Full disclosure… I almost DNFed this book around 25%, but I am SO GLAD that I kept going! The really enjoyed reading about Joe and Sadie. And Oliver (the handsome vet that saves Peanut) ❤️
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the pleasure of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not going to lie, this is completely different than most books I read, but I have heard nothing but great things about Katherine Center. I wasn't sure what I expected when I started reading, but I wasn't completely warmed up to the writing style a first. With that being said, Hello Stranger is without-a-doubt going to be in the top ten books I have read for 2023, and I can say that with 100% confidence. This book was phenomenal, the writing and the story were beautiful, and if it was written differently I don't think it would have had the same effect, and I grew to love it (very quickly may I add).

Sadie suffering from prosopagnosia was an incredible twist given that she is a portrait artist. The message on confirmation bias was so profound, it has me questioning myself and whether or not I am really seeing. I loved going through the motions with Sadie as she learned to come into her own, and how her bias affected how we saw Joe and Dr. Oliver Addison. I started to question if they were the same person only after the break-up that wasn't really a break-up, according to Sadie, because of how Joe was reacting. I even thought that Parker could have been the reason for his ghosting Sadie. When we get to the reveal, that Joe and Dr. Oliver Addison are in fact the same person, the emotions and feelings came rushing back to me from Sadie's POV of every interaction she had with him.

Needless to say, I cannot say anything bad about Hello Stranger, and I am heading to pre-order a copy for my personal library.

Quotes I loved :

“Joe had been surprising. Surprisingly nice. Surprisingly attentive. Surprisingly good at back rubs. Surprisingly not at all like what I would have expected a person I’d nicknamed the Weasel to be.”

“I was following my own compass. Wherever it would lead.”

“No matter what I could or couldn’t see, I wanted to give him the soul-deep answer we’re always searching for when we look into someone’s eyes.”

“She had loved us without reservation. She adored us wildly. And laughed. And danced, And soaked it all up-every atom of her life-every moment of her time. She felt it all. She lived it all.”

“And now whenever I see a marigold, I think of my mom, of course, as ever-but I think of my dad, too. Apologizing.”

“We’re all just muddling through, after all. We’re all just doing the best we can. We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody. deep down, is a little bit lost.”

“The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

omg!! if you’re looking for a swoony, emotional read, PICK THIS UP IMMEDIATELY!! i really loved this book..katherine center has such a distinctive, captivating way of writing her books that hooks me in every single time :) i truly fell in love with sadie as the story progressed! she felt super relatable to me and i could definitely relate to her grief that was also a huge part of this story. i did suspect the plot twist at the ending from the very beginning, but i do think it was written very well! the love interest was so dreamy and i love him so so much. all in all, a super fun read with super fun characters! def pick this one up :) Thank you so so much for this ARC, St Martin’s Press and Katherine Center!

Katherine Center has a way of creating relatable characters that you just want to root for: Helen and Jake in Happiness for Beginners; Cassie and Owen (Rookie) in Things You Save in a Fire, and now, Sadie and Joe in Hello Stranger. Hello Stranger has the same swoon worthy vibes as the two aforementioned books, with Sadie working through her face blindness as well as family and career issues on top of that. As with Katherine Center's other books, Hello Stranger is a heartwarming comfort read--something to add to your stack of TBR books to read for joy!

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

So cute & the plot was very unique which I enjoyed! This was definitely a bit more general contemporary fiction versus romance! I found so many of the side characters so off and unbelievable (sue was so selfish imo and Parker obviously sucked but just didn’t feel realistic whatsoever to me) so took me away from the story a bit. They were definitely underdeveloped. I loved the ending and the overall theme, a heartwarming quick read.

This was such a cute book with a fresh plot. If you want a feel good book, this one is definitely for you! I absolutely adored Joe. While I did predict the twist pretty early on, it didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second Katherine Center book (I read The Bodyguard last year). This is my favorite of the two. I flew through it, happily swiping page after page.
Sadie Mongomery needs brain surgery. She’s told it’s minor. After the surgery, she is completely face blind. They say it should be temporary but…. Will it be? And how does she manage her work as an ARTIST in the meantime?
I loved this book. It was optimistic but realistic. The author writes characters that are easy to get to know and to root for. I had never heard of the facial recognition issue that Sadie had in this book but the author did a fantastic job of helping me learn more about it. I was so excited about where the story was going that I couldn’t wait to get there and isn’t that what romance books are about?

The only problem I have with starting a Katherine Center book is that I know once I start reading, I won't want it to end. Hello Stranger had fantastic characters (loved Sadie, Joe and Peanut) and an engaging plot. My mom passed away 30 years ago and the mother-daughter sub-story really spoke to my heart. I could see where the story was going, but still felt the wonderful anticipation that is characteristic of Katherine Center books. I'll be re-reading this one for fun many times over again.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC e-book.

Katherine Center has created the perfect lovable, but flawed heroine. Her struggles are relatable and you cannot help but root for her!

This book was just as amazing as every Katherine center book I’ve read; I was hooked by how unique the story was - originality is a delight with and Center manages to weave a wonderful tale of love while also showing the remarkable strength and growth within her characters.

This book was absolutely amazing! I laughed, I cried and I cheered for Sadie. I read this entire book in one sitting staying up until 1am reading. Sadie and Joe will be living rent free in my mind forever. This is one of the best book I've read in a long time!

I honestly didn't even know people suffered from cavernoma prospoagnosia (face blindness) and appreciate the author's note at the end of the book. I was amazed with Center's ability to write an entire book on cavernoma prospoagnosia and heavy topics in a beautiful, thoughtful way.


Thank you so much to NetGallery and St. Martins Press for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Everytime I read a Katherine Center book, I always wonder how does she come up with a uniquely different concept for her books. Who would have thought to write a book regarding prosopagnosia? I truly and completely appreciated the uniqueness of this book.

Before reading this book I never knew about face blindness and after reading this I am awe-struck by the complexity of human brain. Imagine waking up and not being able to recognize your ownself in the mirror. Sadie had it right. That must feel lonely and scary.

I absolutely loved Mr. Kim. He was so sweet and hilarious. And Sue. The way she encouraged Sadie but never lied to her or gave her false hope. Thats how a friend should be. I loved the love triangle twist and I hated parker which I guess was the plan.

Overall a highly interesting book. Thank you @netgalley for providing me with an AR copy.

This was an absolutely delightful read. Sadie, our main character, is in an accident and finds herself temporarily dealing with face blindness as a result. She can see people, but the complexities of faces are too much for her brain to handle. She finds herself relying on clothing, gestures, hair, even the way someone walks to identify them.

This happens, unfortunately, weeks before a huge art competition in which she has placed in the top 10. Our lady, naturally, specializes in painting portraits so she finds herself in a bit of a pickle.

The characters are quirky yet realistic. So often I get frustrated when characters talk around a problem but don’t clearly state what they mean - this is something that annoys Sadie as well yet when it happens in this book, it feels so real and human.

The love element here is a cherry on top of a delicious story. If you’re looking for a fun, cute, lovely read, this is it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you St Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC! I read the bodyguard and enjoyed this but this by far my favorite novel of Katherine's! Such a funny swoony book! I mean the grocery store guy, Joe, Dr Addison swoonnnnnn alert for all those men! Throughly enjoyed this book with such a unique and fascinating topic with the main character experiencing face blindness through majority of book! Read this book you won't regret it!!

This book was exactly what I look forward to anytime I start a new Katherine Center story! The health issues faced by Sadie, along with her attempts to overcome the obstacles created by them, were fascinating (Especially given that she’s an artist by profession) The author describes the dynamics of Sadie’s family and extended family friend group in such detail that you find yourself interested in side characters, such as Mr & Mrs Kim and Parker, almost as much as the main characters.. This book is funny, heartwarming and easy to read—I just loved it!

Another great book by this author. It has all the ingredients of a good romance but with some deep topic included in the mix. It prompted me to educate myself about face blindness and put life into perspective. As with many of her books you will laugh out loud with some of her one liners but will also tear up at the struggles of the main character. Read with hope and positive angicipation this is a solid 4 star book for me!

As usual, Katherine Center does not disappoint. This is my third or fourth novel by her and she is a must-read author for me. Her characters feel very real, she approaches tough situations with care, and her stories come together really well at the end.

Sadie is an artist, really trying to make something of herself and impress her father. She lost her mother young and has been on her own for a long time. She also has a stepmother and stepsister she does not get along with. She ends up winning a spot in a prestigious art competition and has a seizure which results in her not being able to see faces.

I don’t want to say more than that, because I don’t want to give anything away. This novel was so well written and interesting. The part about how you feel being stood up on a date made me tear up because I’ve felt that myself.

Definitely pick this one up on publishing day. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet, uplifting story about the MC coming of self and finding her place in a world where everything seemed against her. I enjoyed her journey throughout the story and her meetings and connection to Joe. The ending was so surprising and happy. I loved it! Definitely a must-read!

This book warmed my heart in so many ways. The character development through her trauma was excellent, and I absolutely fell in love with Joe. I devoured this book in a single sitting.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝.” -Katherine Center

If you’re looking for a feel-good rom-com with a beautiful representation on grief (loss of a parent) without being heavy, you will want to add this to your preorder list. It drops July 11. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I should start by telling you that I love Katherine Center (no, we’ve never met) and I would read the phone book if those still existed and she re-wrote it into a story. The stories she tells are always a mix of heartwarming and realistic, with a dash of humor and adventure peppered in, and 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 was no exception.

This story follows our protagonist, Sadie, who had an accident that led to brain surgery which lead to prosopagnosia (face blindness). Whew! From there, we follow her journey of falling in love and also managing through her new challenges. Sadie lost her mother at a young age, and is also unpacking that grief.

There is an entirely lovable cast of characters (minus you, Parker) and some wily hijinx that propels the story along. I read this in one sitting, and simply adored it. Was it entirely unpredictable? Nope. And I sincerely didn’t care. I loved Sadie and her journey, and felt some warm fuzzies with the epilogue and closing paragraphs.

I truly enjoyed this book and will be preordering my very own hardcover copy to go with my other Katherine Center books. It’s a keeper.