Katherine Center has become an auto buy author for me and I am currently making my way through her backlist books that I have not already read. This book was no exception and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hello Stranger tells the story of Sadie, who has just received one of the biggest breaks of her art career by placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society Competition. As she is preparing to celebrate this major accomplishment, she faces a major medical challenge and is diagnosed with a condition known as facial blindness. She is told that it will probably be temporary, but this is no comfort to her because she is able to see no one's face, not even her own, and how do you paint a portrait without being able to see a face.

The story unfolds with some twists and turns and humor along the way. The characters were mostly enjoyable, but what I really loved was learning more about facial blindness, a condition that I knew nothing about prior to reading this book.

If you like romantic comedies or stories that have characters that have to persevere to overcome a challenge, I suggest you pick this one up and give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this story and the characters! One of the author's best books, in my opinion! A fantastic and fun read!

While not my favorite Katherine Center book, I really enjoyed Hello Stranger! It was my favorite kind of book - funny and light, but substantial. It was romantic but that wasn’t what the story focused on. Sadie was flawed but not *too* flawed, and I loved the male lead. If you read this book you’ll be left smiling and happy - what more can you ask for?

I think it’s safe for me to say that this is my fave romance of the year so far! Hello Stranger is about Sadie, an up and coming portrait artist who ends up with a case of post-brain surgery face blindness right before a big portrait contest. This premise alone is ridiculous, and I am here to confirm that the execution is as well. The author seems to have done her research on this condition, and manages to tell this story with a ton of heart and compassion, but it is also so, so fun. The romance is particularly iconic and truly one of a kind. Like, yeah, we can all see how it’s going to end, but that doesn’t make it any less swoony and sweet. Almost everything about this is a mess-Sadie, the romance, the family drama-but also it is one beautiful, comforting, laugh out loud mess. I loved every moment.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was a good book. I loved that it was a light-gearted romance but had a ne and interesting storyline. I had never heard of face blindness, what an odd and terrible disease. I liked the way the author told the story but sometimes I felt Sadie was a little too down on herself. Overall the book was a fun read. Sometimes what you're looking for is there all along, within you.

This was such an adorable romcom. The main character reminded me so much of Jessica Day, but the version of Jessica Day in the pilot episode post breakup where everything seems to be going wrong for her. I laughed out loud so many times at this book because of the FMC inner monologue. She was completely unhinged at points but so loveable.

Sadie is a portrait artist, who ends up needing emergency brain surgery, which results in what we hope is temporary face blindness. She can make out every other aspect of a person besides their face, which leads to the most hilarious encounters. AND adds and extra layer of stress when two men become interested in her at the same time. This book was really sweet, I loved the love story that came out of this but the best part was Sadie coming to terms with what she can and can't do and I think it was a really great testament to learning to cope with your new "normal" when it comes to anything health related.

There was NO spice, your grandma could read this! So it's definitely more Hallmark vibes!

Overall, this was such a cute fast read I would recommend to anyone!

I have never considered myself a romance reader, it just wasn't my thing. However, I discovered The Bodyguard by Katherine Center via the What Should I Read Next summer reading guide of 2022 and absolutely loved it! Because of that, once I saw this on NetGalley, I had to request to read it and am so happy I did!

I enjoyed this one just as much as The Bodyguard. Yes, there was some items that felt like a "duh people" moment but overall, I enjoyed the characters. The evil stepsister was particularly fun to hate and the nice, hot guy was intriguing and not the typical bad boy. I LOVED this book!

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a breath of fresh air. At some points I thought it was going to be predictable, but each of the tropes felt like there was a slightly new twist on it. They had forced proximity, but it was also just realistic. They were enemies to lovers, but Sadie had a legit reason to think “Joe” was terrible in the beginning. Their progression felt real and believable and there were some fun surprises that you’ll just have to read to find out! Overall, I recommend this book for anyone interested in a quirky romcom with a cinnamon roll hero and a lively heroine who isn’t perfect but it still relatable!

I enjoyed reading Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. The characters were enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more by the author. Happy reading!

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

KC never disappoints. I wasn’t emotionally blown away by this one and the same way that I was with How to Walk Away, but I really enjoyed this, just the same. I loved the positive and realistic body representation.

4.5 stars

Hello Stranger
Katherine Center

- NYC setting
- a portrait artist who is left faceblind in her surgery recovery process
- your next favorite geriatric doggo
- a hot vet, hipster helpful neighbor, sweet best friend (with an even sweeter Korean family), and an evil stepmom + stepsister – what a mix of characters!!

Katherine Center does it again! Characters that are flawed with such realness that makes connecting with stories so easy. Loveable friends and relationships. Encapsulating the lowest despairs and the victorious highs in the human experience so vividly, the anticipation in how the stories unravel is just so good! These are my favorite kind of romance

I appreciate Center’s research poured into bringing this story to life! I also loved getting to see her friend, Sue, and Sue’s parents be a loving presence to Sadie. Oftentimes, we see white families being the safe place for non-white kids so although a seemingly small detail here, it was huge for me to see Sue’s parents care for Sadie so well

navigating new normals, re-finding yourself, processing grief in new stages, there is just so much to be felt with this book!

👀 BOOK REVIEW: Hello Stranger 👀

SUMMARY: Sadie Montgomery is an up-and-coming portrait artist whose career seems derailed after a health scare leaves her with face blindness. This new perspective causes Sadie to reevaluate every part of her life, from her job to her relationship with her family to whether we should date her dog’s handsome vet or her annoyingly cute neighbor.

I enjoyed this book! It was interesting and well-written, and I was rooting for Sadie throughout—not specifically to return to her pre-surgery self—but to at least come to terms with her new capabilities.

I thought her banter and budding relationship with her neighbor was charming and swoon-worthy, and I wanted to punt her evil stepsister to the moon.

My only hangup was a personal one: This would be terrifying in real life! To never know who it is you’re speaking to? Also, did she also lose her vocal recognition? 💀

What you can expect from this book (and, based on what I’ve read so far, most Katherine Center books):

💖 Legitimately good writing
💖 A flawed but likable heroine
💖 Romance + personal development
💖 The HEA you’re here for

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really did love the bodyguard but this was fun as well! I will definitely pick up anything else that Katherine Center writes!

This was a super fun romance, with great chemistry between the characters and a wacky premise that kept me turning pages. Love Center's voice as always!

Sadie appeared selfish, whiny, and rude before her surgery, and I just could not relate for even empathize with her after her surgery. There were a lot of inconsistencies in the story, such as Sadie remembering voices and name. It didn’t make sense.

This book was… odd. I went into it expecting more of a romance but it was definitely more contemporary fiction with a romance subplot. It for sure kept me on my toes though and I did not see the ending coming.

Enjoyable! Lots of twists and turns through this slow burn. The lack of communication between the main characters was frustrating sometimes, but overall a good read!

I enjoyed reading about Sadie’s unexpected challenging personal journey and how she managed to adapt. It was an emotional and inspiring journey. I admired her perseverance and resilience. And of course, the endearing love story that is not without a twist. This book was light and heartwarming despite the depth of the content, as is all of Katherine Center’s books. Another amazing read by this author.

You can not go wrong with Katherine. She writes sweet romances that will stay with you for a while.

The character development was fantastic and the story felt so real. Very much enjoyed.

this was a mixed bag for me generally. liked some parts of the story especially the growth with her family and her confidence.