ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣: 𝕂𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕖 ℂ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣

I have yet to be disappointed by a Katherine Center read. I haven’t stayed up to finish a book in a long time, but last night I was up until midnight finishing this one because I just could not put it down.

Katherine Center creates such lovable main characters that I easily get lost and forget the world I’m reading about isn’t reality. One thing I love about her novels is that while we don’t get unrealistic happy ever afters, we do get realistic happy ever afters that still leave me more than satisfied in the end. Which, this ending? Woah. It makes me want to reread the entire book with the knowledge of how it ended… and I very well might do just that.

I loved the creativity and uniqueness of this
Sadie, the main character, having to deal with face-blindness as an artist is a struggle I’ve never come across or even thought about. This made me not only interested in the love story (because duh) but also in the whole idea of face-blindness and having to alter your idea of art when your life is turned upside down.

Another relationship, or lack of one, I loved throughout this book was Sadie and her father. Again, a conflict that didn’t end in a cookie cutter happily ever after, but in a realistic and satisfying way that I related to on a very personal level.

All that is to say, this was an (unsurprising) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 read for me.

Thank you #netgalley for the sneak peak!

Whenever I get my hands on a Katherine Center book I read it as soon as I can. Without giving too much away, this was a solid Center book. Was it my favorite? No. “Things you Save in a Fire” still has that top spot. I did enjoy the plot but found the main heroine, Sadie to be pretty annoying at times. I did really fall for both the main love interests. They were both incredibly sweet with Sadie.

Overall this was another enjoyable read by Center. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC.

It's hard not to love Katherine Center - I recommend listening to her Virtual Book Tour podcast episode. Her books are fun and spicy but with an added depth that can be rare in this genre.

I loved this book! It is so much more than a romance book. Katherine Center writes about characters that are so alive and detailed, they feel real. I was so intrigued and invested in Sadie's life. This book has so much character development, hope, healing, connection, love, and laughter. Hello Stranger also has a unique plot with the main character developing face blindness, it was interesting and new. I already want to read this again! Katherine Center is amazing. Her Author's Note at the end also made me love this book even more. Just amazing!!

I loved The Bodyguard before, and I loved Hello Stranger! Sadie is an interesting character follow. I love our hero as well - his kindness, generosity, attention.

Watching Sadie deal with face blindness and her family made for an emotional and interesting story. Honestly, I don’t think we needed Parker.

I think the book did a great job explaining face blindness to the reader. It really painted a picture of what this could look like for those who have not had to deal with it.

This novel is so sweet and an amazing read. It's uplifting but also covers heavy topics that happen in people's lives, but it's balanced well with laughter and love. The book centers on Sadie's growth as a character and how she's dealing with her grief, but it's also a closed door romance. Not everything was wrapped up in the end, but it left me thinking about Sadie and the other characters well after reading the last page. I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a meaningful romcom.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Are you kidding me?? This book was just dumb good, like it had no business being this delightful. Oh my gosh, I loved it and will be telling everyone to read it. It was fascinating and entertaining and hopeful. I even caught myself thinking about it when I was away from my book! And I loved the author’s note on the anticipation of romance novels; I felt so seen. Thank you for this ARC! Katherine Center’s whole backlist is officially on my TBR.

I absolutely loved this book! I've loved several of Katherine Center's previous books, and this one is right up there with my favorites. I love the growth Sadie experiences throughout the story in addition to the romance. I love the hope and positivity KC puts into her novels - it definitely makes you want to look at the positive things in life rather than dwelling on the negatives!

Sadie is a portrait artist barely making ends meet with a strained relationship with her father and step family. Out of the blue Sadie gets a message she is a finalist is portrait art competition. As Sadie prepares to celebrate she ends up having a seizure and needing brain surgery. The aftermath leaves her with acquired face blindness. Sadie can figure out who a person is by looking at elements of their appearance such a their voice, clothes or hair but if she looks at their face it’s like a puzzle with the eyes, mouth and nose all out of wack. When her beloved dog gets sick she ends up meeting a handsome (she can just tell) and caring vet who shows interest in her. Then there’s the annoying guy who lives in her apartment building who wears a bowling jacket with the name Joe. Along with meeting these two endearing guys Sadie has to finish a portrait for the competition. Can Sadie overcome her face blindness and create a beautiful piece of art? Will her evil stepsister ruin everything, including her chance at fixing things with her father? Will she recognize any faces again? This is a classic Katherine Center romance with dynamic characters, a soul searching heroine and a Texas setting. The slow burn romance is sweet and tender hearted, helping the reader root for Sadie on her journey. I absolutely adored this book and know it will be a favorite 2023 read of mine, even if the year has just begun!

Hello Stranger was phenomenal. Katherine Center gives readers a fun roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the book. Sadie is a relatable character to me for many reasons including being a starving artist from Houston. Ha.

I loved every minute of this book and was immediately inspired to go through Center’s backlist to make sure I’m not missing any other gems.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

So this is one of those books that you just can't put down. I was absorbed from page 1 til the very last page

Center writes a funny and heartwarming story. I recommend completely. Than again i recommend all of Katherine's books.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher

All thoughts and opinions are .y own and aren't influenced by anyone else

Where do I even begin? This became one of my all-time favorite reads, ever! Not many books make me want to IMMEDIATELY reread the second I finish it.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is a finalist in a portrait art competition when she discovers she needs brain surgery. This shouldn't affect her competition because it'll be a short recovery, but she ends up with a rare condition of face blindness.

She then has to navigate this world without seeing faces all the while struggling with what to paint for her competition. Meanwhile, she makes friends with a neighbor Joe and her dog's veterinarian Dr. Addison.

I loved this book something fierce and would 1000% recommend this to someone looking for a cute rom-com. This is the second book I've read by Katherine and I hope to read more.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! *

Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts are my own.

The Bodyguard was the first book I read by Katherine Center. I thoroughly enjoyed that book which led me to reading Hello Stranger. This book was good but a very different feel. (Personally I enjoyed The Bodyguard more.) A lot of the time is spent in Sadie’s inner dialog. Sometimes it got a bit rambling for me. I do really appreciate that Center writes intelligent and capable female characters throughout her novels - and not just the leads. It’s refreshing to read about women who are intelligent and sexy. Or kick ass and have fears. Cause that’s what women are truly - complex with layers.

Fans of Anxious People by Fredrick Backman might enjoy this. It’s much lighter topic wise but has similar vibes.

My only other note is that Hello Stranger is advertised as a romance novel but really that felt like a side story since we spent such a long time in the inner thoughts of Sadie as she worked through this new condition and through family dynamics.

*Note to the publishers - there are a few typos - in the dialog there might be a small word like “she” repeated or missing.

Katherine Center is by far one of my “go to” authors and her newest book was just as amazing as all of her others. I loved learning about face blindness, especially from such an amazing job that center did with having her main character suffer from it. This story was filled with struggles and was so realistic in how the characters struggled but also found a way to learn and grow from those struggles. As always, this author did a splendid job of not only making the love story wonderful to read but also all the “other side stories”. I loved the relationship the main character had with her father and step mother and all the complications that came with them. It made them relatable and real. Katherine center remains a genius writer that I will always look forward to reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me the honor to read this advanced copy.

This was so completely charming, I had so much fun reading it! 4.5 stars
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Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who has just been accepted as a finalist in a prestigious competition, when she has to go in for emergency surgery for a brain bleed, which ultimately leads to her developing prosopagnosia, or face blindness. She now has to figure out how to deal with all social situations where she can't recognize anyone as well as how to paint a portrait without being able to see faces. 
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I've seen prosopagnosia as a plot point before, but this felt like a fresh approach, with Sadie acquiring it, so hearing her interpretation of it made it easier to visualize what it would mean. I really enjoyed seeing how she handled the diagnosis, and the range of emotions she went through during the process, she felt so completely real. 
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The romance was also so fun too! Not steamy, which was fine with me, but so cute how it developed, and the various miscommunications they dealt with. And included such a fun twist that I did not see coming! 
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I really enjoyed that this was a romance that was so much more. Her relationship with her family, her friends, her grief over her mother who died when she was young, even her relationship with her dog Peanut. It had so many great and touching moments. 
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My only thing that kept me from a full 5 stars was Parker, Sadie's "evil" stepsister...who was just a bit too *actually* evil to be realistic. I think I would have appreciated a bit more subtlety there. 
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But overall this was such a joy to read, and I would highly recommend!

I will never not read anything that Katherine Center writes! I loved this book so much. Sadie, a struggling portrait artist is on the verge of a big break when she has an accident that forces her to undergo rain surgery.

While the brain surgery was successful, it leaves her with a condition that causes her to have face blindness. The accident and its after effects come on the heels of her being a finalist in a major portrait competition.

As if this wasn’t enough to deal with, Sadie has to deal with strained relationships with her father and stepmother as well as a evil stepsister.

From her super supportive best friend Sue and Sue’s parents, her always there to lend a hand neighbor Joe to her little dog Peanut, I loved these characters so much.

Like her previous works, this book doesn’t disappoint. I can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

So cute!! I needed a dose of happy in my life, and this was just the perfect feel-good read. I loved her note on romance novels at the end of the book - check that out when you read it.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC! This one is a home run by Katherine Center. I adore her writing and how she combines laugh out loud humor with sensitive topics. I was so excited to receive this as an ARC and I finished it in 2 days. The storyline is a bit different, in a good way. I adore Sadie and her two romantic interests. Learning about her medical condition was fascinating and the author provided a lot of detail about the effects without sounding like a text book. There is a larger message here that I thought was so perfect to hear as we go through our everyday lives: look, be present, take the time to push against your confirmation bias. This was a wonderful romance, the kind you wish you could read every day!

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who is finally catching her big break. She was selected as a finalist in a portrait competition, the same one her late mother placed in, and she believes this is her chance to make it big. Unfortunately, she gets in a car accident and discovers she has a brain defect that needs immediate surgery. Though the surgery goes well, she is left with acquired face blindness, which upends her life and her portrait painting contest dreams.

This book follows her journey to acceptance and recovery, and some unexpected romance.

I absolutely loved and demolished this book! It is written in such a funny, witty way and it’s based in my home town! I read this in a weekend, I couldn’t put it down and found it to be a compelling and heartwarming story.

I loved this book so much! It was my first by Center but it definitely won’t be the last. I’m going to recommend this to all of my friends!