This book was a warm hug. It was a romcom full of anticipation and giddiness. Early on, I had a sense of where the story was leading, that didn’t stop me from devouring it.

Main character Sadie experiences acquired facial blindness…but guess what? She is a portrait artist on the brink of a career altering competition. How can she possible paint a portrait when she can no longer make sense of faces? Throw a lil love in the mix with a neighbor whose face she can’t quite decipher, and an arch nemesis of a step sister for an entertaining read! I was hooked from start to finish! Another great story from Katherine Center.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center! You guys. I am OBSESSED with this book! I already knew I'd like it because of how much I enjoyed THE BODYGUARD, but WOW! I am blown away by this one. I was so addicted that I dropped my Kindle while reading it on the plane because I was so engrossed and was tapping on the Kindle with such force to turn the pages. The girl next to me had to pick it up and hand it to me! If that isn't enough to convince you, then let me reiterate the synopsis: THE PROTAGONIST HAS ACQUIRED FACIAL BLINDLESS AND FALLS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE SHE CAN'T RECOGNIZE. HELLO? PLEASE pick this up if you love romance novels!

Review at 12:39! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r52SWZW6WbE

"Hello Stranger" was a fun summer read that had depth as the main character finds herself dealing with an unexpected injury and trying to navigate her art career. While I did figure out one of the plot twists pretty early on, the ending had some surprises I wasn't expecting. I especially loved her endearing relationship with her dog!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This one didn’t hit for me. I really could not connect with the main character- she was so whiny always. And I thought the face blindness plot was uninspired.

Flew through this story! Quick pace kept you invested, and the fact that she couldn’t recognize anyone kept the reader guessing a lot about who was who. Most of the plot points surrounding her family seemed a little too unrealistic and Cinderella like, but luckily the friendships and romance kept you hooked in. And I personally wanted to see just how crazy her family would get.

I love Katherine Center's books, but this one was more of a struggle for me. I think maybe the premise was difficult for me. I know such a condition exists, but it was a bit too more dramatic for me. I also don't enjoy the love triangle trope. :(

Hello Stranger like all of Center's books is well written with well-developed characters. I had no complaints about the quality of this book. I think I just had a difficult time with this book in particular.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🌟✨ Embracing Connection & Growth! ✨🌟 Just finished reading "Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center and I'm swooning! 😍💖 Center's heartwarming storytelling weaves together unexpected bonds and personal journeys that'll leave you feeling all the feels. 📚💕 From vulnerability to second chances, this book dives into the power of stepping out of your comfort zone. 🌈🌱 While some parts were predictable, the characters' transformations hit right in the feels.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is my second Katherine Center novel and, like the one I read previously (The Bodyguard), it almost worked.

The story follows a struggling artist named Sadie, who has a tragic backstory involving a deceased mom, a hard-to-impress dad, an evil step-mother, and an even more evil step-sister. But there's also a really cute elderly dog named Peanut, so... you know... balance.

Sadie's soon-to-be big break comes in the form of an art competition. However, mere weeks before it, she is checked into the hospital and fast-tracking major brain surgery. An unexpected side-effect of this surgery is prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. This is a real condition that Center has obviously put some research into. The plot was certainly a clever way of spreading awareness of this condition that (little did I know!) one in fifty people have (often without even realizing it).

What ensues is a lot of emotional turmoil as Sadie struggles to adapt to life with this (temporary) ailment. As a portrait artist, she has to find new and inventive ways of working on her craft. She struggles with recognizing familiar faces... and connecting when she's already met someone. The primary romantic sub-plot involves her attempts to date her dog's vet and a helpful man in her building. I'll just say this... not sure that this plot twist fooled anyone but Sadie. Also not sure if it was meant to!

One of the things I didn't really love about this were the numerous plot holes. And the amount of over-explaining that happened towards the end. I just feel like this required some better editing -- resolving some of those plot holes and trimming down some of the more unnecessary details. If this were shorter and more consistent? I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

That said, if you're looking for a more wholesome romance, this one will deliver in that sense! It has a good message behind it. And, as mentioned, it was a unique way of spotlighting a medical issue many likely don't know much about.

Absolutely adorable.
I am usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope. I am a huge fan of actually talking to the people you want to be in a relationship with. that being said, Sadie's situation is a little different. When she looses the ability to to distinguish faces after a, rather sudden, brain surgery, Sadie attempts to move on with her life til the condition clears. Stubborn as ever, Sadie refuses to tell anyone that she is suffering from face blindness and has elected to treat everyone with kindness and use context clues to tell friends from strangers. This works as well as can be expected, but she hits a bit of a hiccup when her dating life becomes involved. In true hopeless romantic style, she falls madly in love with the vet who saved her pup. And the also the suspected womanizer who lives in her apartment complex. The problem is, she really doesn't know what either of them look like and is purely going off the interactions she had with the men. You can see where this is going right?

While I had a very strong feeling I knew what was happening the whole time, it was so gratifying to see the resolution and watch Sadie be honest with the people in her life. This book was such a departure from some of the smut I've been binge reading and it was fun to read a wholesome romance with witty characters and emotional interactions.

Katherine Center gets another 5-star review from me for this one. Not only did I fall in love with the characters, but Patti Murin's audio narration of the story was top notch, as usual. I sure hope Katherine plans to release a book every summer, because after "The Bodyguard" and "Hello Stranger", I can easily say that reading/listening her books has been the highlight of my summers.

What I liked most about this book was that the storyline was a lot different than your typical rom-com, and it was clearly researched. While I've read some reviews saying that the storyline was predictable, I actually felt the opposite. I did guess the "twist" closer to the end, but for much of the storyline, I really didn't have any idea where it was going. Also, as per usual with Ms. Center's novels, I was laughing out loud at some parts.

I look forward to Ms. Center's next book! Hopefully coming out in Summer 2024? **Manifesting**

Thank you very much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to have an ARC of both the book and the audiobook (I did read & listen to the story in both formats and enjoyed them both very much!).

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center did not disappoint. The novel is very unique. The story is about two hurt individuals. How they navigate thru their situation

Thank you @Macmillan.audio for the complimentary audiobook and @smpromance for the ebook.
Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors and Hello Stranger is a wonderful story about Sadie overcoming obstacles physically and emotionally. I can't even imagine what Sadie was going through with facial blindness. I love that Katherine Center's writing can show the pain that goes along with tragedies and toxic relationships and also spotlight the hope and love that prevails.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a four star read for me. I really like the premise and thought it was executed very well. I like the face blindness element and it’s why I wanted to read the book. I guessed the twist pretty early on but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this. I liked most of the characters of the book and related to Sadie. Especially when she was frustrated. Did enjoy “Joe” and his and Sadie’s romance. Their romance in the middle of the book was my favorite part. Loved Sue and her family and the things things they did to help Sadie (and their relationship with her). Sadie family was frustrating at times but there were times you see their side. Also liked the art side of this story. Would recommend this because I thought the premise was great, enjoyed seeing these characters and really liked the romance.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this arc.

I read the majority of this as an audiobook. I thought the narrator did an excellent job, capturing different voices for the different characters, and the tone and emotion of the story.

I'd classify this as more women's fiction than romance. Maybe women's fiction with a side of romance. I am a fan of Katherine Center and I have read the majority of her books. It's apparent that she does a lot of research for her books and thinks deeply about how characters will respond to difficult situation. This was certainly true in this case. Through a series of unfortunate events, Sadie ends up with a case of face blindness. This means she can't recognize faces. Even as people who are close to her. As an artist, this is devastating. I really enjoyed watching her learn to interact in her world in different ways without such a crucial skill. Along the way, there was also lots of self reflection about her typical patterns of interacting and wondering about other options. It reminds me of Brene Brown's work, fictionalized, and really brought to life. There's that same sense of hope, optimism, resilience, and growth in better than some really hard personal work. I loved the ending. I will definitely be passing this book on to friends.

Thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Sadie is a portrait artist. On the day she Lear.no she
A finalist in an art competition she’s in an accident. She suffers a head injury. after surgery, she discovers she cannot see faces medically known as prosopagnosia. This story follows Sadie as she recovers and learns to adjust to her new normal. I was invested in Sadie and her story. I loved the characters and wanted to know how things Worked out for Sadie. This is a story about overcoming difficulties, and self-discovery. This is a great story with I an interesting cast of characters and some romance too.

Katherine Center's latest release, Hello Stranger, is a delight. When artist Sadie is in an unexpected accident she wakes up to find out she has facial blindness. Having been named a finalist in a national portrait contest, this could not come at a worse time. She's trying to prove her talent and ability to succeed on her own while dealing with family issues. With the comfort of her senior dog peanut she's also torn between two very different men. While she can still see-she can't detect faces. Told with Center's trademark wit and charm, readers will fall in love with and root for Sadie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Hello Stranger: Review
Genre: Romance
Format: Ebook ARC
Rating: 4/5 stars

This book was so stinking cute!
Some things I loved:
Closed door clean romance
Relatable characters with PERSEVERANCE
The adorable “twist” that is unique to this book compared to other romance novels

Katherine Center does such a great job of bringing a feel good romantic comedy. I absolutely loved the characters in this and, while it took me a bit to get into, I’m so glad I was approved to read an early release copy of this book. Shout out to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ahead of it's publishing date!

Have you given this one a go yet? I promptly bought a copy for my shelf to live right next to my other fav Center book, The Bodyguard.
#whatchelsreads #2023reads #booksofinstagram

I enjoy Katherine Center- my favorites are The Bodyguard and Things You Save in a Fire. I was unsure of this premise for Hello Stranger and read it anyways; it was enjoyable enough but not my favorite by her. I liked that Sadie was an artist and used art to connect to her mother but her ability to support herself seemed unrealistic. Her family was so mean and unlikeable which read as one dimensional and the ending requires me to suspend disbelief a little too much.

I love every book by Katherine Center that I have read and Hello Stranger did not disappoint. The characters were very well developed and if I put down the book. I soon wondered what they were doing in my absence. This includes the main female character, Sadie, and of course, her senior dog, Peanut. Then there is Oliver, the veterinarian, and Joe, the neighbor. What a great book filled with humor, hope, and ending with happiness.

This book did not work for me. This is didn’t feel like Katherine Centers writing at all. It felt more juvenile and choppy. I will always purchase her books, but this was my least favorite.