I'm not sure how she does it, but Katherine Center can take a tragedy and turn it into a love story like no other. Sadiie's mother died when she was 14 and she has never really gotten over it (if getting over someone's death is even possible)l.. Most of her decisions have been guided by her relationship with her mother before she died and with her father afterwards. As she prepares to celebrate a major career achievement, a medical emergency changes her life and perspective. Center uses the change in her health to create a series of events that helps Sadie heal in body and spirit. About halfway through I was compelled to stay up until midnight to finish. A true sign of a good book!

Hello Stranger is an enjoyable, light hearted read that also tackles some deeper issues. Sadie suffers from a surprise medical issue that causes her to lose the ability to see faces and recognize people. She has to adjust to this new disability and figure out a way to still create the portrait art that she loves in time for a competition.
I liked the premise, which was different than typical romance stories. At the very beginning, I didn't like Sadie. She was rude and selfish. But as the book continued I learned a lot about her and her condition.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a solid contemporary rom-com. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little over ten and a half hours and is narrated by Patti Murin.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is struggling for her big break. After she is selected as a finalist in a huge competition, she learns she needs to have "minor" brain surgery. During recovery, she realizes she can no longer perceive faces. Doctors tell her it's probably temporary but she struggles to cope.

The artist who did the cover really knocked it out of the park. They also did the cover for The Bodyguard, the author's last book, which was one of my favorite reads last year. It was the first book I'd read by Center, and I fell in love with her prose. I read the whole thing in one sitting, which happened again with her latest book.

I enjoyed Hello Stranger but not as much as I loved The Bodyguard. I think the story could have been tightened up a bit, and I'm not sure the side story with the evil stepsister needed to go that hard.

But I do highly recommend this book and the author in general. I need to pick up more of her back catalogue!

Tropes in this book include: strangers-to-lovers, love triangle, forced proximity, miscommunication, mistaken identity

CW: death of parent (prior to book), brain surgery, dog in hospital, description of panic attack, bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, suicide attempt (mentioned), face blindness

This was my second Katherine Center book and I really enjoy her writing style. Hello Stranger didn’t work for me as well as Happiness for Beginners did but I still enjoyed it. I liked Sadie, even when she made decisions I didn’t agree with. The love story was very cute as well. I did find the step-sister character to be a bit much - it was hard to believe that someone could be that cruel. There were also lots of coincidences in the plot stretched believability at times - I’ve never been to Houston but it can’t be as small of a city as this book makes it out to be. Overall, this was a light enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more of Katherine Center’s backlist.

Hello Stranger is a hug in book form. Absolutely charming, light, and feel good. Those looking for a steamy romance might want to skip it, but it has such heart. For anyone in need of a little cheering up or happy in their lives, I highly recommend picking this title up.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy.

I loved The Bodyguard and Things You Save in A Fire. This book was good but the plot contributed it to not being on of my favorite books by Center.

I enjoy Center’s writing style and humor. The enemies to lovers vibe was fun. I appreciated how Sadie tries hard to feel grateful she had her mom instead of bitter that she lost her so soon.

<spoiler> In one section of the book, Sadie’s painting is being ridiculed because it doesn’t look like a particular person or fit into the mold. This scene reminded me of how society treats accessibility, disability or anything they view as “not normal”. She found a way to paint with her face blindness and it was beautiful, yet her work is not accepted by society because it was not traditional.

One content warning I haven’t seen listed is one for animal medical treatment/pet illness. Do not fear, the dog lives.
As someone who recently lost her dog to an illness that caused the pup to not eat, the sections of this book that took place at the vet left me crying.

I gave this book 3 stars and look forward to continuing to read Katherine Center’s backlist.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As with all of the KC books I've read so far, this was a good time! The story was complex, unique, and well-researched; the characters had a good balance of endearing and annoying traits; Sadie's family background was infuriating and added good villain fuel to the fire; and Peanut was the most precious lil dude!

I thought the romance aspect was sweet, and it was cool to see that relationship develop without Sadie's sight. I do think the story leaned a little too heavily on miscommunication and assumption, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a bit, I think it works.

Later on in the book, I assumed what was happening and how it would end, and I was correct. However, it didn't ruin my overall enjoyment of the story. I liked how things played out, and having the medical aspects thrown in there was a unique touch. Some of the brain specifics and how they played out seemed a little too convenient for the plot at times, BUT I also have never met anyone with this condition, so I can't attest to how realistic or not those aspects were. KC definitely did her research, so I assume it could be legit.

Sadie did annoy me at times with how she doubled down on her refusal to ask for help. I sort of get why she became that way, but it ultimately crippled her emotionally to stay that stubborn about it.

Overall, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a nice romcom with neat medical and artistic twists!

Such a good, good book!

After reading so many stories, even tropes that are tried and true, sometimes you need unexpected twists to get you gasping and invested. This book is it.

Katherine Center does it again with a story filled with love, drama, and underrated humor. I enjoyed the characters, although I got upset at Sue at her role as the bff, and loved the roles they played in Sadie's life. I loved the Kims being pseudo parents, and Lucinda's insistence of being there for Sadie. Let's not forget the non-triangle love triangle between Sadie, Joe, and Dr. Addison.

I love love love love loved this book! Katherine Center tells the most beautiful stories that balance heartwarming romance and an authentic look at what makes us human.

A seizure and almost accident leads to necessary eye surgery, which leaves Sadie with face blindness. While this would already be a scary and stressful thing, Sadie is a portrait artist and has just entered the biggest competition of her career. She struggles with how to paint a portrait that will win the competition when she cannot see faces, and she is forced to learn to lean on those around her for support - including her neighbor Joe who is suddenly everywhere and offering to help when she's in a bind.

This book is so much more than a love story. I really loved the side plots, and, in true Katherine Center fashion, the book dives into topics like grief, allowing others to help you, toxic family members, and confirmation bias.

This book is truly beautiful, and I am so thankful that Katherine is championing the importance of romance novels. These characters are flawed and real and human. The love story is charming and gave me butterflies. What else can you ask for in a great book than that?

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Hello Stranger
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Katherine Center

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry. Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces. Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope—and hang onto her artistic dreams—she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more? As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places—and people— you least expect.

My Thoughts: I LOVE everything about Katherine Center and especially loved this book. She always knows how to touch my heart. I needed some Center happiness when I read this book as I had surgery in May and was finishing my Master’s Degree in June when I read this. Sadie, a struggling portrait artist had to have brain surgery to fix an issue that could be terminal. Upon waking up from surgery, she is unable to see face details. Sadie was selected as a finalist for a contest that could establish her in the art world, a portrait contest, that she will not be able to do fully due to her face blindness. Then Sadie ends up with two men who mean something to her. Will she have to choose? Will she recover from her face blindness in time for the portrait contest?

The story is narrated by Sadie, in her POV. The author represents neurovascular issues, specifically prosopagnosia, extremely well, it is authentic and well researched. Sadie is independent, fierce, and loyal. There were times that Sadie was prickly but I still loved and was rooting for her. Parker is Sadie’s evil stepsister that plays a big part in this book (maybe we will get a follow up book on her). The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, emotion, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, heartfelt, thought-provoking, engaging, and just brilliant. I do not want to discuss the plot to much as I do not want to spoil for other readers, but I will say that while I expected the twist(s), it did not take away from the story.

Again I love how Center’s books make me feel. They are lighthearted, heartwarming reads that will turn any day into a joyful one. I throughly enjoyed every word on the page. This story was more than a romance, or even a mystery, it was about hope, resiliency, and perseverance through life. I highly recommend this book and any book by Center. I would also recommend reading the author notes at the end of the story. The novel is available in physical, kindle, or audiobook formats.

This was perfectly fun but not my favorite of Katherine Center's! I found it hard to get past the absurdity of the premise.

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley for the advanced copy.

"Love isn’t blind, it’s just little blurry."

Katherine Center does it again! I don't think Center gets enough credit because she is an auto-buy author for me. I look forward to her wonderful stories and beautiful covers every year. I can't imagine waking up and not being able to recognize faces anymore - especially as a portrait artist! Following Sadie's diagnosis (hopefully temporary) she begins to develop feelings with her veterinarian and a friendship with tenant in her apartment building. What happens when the faces and feelings begin to blur?

This story was just sooo sweet and lighthearted. I loved the character development for Sadie; truly transformative throughout the story. If you've ever read a Center book then you know what you're in for. If you haven't, I highly suggest any one of them to start. They're all wonderful 5 star reads.

I was gifted this ARC, all thoughts are my own, and I have purchased a copy of the novel myself.

Oh, Katherine Center, you are the best, and the amount of time and effort you place into your stories is why you are one of my favorites. Hello, Stanger is one of your best, and I adored every single second of this story.

Hello Stanger is about an artist who is about to have her big break when she has a seizure, and everything changes. Not able to recognize faces anymore, Sadies life spins out of control. During the novel, you get to watch her grow and go through struggles with complex emotions and family drama. There is also a love triangle which was a fun surprise. I absolutely adore Katherine and think everyone should add this book to their TBR.

Sadie is a portrait artist who just got her version of a big break. Right along with that, an unlucky accident leads her to find out she has a tumour and needs brain surgery. Upon waking up from the surgery Sadie realizes she has a condition where she can no longer see people’s faces. How can she paint her portraits? How can she see the face of the man she is falling for?

I did not like this book, at all. This is my fifth book from the author and it’s definitely my least favourite. It’s also pretty different from the other books I’ve read by her, and not in a good way. Every other book I’ve read from the author is an easy 4 stars or above. This probably hits a 1.5 stars.

I literally forgot the name of the main character 50% in. That's how underwhelming this is.
The writing is decent, making it an easy read, especially to skim, which I did.
I did not like Sadie, at all. That's it. She's so immature, it's almost like reading a YA book. Sadie is the epitome of a "quirky, im different, I'm not like everyone else" type of girl. She's so irresponsible and feels bad for herself constantly. I could not root for her and I just didn't like her at all.
She barely has a place to live, tries to put off an important surgery, feeds her dog human food constantly (which drove me insane) even though he's sick!! She says she doesn't want help from anyone but takes Lucinda's credit card right away. She's constantly eating out and buying coffee, not working, even a regular job??
I didn't like Sue, she was an awful, awful friend who was super inconsiderate and flighty.
I do not see the point of Parker's character but she was literally a disgusting person.
Lucinda and the father weren't much better. They minority redeemed themselves at the end, but barely. No one in this book is likeable except for the Kims. Joe was whatever, such a flat character.
All these little details that contradict each other also bothered me. Peanut not eating dog food, but the store being out of dog food. Not having money, but buying coffee. Not needing help ever, but taking the credit card and legitimately never mentioning it again.
I could not handle the insta love with the vet. Talking about him being her husband in a serious way after meeting him one time made me feel like Sadie was a middle school, I was rolling my eyes.
Also, Sadie hates Joe, thinks he's awful, but then it all changes super quickly and that's not addressed??
I don't even know what this book is about, there's both so much and nothing happening at the same time. The love story, or love triangle is barely there at 60% in. There is so much talk about her mother and her feelings towards that. There's so many things mentioned that just don't matter!!!
The love story in this is so anticlimactic, the twists were unbelievably predictable and I just couldn’t buy into it. How can they be the same person but change their hair and glasses? This isn’t Hannah Montana. Their voices, mannerisms, everything else is the same. And it’s easily explained away because Sadie is bad at voices? No. The name thing as well, who’s letting someone they’re dating call them by the wrong name for that long? The part that made me groan and shake my head and roll my eyes was at the end when Sadie said she had lost two people she was in love with, one being the vet. She literally thought she was going on a date with him, that’s it. How can you be in love with that? How can she even be in love with Joe when she barely knew him!!!!
Rant over. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

<b>HELLO STRANGER IS HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE BOOK BY KATHERINE CENTER!!!!!!!!!</b> I have read a few other books by this author, but <b>NOTHING</b> compares to Hello Stranger. Katherine, you owe me a few boxes of tissues, you had me blubbering like a fish with this gut wrenching story. When I saw Katherine Center had a new book coming out this year, I was so happy, but I didn't expect this book to pull on my heart strings the way it did. Hello Stranger was <b>one of my top reads for 2023, and it definitely exceeded</b>. There's always going to be that <b>ONE</b> book that remains in your heart forever after reading, and this is the book that will definitely stay with you. Hello Stranger is so much more than just a romance book, it's about finding hope where you least expect to, it's about realizing your mistakes and fixing them, it's about finding your person who will love you no matter what your flaws are. I had <b>ALL</b> the emotions this book had to offer, I laughed, I sobbed, I smiled, but most importantly I <b>loved</b> this book so damn much. I was completely captivated throughout the entire book. I can't recommend this book enough to my book lovers out there, but please do yourself a favor and read this book ASAP.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND ST. MARTIN'S PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming.....<b>LITERALLY</b>. Sadie is a struggling artist painting portraits, following in her mother's footsteps. Sadie lost her mother due to face blindness when Sadie was just fourteen years old. One minute Sadie is celebrating the biggest achievement of her life.... PLACING AS A FINALIST IN THE NORTH AMERICAN PORTRAIT SOCIETY COMPETITION!!!!!! Sadie's mom placed in the same competition many years ago, but placing in this competition means so much more to Sadie than meets the eye. Sadie is finally honoring her mother because she died right before the competition. The next minute, Sadie is lying in a hospital bed being diagnosed with a "probably temporary" condition known as face blindness. Sadie learns she needs to have surgery six weeks before the show, but she's not going to let that stop her from competing. Sadie can see, but she just can't see faces, faces to Sadie are just a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. How can a portrait artist paint if she can't see faces? Sadie has the support her special companion Peanut has to offer. Peanut is Sadie's beloved and elderly dog who happens to have the perfect face that Sadie can see, she just can't see human faces.

Sadie might not have the love and support she needs from her dad, step mom, and evil step sister, but she has the love and support she needs from her best friend Sue and Sue's parents who shower Sadie with unconditional love and encouragement. Sadie doesn't want to have this surgery because of the portrait competition, but since her mom didn't have the surgery that's why she died, but Sadie never knew that until her dad finally opened his mouth. After Sadie was diagnosed with acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, my heart instantly broke for her. It was so hard watching her father, step mom, and evil step sister treat Sadie the way they did. I absolutely adored Peanut, he was the sweetest fur baby I have ever met in a book. He even eats Pad Thai, like how could you not giggle at this goofy fur ball? It was so inspirational to watch Sadie overcome her difficulties and never give up her dreams no matter what curve balls came at her, it definitely wasn't easy when her step sister spewed nonsense at Sadie. Let me tell y'all, I didn't like the step sister from the very beginning, she was just so rude and cold hearted, it was honestly disgusting.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced reading copy.

This was a wonderful story of Sadie and her happy ending. Sadie is an artist that has been chosen as a finalist in an art contest.

The book opens with Sadie having a seizure and an accident. She then has emergent brain surgery and is left with face blindness because the area of her brain that processes faces is close to where her surgery site is. She is supposed to paint a portrait for an art contest, but is unable to do so.

She overcomes a lot of obstacles and finds ways to be positive with this change in her life. Her step sister Parker continues to bully her and skew their parents' view of what is happening and takes the face blindness as an advantage.

This is a solid book by Katherine Center and I will look forward to her next book.

Wow this was so fun! I absolutely adore every one of Katherine Center’s books and I was so excited to get an early copy of Hello Stranger.

This book follows Sadie who is an following her late mother's footsteps as an artist and has just gotten what could be her big break when she ends up needing surgery that ends up turning her life upside down.
This is Sadie's journey in finding herself, letting others in, and realizing that help isn't a bad thing.
Katherine Center writes the most unique plots and this was probably her most unique yet. I didn't know what to expect going in and you definitely shouldn't either, it's way more fun that way.
I loved most of the characters. Sue. The whole Kim family, Joe. They were all amazing. Her family gave me mixed feelings. Especially Parker. She is absolutely the worst.

I loved the ending. This was probably the most interesting love triangle/miscommunication trope I've ever read. The epilogue was adorable.


Thank you to NetGalley for the early e-copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

If you’re unfamiliar with Katherine Center, she is the Queen of heartfelt, feel-good, closed-door rom-com novels. When frustrated with life, I know her books will bring me joy. Her characters are always enduring, charming, and lovable. Hello Stranger did include one or two characters we love to hate, but in the end, you’ll sympathize with even the “unlikeable” ones.

The unique plot line works for me; our MC, Sadie, develops a rare medical condition, prosopagnosia (AKA face blindness). I’ve never heard of this condition before and learned much from our character and the author’s note. I also really liked, to my surprise, the love triangle. Typically one of my least favorite romance tropes, but Center handles the trope with uniqueness and care. And as always, I love the message the book delivers. Plus, who can’t resist a dog in a story - so much love for Peanut!

Patti Murin’s narration needs no hype! She performs Sadie perfectly as she struggles with her diagnosis and new life. Murin also performs the side characters exceptionally well, bringing the whole cast to life. I highly recommend this format!

"But I guess that’s the great thing about life — it gives you chance after chance to rethink it all. Who you want to be. How you want to live. What really matters.”

Even though this is only my third Katherine Center, I already know she is one of my favorite romance writers. She provides such unique plots with great humor and banter. I also love how she creates stories with a heartwarming message and I look forward to seeing what we’ll discover with each book.

In ‘Hello Stranger’ we meet portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery. She is about to celebrate winning the biggest and long-awaited achievement in her career but in a blink of an eye, she finds herself waking up in a hospital bed and finding out she is diagnosed with a temporary condition known as face blindness. Literally meaning she can see everything but faces (this is actually a real condition!) This would inconvenience anyone but it’s a bigger disaster since she paints faces for a living.

We follow Sadie as she attempts to still maintain her career, navigate her complicated relationship with her father and evil step-sister, grieve her mother’s death AND she finds herself a new romance… without being able to see his face. This was a lot of fun with great anticipation for the ending which I really enjoyed. Sadie made me laugh so much as I related to her inner dialogue as I also find myself planning my wedding seconds after a stranger even holds open the door for me.

Romance remains one of my favorite genres and Katherine’s author's note reminds me why. People often critic endings that are predictable which happens a lot in romance even if it’s mentioned in a positive way. However, Katherine explains a new perspective on it — we use the word anticipation. Even though we almost always know how stories can end, anticipation and hope is always the best part. So instead of saying, this story was predictable, we say, this story provided great anticipation for the ending! And this story was another example of that

4.5 ⭐️’s
Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist and on the verge of breaking in after all her hard work. But when she unexpectedly needs brain surgery, they neglected to tell her all of the side effects. After surgery, Sadie has some swelling causing acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, also know as face blindness. Everyone she meets is now a stranger and competing for a chance to win an art world competition has to be out of the question, right? As Sadie learns to orbit her new world, she’s interested in one man she knows is destined to be her future husband, all the while falling in love with another. With an evil stepmother and a horrific stepsister in the mix, this book was quite the fun read. In an upside down time in Sadie’s life is there a chance that something good could come out of it? Hello Stranger is a feel good book that was funny, heart touching and filled with hope. Even knowing where Center was going with this one did not take away from the unique story as the journey was well worth it. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.