If you’ve been around here for long, you already know that I’ve never met a Katherine Center book that I didn’t like. Something about them just feels like being wrapped up in my warmest, fuzziest, heaviest blanket. They feel a bit predictable, yes…but in a *good* way that feels safe. I love them.

Hello Stranger was no exception. It brought all the warm fuzzies, but it also brought a really interesting plot, quirky and lovable characters, a sweet (mostly) closed door romance, and laugh-out-loud dialogue.

In the author’s note at the end, Center talks about the purpose of romance novels as a genre and how she hopes her books deliver the anticipation of hope—I think she knocked it out of the park with Hello Stranger, which comes out July 11, 2023. Just go ahead and pre-order this one now, and save it for a time when you need some sunshine and hope in your life!

This is my favorite book yet by Katherine Center. It had everything...touching moments, funny dialogue, an evil step-sister (one of the worst people I've come across in a book lately), romance, family drama... I can't wait for this book to come out so all my friends can read it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This was one of my favorites of the year.

Oh boy. I loved this book SO MUCH. Katherine Center has a way of pulling the reader in-letting us feel all the feels. There were tears and big goofy grins…I loved it!!
I would suggest going in blind and just enjoy!!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an ARC of this book.

I studiously avoid reading blurbs and reviews of books before I plunge in because I hate spoilers and I want to experience the book as it unfolds with no expectations. So this book was a delightful surprise. I had no clue where things were going. I had no idea who the LI was until about 40% in which made this an occasionally unsettling read for me, a romance reader who needs to know who to ship. I appreciate that the author hides more from the protagonist than from the reader--obviously giving the reader enough credit to unravel mysteries and enjoy how the MC and LI get there on their own.

The thing I loved most about this book was being in Sadie's head. She and Joe both are for the most part optimistic happy people and it was fun and easy to hang with them. There was plenty of drama and angst woven throughout, but overall, this wasn't a heavy read. I had to park my disbelief in willing suspense for large parts of this as coincidences piled up, but none of that detracted from how compulsively readable this was.

This is one of those books you'll curl up with for a couple of hours and soon discover it's the middle of the night.

So in love with this book. This is a great book of hope, courage, and positivity. We all need a little more of all of this in our life. This is my third book to read by Katherine Center and none of them have been a disappointment. This is ANOTHER GREAT read from Katherine Center.

I am a lover of all books Katherine Center. I was thrilled when I saw that she (and Netgalley) gifted me this eARC for her new book! Sadie loses her eyesight just weeks before a major art show, causing her to lose the ability to see faces. This book was enlightening, real, and just absolutely heartwarming. I could feel Sadie’s emotions pouring out of the pages.

So well done by Katherine Center, yet again. A top pick for 2023!

Here’s the deal. I rolled my eyes heavily, several times in the story. I figured out the “twist” immediately, early on. I didn’t like Sadie at all. The coincidences needed to tie up this story were quite a stretch. And yet…I smiled through the ending. This is a story where you need to leave all solid reasoning behind, and just go with it. And then it’s a cute read.

Reading a Katherine Center novel is like cozying up with a warm cup of tea and your nerdy but funny best friend. Her characters are always so quirky and loveable. That’s why I love her books so much! 🥰

The Canadian 🇨🇦 references in here had me laughing out loud. 😆 Also, I think Katherine Center may have just pulled off the most monumental and sensual artistic scene ever. Let’s just say that it gave me Ghost vibes! You all know that pottery scene with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. 😏

If you want something fun, light and entertaining, I highly recommend this book! ❤️

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰 @katherinecenter you will always be one of my top authors. Your books are so fun and always leave me with a smile on my face. 😊

#smpinfluencers #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #bookadoration #MBbookies🦬 #katherinecenter #hellostranger

Katherine Center is like the hallmark channel in an author form. I love her stories and they leave my heart so happy and wanting more. This is by far my FAVORITE story Katherine has written. This was such a sweet story that I can’t recommend enough. Literally everyone who asked me during the holiday “did you read anything good?” I kept saying Hello Stranger that’s coming out this summer. Two people already pre-ordered it and I can tell you that’s the best thing they’re going to do in 2023.

Oh I love Katherine Center books, but sadly this one fell flat for me. Normally I binge read her books and can't put them down, however I found myself getting easily distracted with this one and probably would have DNF'd it if Katherine Center hadn't written it. Please note there are some vague spoilers below.

I felt that it took to long for the FMC and the MMC to interact with any real meaning, and so much time was spent on her medical diagnosis (which yes, I realize is the main thing that happened to her but if you read it you will understand), her drama with her sister, her confusion with Joe's 'weaselly' habits, and even her relationship with her father and step mother.

I really enjoyed the last 1/4 of the book, but that to me didnt make up for the rest of the book. Honestly, I just didn't feel the chemistry between them and when I worked out the 'plot' twist, it didnt make sense to me that Joe/The Vet couldn't work out that she was treating him differently when she interacted with him at work and then when he was off work.

3 Stars.

Thanks to St Martins and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Katherine Center has never let me down, and 'Hello Stranger' was no exception. I love when a book makes me open up Google while I'm reading (this time: what does face blindness look like?) while still being fun. I usually hate the miscommunication trope in a romance novel, but in this case, it didn't feel silly due to the nature of Sadie's condition - I wouldn't want anyone to know either.

This is the perfect read for romance fans, especially those who love a bit of a Cinderella story.

**Spoilers**

One of my favorite parts of 'Hello Stranger' is the way Center wrote 'twists' so that the reader could easily figure out what's happening, but were forced to watch Sadie figure it out with time. I thought it was so, so obvious that 'Joe' was talking about a dog in the elevator at the beginning of the story, and it took about two-thirds of the novel for Sadie to figure it out. The "Joe"/Dr. Addison mix up was another one that was so obvious to the reader, but not to Sadie, and you really just wanted to shout into the book and tell her to COMMUNICATE.

**End Spoilers**

Thank you to Katherine Center and St. Martin's Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This will be my last 5 Blush reads of 2022, and the book doesn't even come out until 2023! I read The Body Guard by Katherine Center this year and LOVED it, so when an opportunity to read this book early came, I jumped on it!

I found this book to be so unique, and I think that's hard in the world of romance.

Our main character, Sadie, has something called Prosopagnosia; aka acquired "Face Blindness" (which is a real thing, btw). And as a portrait artist having face blindness is devastating.

Sadie is a young lady who has had some hardships in life. She lost her mother when she was young, has no relationship with her father or stepmother, and has a horrible relationship with his "evil" stepsister. She does have an amazing friend and her family that love her like their own.

After finding out she has to have brain surgery and has edema, which causes her face blindness - navigating life and work is very challenging.

Sadie begins a friendship with Joe from her building, a guy she overhears talking badly about someone in the elevator but finds he's really a good guy. She also is interested in the new vet she takes her best friend and dog, Peanut. She is convinced that the good doctor is her soul mate, but maybe he's not.

The thing is this...she has never seen either of their faces but gets to know them without ever laying eyes on their faces.

I absolutely loved everything about the characters, the writing, and a few little twist and turns that Katherine Center put into this story. I can't wait for the rest of the world to meet Sadie, Joe, and Dr. Oliver Addison

Side note - Make sure you read the Author's note at the end. I felt such kinship with this note and all she's feeling about reading and writing romance.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center follows Sadie who needs a surgery that will end up changing everything in her life, including her job as an artist.

I loved as the relationship grew between Sadie and her neighbor Joe although I found the story very predictable from the beginning.

I especially recommend this book if you liked previous Katherine Center books - this is the same type of heartwarming story that feels cozy!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

I just l love Katherine Center books. They make me feel warm and happy inside, she makes the world a better place. She never ceases to bring me joy. Another thing I love about her is that all of her books have such unique and vastly different plots- and her characters are so easy to fall in love with. This story was wholesome and heartwarming and incredibly sweet!

Well, this was just an absolute delight of a read. I adore the stories Katherine Center writes, and this was one of my faves. When I read her stories, I find I can't read them fast enough, and I'm also sad when they're over and wish it hadn't ended so quickly! What I love most is the unique premise she has her story. Relationships are at the center of what she writes, but the way they develop is so captivating. This story centers on Sadie, an artist who has face blindness after an operation. This is especially a problem because she draws faces and is nearing her big break. Sadie tries to navigate her blindness without telling anyone - This presents some challenges with family, friends, and new potential romance. This was just a book that had me drawn in with the emotions of Sadie's experience, and I was rooting for her so, so hard. Also, there is a reflection about romance novels at the end of this one by the author that is a must-read essay. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this July 2023 release. It's not too early to start counting the days until summer and this book's release y'all!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Katherine Center books. Her writing always makes me smile, her books are always full of joy.

Sadie Montgomery suffers from face blindness after emergency brain surgery, which poses a major problem as she is a portrait artist. As she is recovering from surgery and finding ways to adjust to her new "normal", Sadie is faced with family drama as well as a heart torn between two men. Throw in a funny best friend and this may be my new favorite Katherine Center book!

Katherine Center does it again. Hello, Stranger thoughtfully navigates the medical condition of Prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness) to tell the story of Sadie Montgomery - a portrait artist on the cusp of her big break.

With a lovable cast of characters and a strong theme of found family, Center shows a woman coping with grief and her own place in the world on the way to finding love.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I have been a fan of Katherine Center since my very first book review that I was asked to do for her. Her characters are very relatable, real people and Hello Stranger continues this example.

Our main character is Sadie Montgomery, a portrait artist living on the edge of homelessness. We find that she has a contentious relationship with her father, a disapproving of her career doctor.

While out getting prepared for a party to celebrate her acceptance in career-altering art competition, Sadie passes out on a street corner and winds up in the hospital with a life-changing condition requiring brain surgery. The surgery, inconveniently, needs to be completed within the same few weeks she has to finish her piece for the art competition if she's going to survive.

After surgery to repair the defect in her brain, Sadie learns that she has acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, also called face blindness, which is an impairment in the recognition of facial identity. This makes is all but impossible for her to complete her piece for the competition in her traditional style.

Sadie is really blessed to have a good girlfriend in the building where she lives as well as a very interesting man, who seems to be having liaisons with many of the women in the building. In a bizarre twist, Sadie begins a friendship with this man while having a thing for her dog's veterinarian.

While the plot is a real life possibility, the absurdness of Sadie's relationships makes this story really amusing. This is another hit for Katherine Center and I continue to recommend her.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like being in a hammock on a cool summer evening sipping lemonade while the crickets chirp. It just feels good. You know how there are books where you want them to go on forever? I couldn’t wait for this one to end and NOT because I didn’t love it. I adored it. I just couldn’t wait for the happy ending. I loved and adored Sadie, Peanut, her love triangle, her hovel, her obstinance, etc. etc. etc. I wanted her happily ever after, dammit.

Katherine, if you happen to read this, I want you to know that the book was made just that much better by your author’s note and you can consider this my official petition to put it at the beginning of the book. I think it’s something us romance readers all understand. There’s a formula. They fall in love, they break up, they come back together.

The trick to good romance then isn’t to surprise the reader. It’s to make them care so much about the characters you just can’t stop reading until you get what you came for.

This book did that perfectly.

In case this doesn’t post with the time, it is currently 1:03 am. I’ve been reading for nearly 3 hours. I find myself quite satisfied.

Well, you can never go wrong with a Katherine Center novel. Center's latest novel, Hello Stranger, ends with an Author's Note that perfectly sums up why I love her books. This note focuses on the significance of romance novels---specifically how they can give readers hope but still include tragedy and struggles. Center's books always have the perfect balance of lovable characters who encounter serious struggles that leave you rooting for them, and this novel was no exception. Hello Stranger follows Sadie and her struggle to identify people's faces (formally known as prosopagnosia) after an unexpected health scare and surgery. While the romance aspect of the book certainly delivers (and I promise you, you will fall in love with Joe), Center also created vivid characters and relationships that add to the complexity and make you root for Sadie even more.

Center has the uncanny ability to create a book so comforting that you don't want to put it down bit also don't want it to end.

I am so thankful to Netgalley for providing this ARC.