I love Katherine Center. I loved the bodyguard and this book was no different. This book reminded me of Marian Keyes The Woman Who Stole My Life but in the best way! That was one of my fave books and this book competes with it! This book is going to stay with me for a long time!

If you're looking for the perfect swoonworthy read, this is going to make you laugh and cry! I don't want to talk about the plot other than what I alluded to above with the Marian Keyes comp but dang you will love this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!

I really needed happy, heartwarming and funny today and Katherine Center ALWAYS delivers. Her characters are always lovable and in this one our MC develops a unique syndrome after surgery that affects her livelihood and her love life in a big way. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was recently published and is available now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hello, Stranger is a sweet romantic comedy about portrait artist Sadie Montgomery. She has finally gotten a big break with a portrait contest when an accident suddenly leaves her with face blindness. Adjusting to her new reality is made more difficult by juggling her family and romantic relationships.

Sadie was a very endearing character, and I felt for her in all the ups and downs she was experiencing. It was fascinating to read about the impacts of her acquired face blindness. I enjoyed the romance, and the writing was funny and relatable. I kind of saw the ending coming, but enjoyed it all the same. This was a sweet read with relatively low angst, and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author!

Katherine Center does not disappoint in her most recent release, Hello Stranger. I had never heard of the condition the MC is experiencing and I was very intrigued. I felt for her, my heart ached for her. I did feel like some parts were a little far fetched, like the return of the girl from her childhood that she helped and the stepsister tormented. What are the chances that she’s the one Sadie lent her dress to! The behaviors that the stepsister exhibited towards Sadie felt over the top, especially for a grown woman.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I will ALWAYS read anything written by Katherine. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early.

Katherine Center's novels can be described as warm hugs with soon to be new friends. You can not help but fall in love with her creative plots, characters, and frankly the realistic journeys the characters go on from the beginning of the book to the end. Over and over Center reminds the world that kindness matters, and actions both good and bad have ripple effects. If Hello Stranger is your first Katherine Center novel, I strongly suggest you check out her other novels. Each one can be classified as a truly charming romances with characters filled with heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me a copy of this novel.

Another uplifting novel by one of my go authors Katherine Center. I had heard of face blindness but didn’t really know anything about it and to read a book that involves this really kept me interested. As usual, even when things are low, there is a positive vide and the characters work through things to have a positive outcome.
Sadie, an artist who paints portraits, learns she is a finalist in a prestigious art competition that could help her finally get recognized as an artist. She finds out she needs brain surgery and when she wakes, she finds that she has facial blindness. It could be temporary, but he time is limited to get the portrait painted for the competition. As she navigates this new condition and tries to relearn to paint without seeing peoples faces, she also starts to learn how to recognize people into their ways than their faces.
This has definately become joined the ranks as one of my favorite Katherine Center novels.

Katherine Center's writing is super charming and there's a warm and intimacy to the way she develops her characters that reminds me a lot of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Kate Clayborn. I loved Center's debut book and I will certainly be reading her next.

But. The main plot device of this book was so awkward and prominent that I kept being distracted by it. I figured out the twist pretty early, as I'm sure all seasoned romance readers would. But why would MMC fall in love with someone who was behaving so incredibly erratically? I spent a good half of the book waiting for the big reveal instead of really luxuriating in the MCs getting to know each other.

This one wasn't for me but the execution was strong and your mileage may certainly vary.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. She really knows how to write a romcom, and gives her characters a lot of, well, character. I've read books about facial blindness before, but never to this depth, and it was really interesting to consider the complexities of the story and wondering what it would be like to have one of the senses malfunctioning, throwing all the others off. Books like this lead me to wonder if men like Joe exist out there in the world, really and truly. Katherine Center is fun and refreshing.

Katherine Center’s Hello Stranger starts out with a great premise - what happens when a professional portrait artist loses the ability to see faces? Brilliant! But unfortunately, for me, the premise of the book was the best part.

The writing style is perfect for summer reading on the beach or by the pool. The pages move quickly and the first half had me reading well into the night.

But then I started to get a bit bored. And I admit to some eye rolling. The antagonist is a wicked step-sister caricature, too over the top to be believable. Of the two potential love interests, one is sexy and the other’s only character trait appears to be that he is helpful. Very helpful. And sexy.

I won’t argue that romances are built on a structure of some predictability. The protagonist will always have a happy ending. But I found every plot beat of this story to be predictable, including the twist.

I loved Center’s earlier novel Things You Save in a Fire, largely because it didn’t feel like a standard romance. I own a few of the author’s older books and hope they run more in that vein. Hello Stranger, while fun at times, just wasn’t for me.

I absolutely love Katherine Center she has become one of the few romance writers that i'll read. That said I enjoyed this one but did not love it as much as her others. The main character drove me a bit crazy with her decision making but the premise was enough to keep me interested. Sadie an artist about to be a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition gets in an accident and ends up with face blindness. A condition that should be temporary. Until then she has to deal with it and figure out to hang onto to her artistic dream. All the while also dealing with a couple of potential love interests. This is more a closed door feel good romance so if spicy open door is what you are looking for look elsewhere. If you loved her previous contemporary romance books you will most likely enjoy this one as well.

Sadie is a struggling artist living in her studio (aka her "hovel") when she learns that she's a finalist in a lucrative art competition. Things are looking up until a wild series of events leaves her suffering from face blindness. She can still see, but faces look like unrecognizable, disjointed puzzles. Sadie's life is turned upside down with these (hopefully temporary) limitations, but that doesn't mean her daily life comes to a halt. How is she supposed to paint a portrait for the art contest when she can't see faces? Ugh, why is that annoying guy always in the elevator when she has to be somewhere? How can she be planning a fantasy wedding with her pooch's hot new veterinarian when she can't even see his face?

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me, and this latest release is just one more reason why. As always, she's packed Hello Stranger with humor, tenderness, a dash of whimsy, and more than one tear. Come for the beautiful cover, but stay for the richly drawn characters, witty banter, and sweet anticipation. As Ms. Center so beautifully explains in her author's note, the appealing magic of romance novels like this one is the soothing feeling of hope - that even when it's all falling apart, you can't help but anticipate that things will get better. I categorize Katherine Center right alongside Emily Henry into what I've heard called "romance plus" because these are fully fleshed out characters dealing with really complicated situations. I find these books to be so well constructed and immersive that the romance almost feels beside the point, while also being a beautiful and vibrant part of the story. Seriously, though, don't sleep on her author's note. It's 5 stars all by itself.

I'm so grateful to St. Martin's Press, Katherine Center, and Net Galley for providing me with an advance review copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest review.

Let me tell you, this book is an absolute gem that deserves all the love and attention it's been getting! 💖

The novel follows the journey of portrait artist, Sadie Montgomery, who suddenly ends up in the hospital and with a condition known as face blindness. Now every face she sees is a puzzled mess…which is a bit of a problem for someone who makes a living off painting them! 😆 Sadie must quickly learn to navigate her life filled with family issues, career moves and unexpected romance between not one but two men! Clear solutions to her problems seem utterly out of focus but maybe there’s more to seeing life than just with her eyes. 👀

This book is so much more than a romance novel. It delves into themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the power of human connection. The characters are beautifully developed, and you'll find yourself rooting for them every step of the way. 💪❤️ What I loved most about this book is how Center manages to balance heartwarming moments with thought-provoking messages. She effortlessly weaves humor and tenderness into the story, leaving you with a warm and fuzzy feeling long after you've turned the last page. It is positively swoon worthy!🥰✨

So, grab a copy of "Hello Stranger" and get ready for an emotional rollercoaster of a book and uplifting reading experience! Trust me, you won't be able to put it down once you start! 📚🔥

Thank you St Martins Press for the advanced e-copy!

Hello Stranger follows portrait artist Sadie Montgomery as she just gets her big break; a finalist spot in a prestigious art competition. On her way to celebrate with friends she’s in an accident and wakes up in the hospital unable to recognize her friends and family. She’s diagnosed with temporary face blindness essentially sealing her last place finish in her competition. How is a portrait artist going to create an award winning painting if she can’t see faces?

I really really enjoyed this book. A fresh concept in the romance genre that I think the author did really well without being cheesy or super predictable. There was a twist that I didn’t find overly predictable and you really rooted for the main character to get a happy ending throughout. Many great life lessons wrapped up in this story. I would recommend this book to anyone who asked!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book.

I loved the overall message of this book, but it was a little hard for me to get into it. Sadie was a great main character, but I found her a little whiny in the beginning. Joe was a total sweetie and I love him so much! Would definitely recommend this one!

Well this solidifies that Katherine Center is now an auto-buy author! I was just introduced to her last year and have enjoyed her books immensely. I really need to catch up on all her backlist!

One of the things that I really love about Center’s work is learning something new about a medical issue. In this book, the MC, Sadie has a whirlwind brain surgery that leaves her some complications. She can no longer see faces and she’s a portrait artist! She’s just been accepted into a gallery contest that could finally give her, her big break. We go on her journey the next several weeks as she goes through recovery and trying to figure out her new normal.

Sadie was such a breath of fresh air. I loved her witty comebacks and how she looked at life. Even though, she has some past trauma, she tries to be kind and optimistic. I mean, sometimes she’s just ignoring the hard things but I think that’s what is so great about her journey. I do wish that we got to know her a little bit more before her surgery though. Sadie’s family situation is extremely sad and I hated Parker from the moment I met her.

Joe was the best! I fell for him so fast and he is just such a beautiful human being. I really enjoyed the relationship that Sadie and Joe build. Can you imagine building a relationship with someone and not ever seeing their face? She had to learn a whole new way to recognize people and I think that Center does such a great job here. His love for all the animals was seriously the sweetest!

This book was so quick to read because I had such a hard time putting it down. There are so many fun and sweet moments but we also get a lot of depth. I laughed and I cried a lot. It was so entertaining and I feel so happy after finishing this book. I will say that there are a couple of side characters that I wasn’t in love with. It’s really my only complaint about this book.

Overall, if you loved her other books, I think you will love this one too! It’s fun and heartwarming but will also pull at your heartstrings. There are some very tender moments that will make you cry. I’m looking forward to her next one! 🙂

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Katherine Center had been a favorite author of mine for years, going back to before I would have called myself a romance reader. Her characters have major hurdles to overcome (impending blindness, paralysis, ptsd, etc.), but her stories are filled with such hope and happiness.

In this one, Sadie is a portrait painter who is gearing up for a competition that will hopefully kick off her career. In the lead up, though, she experiences a seizure that ultimately leads to brain surgery, which leaves her with a condition called face blindness. Basically, her brain can't properly process facial features to distinguish one person from another. Not only does this present some obvious challenges in the day to day (like not recognizing your evil stepsister), but it's extremely problematic for someone trying to paint a career defining portrait on a deadline.

While trying to find her new normal and prepare for the competition, Sadie also finds herself trying to navigate a complicated love life. She is absolutely certain her dog's new vet, Dr. Addison, is her forever person. At the same time, though, she's growing closer to her neighbor, Joe. Her initial impression of Joe wasn't great, but as he's helping with her portrait process and just generally showing up for her, she realizes she may have misjudged him. Add in Sadie's evil stepsister moving into her building, family drama, financial woes, and Sadie's insistence that no one know about her face blindness, and life is a bit complicated.

This entire story was told from Sadie's POV, which was especially interesting and entertaining because Sadie is the definition of an unreliable narrator. She's a quirky character on the best of days, but her condition further skews things, so you never really know what to believe as a reader.

This is a really fun and unique story with all the "Pollyanna" vibes I expect from this author.

When portrait artist Sadie wakes up after surgery, she discovers she has developed prosopagnosia, an inability to recognize faces. This new development put Sadie, who was already struggling to achieve personal and professional success, into a total tailspin. Center’s brilliant cast of characters, unique plot complication and compelling slow-burn romance come together to make a satisfying romcom. Thoughts on identity, perception and human relationships blend smoothly into the story while raising awareness of prosopagnosia. Loved it!

There is something about Katherine Center that I just can't resist. I start to read her books, find that I'm not in love, set them aside, but pick them up again and discover how absolutely marvelous they are. The written seems different the second time around - and maybe that's more to do with my mood? I just know that whatever she writes, I must give it a second chance. "Hello Stranger" wasn't an exception. Initially, the plot pushed me away, but Katherine Center pulled me back in. And, as always, I fell in love with another set of characters worthy of my love and attention!

Cute romance, this was my second read by the author and I would certainly recommend for others to enjoy.

This was really cute! While it is a little predictable, I still really like the concept of using face blindness in a romance. I loved our MMC and definitely felt the chemistry. There were some fun side characters, as well. This wasn't my favorite Kathrine Center book, but I still had a really good time and would recommend it!