This was a funny, yet not funny situation. Losing your sight and still having to function. I wanted to love this book, but didn’t. Her other book, The Bodyguard, is a top tier amazing book and I compared too much to this. (I also figured out the connection, mid book) I look forward to her next book!

Katherine Center is a new to me author but won’t be my last. I read her book The Bodyguard - so I was more than thrilled to read this one. The premise of this story was so unique to me and parts of it made me feel so emotional. This book although a rom-com I felt it came with lots of layers and I couldn’t give it enough praise. I would recommend this author and book to anyone.

Thank you for the advanced copy for review.

I absolutely loved this book! The premise was unusual and I enjoyed that. Of course there were things that would have made it easier for the story to flow that caused unnecessary conflict, but I still enjoyed it.

Reading a novel by Katherine Center is always warm and fuzzy. They leave you with a good feeling and it’s like a breath of fresh air. This is my fifth book by this author and I can’t wait until her next one. While it is considered a romance book, it doesn’t get too heavy. It is definitely a light read but the author oftentimes provides insight into an area that you probably know nothing about. This time she delves into a condition called prosopagnosia – also known as face blindness. The main character, Sadie Montgomery is diagnosed with this condition following brain surgery to repair a blood clot. Throughout the story, you can see the effects of Sadie’s daily life and how it affects her.
Sadie is a portrait artist. She has recently placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But how can she paint a portrait of a person if she can’t see them due to her condition? What she sees is a jumbled face with disconnected features. Sadie attempts to do this with the support of her friend Sue and Sue's parents. She does not get the support from her father, step-mother or evil step-sister Parker.
When her dog Peanut gets sick, she needs to take him to a new veterinarian, who she immediately falls in love with. In her head, she starts planning her future with him until he ghosts her. Meanwhile, she is getting to know “Joe’”, a man that rents a place in the same complex that she has her studio in. Her relationship with Joe is quite humorous.
The ending was not a surprise to me but still entertaining to how the author would tie everything together in the end. This novel is for those that love romantic overtones, but not too heavy. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the last Katherina Center contemporary romance novel and also some from her backlist, although this entry in her catalogue was just fine for me. The main reason why it is just fine is it took at least 40% of the novel to properly become invested in it, and or me as a reader, that is just too long. Once I did hot that 50% mark I had a very good time.

The novel centers around our main character, Sadie. She is a portrait artist who has just been accepted into a portrait contest - it's a pretty big deal. But what happens as she's picking up wine for her celebration party isn't something she saw coming - long story short she needs brain surgery and that surgery leaves her with temporary (or permanent) face blindness. So she must learn to navigate everyday life and figure out how to draw a portrait while having face blindness. Not to mention she just met her new vet (after face blindness) and has a huge crush on him all while she keeps running into her neighbor where the chemistry seems to keep building.

Along with the romantic elements of this book it also delves into Sadie's poor relationship she has had with her father since the death of her mother. He remarried shortly after which also meant Sadie got a new sister (evil stepsister alert). Sadie's father, stepmother, and stepsister show up throughout the novel and that is a decent story arc.

I like Center's writing most of the time, but I didn't enjoy reading from Sadie as much as I like some of her other characters. So the writing and character development were fine. I will say, I called some things at the end, but there was one twist I really enjoyed and did not see coming. If the premise sounds interesting to you or you love Center's writing style, you should pick this one up. Otherwise I would say you can take it or leave it. Thank you.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

1⭐️ DNF at 25%
I was not connecting with the FMC she was kind of boring. Maybe is my reading mood at the moment but I was not enjoying this book.

I read/devoured this and had a hard time putting it down.

While I had a hard time relating to Sadie’s condition, everything else about her I found relatable and I wanted to read faster to find out what happened in the end.

As I’ve found in all the Katherine Center’s books I’ve read it’s a fun ride to get to the end which is both what you were covering and also not anticipating but works out better than than what the main character thought she wanted.

I usually skip the author’s note but read it in this time, and really loved everything about it - and I am eagerly anticipating my next Katherine Center read!

Thank you for the chance to read this ahead of release! I posted to my Goodreads account at the time but couldn’t figure out how to send this through Net Galley until now (I was only using the app which doesn’t have that functionality)

I loved this quirky, sweet story. Sadie is a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition but this chance of a lifetime gets derailed when she has a seizure. After waking up in the hospital wondering what caused the seizure, she is told that she needs “minor” brain surgery. The surgery is successful except for one hiccup. She can see everything clearly except faces. Faces look like disconnected puzzle pieces. That is problematic for a portrait artist! Doctors say that her condition will “probably” correct itself… but in the meantime, Sadie has to deal with a love triangle, a sick pet, and a series of mishaps all while trying to win the contest! You will love Sadie, her vet, her neighbor, her landlord and this book!

Katherine Center wows me with every romance she writes, and HELLO STRANGER raises the bar even higher! This is a lighthearted, emotional read that is perfect for romance fans everywhere. Sadie is a magnificent heroine, and it was a pleasure to witness her growth and journey!

This is a really really tough book to rate. I loved the premise and I think the author executed it perfectly. It was so interesting to learn about face blindness.

I was really put off by the MMC’s phone conversation the FMC overheard on the elevator. It was really fatphobic, and even though it was a miscommunication, it just didn’t sit right with me. There are much less harmful ways to lead the FMC to dislike the MMC, ones that don’t require the reader/listener to be exposed to such harsh and hurtful rhetoric.

I also found the FMC to be really clueless at times (this does not at all include her face blindness) which I just really can’t stand in books. However, I really adore Katherine Center's writing and how well she develops the relationship between her characters.

So I think I’m going to stick this at a 2.5 rounded-up.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Stories of grief, slow burn, no steam

I liked this one. I liked the Bodyguard better. I'll admit, I struggled with Sadie. She was just not likable to me. Most of the characters were unlikable. It was almost too feel good as well. Yes, there was drama, but I just needed more complexity, I guess. It's surprising light for what it is. I do recommend it.

HELLO STRANGER
Katherine Center
RomCom

In this book Sadie Montgomery, a finalist in a major portrait competition, suddenly goes face blind. Every face she looks at is just a jumble. How in the world is she going to come up with a portrait for the competition in time?

This book is funny and very enlightening on what it would be like to lose a major body function; one that is something we take for granted everyday. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This was fantastic! It’s so hard to find a romcom with a unique plot anymore, but Katherine Center did not disappoint!
An artist finally has a shot at her big break when a medical condition turns her life upside down. As she tries to understand its impact on her art and life, she discovers what’s really important. This story is a good reminder that it’s important to look beneath the surface to the heart of a person. I appreciated how unpredictable and charming this story was. Another 5 stars for Center!

I loved The Bodyguard, but unfortunately, this one really did not do it for me. I found the main character unlikeable and juvenile. I did feel like the ending "reveal" brought it back around for me a little bit, but ultimately, I just never got invested enough in the characters to care what happened to them.

I am a huge fan of Katherine and will auto-buy and read anything she writes.

A grocery list by Katherine Center… yes, where can I preorder?

HELLO STRANGER was no different and had me flipping through pages late into the night with no regrets.

The characters are uniquely thought out, the plot is a complete page-turner and I respect the obvious amount of great research that went into learning about our main character's medical condition, Prosopagnosia - also known as face blindness.

Grab this one for the gorgeous cover, and stay for the heartwarming (and sometimes heart-wrenching) storyline.
I wish I could give more than 5 stars!!! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summary
Sadie is a portrait artist on the verge of her big break. When an accident requires her to have brain surgery and she develops prosopagnosia (face blindness) after some post-surgery swelling. There is no timing on when and if it will heal, so she needs to adapt to her new normal. With a portrait art competition on the line, an evil stepsister living nearby, and a suave vet and sweet neighbor vying for her attention,

Review
At the beginning, I struggled with the concept. But slowly, I felt more and more connected to Sadie. Her situation was definitely unique, but I got to know her as she adjusted to her situation, while also dealing with trauma from her past and trying to build new connections and she just felt so relatable. Her connection with her dog (which, as someone who lost her 14-year-old pup last year, I could totally relate to her stress and anxiety surrounded her dog being old and sick). Losing, or the idea of losing that unconditional love of a dog is so tough.

I did figure out some of the 'mic drop' moments, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. It gave a real insight to the idea of confirmation bias and how we perceive others and just made me think, while still being a fun love story.

Katherine Center is always a buy author for me, I always enjoy her books, and this was no exception. I really liked Sadie as a main character, sure she had an awful, awful family, and was in constant denial about everything but she always had a positive outlook that I probably would not have had if I were in her shoes. And even though I guessed what was going to happen early on, I still really enjoyed the story.

This author is such a favorite of mine. I'm so happy to say this one did not disappoint. The characters were well written, the plot was fast paced, and the writing was well done. Overall, I loved the idea of this one and how the author executed it. Good job!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I devoured this book so fast. This is the first book have read by Katherine Center, but I know it won't be the last. I've had The Bodyguard on my TBR for a while now, and if it is half as good as this book, I will love it, I’m sure. This book is about a portrait artist who acquires prosopagnosia right after she becomes a finalist for a portrait competition that she desperately needs to win to get a 'break" in the industry. Can you say devastating?! First off – I never see media about prosopagnosia. Outside of a movie I watched about a decade ago called Faces in the Crowd (amazing film BTW), I don't see content about prosopagnosia being done. Prosopagnosia is a type of agnosia where you are unable to identify faces. It is a cognitive issue where the facial fusiform area is damaged and for many people who have this, it is something that happened pre-birth. You can acquire it, but it involves brain damage of some kind. In Faces in the Crowd, the main character hit the back of her head in just the right spot that when her brain cracked & swelled, it permanently injured the fusiform part of her brain. In this, the main character has brain surgery, and the resulting swelling was pressing against brain region in such a way that she acquired prosopagnosia. Now is this a 100% plausible way for this to be acquired? I dunno, but I assume so based on my understanding of the disorder. The brain is an insane muscle that we dont understand, and the fact that the face (hairline to chin, ear to ear) is held in a different part of the brain than other recognition points is crazy to me.

So back to the book. She acquires this disorder and must learn to navigate the world- and her career-with this new disability. She was to learn how to identify people in new ways- harder than one would think. Humans tend to default looking at people’s faces to understand who they are, and when that is taken away, we must look at other things like clothing, and start to recognize voices or physical traits like walking. It is not easy to switch what we use to recognize people, and voices are harder to recognize than we think when we are used to pairing it with a face. So naturally there are hijinks & misunderstandings in this book. She falls in love with one person, but also starts getting a crush on a different person. She must find a way to complete a portrait for this contest without being able to see what she is painting. She is both isolated and surrounded by people. It’s a romance book but it is so much more than that too. I don’t want to write too much about the plot itself since I don’t want to give things away, but it was such a fun read for me. I want more media about lesser-known disabilities! This was such a great story. 10/10 recommend this book (and Faces in the Crowd for spooky season!) and cannot wait to read the other books Katherine has written.

4⭐, 0.5🌶️

Oh Katherine Center, your books are always SUCH an adventure! I wasn't super invested into this story at the beginning, because I couldn't connect with Sadie's character. But learning about Prosopagnosia was incredible interesting (knowing JUST HOW MUCH research Katherine did for this book is incredible.) While the ending was rather predictable, I generally liked this book, because K.C. always has you falling for her troubled FMC's!

Tropes:
🎨Golden Retriever MMC
🎨Strangers to Friends to Lovers
🎨Trauma & Health Representation
🎨Clean Romance

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. This is my honest review!