Such a sweet book. I loved “Joe” so much the whole book and the ending/twist was such a pleasant, charming surprise. I cannot stand Parker and really hope she gets what’s coming to her. Definitely some sad parts but overall such a feel good, overcomer, happy ending story 🩵

My a* sat down and read this in about 3.5 hours. The audio was pleasant but I can only fold so much laundry, you know?

St Martin's Press made the godawful mistake of giving me an ARC, and I did not get this out on time did I?

Worse yet, this is the kind of read I'm not going to take apart an analytically about why the angst was somehow perfectly balanced, the way I always felt safe with the author, and why her writing really hits that note. No, I can only tell you it was delicious emotionally, nothing resolves perfectly(bc life!) but there's so much good enough that you know the characters are just gonna get there and if they don't, they will be ok.

While nothing felt even a little surprising, that feeling will not shortchange you, with this full cast of characters and a principal at the center with a heart enough to carry them all.

Absolutely STUNNING! I am beyond grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me the privilege of an advanced reader copy of "Hello Stranger" in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Katherine Center has outdone herself with this masterpiece. "Hello Stranger" has officially stolen the top spot as my favorite among her incredible works, though I must say, I cherish them all. Some books touch your soul and linger in your heart indefinitely, and this one is a shining example. It transcends the mere boundaries of romance, delving into themes of resilience and the pursuit of hope amidst life's trials. Center's ability to craft characters and narratives that ensnare your emotions is unparalleled. I cannot emphasize enough how much I urge you to read this book!! I ran the gamut of emotions from start to finish! Without a doubt, it's a highlight of my 2023 reading list. 🥰🥰

I won't delve into the intricacies of the plot; trust me, it's best to embark on this literary journey with a blank canvas. I will admit that I did anticipate the major twist, but it didn't diminish my enchantment with the story in the slightest. And don't skip Center's author notes at the end—they're enlightening and perfectly encapsulate the essence of the romance genre. I was utterly captivated throughout, and I wholeheartedly endorse "Hello Stranger" as a must-read!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center hit the sweet spot of my romance genre preferences. It made me laugh and cry and when a book can do that it usually gets all 5 stars. The subject was definitely something I haven’t even heard of but by the end felt like I knew what she was going through. These male MCs were also amazing and I was rooting hard for some steam! KC is on my auto buy list and I don’t think anything can change that!

Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Center! Well I’ve already drafted my cast for the movie! I loved this one. The idea that you truly don’t see people is so interesting and I had no idea face blindness existed. I adored the character building the author did and can’t wait on the next one. Huge Katherine Center fan over here. Add this one to your TBR stat❤️

What a fun and chaotic in the best way book! This is my second Katherine Center book and it definitely won't be my last. I felt for the MC as she tries to adjust to her face blindness following brain surgery while being a portrait artist. I loved the depth there was to this story and the conversation on grief. Wasn't crazy about the lack of communication and, while I know this wasn't a thriller or mystery, I did guess the twist to this story. Overall a great book that I enjoyed.

I loved this book as I always do with Katherine Center books. This author has a way of telling a story by taking a very serious subject wrapping it around comedy, romance, and life lessons. This is a feel good story full of hope and I highly recommend it. I'm still in my feelings ❤️ Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

The ending was such a shock that I had to go back to the breakup scene and hear from Dr. Oliver’s spew of emotions. SO warm and fuzzy. Kicking my feet and brought so much joy. Katherine Center is a romantic genius.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t learn anything from romance books, face blindness is something new I learned in Hello Stranger. My first Katherine Center book, I kept seeing her books everywhere and decided it was time. Had a great time reading this book, filled with humor, learning about facial blindness, the family dynamics and the romance.

I love nothing more than a classic rom-com story. This book had all the elements and potential to be just that, the perfect cozy rom-com read. However, it fell short for me. I had a hard time relating to Sadie and found her to be a bit annoying. Although Joe was "chef's kiss"! The storyline was definitely different than anything else I've ever read. I just didn't hug the book when I was done. Not bad. Not amazing.

I thought this book was just okay. It took me until I was about 20% through to really become interested in the story. The early hospital scenes felt very rushed, even though they’re pivotal to understanding the main character’s struggles throughout the remainder of the book. I found the main character so annoying and ridiculous most of the time that it was hard to sympathize with her.

I think I mostly enjoyed the writing style and that it felt like we were really inside Sadie’s head as these events were happening, but sometimes she was just too corny for me — a pajanket?? immediately referring to a stranger as her future husband?? come on…. I do think the book started to pick up around 60%; however, that’s still over half of the book that was a struggle to push through.

This book was fantastic! Once again, Katherine Center created amazing, realistic, and relatable characters that I could not get enough of! I found myself sucked into the story, and wishing for all the best things to happen. I loved the face blindness angle for a portrait painter. It created such a beautiful story of self-discovery and healing. I also loved the romance element. All-around, this was a wonderful read!

I absolutely adored this book! Everything about the idea of suddenly finding out you can't see faces and recognize people anymore was fascinating to think about (in an abstract way because i'd be a puddle of anxiety if it really happened to me) and watching the struggles that it created made Sadie even more endearing to me. I saw the final twist coming, as i'm sure everyone else did that wasn't Sadie and I was definitely yelling at her to put it together haha. All the stars for this book that had everything from a cute puppy to a cute good Samaritan and crazy friends and found family

I love anything and everything by Katherine Center. I instantly fell in love with the MC so I was gripped from the beginning. I loved reading about face blindness and seeing how it affected her every day life. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good romance with some depth.

Hello Stranger

Partly a cute romcom - and partly an in depth look at a woman’s lowest point in life as she struggles with a serious life altering health condition. I don’t know how it seemed to stay light and entertaining, while being so interesting and educational - but it did.

Sadie is ready to celebrate being selected as a top 10 finalist in the prestigious North American Portrait Society’s annual contest. It’s a huge accomplishment for her as a struggling artist, and even sweeter as she follows in her deceased mother’s footsteps. She has 6 weeks to paint and submit her best portrait ever. Too bad that after almost being hit by a car it’s discovered that she needs brain surgery to fix a neurovascular issue (a cavernova,) and after the surgery she winds up with (hopefully temporary) facial blindness (“Acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia.”) The timing is terrible as she needs to paint her best facial portrait ever.
She has some ups and downs as she deals with her situation and prepares for the contest - with support from her best friend Sue, her hot new veterinarian Oliver who helps save her beloved dog Peanut, and her helpful neighbor Joe; along with horrific encounters with her evil step sister Rachel, mostly awful step mom Lucinda, and very distant father.
It’s crazy that in the midst of this upheaval in her life she falls for both her vet and her neighbor, even though she can’t really even see them. She chooses one, but then he ghosts her. She’s all alone. But maybe her heart could see the truth all along.

There are some heartbreaking moments in this book, and many heartwarming and sweet ones as well. Some parts are infuriating! And the miscommunication is exasperating! Especially as the reader can figure things out before the character has some realizations. But I was along for the ride through all of it. It stretches out a bit longer than necessary, but it kept me entertained.

The author’s note is a special treat, with a beautiful tribute to the wonderful hope found within romance novels. Which is why I love reading books like this.
Center writes, “Structurally, thematically, psychologically—love stories create hope and then use it as fuel. Two people meet—and then, over the course of three hundred pages, they move from alone to together. From closed to open. From judgy to understanding. From cruel to compassionate. From needy to fulfilled. From ignored to seen. From misunderstood to appreciated. From lost to found. That’s a guarantee of the genre: Things will get better.”
I love reading with hope and knowing we’re headed towards a happy ending.
And I wound up loving the happy ending that this sweet story provided.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion given on my own accord.
* I also listened to parts of the book on audio before writing this review.

I found this book somewhat slow at the beginning but it picked up and I enjoyed it at the end. It was interesting to learn of the condition of face blindness. Sadie has brain surgery that triggers a condition called face blindness. She's a portrait artist so that has a significant impact on her life - both work and obviously personally. She gets into various situations because she can't recognize people. Overall a good book.

The plot of this book was so wonderfully fun and chaotic. Basically Sadie is a portait artist who is about to participate in a really big competition but has to have brain surgery and ends up being face blind. Definitely something that would be difficult to adjust to for most people but especially for a portait artist as well. She is navigating this and can’t recognize people which leads to a lot of annoyance and struggles for Sadie but lots of fun as a reader. I really enjoyed this book!

I'm torn on giving a review for this book. The story was a quirky and fun romance. I enjoyed the writing style, and I thought the storyline of face blindness was quite interesting and educated me about something I knew nothing about before. However, the implausibility of this story is off the charts. I am fine with suspending disbelief to an extent, and I know that the intent is just a sweet, fun love story ... but the amount of disbelief needed here is pretty astronomical. The central plot twist relies on a level of miscommunication between the main characters that is truly unbelievable. It's just illogical that at no point, they would have a simple discussion that would clear up the point of confusion. And the side characters, in particular Sadie's evil stepsister, are over the top to the point of being cartoonish. I would try this author again because I did enjoy the overall themes of the story and in particular, I loved the author's note about the importance of love stories. I wholeheartedly agree with her on those points; I just wish this story had stayed a bit closer to believable.

I LOVED this book! Katherine Center has never let me down. All of her books are gems. This was an easy, quick read for me. The storyline was fun and fresh. I had a hard time putting this one down and I read it super-fast! This book leaves you with feel-good, happy vibes! If you're looking for a fun, feel-good read, this is it!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's press for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

It was feeling like a 3 star read at half way through, but the second half really saved the book.

Even though I saw the "twist" coming from a mile away, I was super eager to see how it played out and it kept me turning the pages.

I also really adored the undertone lesson. It honestly actually felt inspiring to me and I had a few moments of self reflection - who knew a rom com could do this! 😆

Overall, another winner by Katherine Center.