I liked this book. I really liked this book. If I could give it more than a five rating, I would give it a ten. It is an excellent romantic book of intrigue. The subject matter is not one I have read much about, but this talented and gifted author has permitted me to understand it. The protagonist has brain surgery, and her life is changed...she cannot recognize faces of those she knows. It is difficult, to say the least, because she is an artist. Add to her tragedy a dysfunctional family with a stepsister and stepmother who are, to say the least, less than nice to her. We read about her romantic life, or the lack thereof. And to top it off, this author gives us an ending that is so surprising I am still wondering if what I read was truly what I read. Center is a fantastic author who does not disappoint the reader. We are left wanting more of her stories. Curl up in a comfy chair with a warm afghan, a cup of steaming herbal tea, and be transported, for an afternoon, into the world of these characters. This book was sent to me by Netgally electronically for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author for this copy.

I will forever read anything Katherine center reads. She’s the best!!! This one was a cool concept and I flew through it!!! I don’t think it’s my favorite by her but parts were so cute

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is an addictive & engrossing read.

I know when I'm about to open a Katherine Center story up, I'm in for an all nighter because once I start a book of her's.... There is no way I'm going to be able to stop.
And that was the case here with her newest novel!

Hello Stranger is a well written novel about Sadie who is a struggling artist. Who under goes surgery that leaves her with facial blindness. When her dog Peanut gets sicks she rushes him to the vet and meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. When the doctor asked her out on a date she has mixed feelings because she doesn't want anyone to know about face blindness.
Especially her Joe, her somewhat annoying neighbor. Soon they start to develop a friendship but Sadie can't help but wonder could this turn inu something more?
Trying to salvage her career, brave her haunting past, and figure out if she is having feeling's for two different guys at the same time, she soon realizes that happiness can be found when you least expect it.

This is her best one yet! Well it's at least my favorite! And she is always going to be an automatic must-read author for me.
I thought HS was a sweet and super fun romance.
It was everything I would expect out of her stories, sweet, fulfilling and most of all emotional.
I love how she focuses on realistic issues. Real characters dealing with real issues and raw feelings.
This book really got me in my feelings. It had me tearing up and laughing while devouring the pages.
I enjoyed the romance, family drama and the unforgettable characters.
A fun, light and entertaining read with strong characters to boot, what more could I ask for? This was the perfect rom-com and I loved it tremendously.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me so I was thrilled to get an ARC of her upcoming book!
Hello Stranger has a unique premise. Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist whose worst fear is realized when she develops face blindness after a surgery. Face blindness is fascinating- she can see but her brain doesn't put the pieces together in a way that makes sense like it has her whole life, so her world becomes very confusing.
I enjoyed this one but it didn't beat out my 2 favorite of Center's books (Happiness for Beginners and Things You Save in a Fire). If you love Center's other books I think you'll still enjoy this one. It has the same positive outlook and feel good vibes that her other books have!

What a wonderful delicious read this book is! Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who suffers a non convulsive seizure as a result of a cavernoma which leaves her incapable of seeing faces. So begins an unconventional romance novel filled with surprising contradictions and a great lesson in perception. The characters are likable, the dialog between them snappy and real, evoking laughter and a lump in the throat at he same time.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this Uncorrected Digital Gally.

This is my second Katherine Center book the first being The Bodyguard. How did I not know about her before now?! I loved this book! It has a wonderful story line and characters to care about. And with this story as with The Bodyguard—the dialogue. OMG! This woman can write dialogue!! It’s deep, snappy, humorous, honest, vulnerable and REAL! I will be reading more of Ms. Center’s work

The premise is cute and unique and I did laugh out loud a couple times, but I struggled a bit with the writing style. I think it might work for a lot of people and it definitely added some fun and made for a breezy book, it just wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.

Hello Stranger is my second Katherine Center read and while I enjoyed The Bodyguard, the casual writing style wasn’t my favorite. Sadly, that casual chatty style is turned up a few notches in Hello Stranger and it really didn’t work for me.

I think what it boils down to is the fact that I am not a fan of characters talking to the reader or asking rhetorical questions and that happens constantly in this book. The story is really cute and it looks like I’m a total outlier so please don’t listen to me if you’re excited about Hello Stranger!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to be an early reader.

This is my third book by Katherine Center and she’s an auto buy author for me.
This story follows Sadie has she navigates through family drama, personal drama, (face blindness, relationships and self growth). Sadie will make you feel all the feels.
Katherine has a way of making you laugh and cry and feel hope through her writing and this story delivers.

What I loved most about this story was how you connect with Sadie as she is figuring out her new life, she is a portrait artist who can no longer sees faces, she has to use her other senses to help her put the pieces together.
Even with being a romantic comedy book this book had A surprising ending that I just adored.

Thank you to St Martin Press/ NetGalley and Katherine Center for allowing me an opportunity to review this for an honest opinion.
I can’t wait to add this to my physical shelf in July

"Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can't but that you yourself never could if you weren't lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing."

Oh my goodness my heart!!! I absolutely loved this book. It's my favorite Center book yet. I give it all the stars and some.

If you're fan of Center... this is all you will want and more from her. Hello Stranger is a novel that will pull at your heart strings and make you smile, laugh, get a little emotional, and pull your heart together at the end.

This is my first 5 star in awhile and Center you completely deserve all the stars for this one.

That ending was so unexpected and found myself laughing with joy and jumping up and down with how perfect it was. Ugh, my whole heart!!

I'm not going to go into what this story is about since you can read the back cover for a blurb. All, I can say is READ THIS! I am already going to preorder this one!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 7/11/23
Published to GR: 1/14/23

I always love Katherine Center’s books, and this did not disappoint. Although the premise was unusual, it was interesting and fun. I really enjoyed reading her author’s note, which perfectly described why I love her books - they make you feel hopeful and happy, and provide a wonderful escape.

Sadie’s journey is officially one of my all-time favorites! I am a sucker for character growth, and Hello Stranger delivered just that. Sadie is a struggling artist whose life gets turned upside down after what was supposed to be fairly simple brain surgery. As she discovers a new perspective on, well, everything, she is able to more fully embrace who she truly is and develop new relationships. I fell in love with Sadie, her stubborn independence, and how she learned to let people help (even if she still cringes at the word ‘help’). I thoroughly enjoyed every twist along the way and the people we met throughout Sadie’s story.

I think my favorite part of Katherine Center’s books is that I can read them over and over (which I have totally done) and pick up on little details I catch the second (or third or fourth) time around. I knew this book was going to be five out of five stars for me before I began, and it went beyond every expectation I had. Can I please give it more than five stars? Because it was absolutely beautiful and wonderful, and I can't wait to read it again!

“We see what we’re looking for.”
Pub date: 7/11/23

🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨/5

Wow! What a start to reading in 2023. I couldn’t put Hello Stranger down. The anticipation throughout this book was fantastic. I kept wanting to know more about our dear Sadie. Sadie has a condition that I don’t want to give away, so I’m keeping my lips sealed! There’s a hint in this photo. Well, kinda! I stayed up reading way too late last night but it was so worth it. I’ve always been a fan of Katherine Center books. This one, I think, is her best one yet. Reading this book felt like talking to a good friend. I learned, laughed and cried throughout this book. Thank you to Erica at @stmartinspress for making my day and giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC of Hello Stranger.

Every book that I read by Katherine Center leaves me with warm fuzzies - they are all great. This one is about a portrait artist that has a brain injury and suddenly can no longer recognize faces. She can't tell who anyone is until they speak to her, and she (obviously) has to struggle through this new life, uncertain about everything around her. Also, she has become a finalist in a portrait competition that she can no longer enter, so her official big break is ruined. I may have seen the twist in the plot coming, but it's a great feel-good story about learning to accept help from the people that love you and, as always in Katherine's books, the characters feel like friends at the end. Loved it!

did i read this 6 months in advance? yes I did and I don't feel guilty about it at all.

Three words to describe it: cozy, comfy and cute.

total book cleanser for me. Quick and sweet with a unique spotlight on "acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia (ie. face blindness).

As I was reading I was jotting down notes and I had the word predictable in it. I don't mean that as a negative thing, more like a cozy sweater that you always gravitate to when you need a moment...and then I got to the end of the book and see the author has written something about the word herself (side note, always read the Author's note at the end).

Katherine Center has a suggestion for the word predictable in books and it's to eliminate the negative connotation of it. She suggests "anticipation". So I'll change my review to say that this is a cozy, anticipated happy read.

Have you ever finished a book, then immediately wanted to flip the book cover and start over again? Me neither, until I read Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. I had pretty high expectations when I started this book because I've loved every other book I've read by Center. She has such a charming way of writing about flawed characters that work through their issues in an adult and realistic way. Sometimes it's a few steps back and not moving forward for awhile but that's okay. And the romance she writes is so slow, so charming, so heartfelt and touching.

But her books are usually about more than just a romance too. There's usually a really good friendship or family dynamic, or in this particular books case: both. Anyways, Hello Stranger is no exception to these elements that I've come to expect from Center. The book starts slow but soon you're sucked in and staying up late to finish the book.

I knew what was going to happen about halfway in, but I was so excited for the big reveal that I didn't care if it was predictable or not. I just could not wait to see how it played out anyways. Sections of this book were laugh out loud funny and some made my heart ache. This was just such a stunning book. It had everything I wanted or needed and it's got re-readability. This is definitely a book I recommend and one I am going to read again.

My quest to read everything Katherine Center has written continues. This was such a cute rom com with characters you want to root for - and I even learned something new about a medical condition the main character faced. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've been a Katherine Center fan for awhile, and was so excited to receive the ARC for Hello Stranger. Center does an amazing job building out her characters to have nuance and the endings are always satisfying, and Hello Stranger is no exception.

I read Hello Stranger in one sitting, I could not put it down. Sadie had an accident that uncovered a lesion in her brain that needed surgery than results in her face blindness. She doesn't know if it's temporary or not, but this book focuses on her navigating her face blindness, the complexity of families - especially when you have an evil step-sibling, love, friendship, and how to be a portrait artist while dealing with face blindness. What I enjoyed was that Sadie dealt with it as best she could, and always pressed forward. Even when she was wronged by her step sister Lydia, she still kept her head high. She of course wallowed, but instead of giving up on her art competition, she tried to think of ways she could skirt around it.

One of the biggest themes was Sadie dealing with her budding relationship with Joe and her attraction to her dog's vet, Dr. Addision. Seeing her and Joe blossom was great to read.

I would definitely recommend this to friends once it is released.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me and I adore everything she writes! This story follows artist Sadie who is finally getting her big break but needs to have an emergency surgery. After the procedure Sadie discovers that she can no longer recognize faces of anyone. While struggling with this new part of her life, Sadie meets two different guys who both make an impression on her. I loved this story and read it so quickly and again Katherine writes such great characters and stories that you feel like you are a part of it. Highly recommend this one and any other book by her! Thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review, all thoughts are my own.

This was an interesting read. Hadn't heard of this happening beforehand so of course read more into it. I kudos Sadie for making it through life with all the troubles she encountered.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. This book was incredibly unique and a very different style compared to the Bodyguard. I haven’t read all of her backlist, but I know those fall into more of a “women’s fiction” category compared to The Bodyguard. The Bodyguard was your typical romance with women’s fiction elements. I loved that one a lot and it’s definitely more my style compared to this one. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think this book is amazing, it totally is!!! It’s something new and different. It tackles some very hard subjects and the “plot twist” in the end was absolutely perfection. I would just make sure that this one is advertised as more of a woman’s fiction than a pure romcom.