I was thrilled when I was selected to read and review this title. Katherine Center has always been a favorite since I discovered her first book, mostly because I feel as if the characters become my friends. This book was no different. I was immediately invested in Sadie’s story and could relate to many parts of it. It took me a little bit to put the pieces together (although I figured it out before Sadie did!) and I enjoyed the anticipation of watching Sadie figure it all out. There were a few things I hadn’t figured out, which were fun surprises. I still didn’t like Parker at the end - so Joe is probably nicer than I am! I learned some things while reading this book, which is always a nice side benefit of any book! As with any good book with well developed characters I hunger to know what’s going to happen to them in the future. I want a nice coffee date with them to sit down and catch up! The epilogue had just this feel to it. Now I want more - I’m greedy!

Sadie is a struggling artist who just got her big break in an art contest. Art brings her job because it reminds her of her mother who she lost when she was a teenager. When a medical issue occurs, it heavily impacts Sadie’s ability to compete in the art competition and changes her world tremendously.

I’ve enjoyed every Katherine Center book I’ve read, this one not being any different for me. I find her books to be page turners that keep me interested. This was a quick and enjoyable read for me. This book had some romance (not much and not a steamy romance read), family tension and drama, dealing with losing a parent, struggles, and friendship. I loved Sadie’s friend Sue and Sue’s family. I wish I had more of them but what a sweet relationship. The plot “twist” seemed to me a bit far fetched, and I figured it out, but it was still an enjoyable read. If you love Katherine Center I highly suggest you pick this one up in July.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eArc. Hello Stranger comes out 7/11!

Well, I just devoured this book! Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC, because I was super excited to get my hands on it. After reading The Bodyguard last year, I knew I would be a permanent fan of Katherine Center books. This story feels fresh and different, (especially since the only other novel I have read including prosopagnosia was Rock, Paper, Scissors😵), and definitely builds that hopeful anticipation. I loved her author’s note at the end about why people enjoy romance books.

When I saw this was available to read on Netgalley I was insanely excited! Thank you so much to Negalley and St Martins Press for the Ebook copy in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely adored this book! ⁣
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Katherine has done it yet again! This book is about Sadie who needs to have brain surgery. A result of the swelling is face blindness. Sadie can no longer recognize faces only emotions. She is a artist and has to paint portraits for the competition she’s in. How is she going to do that? Thankfully she can still see animal faces as her dog Peanut is the only thing that’s keeping her grounded. But when Peanut gets sick she meets veterinarian Dr Addison. Dr Addison asks Sadie on a date but she refuses to tell him about her face blindness. Then there’s also Joe who lives in her building who can be annoying and always shows up at the craziest of times. But the two develop a friendship. But could it be more? ⁣
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I loved the chemistry between Joe and Sadie. I loved how Sadie’s experience changes her outlook on the world and such. This book handled panic attacks with grace and care. I can’t imagine what Sadie was going through. I couldn’t stand Parker Sadie’s evil step sister she was something else! I loved this book. Be sure to pick it up on July 11,23.

In Katherine Center’s newest book, Hello Stranger, we meet a woman named Sadie whose life has drastically changed following an unexpected brain surgery.

Sadie has always wanted to be an artist, and a portrait artist at that. But everything becomes more complex following her brain surgery because she can no longer see (process) faces. She is face blind. Sadie has to learn how to identify the people around her while also relearning how to do what she loves most.

Up until about the 60% mark, I wondered where this book was going. Sadie’s life is extremely chaotic. She has a complex living situation, difficult family dynamics, career instability, and then add the face blind condition on top of all of that. The romance was not overly apparent and the chemistry took a long time to build.

That being said everything came together in the last third of the book. Though she did gain confidence, I would have liked to see a little bit more growth from Sadie as an artist. I also would have liked to see a bit more development romantically in the relationship a bit earlier on.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy rom coms, light romances, and books that ride the line between romance and romance women’s fiction. I always enjoy Katherine Center’s books and this was no exception.

I loved everything about this book. Having never read this author, I didn’t know what to expect - is this actually a romance or women’s fiction? Well color me surprised - this was great! The writing flowed seamlessly and even though I hate love triangles, I loved this one. Highly recommend.

Katherine Center is my favorite author, so I was thrilled to get an eARC of Hello Stranger, her newest book! Hello Stranger is similar to Center's other books, where you have a female protagonist who goes through the book learning about herself and growing, while also finding a romantic partner. However, in Center's books, the romance is not necessarily the main attraction in the book. Hello Stranger is about Sadie, a portrait artist who undergoes a surgery which gives her face-blindness during an important period of time for her to see faces. The supporting cast is funny and enjoyable to read as well. I do wish we got more of Sadie's relationship/interactions with her "evil step-mother, Lucinda." Overall, this story is a bit predictable, but not in a bad way, and enjoyable to read!

I've thought a lot about this book since finishing it yesterday. It's challenging to give an honest review about this book without giving spoilers so in this one I need to so if you're reading this please be forwarned that it will talk about details that would not be good if you haven't read the book yet.

This was a 31/2 star for me. I went in blindly. Complete blindly. Not reading anything first or about Katherine Center. I want to first start out with what I like about the book. First, it was very talented writing, but the reader has to completely sustain the belief of plausibility to have this story work. A lot of unnatural uncommunication going on between Sadie and Joe. Sadie is a struggling artist and Joe is a neighbor in her building when they meet and it goes from Sadie thinking he's a weasel to finding as she gets to know him that he is correctly indeed perhaps one of the most wonderful men she's ever met in her life. Heartwarming and I loved the progression of their relationship. Joe is one of the best things about this book but Sadie often times she felt overly reactive which is explained a lot because her brain not functioning at its best as she has prosopagnosia, as her mother did and died from. She longs for her mother and the writing is so well done regarding this, for me as a person who lost a mother herself this was some of Katherine Center's best writing in this book regarding Sadie and her mother. But personally, for me who reads a lot of fiction and romance the stepmother and step-sister were in the book too much. They took up too much real estate in this story. It was established their horridness but it was too much angst and for me personally took away the glow this story could have been. It was too much negative valance. And kept it from being a fun read to a pale read.

There is a lot that is given at the end but the reader has to wait to page 280 out of 311 page book for the plot twist and then the reader has to believe the implausibility of non-voice recognition, of a person's own scent, mannerisms, phrases they individually say, etc. and it was implausible for me. It was a sweet story and Joe/Dr. Addison made this story for me but I wasn't feeling Sadie or the stretch that was required of the reader for not much given. Also, there needed to be much more sexual tension from Joe as he was deeply in with this woman emotionally and that was barely present. It's a pretty tame romance in my book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. This one had me rereading after I finished to go back and give a proper review.

Katherine Center never disappoints and her latest, Hello Stranger might be my very favorite! She has such a way with words that makes the reader feel every single emotion and feel like they are part of the story. This book will have you turning page after page from the beginning to the end. Highly recommend!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I loved it! It was a story that, if written badly, could have just been a sad book but the author did an amazing job at not making it a "Debbie Downer" kind of story. The characters could be frustrating at time, but let's face it - we're all frustrating at times. I felt like we really got to know the characters. To me, that just made them that much more real. It also brought awareness to Prosopagnosia in a way that was interesting and helped the reader empathize. Rom-coms are usually a little predictable and this one was no different but there were some fun little twists and turns that made it fun to read. Even the parts that were a little far-fetched were explained in a way that they were believable. This was only the second Katherine Center book I have read but I think I need to go back and read the rest now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. I always enjoy Katherine Center’s work, but I loved this one. Hello Stranger is more than a romcom. The characters have so much depth and Sophie is going through some really traumatic times, but throughout it all she maintains the hopeful spirit that makes the genre a pleasure to read.

Genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was funny, sweet, emotional, and everything I could have wanted in a feel good read. I don’t even know how to classify this book because it’s so much more than a typical romance. It was AMAZING

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Isn’t it lucky when we’re drawn to people who can teach us things we need to learn?”

Every time I read a Katherine Center book, I tell myself I will slow down and savor it. I end up getting hooked and finishing it way too quickly. “Hello Stranger” was no exception.

I absolutely adored this book and these characters. It was a hug in book form. I found myself laughing and smiling about Sadie’s inner dialogue. I would be friends with her. I also would smile and swoon over Joe and Doctor Addison.

While Katherine Center is great at creating RomComs, she also does a great job including tough topics. Sadie was managing the grief of losing her mom, recovering from the trauma of brain surgery, and navigating the complex relationship she had with her family. It was quite the journey and I was happy to be along for the ride.

Was it corny? Absolutely, but only in the way that all RomComs are. Was it predictable? Yes, I figured out the twist early on, but if anything, it added to my enjoyment of the book!

It’s my new favorite Katherine Center book!

This book was everything I needed and more. If you like charming characters, love triangles, and family drama you will love this story. Katherine Center did an exceptional job writing this book. The plot and characters she wrote made me want to live in that world.
Reading Hello Stranger I felt as if I knew Sadie. I laughed along with her and was heartbroken about her struggles.
To summarize this story: Sadie ends up with face blindness after undergoing a brain surgery. She is a portrait artist and is struggling to cope with this diagnosis and paint for her art competition. She cannot admit that she needs help. Then we have Joe. He doesn’t take no for an answer and loves to help. She takes him up on his offer to let her paint him.
We cannot forget about Peanut! He is the one that brought Sadie and Joe together. Or should I say Dr. Oliver Addison ;)

Katherine Center has done it again. Many of us have “sure thing” authors that we’ll read no matter what the book is about. Katherine Center is certainly one of those for me.

Prosopagnosia (face blindness) is definitely a unique subject matter. I really enjoyed stepping into that world and learning something about this condition that I knew existed, but knew very little about—even though each person’s experience with it can be different. It was a wonderful topic to weave a story around. That, along with lovable characters (and some intentionally not lovable) and an adorable dog named Peanut contributed to the joy of this book. But perhaps the best part was Katherine’s signature sense of humor. Always unique and stemming from a place of happiness.

This may be my favorite of hers so far. I’m only sad that I finished it so quickly and that I won’t get to read it again for the first time.

Ms. Center has come up with most amazingly creative concept for a book I have seen in quite a while. When struggling artist, Sadie Montgomery, has necessary brain surgery, she develops a condition called “face blindness” as a result. She was entered into a prestigious contest where she must enter a portrait in six weeks, but if she can’t see faces how can she paint one? Her life is already a dysfunctional mess; her career is going nowhere, she lives in a shed on top of an apartment building, she still suffers with grief from her mother’s death fourteen years ago, and has a terrible relationship with her father, stepmother and evil stepsister. Adding face blindness to the mix is just adding insult to injury.

I devoured this book in less than one day and couldn’t put it down. I was riveted watching Sadie navigate her life through this new unknown. The way the author wrapped it up surprised me in a way I never saw coming. Bravo!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this awesome book in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave it five, fabulous stars!

Another Katherine Center that gave me the feels.

Loved Sadie as a character as well as Joe - thought Parker was more of a caricature rather than a fleshed out person though. And absolutely saw the twist coming from a mile away.

I would say more but I don’t want to give anything away! Heartwarming to say the least.

Wow....I laughed, got angry and cried like a baby. What a wonderful love story between strangers, whose story gets a brain fart in a way 😂. But seriously, I love that all of Katherine Center's books have a real life feel to it but with a twist that will make you think of what you would do if it was you.

If you have read the book, what would you do if you were Sadie?

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center does not miss! Absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down once i started. The Cinderella vibes was a fun touch to an overall fun and comfy romance!

I have a habit of reading Katherine Center's books in one day and Hello Stranger was no different. From the moment I started reading, I was completely invested in Sadie's story from her still unfulfilled dream of being a successful artist to her total inability to accept help from those around her. She is witty, genuinely kind to everyone around her (most of the time) and loves her dog more than anything in the world which I can pretty much completely relate to. Katherine Center has this gift where she is able to take a complicated experience that most of us will never go through and allows us to empathize and understand it through the eyes of a person going through it. This book was honestly everything that I have always loved about Katherine Center's writing. You are drawn into this story immediately and even through all of the hardship her characters face, you are there with them, pulling for them to come through the other side.

I will admit there were times that certain aspects of the story seemed a bit predictable and while I just knew what was coming, I totally didn't care. I spent this book falling in love right along with Sadie, swooning and laughing out loud, and by the end, I had fallen in love with every character (except Parker, she's the worst). I really recommend you do the same.

Side note, if you love Katherine Center's other books there's also a little easter egg in this book that brought the biggest smile to my face when I read it!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!