I loved this book. Katherine Center has become a must read author for me. Her books are funny, lighthearted, sad all at the same time. This book was no exception. I finished reading it in no time. Great writing, a few twists I did not see coming. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to her next book already!

I love Katherine Center’s books and this one did not disappoint. I found myself fully invested in Sadie’s story and rooting for her to succeed. I was able to relate to Sadie and loved how well developed all the characters were. It read like my favorite comfort rom com!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors because she spins such unique stories. This one is no exception. Sadie's face blindness as an artist and having to find herself again through her art while navigating difficult relationships creates a beautiful story.

I want to give this book ONE MILLION STARS! Hands down it is now my favourite and I have read all her books. She and this book are at the top of my list for 2022. I loved Sadie so much. A strong young woman who faces much tribulation in her life. She does overcome the obstacles and I applaud the Author for this heartwarming and fabulous story. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Loved this book! It had romance and humor all rolled into one. If you like rom-coms, this book is sure to please. It was a bit predictable, but after reading the author's note at the end, I think it sort of was meant to be. I knew the love story would have a happy ending, and I was anticipating getting there (did I say that correctly, Ms. Center?) I recommend.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was the perfect antidote to a cold and dismal day, and I devoured it in an afternoon. Ms Center's books are an automatic read for me and this latest is another winner.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who is finally being recognized for her work. But an accident will put her fledgling career in jeopardy and turn her entire world upside down. Following brain surgery, Sadie is left with face blindness, a condition where she sees faces, even those she knows, as indistinguishable. It is all very inconvenient, not only for her work, but as a particularly large hurdle on the road to romance.

Full of heart, humour, and a cast of characters you won't soon forget, including one special dog with a very sophisticated palate, you will want to get your hands on this one. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

I loved this book so much! I couldn’t put it down! I really liked the story line. It was different and interesting.

I just finished this book and immediately needed to write this review. I am so sorry for everyone who doesn't get the chance to read this one early, as it is a long wait til the July 2023 release, but it will be worth it! This story was wonderful!

Sadie is a down on her luck artist, who has won a place in a portrait contest that is the kick start her career (and her bank account) need. However, six weeks before the gallery presents her yet-to-be-completed piece, Sadie discovers she suffers from a medical anomaly in her brain that requires immediate surgery.

The novel follows Sadie's recovery process, where an unforeseen symptom of acquired prosopagnosia - otherwise known as face blindness that hinders her creative spark. As a portrait artist, this occurrence is devastating to Sadie. Hello Stranger follows her quest to attempt to complete her project, while coming to terms with her condition.

The other thing Sadie is struggling with is her love life. Torn between two men, ones she can not actually "see" - adds to the drama of this story

I binged this in one sitting and it was completely worth it. Beautifully written and filled with just enough angst and romance (closed-door) to have me really rooting Sadie and her future.

I was able to predict a few pieces of the story, but as Center's author's note states, predictability in a romance novel should be ruled as "positively valanced anticipation", the blissful entertainment readers go through as they read and look forward to the story's end In this story, Center's clues may have been intentional, but they ultimately help the reader head toward a conclusion that will be completely satisfying.

ARC provided by NetGalley. This is my giveaway review. I've loved every book by Katherine Center. She's an amazing writer! This book is certainly no exception! I love the character of Sadie. She's such a relatable character... Very funny and down-to-earth. She's someone you want to see succeed in life and her dreams of being an artist. She is waiting for her big break and decides to enter an art competition but right before she finds out she needs to have emergency surgery. The doctor assures her she'll still be able to proceed with the competition. However, she hits some roadblocks along the way and she falls in love with two men. This was a great read and I highly recommend!

Being a huge fan of Katherine Center I was super excited to get an advanced copy of Hello Stranger. Not going to lie, I was kinda turned off when Sadie was diagnosed with the face blindness. I just thought I knew exactly where the story was going. I am glad to say that I was wrong and was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! A cute dog, a cute boy or two, and a sweet ending!

I also love when a book teaches me about something I didn't know previously and was excited to read a bit more about face blindness after finishing this book! Another winner by Ms. Center

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is one of the best books I've read this year! Sadie Montgomery has had a difficult life thus far. Her mother died when she was 14 and her father quickly remarried her evil stepmother, Lucinda, who brought along her daughter Parker. Parker was Sadie's nemesis from that point on. Following in her mother's footsteps, Sadie became a portrait artist and had real talent. When her first real break came up, as a finalist in a portrait contest, she was ready to win, but fate had something different in store for her.

An accident and subsequent brain surgery left her with "face blindness", an inablility to see faces clearly. With the portrait contest only six weeks away, how would she ever be able to complete a portrait in time? With the help of a few friends, Sadie discovers what is truly important in life and it may not be what you can see written on someone's face.

I found the whole concept of this novel fascinating and plan to do more research on face blindness. Well done Katherine Center, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think it is impossible for me to dislike a Katherine Center novel. Her stories are always captivating with fun characters, witty dialogue and engaging storylines.

I liked Hello Stranger. It's a clever story with a fascinating premise about Sadie, a woman who has face blindness. I definitely started to do some research to learn more about face blindness after finishing this book, because it is fascinating how the disorder presents itself with being able to see but not able to recognize faces. I thought Center used the concept well to piece together this plot with some clever twists, though I found it to be pretty predictable.

I wanted to LOVE this novel, but there were a few things that I didn't love so much. Sadie's family was awful to the point that it didn't even seem realistic. Parker especially was just so evil; she seemed more like a caricature than a real person. I also found Sadie to rub me the wrong way at times. I'm not sure what it was about her, but at times she just seemed immature and not always likeable.

But overall, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it. I will always read anything that Katherine Center writes. This one doesn't come out until July 2023, but it's a good one to put on your radar for next summer!

This was a great book, but it’s heart wrenching in a way that didn’t have me crying but frustrated! You meet Sadie and are just getting in when something traumatic happens. It’s a jolt but then that’s where the slow comes in. It felt a bit of a slog to get through. You want to understand and root for her but Sadie makes it hard. The independent, not tell anyone attitude was hard to take. Her dad, stepmother and stepsister were… wow. The parents, okay, but the sister is a piece of work, evil to the max and I do not understand how she wasn’t in jail considering all the things she had done. I was so mad when the truth came out. Then suddenly you are in it with Sadie and she’s figuring out life and trying so hard. You are rooting for her and then there’s the big art show and everything… heart wrenching!

It may sound like I’m complaining and I am a little but despite my frustration it was such a good read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled to see a new release from her. She has a beautiful way of bringing her protagonists to life.

This story has one of the most unique plots I have encountered. The main character has a health scare that leaves a lasting impact — she develops face blindness. Katherine Center clearly did her homework when it came to writing about the condition. Everything was explained so clearly. All of the characters were well-developed and lovable despite their flaws.

The twist at the end was something I didn’t see coming. I found myself rooting for all of the characters throughout. My only regret is that it had to end.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Perfectly paired with any time of year and a disco playlist. This story will make you want to call your best friend, hug your mom, and meet a cute stranger.

I just reviewed Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. #NetGalley

Huge thanks to Erica Martirano from St. Martin’s Press for this early ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published July 11, 2023.

This is my sixth book by this delightful author. Her books are fun and hopeful and, because they fall into the romance genre, have happy endings.

I highly recommend curling up in your “pajankas” and treating yourself to this wonderful story because we could all use more hope and love in our lives.

Clever, colorful, and creative, Hello Stranger is the sort of romcom that both nourishes the soul and gives readers insight into something real and afflicting. This book highlights the medical curve balls life sometimes throws our way, the obstacles that we must traverse in order to learn how to cope with the new normal after a significant health change, temporary or not though it might be, and how to accept help from others when we need it.

The premise is a unique one where the main character, Sadie Montgomery, suffers from a condition called "acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia" or face blindness, which she acquires after having a minor surgery to repair a blood vessel in her brain. The kicker is that she's an artist. A portrait artist looking for her big break, to be more precise.

To complicate matters, she's just landed a spot as a finalist in a portrait competition where the grand prize is $10,000, and that means she needs to create a new painting from scratch within the next six weeks.

However, seeing as she's temporarily unable to see human faces, how will she paint? How will she create a portrait for the contest? And more importantly than that, how will she make sense of the world around her, differentiating between the people she already knows or those she will meet while this condition persists?

As Sadie confronts all of these new obstacles, she is going to need help. A lot of it. Which just so happens to be something she hates asking for, making her resistant to a fault.

Luckily, there are two men about to come into her life - one, a veterinarian named Oliver; the other, a neighbor named Joe (like Joe Shmoe, get it? Because she can't see his face? I'm still giggling over the punny perfection of his name choice) - who will each offer her something she needs. And who, as the story unfolds, will prove to our heroine that "appearances can be deceiving" in more ways than she can possibly imagine.

While I thought some of the family drama could have been resolved better, particularly between Sadie and her evil stepsister, I really liked this one. It was humorous and unique. Full of hope and joy, which I think we could all use more of right now. More than anything, though, I appreciated being along for the ride as Sadie learned to cope with not being able to recognize faces, and how she grew in her art as well as in her relationships.

Definitely one you should add to your 2023 tbr's, y'all!

I'm so grateful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting me early access to this ARC.

This was a cute story about Sadie, a struggling portrait artist who has acquired a diagnosis of face blindness in her late 20s. Her mother died when she was a teen, leaving her with some family struggles with her dad, step-mother, and step-sister. After becoming face blind, she meets Joe, a guy in her building and starts to have feelings for him and breaks things off with her vet before they event went on their first date. I won't give away the ending (though I must say, I knew what was going to happen about one-third of the way through the book), but it was a decent romance. I have liked some of Katherine Center's other books better but this was an enjoyable read too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Another feel good book by Katherine Center. Easy to get lost in the unique storyline and characters and read it in a day. I absolutely loved Joe but found Sadie to be somewhat annoying at times.

great book and loved the romance and loved that it dealt with face blindness. loved the friendship and the romance between joe and her romance with the vet oliver. I liked the plot twist at the end and how it all worked out. great romance.

Such an intriguing storyline! I really enjoyed Katherine Center’s previous book and liked this one too! The characters are great together and I just love those book covers! :) Definitely recommend!

Thanks NetGalley and Katherine Center!