Katherine Center left me swooning with this one! Love, love, loved this book. Sadie may be one of my favorite characters yet.

Sadie is a portrait artist living in a rooftop hovel, barely scraping by when she receives news that she has been selected to participate in an important exhibition. On her way back from the store with wine to celebrate her success, she loses consciousness. When she wakes up in the hospital, she learns she has facial blindness from a brain bleed. How can she complete a portrait with facial blindness?

What follows is an amazing love story where, through an awful step sister, a distant father, a helpful neurotherapist, her best friend and a new love interest, Sadie learns who she really is. She learns to rely on her other senses and opens herself up to becoming the best her.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

This is a Prudie™ review. If you’re a reader who appreciates clean reads with wholesome, traditional, conservative values, this review is aimed at you! If you’re not that type of reader, you probably won’t get anything out of this review.

What I liked:
This may be my favorite Katherine Center book yet. I truly loved it! I cried multiple times, laughed out loud, and at one point, almost shot soda out of my nose. Which is not a regular occurrence for me, FYI. I especially loved the author's note at the end where KC discloses her love and vision for this book. Although I saw most of the twists coming ahead of time, that didn't at all stop me from enjoying the story and giving me that "hope" she talks about. It was a sweet and entertaining romp of a love story that I highly recommend for fans of quality rom-com with real heart. I love the way it's written with such great attention to detail (as always), with memorable characterizations, dialogue, voice, storytelling, humor, and character dynamics, and I am a huge admirer of the love interest; he's adorbs. The storyline is unique, interesting, and loads of fun, likely helping this book to stick out in my memory for years to come. And, of course, I'm pleased with the Texas setting. ;)

What I didn’t like:
For my fellow Prudie friends, this is not Prudie-approved for mainly one reason: the language. I feel like the profanity in this one may be more intense than any other book I've read by KC. There were quite a few F-bombs, and lots of other words sprinkled throughout. Was it as bad as many other mainstream romances out there? No, it didn't even hold a candle to other authors like Helen Hoang and Ali Hazelwood. (Foul language seems to be nearly impossible to get away from with mainstream romances now. It's like it's a point of pride for these authors or something, like they think it makes them edgy? Because romance needs edge to be taken seriously?) But since KC hasn't been an author to smatter her narrative super hard with strong profanity in the past, I had hopes that she would hold out.

Anyway. Let's do the usual Prudie™ breakdown, shall we? 10 is atomic bomb, 0 is none to speak of.

-> Language: 6/10
5 uses of the F-bomb (almost always regarding the MC's crummy stepsister), 17 uses/variations of "sh!t", 10 variations of "ass", 43 uses of "hell", 15 uses/variations of "damn", and 3 uses of "b!tch".
-> Steaminess: 2/10
If you prefer your romances sweet more so than steamy, this one is a good option. There are some make-out scenes, but they're not graphic. There's some hugging and kissing, but it's pretty tasteful. I don't remember there being a lot of talk of sex, though there is extensive discussion of attractive people and aspects of their bodies (again, not particularly graphic). Though, if you're screening this book for teens, the content may be more than you're comfortable with.
-> Positive theme(s): 8/10
Found family, meaningful friendship, emotional and physical healing, the intentional practice of personal growth, hard work ethic, patience, grace with yourself and others, complementarianism, honesty and trust, vulnerability and developing close connection, restored familial bonds, forgiveness, consideration of others, the value of creativity and art, the helpfulness of professional therapy.
-> Political correctness: 1/10
I can't think of anything off the top of my head besides being open towards premarital sex.
-> Violence: 2/10
There're some perilous incidents that are not discussed in very graphic terms, there's a brain surgery and recovery, talk of injury and death in various forms (including that of an animal), a little blood here and there. Nothing worse than a medical show on TV.
Overall score for enjoyment/appreciation: 9/10 for 5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks SO MUCH to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an early, early copy of this book to review! Such a lovely surprise! All opinions are my own. Can't wait to read KC's next book!

Katherine Center books are pretty reliably enjoyable and sweet and clean. The only thing that bugged me about this book was that I completely predicted the ending. Oh well.

A romance with a side-story/emphasis on the main character adjusting to a medical condition. The storyline was unique and of course I loved the HEA, but I was not a huge fan of this one. I found the main character unlikable and honestly didn’t care for any of the other characters either. Upped rating from two to three stars based on the cool “twist” of the two men she is interested in being the same guy.

I went into this book blindly but excited since The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was one of my favorite reads from 2022. I was not disappointed! I read this book in one sitting and finished it with a feeling of joy and warmth.

I laughed, teared up, and swooned all throughout this story. It was heartwarming and relatable. The plot was unique, at least I personally have not read a book like it before.

Five Stars! Definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was phenomenal. Katherine Center has this incredible way of creating stories that entrap you into a imaginary world. The twists and turns this book took were so unexpected and yet so beautiful and wild. This book will still with me forever. I don’t know how she does it but WOW.

I recommend going into this book blind. Don’t read too much into, don’t look at spoilers and just enjoy the ride Katherine Center takes you on.

Thank you SO much NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel, which releases on July 11, 2023.
This is my favorite Katherine Center book.
I loved Sadie, loved the romance, the full cast, even the devil.
This book was everything, dramatic, informative, heartbreaking, dramatic and funny. I loved reading about Sadie’s journey through face blindness and the love story in this book was just right.
I especially enjoyed the uniqueness of the story paired with the author's extensive research on Prosopagnosia. It was interesting to learn about something that is not well-known in the context of a beautiful, romantic story.
Definitely recommend.

A delightful twist on the mistake identity trope. I'll be honest, I've never felt *older* that a protagonist than I did when I started reading this. I had trouble buying into her choices and assumptions. I was completely won over as the book went on, though, and ended up thoroughly enjoying this romantic comedy. And Center's authors note at the end about the romance genre in general was icing on the cake.

I adored this book. I laughed & cried. Some parts were predictable but I didn’t see one twist coming. I can’t wait to read another book by this author. Becoming one of my favorites.

This is a solid 3.5 star for me. The MC, Sadie, loses her ability to see faces after a medical procedure. This causes significant issues because she is a portrait artist trying to create a new work for an exclusive art competition. She also finds romance with two different strangers while recovering from her medical procedure. I thought medical issues that Sadie encountered were a unique plot device, but I found some of the plot issues were a stretch. Overall, I thought the story fell a little flat compared to other Katherine Center novels.

This one took me a while to get in to but ultimately loved the ending and the moral of the story! Katherine does a great job of keeping what can be heavy topics light!

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me and Hello Stranger might be one of her best. After Sadie Montgomery has a life saving surgery she discovers she has face blindness. She is told it "should" resolve, but also sees a therapist to help her cope with it. As a portrait artist entered in a contest not being able to see faces is a horrible problem, one she doesn't want anyone to know about. Eventually she finds the courage to confront her step-sister (who a most unlikable character) and her father, and admit she can no longer see faces. In the end, it all works out but Sadie learns happiness and fulfillment can be found even in the most trying circumstances. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy. This was a pleasure to read.

I absolutely loved this. This was my fourth book by Katherine Center and it was hands-down my favorite. It was funny and sweet and surprised me in the most wonderful way.

This book was delight! Another great romcom by Katherine Center.

This book was full of funny, heartwarming, and sweet moments. But the best parts were the twists and turns the story took, all leading to the ending we crave in a romance.

Sadie is an artist that got the opportunity to show her work in a contest that could change her professional career for the better, her big break. The problem is that right when this happens she has to have a surgery that let's her temporarily impaired: she can no longer see faces, which is a big problem since she's a portrait artist. Her journey to dealing with this challenge and also confronting the problems she has with her family leads her to Dr. Addison, a kind, thoughtful and sweet stranger that has been involved in her life in more ways than she knows.

I loved the development of the characters, Sadie's relationship wit her best friend and her tenants, even her dad. I despised her sister and was really annoyed by her stepmom. This is a story about resilience, following your dreams, and not judging people based on your assumptions. It was so entertaining, I read it in one sitting!

I'm a huge Katherine Center fan. This book did not disappoint! The story is full of emotion from funny, sad, and hopeful. You just wanted Sadie to succeed and show the world how amazing and talented she is. The author does such a great job of character development. It's a must-read!
P.S. The bowling jacket cracked me up.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an early copy of this book. This review is in my own words.

Hello Stranger is a wonderful book about a young woman who is a struggling portrait artist on the verge of a big break when She discovers that she has a serious medical condition that requires immediate surgery. Upon recovery, she learns she has a temporary disability where she cannot recognize faces. The doctors do not know how long this will last. Enter the wonderful veterinarian who cares for her dog and the obnoxious neighbour from her building. How will she try to continue to build on her artistic dreams and resolve her relationships with these two men?
I always enjoy Katherine Center's books as they are a warm feel-good romantic adventure with some real-life struggles thrown in. This time she introduced me to a condition I didn't even know existed. If you enjoy Kristan Higgin's books, you will enjoy Hello Stranger. You also might want to dig back into Katherine Center's other books and read them. All equally good! I always look forward to sitting down and reading Katherine Center's books and this one did not disappoint. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center is one of those authors who brings us hope when all seems lost and she’s done it again with HELLO STRANGER.

We start the story off with struggling artist Sadie Montgomery finally getting a break. She’s a finalist in a prestigious portrait contest (yay), but then she has an accident, and stuff happens that gets in the way (no spoilers). Most people would just give up and quit at this point, but not Sadie. Sure, she has her moments (who wouldn’t), but she hasn’t given up hope. Along the way, she meets a new neighbor and a hot vet who saves her precious dog, and even though it looks like her career might be tanking before it even gets to take off, her love life is flourishing. Maybe…again no spoilers.

What I loved about this book was the layers. Sadie’s medical issue and her journey learning to deal with everything happening because of said issues. Sadie’s budding relationship with her neighbor. Sadie’s relationship with her best friend Sue and her family. The complex family drama going on. And then on top of all of that, there’s the humor that the author wove into the story that gives us hope as we read about what is a very serious topic.

Katherine Center is a master at delivering stories filled with interesting characters facing difficult situations with courage and strength and lifting her readers up.

This was a highly anticipated read for me and it did NOT let me down.
Sadie faints and wakes up in the hospital. She finds out that she needs surgery to repair her brain, and if she doesn't have it, she could die. This comes at a bad time though. As a struggling artist she just got notified she was a finalist in a contest that could change her life.
After the surgery though, she wakes up with face blindness. This is particularly bad because she is a portrait artist and her work is supposed to be a portrait, but how can it be when she can't see faces? As Sadie tries to navigate her new normal, she doesn't want anyone to know. She tries to live a normal life, not telling anyone that she can't see their face. She tries to place people in boxes and looks at other distinguishing traits to identify them. This works out fine, until she realizes it isn't foolproof.
She meets her neighbor, Joe, and while she might have thought less of him in the past, she is really starting to think that he might be one of the good ones after all. Joe doesn't know her condition, but he helps her through all sorts of problems and is the one person she can count on. Too bad she has a thing for the hot new vet she met. When she first "saw" Dr. Addison she knew they were meant to be. But little by little, she's wondering if she was wrong and the right person might be the one she thought was all wrong instead.
I guessed the "twist", which I am sure most people will, very early on and I loved the way it was done. I loved that there wasn't over dramatic clues, but subtle ones just letting us know that it was there, but not clueing Sadie in too much. She was so busy trying to navigate her life with this illness that she didn't see what was right in front of her.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Katherine Center for an early copy.

Sadie Montgomery has had some tough breaks in her life, but she finally sees her chance to get a huge good break when she manages to beat out hundreds of other entries in a portrait competition with $10,000 going to the winner. Then she has to get brain surgery, and though it seems she’s recovering nicely, now she can no longer see people’s faces. She can make out other features like what they’re wearing and how they walk, but she can’t recognize her best friend or see her own face in the mirror. This is obviously a terrifying thing for anyone, but is a particular problem for a person who makes her living painting portraits and is about to enter a potentially life-changing contest.

She can still see her beloved dog Peanut’s 14-year-old face, and when he gets sick, she rushes to the vet, which is how she meets Dr. Oliver Addison. From what she can see, she somehow knows he’s wickedly handsome and promptly begins fantasizing about their wedding so she has something positive in her life, even if it’s all in head.

There are definitely a few things that stretch the imagination, but all is forgiven because I read the entire book in a day and, I don’t know if I was overly tired or there were genuinely heartbreaking parts, but I cried and reached for tissues more than once.

Definitely recommend.

NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of this novel, which RELEASES JULY 11, 2023.

This story was everything that I love about Katherine Center. Sadie was a flawed character that you couldn’t help but root for. The concept of face blindness was interesting and something I had not read about before. I loved the romance and the hope during struggle throughout the entire book.