthy. Buy the book for the characters; stay for the heartwarming thrill of it all.

Seriously, If you’re looking for something comfortable and comforting, something pleasing to the senses and oh-so-satisfying, congratulations, you’ve found it! Grab a copy and get cozy. You are about to be thoroughly entertained. Simply put, I adored every page of it, so much so that I’m signing with review with a squeal. Squeal!

What a fun read! I devoured this heartwarming story in 1.5 days (would have been shorter if not for those tiny humans I have in my house who don't yet understand the draw of a good book and having to work). This is the perfect escape to a land of a great story and loveable characters. I had high hopes for a Katherine Center book and she certainly delivered.
I will be begging my friends to pick up this book as soon as possible so we can dive into conversation about some of the themes it brings up.
As a high school educator, this is a book I could share with with students, as it can drive good discussion on so many topics when it comes to resiliency, forgiveness, and relationships.
This book is an easy 5 start read for me!

Sorry but this was just okay for me. The story of her brain injury was interesting as I had never heard of it before. However, I just didn’t feel it was as good as some of her earlier books.

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist, barely making ends meet. After being selected to participate in a prestigious portrait competition that could finally bring her the recognition and success she’s being working towards, the worst happens. Sadie has a seizure while crossing the street and ends up being diagnosed with cavernoma and needing brain surgery. Oh yeah, no big deal. We’ll just zip through that and carry on with life. Oh wait… surgery went well, but now she’s face blind and she’s a portrait artist. Needless to say, things aren’t going great at the worst possible time.

Katherine Center so brilliantly captures people going through some of the toughest moments of their lives. She makes you feel hopeful and she makes you feel like everything is going to be okay. Her writing is like a big, warm hug and a cup of hot cocoa.

Hello Stranger is another installment of the greatness of Katherine Center. Do your heart some good and read this twisty, entertaining, and lighthearted read.

After reading a lot of heavy books in January, I was looking for something light and fun and this new release from Katherine Center fit the bill. It didn’t quite live up to The Bodyguard (which I loved). There were places that dragged a bit, but also many charming scenes with unexpected laugh out loud moments.

Reading Hello Stranger was, for me, the literary equivalent of sipping a steaming cup of English breakfast tea while curled up in cozy pajamas in front of a crackling fire. This novel by master storyteller Katherine Center sparked hope and joy. It inspired me to try on different perspectives. It caused me to keep turning pages past my bedtime. It introduced me to a medical condition about which I previously knew practically nothing. And above all, it was soul nourishing. I loved it! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for the privilege of receiving a complimentary ARC of this book. Opinions are entirely my own.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was wondering how Katherine Center was going to handle this novel, after reading the description, and it looks like my musings were for nothing. She again, delivers a fun, heartfelt story that makes you feel so happy once you've finished it. It was slightly predictable, but that's why I read these books. Life is unpredictable enough.
Joe was a wonderful character, and it was so easy to dislike Parker. Mr Kim was amazing, and so was Sue. I love that these characters are in stories like these. Sadie's development was a huge part of the plot, so I'm glad it all ended well.

This book was good, but not my favorite Katherine Center. The face blindness plot worked much better than I feared it was and was impeccably researched, and I really appreciated the way Sadie developed over time and experienced relatable personal growth. It was also well written and I enjoyed the tone and subtle humor, and it was a quick and easy read—I read the whole thing in one evening. I did feel that there were certain characters and plot lines that were just wildly oversimplified, like Parker, and while I don’t mind suspending disbelief for a good romance novel, there were a few things that were just way too coincidental. But overall it was a solid, enjoyable read.

Sadie Montogmery, a Houston artist on the verge of her lucky break, unexpectedly finds herself with one huge problem: due to a sudden health issue followed by surgery, she can’t see faces clearly.

Why is this a problem, you might ask? Sadie has 3 weeks to paint a portrait for a huge competition that could change her life.

As if the whole not-seeing-faces thing wasn’t a problem enough, she find herself dealing with evil-step sister drama, the weird neighbor Joe, her sick dog, and a massive crush on her new veterinarian, Dr. Addison.

Having read and enjoyed Katherine Center’s work before, I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Hello Stranger. I went in, as I typically do, completely blind (no pun intended) and I’m so glad I did! I love the author’s writing style, the quick-pace, the humor, and the connection I felt to the characters.

I was rooting for Sadie and Joe from the start and thought their relationship was so sweet and genuine. I loved all of the twists and revelations. Were they predictable? Yes. Was it still enjoyable to read as they unfolded? Yes!

I would definitely recommend this book to friends who are a fan of this genre or author!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

“It wasn’t a real kiss,” I finally said.
“It was real enough.”

-unique and wholesome plot, close proximity, love triangle, lovable characters other than Parker (yuck x a million 🙄🚮)
-after a brain surgery, Sadie develops a conditions where she cannot see faces
-how is a portrait artist supposed to paint without being able to see her subjects 🎨👩‍🎨
-falls for the sweet vet, Dr. Oliver Addison, who saves her dog, Peanut 🐶 but also starts having feelings for her helpful and kind neighbour, Joe
-the ending was predictable but still super fun nonetheless
-thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read this ❤️ I enjoyed it so much!

I absolutely adored this story. I really enjoyed seeing Sadie diagnosed with this unique medical condition and falling in love. I loved seeing the growth of the characters of Sadie and her friendship with Joe. The author weaves in some funny moments throughout while also touching on some deeper themes. Overall a great story/ book. I will highly recommend!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Another Katherine Center amazing read!! After placing in an a portrait competition that her mother placed in years ago, Sadie has some traumatic events start spiraling in her life making her lose hope in her chances of winning. The only good thing? Joe. And her dog’s new vet, Dr. Oliver Addison. But when she breaks things off with one, the other ghosts her. Can get life get any worse? Can she turn it around? A unique storyline that is somewhat predictable but also definitely worth the read!!

I’ve read everything Katherine Center has written and have loved most of them. Hello Stranger wasn’t one of my favorites. I learned a lot about face blindness and that was interesting but the painting parts just seemed to drag. Also, I saw the twist coming so it wasn’t a big reveal for me. The wicked stepsister part was a bit unbelievable. No one saw anything that this girl ever did? I don’t buy it.
Overall, a good read, just not a favorite for me.

I have enjoyed Katherine Center books before so I was excited to get a copy of this book. This was a sweet romance and I loved the ending. I read this book slowly and even though I could predict the ending I wouldnt have envisioned it any other way. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.