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

I’m going to be honest! I went into this pretty blind! I haven’t read the author’s previous book, “The Bodyguard,” but because that one was so popular and this one was so anticipated, I decided to request it! I’m kind of glad I went into this blind because I was intrigued from the beginning. Immediately we learn that the main character, Sadie, is a portrait artist, just like her mother was, who has a tough relationship with her dad and is struggling to make ends meet. Very quickly, she has an accident that requires her to get surgery. Afterwards, she is diagnosed with acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, or face blindness. If you’ve read “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” this is essentially what Adam had. Of course, I was captivated immediately.

This book is incredibly easy to read and the plot is unique, props to the author! As the book progressed, however, I found myself not caring about/for pretty much any of the characters and I was getting a little bored. Sadie came off as whiny, the love interest was just okay, the best friend was kind of a bad friend, etc,. I also thought this was going to be romance heavy but it leaned more towards contemporary in my opinion. I didn’t believe the romance. I didn’t see how Sadie could’ve fallen in love with Joe from their interactions and I thought it was very bland. The twist at the end did get me though, I will say that! There are no steamy scenes so if you like that, you’ll enjoy this! I still think it’s worth a read, I so far seem to be in the minority of people who didn’t think this was the best. I would definitely pick up other books by the author!

This is my least favorite Katherine Center book, this was sad to say since I am usually a fan of Katherine Center's writing. I just found this to be very predictable. I honestly had predicted the outcome from the time the blurb had come out. The acceptance part of her illness came to her when she had already gotten rid of it almost and to me that felt almost ingenuine. That's not how it works in real life, I feel that if the author wanted some sort of chronic illness or illness portrayal, she could have done better research. It seems as if some research was done for the scientific part but none for the emotional toll it does on the body.


Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is such a cute book with a unique premise that I've never seen done before in a rom-com.

Sadie Montgomery has an accident that reveals that she has a brain condition that requires surgery. After what she thinks is a successful surgery, she's left with face blindness. Meaning faces now look like jumbled Picasso paintings to her. Did I mention she's a portrait artist?! On top of dealing with this, she also has family issues, and she is falling for two very different guys, all while trying to successfully win an art competition that means so much to her.

This book was a breath of fresh air, and I loved it so much! I literally went to bed past midnight binge reading the 90% I had left of it. Worth it!!!

Go check it out! It's a must-read ❤️

Sadie is a down-on-her-luck artist, struggling financially and emotionally (from the loss of her mother, her father's disapproval/lack of feeling). When she is involved in a serious accident, and it's discovered that she needs brain surgery for a genetic abnormality, she develops prosopagnosia (face blindness) following said surgery. She's left frantic (is it permanent?) and at a loss as she is under deadline to paint a portrait for a prestigious (and lucrative) national contest.

As she fights her way back through trial-and-error, she is helped along the way by support from her dog Peanut, her best friend Sue and her parents, her neighbor Joe, her neuropsychologist Dr. Nicole and Peanut's vet Dr. Addison. However, she's also met with heartbreaking challenges from her father, stepmother and stepsister.

Center is a master at rom coms. But hers are more than just that because they add more depth, more emotional involvement than that genre usually offers. While I laugh-out-loud at her dry wit and swoon over her love sparks (and this one has some truly epic/sweet ones), it's ultimately the "humanness" she brings to her characters, their messy/complicated/relatable lives that draw me in and make me think off the page (which is not something I do too much with the average, run-of-the-mill rom com).

She's become an auto-buy author for me because she has something to say...and says it in such a charming way.

Recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing the free early arc of Hello Stranger for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Oh, oh, at first, I thought this book was going to be another "disease of the week" novel. But I should have known better because Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors for a number of reasons: She writes a lot about Houston, a city I lived in for 14 years and also because she writes with humor and feeling. This one deserves 5 Stars for sheer delightfulness!

Sadie is broke. Were it not for the Kim family, parents of her friend Sue, she might well be homeless. She lives in an illegal shed on the roof of a downtown apartment building she also uses as a studio (owned by Mr. Kim.). It's a good day because Sadie has just learned that she is a finalist in a portrait painting contest.

Suddenly, everything changes when she wakes up in the hospital, suffering from a malformation of a blood vessel in her brain that has leaked and needs immediate surgery. This is where you will learn about the several manifestations of face blindness. And that's all you need to know. Except maybe for who saved her life, why she is alienated from her father and stepmother, and suffers from a stepsister more evil than Cinderella's.

Do not, under any circumstances, skip to the end. It's got a hell of a twist.

Sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy. And to Katherine Center, congratulations on producing another fun read. I don't, however, see how this one would be made into a film.

Loved the storyline and the characters. I feel in love with this book! I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to see what would happen with Sadie and Joe!!

Hello, Stranger is the 3rd book I've read by Katherine Center and she's earned a place among my favorite contemporary romance writers. I liked the unique storyline and that's pretty impressive to pull off in this popular genre.

Your life can change in an instant. That's something Sadie Montgomery is all to aware of now that's she's in the hospital and diagnosed with a condition known as face blindness. Simply put, when she looks at a person's face, she sees a jumbled mess. The issue may be temporary, but in the meantime that really puts her career as a portrait artist in jeopardy.

For a variety of reasons, I don't want to go into the romantic elements of the story other than to say the chemistry is good. Questions do pop up especially in the final chapters but the author does a pretty good job explaining everything. Sorry for being vague, but if you read the book, you'll know why I'm hesitant to go into much detail.

A good read and worth checking out if you enjoy this genre.

If you have read Katherine Center books before, you’ll know that Hello Stranger is a fun read with great dialogue and a fun - if a bit outlandish! - plot. If you haven’t read any Katherine Center, what are you waiting for?

This book follows Sadie, who is finally on the cusp of professional success as a portrait artist… until she needs brain surgery just before she begins a portrait that will be entered into a prestigious contest. She wakes up to find the surgery was successful, only she is now suffering from face blindness and can no long see anyone’s face… a serious issue for someone who paints faces for a living! As she learns to navigate through a world without faces, Sadie’s life gets even more complicated when she finds herself falling for two separate men - and she doesn’t even know what they look like!

This was definitely a great summer read, and a very quick one. It wasn’t my favorite book of Center’s - Sadie was a bit tough to root for at times, and I figured out the plot pretty early on. However, it was definitely a fun read and I really learned a lot about face blindness.

Thank you to St. Martin for the ARC!

Okay was not expecting to love this one as much as I did! The story has so much to it, more than just romance. The main characters were extremely lovable and the third act break up was out of the ordinary in the best way possible (although I predicted what had happened, it was still so fun!).

I needed a lighter read after finishing a heavier book and this one was just the case! If you’re looking for a new, tasteful romance, this is the one!

I REALLY like Katherine Center’s writing. Her writing is so good! It’s easy to read and I was engaged the whole time. I loved Sadie’s thoughts and how funny she is! The story was told really well, I really like how everything came full circle by the end, it was exactly what Sadie and the story needed.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Katherine Center and wonderfully narrated by a favorite, Patti Murin - 5 stars!

Sadie is finally starting to achieve her dreams - she placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But then, the next thing she knows she's lying in a hospital bed with a condition that requires brain surgery. After that surgery, she has face blindness - she can no longer recognize the faces of anyone, which is definitely not a condition that a portrait painter needs. It's supposed to be temporary but shows no sign of abating. She no longer wants to leave her apartment and only does when her beloved dog, Peanut, takes ill. She falls hard for the vet, Dr Addison, who also leaves her disappointed. Then there's her neighbor, Joe. And the competition deadline is approaching!

Katherine Center writes the best romance novels - ones you just want to curl up and immerse yourself in. Which is pretty much what I did. You will root for Sadie, cheer on her friend, Sue, and her family, and shake your head at Sadie's own family. Center's novels give the reader a perfect combination of romance, hope, laughter, joy - I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite but sure loved this one! I switched between the digital and audio versions but I'm a big fan of Patti Murin so ended up listening to much of it. The face blindness aspect was very interesting too - be sure to read the author's note.

This story was the perfect rom-com, with the romance and comedy so well blended, I didn't find it at all cheesy. I also really loved learning about prosopagnosia (or face blindness), which I knew nothing about and was surprised to find is a rather common disorder.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮:
🎨like learning about different disorders
🎨are a fan of romcoms
🎨enjoy a miscommunication trope

This book was an easy quick read that kept me entertained. I was definitely rooting for Sadie. I was sad we didn't get to see her and her best friends relationship more, but then her friend would have seen the twist. Speaking of the twist I didn't understand how they never talked about his job or NAME? I like how he gave her the confidence and Sadie grew into her own in the book.

This was a solid 3.5 stars for me

This was a quick read that was interesting at times. This author definitely has way of writing that is comfortable and easygoing. While this was fun there were some slow moving moments that dragged the story. It was interesting learning about face blindness. Overall a good read but not overly remarkable. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🌼 Hello Stranger, by Katherine Center 🌸
I am lucky enough to have gotten early access to this delightful book by @katherinecenter from @netgalley & @stmartinspress! 💐 It is a sweet romance featuring an intriguing love triangle! And I especially loved the art references and of course, the dog! 🐶 🎨
Look out for this book in 3 days on June 11!

“Hello Strange” by Katherine Center has delivered once again a heart gripping romance that has you turning the pages.
Sadie is a portrait artist but comes across a big set back when she gets face blindness. Not sure what she is going to do since her life's work was built on the fact she is an artist, she has to face the condition and what to do about it.
I love the characters in this one. Each had their own personality and perspective on life. I love how you see Sadie navigate through love and family. This is a heartwarming story that is more than the romance aspect itself.
This is not exactly a fluffy read because the main character deals with grief, a diagnosis, financial problems etc. So a lot of hard subjects are tackled in this one like her last book The Bodyguard.
Even though I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this book every moment because of the topics that are discussed, it is still a good read and would recommend this book to any romance fan.

🎨 Artist FMC
🛼 Golden retriever MMC
🖌️ Strangers to friends to lovers
🎨 Clean romance
🛼 Trauma
🖌️ Health rep "acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia"-Face Blindness
🎨 Miscommunication is big in this one!
🛼 Peanut - dog side character
🖌️ Anxiety rep

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist who gets life changing news that she's in the top 10 spot to win $10k. She really thinks she can win it.....
Until she finds out she needs brain surgery.
Wakes up from brain surgery with
acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia - Face Blindness! How can she win a portrait contest when she can't see faces.

On top of this crazy new world with no faces her best buddy peanut 🐶 is suddenly sick. While taking him to his new vet she runs into a beautiful Veterinarian Dr. Oliver Addison 😍.

But her downstairs neighbor Joe has been helping her out a lot lately and sparks are flying.

Will the face blindness go away before the competition? Will she fall in love?

Sometimes, when we’re struggling, a well-meaning friend or family member will tell us that we just need to “see things from a new perspective.” But for the struggling artist in Hello Stranger by author Katherine Center, that old saying takes on a whole new meaning.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Katherine Center strikes again! Hello Stranger is more than a romance novel, it’s really about a woman trying to find her way in an obstacle filled life. Her facial blindness is just one more problem, but when she meets a very sharply dressed veterinarian she’s determined that they are the perfect match. Until she meets her very helpful neighbor. Unable to identify anyone by their faces she has to rely on all of her other senses which makes for some great comic relief. Sadie’s sad story becomes heartwarming and that humor makes a kind of unreal problem feel very real indeed.

I thought it a very clever tool to write a novel where descriptions of people’s faces just don’t happen. Just like Sadie, the reader is totally reliant upon the clothing people wear, their perfume, or even what they eat to identify friend or foe. This novel was really different and although I wasn’t surprised by where it led me I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the journey. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Another hug from @katherinecenter! Her books are like a hug for my soul leaving me happy and smiling every time.

Happy Pub Day to KC and her newest novel, 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓! It’s got humor, grief, hope, and (of course😍) swooning. While I knew where it was going, I most definitely enjoyed the journey of getting there.

Sadie is a struggling portrait artist that has a medical emergency and ends up with a condition causing facial blindness. She must find a way to make a living, continue her work as an artist, and allow others to help her. Her dog’s new vet, Dr. Oliver Addison, finally asks her out on a date. However, she’s also finding that her neighbor, Joe, keeps showing up to help even when she doesn’t think she needs it. This book is swoon-worthy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Katherine Center will continue to be an auto-buy author for me. Hello Stranger is available today so get your hands on a copy and smile your way through this one.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for an early copy!