3.5 stars

Please know this rating hurts my heart since Katherine Center is one of my favorites. Her writing and joyful story is still present in her latest novel, even if it wasn’t my favorite. Here’s what I thought:

Loved:
-Exploration into face blindness (a real condition I had no clue about)
-Quick sense of humor
-Sweet doggie references
-Author’s note about romance books 💪🎉

What didn’t quite work:
-MC just wasn’t for me…there’s a lot to unpack there
-Romance wasn’t my favorite although it was unique

Katherine Center will always be my favorite author and I will devour her next book as well!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy.

How do you know a book is amazing? The second you finish it you turn right back to the start to experience it all over again. That was me with this book.
I have been on a Katherine Center binge lately and absolutely adore her storytelling. It's full of introspect and hope. She gives us the tools to look for our own happiness and reach for it. I have so many lines from this book highlighted that I could write a short story with them.

Sadie was a joyful narrator who told us her wonderful story. Sure parts of it weren't that great but even the parts that had the tendency to be a downer, came out the other side with to much optimism. It was interesting to read about the acquired facial blindness and how Sadie navigated her new normal. I felt the emotions she had every time something happened that was beyond her control. I felt for her meeting Joe in the elevator and realizing her wasn't what or who she thought he was. I felt for her when she met her own Mc.Dreamy in the form of the vet who saved her dog's life. And I felt for her as she fell madly in love.

Seriously. This author has the best way of bringing couples together and while this had a bit of a twist to the romance that I kept having theories about, it all comes together to the destination we read romance for. The Happily Ever After.

The Author's Note at the end of this book should be required reading. I was mesmerized by how well Katherine Center adores and just gets the romance genre and what it means to its readers.

Swoon-worthy, sassy, and uplifting!

Hello Stranger is an absorbing, heart-tugging tale that takes you into the life of struggling portrait painter Sadie Montgomery as she juggles a disastrous, life-changing complication after surgery, a loyal companion in need of some emergency care, and an unfortunate blossoming attraction to not only the kind, caring veterinarian Oliver, but also her rude, cocky neighbour Joe.

The writing is sentimental and engaging. The characters are layered, supportive, and patient. And the plot is a touching tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, healing, taking chances, growth, revelations, tender moments, light drama, selflessness, misunderstandings, romance, new beginnings, and the ups and downs of living with prosopagnosia.

For the past few years, Katherine Center’s books have topped my must-read favourites list, and even though I didn’t think it was possible to love her books any more than I already did, she proved me wrong once again. Hello Stranger made my heart ache and smile all in just 336 pages, and not only did I absolutely adore it, but it might just be, dare I say it, one of my all-time faves!

Hello Stranger 🎨

Katherine Center has snuck up on me and has become one of the few authors I count down the days till their next book release.

I have never seen someone takes such life altering, traumatic events and twist them into something so uplifting and resilient.

I loved Sadie & Joe. Their romance was so pure, developed, selfless. I am in utter awe of the dimension of these characters. I was so invested in the storyline, the side characters, the drama, the romance and resiliency shown. Also, I went into this book without reading the synopsis which I highly recommend!

I will say, Katherine out cheesed herself in this one and some of the twists and setting were DRAMATIC. As a fan of realistic romances with depth, you can never go wrong with her books. So feel good, so positive, so heartwarming. Whatever she’s doing, it works. Also, I low key suspect that Katherine was a therapist in her previous life. That’s all.

5⭐️

Brilliant novel. Katherine Center delivers her best book yet about a bubbly protagonist with a case of face blindness. The premise hooked me immediately. Hello Stranger is charming, romantic, and filled with chemistry and tension. Great characters, loved every minute

This book took me less than 24 hours to read because I couldn’t put it down.

An artist on the brink of what she sees as her big break Sadie has a major setback that she sees ruining her entire life. After all, if she can’t paint what will she do? Then there is Joe.. trouble turned friend. This sweet soul searching book is the first I have read by Katherine Center, but it won’t be my last.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a unique & unforgettable journey of a romance novel. Katherine Center continues to deliver extremely interesting romance stories that are full of love, emotions & all the feels. Hello Stranger showcases the main character, Sadie, on the brink of new career success with her portrait artwork when she falls unexpectedly into a maybe temporary condition of face blindness. This was such a wild ride, but I ended up finishing this book astonished with a smile on my face.

At times, this book is realistically painful & I applaud this! Between her awful familial issues & her challenging new condition, it is a lot to place on any person’s plate. I’ve seen first hand the growing pains & even grief that come from dealing with chronic illness & health conditions & the hurt & pain was felt through the pages & therefore to me, quite accurate. It was an enthralling adventure in managing a health condition in a world that’s not always made for us.

The ending of this book made the emotional rollercoaster ride worth all the drama, hurt, anguish & tears. This is a book that I will certainly remember. I love the way Katherine Center tells love stories & I cannot wait to read the next one!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the gifted arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

A big thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC, allowing me to provide my unbiased opinion!

This was my 1st novel by this author, and certainly won’t be my last!

After being saved from what could have been a tragic accident, Sadie undergoes brain surgery, and learns she’s unable to recognize faces any longer. And the kicker- Sadie is a face portrait artist!!

Sadie now has to figure out how she’ll win a portrait contest that’s been on her path to career success, without being able to see faces.

What a fun journey it was to watch Sadie navigate her career, this contest, her love life, and her family and friend relationships all while being unable to recognize anyone!

I appreciated how the love story played out, even though I guessed it pretty quickly.

The growth in Sadie, and her relationships was messaged really well. I especially loved the shift in Sadie’s relationship with her dad, and stepmom.

The characters were impressive - from Parker (who is the absolute worst!), to Dr. Nicole who was my favorite.

I laughed, cried, and truly really enjoyed this story!

This was a solid book, although I did prefer The Bodyguard. I loved the MC’s internal dialogue and I did guess at part of the ending but there was another part that surprised me. I appreciate when authors do an epilogue of sorts. Def worth a read!

4.5 rounded up!! This was a really great book, I absolutely loved the main character and the plot was very unique and told really well. I listened to the audiobook and devoured it in just a few sittings!! Katherine Center is now on my list of auto-buy authors!

Dnf @ 20%z This book might be for some people, but it was just a little bit *too* ridiculous for me.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Rating:4 Stars

This is my first Katherine Center book and I am kind of upset I waited so long to start reading her. I have had The Bodyguard on my bookshelf waiting to be read for over 6 months. I am so glad I had a book friend to bounce this one off of. I was questioning myself through the entire book, but I also loved this book.

If you get the plot twist right away I am proud of you, I had a feeling of something similar, but I never would have guessed that. So when the plot twist happened I was like OMG, I this, what? But it was perfect.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

Hello, Stranger is author Katharine Center’s tenth novel, all of which are discreetly different and very special stories. Sadie Montgomery is having a wonderful day! She is one of only ten finalists in the North American Portrait Society yearly contest. This is the big break Sadie had dreamed of and now, fourteen years after her late mother gained the same position but died before the competition, Sadie is thrilled to be able to compete in her mother’s stead.

However, as Sadie and her best friend Sue Kim prepare for an impromptu celebration, Sadie has a non convulsive seizure as she narrowly misses being hit by a VW beetle as a Good Samaritan pushes her out of the way. When Sadie later awakens in the emergency room, it’s to find her evil stepmother Lucinda lurking over her, and a battery of tests awaiting her. These tests will discover a Cavernoma, a congenital and inherited malformation of blood vessels in her brain, the same malady that took her mother. Surgery is the only answer, but the competition is only six weeks away and Sadie has a portrait to prepare! Can’t she put it off that long? After all, she has lived almost three decades not even knowing she had it!

The answer is a resounding no and Sadie is a model patient. That is until the person who could draw with Norman Rockwell precision discovers she cannot see faces! She has acquired prosopagnosia, or face blindness.

This is such a well written human story! The characters are so well drawn, the circumstances both dramatic and humorous, and the demonstrations of kindness perfection. Not only was this a mesmerizing story, but it was also a lesson in maladies that aren’t too common. I very much enjoyed this book and certainly do recommend it!!

I went into Hello Stranger without knowing anything about it and thought the plot was super unique as the main character Sadie suffers from face blindness after having brain surgery. While somewhat predictable, I still really enjoyed following Sadie's journey as she processed her grief, adjusted to her new condition and how it impacted her daily life and her dealt with her family. I love Center's writing as well as how she mixes lighthearted moments, humour and some quirkiness with deeper and emotional topics all into one. I also loved the supporting characters and can we take a moment for this cover/spin of the physical book (and how well it goes with The Bodyguard!). At times I felt that the romance took a backseat in the story and I think I would have loved this one even more with a little bit more romance.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for a cute romance read with a unique plot, great characters and some family drama, check out Hello Stranger! I can't wait to read more of this author's books - I think Happiness for Beginners is up next for me as the movie is coming to Netflix so so soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book!

Sadie is a portrait artist who now, thanks to a seizure and brain surgery, cannot see faces! So many mishaps, but such a cute, fluffy love story. I did guess the ending, but I still loved it.

I absolutely love Katherine Center’s books and was very excited to get a chance to read this one early. The Bodyguard was fantastic so knowing that Hello Stranger was another contemporary romance by the author was all I needed to know to dive right in.

Sadie is a struggling artist who is trying to follow in her dead mother’s footsteps and prove her father and everyone else wrong. She finally gets a big break – placing in the top 10 in an art contest where she’ll get to exhibit her work to be judged and auctioned for charity – which also happens to be the same show her mother placed in before she died. But after an accident that night, and then a resulting brain surgery 6 weeks before the show, Sadie knows she’s going to have to work really hard to get the portrait right, and wow at the show. Except, the surgery leaves her with an edema that results in her having acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia – or face blindness for those of us that can’t remember all that.

The following 6 weeks of the story follows Sadie navigating this new and scary condition, wherein she can’t recognize any faces – even those of people she knows. What’s worse is, the art competition is strictly portraits, but how can Sadie do a portrait if she can’t even see faces?

We also get to witness Sadie falling for her aging dog’s vet, even though she can’t see him, but it’s the vibes and all her other senses being heightened that leads to her daydreaming about their future together. Sadie also ends up leaning on her neighbour, Joe, for help, something she hates to do.

This book, in true Katherine Center fashion, is so well written, it’s sweet, introspective and such an easy read. I have loved everything I’ve read by Katherine and this was no exception. I love that it’s a story about romantic relationships, familial relationships but also about loving yourself and seeing the world in a different way and discovering new things about yourself or those around you.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know anything about this book before reading it, except that I've enjoyed Katherine Center as an author before. Wow! I recommend that others read it the same way. The story was fascinating, well thought out, and had a surprising twist. I loved it! A great fun read, but also really made me thing. Thank you for the ARC!

A portrait artist about to get her big break goes into a brain surgery and leaves with facial blindness. The plot is kind of forced, but the story is actually pretty nice and interesting, more like a come of age book that makes you think about your choices in life. I love how Katherine Center stories usually have a medical condition as a backdrop, but focus instead on finding love or finding a purpose in life despite the health challenges.

Sadie Montgomery can't see what's in front of her, literally. One minute she's painting portraits next she's suffering from prosopagnosia, commonly called face blindness. This unfortunate diagnosis couldn't have come at a worse time, as she's been selected for a prestigious portrait art competition with a $10,000 prize. Finally, this could be her BIG break not only in the art community but with her father.

Her main comfort is her dog, Peanut who she can never imagine living without. Peanut gets sick so Sadie meets the new vet around the corner from her apartment. While she is unable to truly see him, she recognizes his empathy and caring nature. He becomes the man of her dreams!!!

Its then that she also meets Joe, a neighbor in her apartment building. Joe did not give off the best first impression as Sadie overheard a conversation he was having on his cell about what she suspects is a woman in his apartment. She instantly pegs him a player. The vet and her neighbor have NO idea she can't see their faces as she befriends them both.

What unravels is a serious of snap foos in Sadie's world until she comes clean about what's happened. From the beginning to the end, this love story is wildly engaging. It's funny, charming and filled with a wonderful secondary cast. This book was a whole lot of fun to read!!!

Thank you St. Martins Press for the complimentary copy.

After a sudden accident and a subsequent surgery, Sadie’s life is completely flipped upside down. Before the accident she was on the cusp of having her big break and finally making it as a portrait artist, but after waking up from the surgery, the brain swelling is causing her to no longer see faces. While this may be only temporary, she only has 6 weeks to paint the most important portrait she will ever create.

Katherine Center can do no wrong. She writes beautiful and emotional romances. Her characters always have some very tough issues to deal with that pull all of the emotions out, but you also know there’s a wonderful outcome coming. Sadie’s journey was no different. I was curious where the love triangle would go (although I did correctly guess the outcome for once), what would happen with Sadie’s portrait, and what snarky digs her step-sister Parker would make next. This was another fun rom com from Katherine.

Patti Murin did a phenomenal job with the audiobook. I loved her narration and how she brought the story to life.

Thank you to SMP Romance, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copies.