HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center is a charming and heartwarming story of kindness, love and perseverance in the face of unexpected adversity. I have loved every one of this author’s books and this one is now my new favorite. Sadie Montgomery is just about to celebrate a huge achievement in her life, placing as a finalist in a prestigious portrait-painting competition, when she suffers a catastrophic medical crisis that results in a condition called acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia, better known as face blindness. How can a portrait artist paint portraits if she can’t see faces? But Sadie really needs to win the prize money and validate her life choices so she will try anything to complete her competition portrait on time despite the odds. So begins a journey with her best friend, Sue, and a couple of unexpected romantic interests that is filled with humor, heart and hope. This delightful story captured my heart and kept me reading late into the night. I loved all the characters and the engaging and heartfelt story is one I will not soon forget. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

This was a fun, light, love story that also touches on grief, loss, complicated family issues and self-discovery.
I was laughing out loud and loved Sadie’s inner thoughts and monologue while overcoming tough surprises life threw at her. She was real, witty and easy to connect with.
One of my least favorite tropes is the miscommunication trope which plays a big part in this book, but it did work in this unique storyline. There were a few moments that seemed unrealistic but overall, I enjoyed this “feel good” romance with a little positive mindset sprinkled in.

This book had such a great message and made you think about some of the things you take for granted on a daily basis. I wasn’t surprised at the twist in the book and I kind of wish I had been or at least it wouldn’t have been as obvious early on. Overall it was a very enjoyable, cute read. I love the amount of self discovery that this book allowed the main character, Sadie, to go through.

This is the second book I’ve read by Katherine Center and I’ll definitely be looking out for any future books that she releases!

Sadie Mongomery has spent much of her adulthood trying to prove to her father that she has her life on track. When she finds out that she is a finalist in a portrait competition, she feels like she finally has a chance to honor her mother and show the rest of her family that she is proud of her choices. Suddenly, a medical incident leaves Sadie with face blindness and she feels like her chances to succeed have been crushed.

Hello Stranger is a stand-alone contemporary romance. While the book does cover the MCs frenemies to more relationship it also heavily follows Sadie’s health journey.

Trigger/Content Warnings: medical emergency, bullying by family member, parental death

I had previously heard of face blindness but was not familiar with all of the technicalities. The amount of time and research the author put into studying this condition really comes across throughout the storyline. I learned quite a bit and appreciate the sensitive but realistic way in which face blindness is conveyed.

I have read each of this author’s books and she continues to impress me every time. Everytime I think I have found my favorite Katherine Center book, she writes another exceptional work of art. I can’t wait to see what she has for her readers next.

Patti Murin is one of my favorite solo narrators. She does a fabulous job bringing the characters of Hello Stranger to life. Her portrayal of Sandie’s snarky “evil” step-sister is particularly delightful.

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio!

This was a fun, light, love story that also touches on grief, loss, complicated family issues and self-discovery.
I was laughing out loud and loved Sadie’s inner thoughts and monologue while overcoming tough surprises life threw at her. She was real, witty and easy to connect with.
One of my least favorite tropes is the miscommunication trope which plays a big part in this book, but it did work in this unique storyline. There were a few moments that seemed unrealistic but overall, I enjoyed this “feel good” romance with a little positive mindset sprinkled in.
As my first read by Katherine Center, I appreciated her writing style and character development and will be adding The Bodyguard to my TBR list!

I had high expectations for this book since I've heard Katherine Center's books are really great. Maybe it was the premise of the story, or that I wasn't in a reading mood, but I struggled to connect to this book. You didn't truly get any romance plot until halfway through. This book was more about Sadie's face blindness and her problems with her family. I found that there really wasn't much chemistry between Sadie and the love interest. I think the face blindness plotline made it hard for the story to flow and seem natural. I found myself skimming this book and mainly reading the dialogue. I really wanted to love this one. Hopefully, I connect with her other books more.

"Hello Stranger" by Catherine Center is an interesting novel that introduces readers to a lesser-known condition known as Prosopagnosia, or face blindness. The premise of the story immediately grabbed my attention, as Sadie Montgomery, the protagonist, navigates her life after being diagnosed with this puzzling condition.

The author skillfully explores Sadie's struggles to cope with her new reality while juggling her artistic aspirations, family issues, and the care of her beloved dog, Peanut. Center's portrayal of Sadie's journey with face blindness is informative, shedding light on a condition I had no prior knowledge of.

However, I found that the story lacked sufficient interaction between the couple, leaving me wanting more. The narrative was often weighed down by an excess of Sadie's internal dialogue, which hindered the development of meaningful connections between the characters. Furthermore, Sadie tended to be a selfish individual, which made it challenging to fully engage with her. Nevertheless, the unexpected twists and turns in the plot kept me intrigued, and I appreciated how the story ultimately unfolded.

"Hello Stranger" offers a unique premise, shining a light on the lesser-known condition of face blindness. While this didn't feel like a typical rom-com, the novel still managed to hold my interest with its unexpected turns. This is my first book by Catherine Center, whose exploration of self-discovery and the different ways we perceive the world left me contemplating the power of human connection and the beauty of unexpected encounters.

Katherine Center became a must read author after The Bodyguard so I went into this blind and enjoyed it! It’s a cute, heartwarming story about life’s journey and how things don’t always go as planned. Sadie was a fun MC and I loved her tenacity and grit. She had some great character growth and finally learned how to stand up to others. I am reading Happiness for Beginners now because an adaption is coming out soon and I always try to read before I watch!

I LOVED this book! This is my second read from Katherine Center, and hopefully won't be my last. I love a great romcom, and she delivers every time!

4.5 Stars

I’m newer to reading Katherine Center books but she’s becoming one of my favorite authors! This book is so unique and heartwarming. It’s so much more than a romance. After an accident and surgery, the main character, Sadie, wakes up with facial blindness. She has to learn how to navigate a new world where she doesn’t recognize anyone. It’s a story about her struggles, hope and finding love. It was such a delightful read!

This was a fun read, however very light on the romance. I think at least the first 50% was just focused on our main character, Sadie, with next to no romance. Not a bad thing! I just was hoping for more. I haven't read a book with someone who has face blindness before and it was really interesting. I am curious how accurately it was portrayed as I personally do not know anyone with the condition.

The second half of this book really saved it for me and bumped it up half a star. If the first half were more like the second half this would have been an easy 4+ star read for me. Sadie and Joe's romance was sweet but I needed a little more of them to be convinced of their infatuation with each other.

There's a bit of a twist at the end, which I guessed some of but admittedly didn't guess the other piece. Which looking back I should have cause it was a little obvious. There were a few plot points I didn't love, particularly the evil step sister. Some things were just a little too over the top for me as well. Again, a fun read but I think I was expecting something a little different than the way it played out.

Tropes:
🔻 love triangle-ish
💪 coming of age
🐶 includes a dog
🚪 closed door

single POV
3.5/5 stars ⭐️
0/5 spice level 🌶️

Katherine Center's novels are fantastic because they are always thought provoking and entertaining. Hello Stranger features Sadie Montgomery. a struggling portrait artist. Sadie's earnings are barely enough to survive on, but as a finalist in a prestigious portrait contest she hopes to win the $10,000 prize. Disaster strikes when Sadie must have life saving brain surgery. The surgery is successful, but she is no longer able to recognize faces. This side effect should resolve over time, but this is no comfort to Sadie. Her portrait contest is just six weeks away. Sadie is at odds with her family and is uncomfortable asking for help. Sadie's neuropsychologist helps her develop coping skills that will allow her to interact with people-even when she doesn't recognize them. Center creates two potential suitors for Sadie. Although she can't see their faces, she develops feelings for both men. Center's characters are extremely entertaining an her writing is crisp and concise. This is an amazing novel with many meaningful messages a la Katherine Center.

If you can handle the heroine being emotionally maybe sixteen, or younger, instead of twenty-eight, then everything else should work out. Once I figured out that Sadie stopped her emotional growth when her mother died, I could forgive her instant villainization of her step-mother (though the evil step-sister pretty much deserved it).

Plus points was the makeup of the love triangle. I twigged right away, but watching everything unfold was part of the fun. I adored Sadie's dog, and the banter. This was a great late-night read, though readers who might be triggered by brain surgery and related talk should read the blurb first.

I thought the handling of the face-blindness was interesting, and overall, this was a fun insomnia-night read, leaving me smiling at the lovely end.

Hello Stranger tells the story of a portrait artist who loses her ability to see faces after having emergency brain surgery.

I'm just going to start by saying that I love the premise of this book! I thought it was very creative and didn't come off as ridiculous or gimmicky (which I was a little worried about). Sadie's face-blindness was obviously well researched and very well-written.

My main issue with this book was the use of certain character archetypes that I hate. I cannot, I repeat CANNOT stand antagonists that are needlessly cruel and lack nuance. Parker was just plain awful and completely uninteresting. She victimized Sadie in so many ways throughout her life, it was honestly overkill. I struggle with these kinds of characters because they really only show up when it's convenient to the story and feel more like a caricature of a person than someone you would actually meet in real life.

I also struggled with Sue. One of my main mottos in life is that life is too short to have shitty friends, and Sue was sometimes a shitty friend. Throwing her a party was a sweet gesture, but the girl literally just had brain surgery and oh yeah, she cannot recognize people's faces!! So it's obviously not going to be a great time! And also galavanting off to Canada to elope when you've made a commitment to your best friend is kind of effed up. I know she was "kidnapped" by her fiance, but don't pretend you don't have any control...

As for the romance, it felt like an after-thought. There wasn't much development between Joe and Sadie and even though it wasn't "insta-love", it just didn't seem like they spent a lot of time getting to know each other before the feelings started.

These few things aside, I really loved the plot twist at the end! Although it was a smidge predictable, I thought it was so creative, fun, and well-executed! Katherine Center is a great writer and I think she strikes a good balance between dialogue, description, and inner monologue, but some of the characters and elements of the plot just fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another funny, heart warming, addictive read from Katherine Center. First I have to say I loved the cover. I think whoever designs your covers should get a bonus.

We start out with Sadie Montgomery, a struggling portrait artist who quit medical school to follow her dreams to be an artist just like her late mom. Sadie finds out she was selected to be a finalist in the North American Portrait Society and she is thrilled that finally she will be able to show her dad that she has accomplished something great in the art industry to make him proud (for once).

He best friend Sue decides to throw a party for her to celebrate but Sadie never makes it to the party because she suffers a still seizure in the middle of the street while on her way home from getting wine for the party. She awakes in the hospital with her evil stepmother, Lucinda, hovering over her.

Sadie finds out what happened and is told that she must have brain surgery due to a cavernova that was found in her brain. Sadie is encouraged/forced to have the surgery asap even though she knows it will take away from the time she needs to paint her portrait for the NAPS finals. Sadie successfully has the surgery with one small problem, the swelling in her brain is causing her to have "face blindness" which yes, is a very real thing. How is Sadie supposed to paint a portrait when she cant see anyone face???

There starts the very interesting storyline of how Sadie copes with her face blindness.

Peanut, Dr. Oliver Addison, Sue, Joe, Mr. Kim and especially Lucinda and her horrible horrible step sister Parker all make for great characters that complete a well rounded storyline.

I completed loved the redemption that Sadie gets in the end when Augusta tells the truth and the real monster is reveled, Parker.

Really cute romcom and very funny at times.

Thank you NetGalley & Katherine Center for my free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely loved it!!!!

Overall rating a 4.3

“Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can’t—but that you yourself never could if you weren’t so lucky.”

Hello Stranger is a Katherine Center romance novel about a woman with a brain injury.

This is not the first novel this author has written with a main character who is going through a major health issue. This time around, Sadie collapses and scans reveal she needs to have emergency surgery on her brain. When she wakes up afterwards, she can no longer see faces. Which is a problem because she’s a finalist in a portrait contest, her big break. And she can’t paint what she can’t see. Her dog then won’t eat and she rushes him to the vet. There she meets Dr. Oliver, a man whose face she can’t see but her brain knows is hot. And then she keeps running into an a-hole neighbor who with repeated exposure she begins to like. Thus a love triangle is set and the chief drama in the main character’s life is revealed.

I’ve read nearly all of the author’s books and request an advance review copy every chance I get. While I would say this was not my favorite of her novels, it certainly was good enough to require me to stay up late finishing it up—even though the final reveal I had figured out by that point.

So the romance part of this book was good, but the character’s family background was a bit odd. Her beloved portraitist mother died when she was 14, and her father remarried six months later. She then had a stepsister her same age who managed to get her kicked out of school and sent to boarding school. For reasons that were not clear to me, her stepsister wanted to ruin her life and continued to taunt and torture her throughout the book. This never was resolved and the main character, Sadie, doesn’t ever figure out why. Readers are given clues, but we don’t walk away knowing why this stepsister is after Sadie.

Also, Sadie’s random infatuation with the vet is more humorous than confusing, but it did leave me scratching my head. It seemed so random that there was a triangle in the character’s head.

I did love her best friend Sue. Cute character who was allowed to have her own love story in the novel. And I really appreciated her realization that she refused help to a fault and that it was time to move past that instinct.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I fell so hard for How to Walk Away and my all time favorite of hers is Things You Save in a Fire! **Sigh**
So of course I’m going to read this! KC always surprises me with her unique story lines and I would have never guessed this one if I tried. It was different and sweet with a lot of non communication. But I did get my HEA! Yay! I read and listened to this and liked both formats. The audiobook was narrated by Patti Mirin. She was awesome if you’re wondering.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

This is my first Katherine Center book. I didn’t hop on The Bodyguard book trend so I went in with zero expectations. It started off good and fast pace, with potential, but shortly after a few chapters I got annoyed by the main character, Sadie. There was a lot of internal dialogue, and not enough of anything else. Yes, towards the end her character did grow but for more than half of the book it had me skimming through the pages looking for that growth.

When it came to her love interest…well there was a twist, but it was kinda predictable. Very exciting and it really could have been better anticipated but the lack of bonding and actual romance coming to life there was not much there for us to enjoy. The twist was nice, but not enough.

Also her evil step sister was just ridiculous.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist. After years of struggle, she's finally gotten her big break - she's a finalist in a portrait contest that would change everything if she wins. But just as she's getting ready to start her portrait, she narrowly avoids getting hit by a car and when she wakes up, she's suffering from face blindness, meaning her brain can't comprehend facial features. How can a portrait artist not see faces? To top it off, her elderly dog is struggling and Sadie finds herself torn between 2 new men in her life.

Somewhat predictable is some elements, but still such a good read. There were things that bothered me - Sadie's friends aren't very reliable and also her family SUCKS, and her determination to follow in her mother's footsteps to a fault - but Sadie's struggles got her to the end which was good. If you're looking for a feel good summer read with a satisfying ending, this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available July 11, 2023.

I’m happy to be reviewing another enjoyable novel by Katherine Center. I love how Center always gives readers a main character worth rooting for and Sadie Montgomery is no exception.

When Sadie wins a spot in a prestigious art contest, the last she she needs to have happen is an unforeseen medical emergency. But that is exactly what happens and because of it, Sadie develops temporary face blindness.

This is a catastrophe because Sadie is required to submit a portrait for the art contest. With a bit of help from her friend Sue, Sadie figures out a way to paint a face. But instead of using Sue as her model, Sadie ends up having to use Joe, her neighbor that she isn’t sure she trusts.

To add to the charm of the story, Sadie has an adorable little dog named Peanut and an evil step-sister named Parker that brings the drama to the forefront. Everything that needed to be resolved comes together near the end in an exciting and positive way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my positive review and recommend this book to other readers.