Only can Katherine Center write a love at first sight when the FMC is face-blind! And I am OBSESSED with Peanut. OBSESSED!

Sadie is forced to learn to live in a new reality after getting diagnosed with a possibly temporary face blindness after brain surgery. But as a portrait artist, competing in the biggest competition of her life, the timing could not be worse. As she struggles, she learns there may be other ways of seeing.

SO much love and humor and heartwarming moments that I have come to expect from Katherine Center. This one leans a little less into romance, but I loved it no less than her previous and as always, it was everything I needed and ever wanted.

It was emotional and inspiring and had me laughing and crying from one page to the next.

I really enjoyed this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my advanced copy of Hello Stranger!

Hello Stranger had great humor, a unique storyline and a romance I was totally invested in.

Why This Book isn't a 5 Star ✨- The lack of communication.

Overall- Highly Recommend. I love Katherine Center and I will always look forward to reading whatever she decides to publish. ❤

Sadie's life isn't going exactly how she hoped but she is determined to show her father that she can make it. When she gets the chance to be a part of the North American Portrait Society Competition she can't help but celebrate the achievement. Things take a turn though when after buying some wine for her celebration she leaves the store and wakes up in the hospital. She soon learns that she has been stricken with face blindness, A horrible thing to happen to someone.who paints portraits for a living. The doctors can't tell her if she'll get better or will always have the condition. Faced with this new reality Sadie doesn't know where to turn. This was such a lovely and emotional read, I laughed and cried. You never know how strong you are until life knocks you off your feet.

Bravo, Katherine Center! This book made me feel the most delicious sense of anticipation. ❤️

I wasn’t a fan of Sadie right away. She just seemed so dedicated to being negative. But the more I read, the more I related to her, and the more empathy I felt. This truly is such a sweet story. It tugs at your heart strings and compels you to see people differently.

Katherine Center is a master of happy endings that feel realistic—it’s not just a wistful fairy tale. The characters and their feelings are so true to real life, that instead of a fairy tale, we are left with something much more powerful: hope. And that is what makes this book so wonderful.

Of course, I loved the characters, and I loved how much of the story unfolded in Sadie’s inner dialogue. It was a delightful read, and frankly, you should read it. If you love a sweet unlikely romance with lots of personal growth, go get a copy of this book. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this book! Parts were predictable but sometimes I am okay with that! It was a quick fun read.

Where do I start? Do I start with “ I can’t stop smiling” or, I’ve been smiling for the last hour or so? How much I adored the characters in this book? From Sadie, to Joe, to Sue and Mr Kim… as well as Peanut. I seriously fell for this book! I thought I had a favorite Katherine Center book, but this has far out placed any other, and that’s saying a lot!! I know I mentioned smiling, but I will also admit to tearing up. This book is so touching. I cannot wait to text everyone I know and tell them they MUST read this book NOW. Thank you Netgalley for the chance at reading and loving this book.

I enjoyed follow Sadie's story as a struggling artist who finally got a big break. Unfortunately, it coincides with a medical emergency that requires surgery. As a side effect she cannot see faces, which is a big challenge as her big break is a portrait competition!
Sadie is an endearing character who has been though a lot with the sudden death of her mother when she was younger and a terrible stepsister that has gone out of her way to make Sadie's life difficult.
I enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading more of Katherine Center's novels.

If you like family drama, humor, single POV, and a well-done love triangle, check this one out. Katherine Center delivers an entertaining read and a fun escape.

I loved this book! I really loved Sadie’s journey of self discovery as she learned to navigate her neurological issues, her family problems, and her grief, and come out on the other side. I saw the (Twist? Big reveal?) coming so that wasn’t a surprise, but the ending was very satisfying

This book is both hilarious and filled with romance while also balancing serious topics. Sadie has been trying to prove to her father for years that she never needed him after her mother died. She's a struggling artist who is filled with witty banter and optimism except when she needs to ask for help. There's great conversations about dealing with grief, how to evolve after life changing diagnosis but also above all, there's a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book because I was surprised with how much I found myself loling. Sadie's romance is one that has twist and turns and while it may be predictable, it def kept you on your toes.

This book is an invisible string type beat - I could hear Taylor while reading at the end I swear.

This is one of those books where at times, the plot is ridiculous but also really engaging so you’re just having fun reading which I always enjoy! This book really was fun and I loved following Sadie’s journey after her incident. I will say there were parts I thought were odd or should’ve had more of a definite resolution (*cough cough* her family issues) but these weren’t deal breakers for me by any means.

Where this book really got me was the end with the main reveal. I was genuinely shocked and could not process at first, it made the book sooo much better to me that I bumped up my rating.

Genuinely such a fun read, definitely pick this one up!

This story is one about finding love where you least expect it and possibly during one of the most confusing times in your life. On top of everything, how does a portrait artist paint faces she suddenly can’t see? Sadie struggles to find her identity amid the new challenges she’s been presented, but through self-discovery and a strong support system, she fights to persevere. I thought this concept was interesting for the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more of their work!

After years of feeling stagnant and like a failure as an artist, Sadie finally catches a break. She places as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. She's riding high, until she's not. She wakes up in the hospital after having a seizure in the middle of the street and being saved by a Good Samaritan. She finds out she will require surgery for a malformed blood vessel in her brain. She wants to put it off until after the contest, but her father is adamant she get it done immediately. Sadie comes out of the surgery with prosopagnosia, face blindness. She can no longer see faces. Sadie has difficulty navigating life with her condition. Everyone she meets is a stranger until she can place them based on other cues. Then two men enter her life - her dog's hot new vet and her sexy neighbor.

This was a big HUG of a story. From her amazing BFF and her sweet parents, her adorable dog, Peanut, her therapist and of course Joe - I loved it all. Did I forsee the twist? Yes. Was it any less enjoyable? No. As, Katherine states in her author's note - we all want that HEA when we read a romance. We're not here for the surprises. We're here for that feel good, fuzzy warm feeling and this book delivers that in spades.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I anxiously await new release from Center like no bodies business and this one made me so so happy. I found myself smiling the whole last 10% and I wanted nothing more than to just start it all over again. These characters were amazing and facial blindness doesn’t get very much attention for the amount of people who suffer. Just buy this one guys - it’s beautiful.

I really enjoyed this novel by Katherine Center. Sadie, an artist had to have brain surgery and as a result, she has developed face blindness. I had heard of this condition but I did not know a lot about it and Center helped me understand it better and see some of the challenges people deal with that have this condition. This book had romance, a sweet dog, family issues, great friendships and was a very entertaining read. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Hello Stranger - Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Sadie is a portrait artist who just got the news that she is a finalist in a prestigious art competition. Sadie is over the moon until a near miss accident happens which results in her needing brain surgery. Sadie’s surgery went well, except for some swelling which made her have a rare side effect. Sadie had prosopagnosia! (Face blindness)
Sadie on top of it develops feelings for two different guys, and needs to complete her portrait in 6 weeks without being able to see any faces.

I mostly enjoyed this read! I felt the miscommunication piece got incredibly frustrating at times and it was a very slow burn. The last 30% was great tho! I loved how it came together and tied most things up.
I love that Katherine brought awareness to Prosopagnosia but I do think some parts of her experience seem hard to believe.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

This was cute and enjoyable!

No big surprises but I enjoyed myself all the way through reading this one!

I also listened to the audiobook and the narration was very well done.

Both the book and audiobook are recommended!

Sadie Montgomery wants to follow in her late mother’s footsteps as an artist and a woman. Unfortunately, she is following a little too closely. Shortly after earning a spot in the North American Portrait Society competition, Sadie suffers a seizure that leaves her with ‘temporary’ face blindness. Determined to complete her portrait, Sadie explores alternate techniques with the ‘helpful’ neighbor next door. Will Sadie be a winner in art and love? Or, will her dreams fade away with the faces she can no longer see?

I am and will continue be a huge fan of Katherine Center, however, I believe we are entering into a new era of her writing. Historically, Center’s books have been rather serious, featuring people at their lowest points in life. Only through sheer perseverance and resilience, are her subjects able to overcome the obstacles standing in their way. But, the release of The Body Guard (2022) marked a shift in Center’s tone.

Hello Stranger is a delightful read, worthy of four stars. It features Center’s new upbeat and lighthearted tone. Fans won’t be able to help falling in love with Sadie and her story, as she hilariously struggles to get through life.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for allowing me to read and listen to Hello Stranger in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! I have read two of Katherine Center's previous books and this was my favourite. 5 STARS!

Katherine Center is an artist with words. She is able to pull me in and make me feel all that the character is feeling.

Sadie is feeling quite a bit in Hello Stranger. After having emergency surgery, Sadie develops face blindness. Face blindness is a terrifying condition that means her brain cannot recognize anyone. Also as a portrait artist this diagnosis cuts off her career path. Hello Stranger was an immersive experience in having your world flip turned upside down.

Sadie is ultimately alone in the world. Her mom died when she as young and her father remarried not long after giving her an evil step sister. Seriously, the step sister has gone out of her way to make Sadie’s life a nightmare. Finding an unexpected friendship with a neighbor is the ray of sunshine in this story.

I do recommend this book. The writing was excellent as usual. The story just didn’t hit me right. I think my empathic nature didn’t work well with it. This wasn’t the light and fluffy read I was expecting.

Be sure to check content warnings.

Death of parent - described in detail on page
Face Blindness
Bullying
Suicide Attempt (detailed from past of a friend)
Broken Family

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. My review is my honest opinion.