Portrait artist Sadie Montgomery is on the brink of her big break in the arts, when suddenly she finds herself in the hospital having brain surgery. To make matters even worse, after the surgery she discovers she can't recognize faces. As you can imagine this is very jarring and hard to get use to for Sadie. Not to mention, makes her career as a portrait artist very difficult. As Sadie comes to terms with a condition that may or may not be temporary, she attempts to learn how to paint faces without being able to see them properly.

There's just something about a Katherine Center book that makes me so happy. From the bright and colorful covers to the quirky characters, they bring joy. I don't want to give away too many details, as it's easy to get carried away and give to many with this story. However, this is an empowering story of a woman who refuses to give up, with a bit of romance and sexy men on the side. This story was unique and fun. If you're looking for something to brighten up your day or week, this fits the bill.

This book is being release Tuesday July 11th - go grab yourself a copy!

Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#HelloStranger:⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copies!⁣
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Katherine Center is one of my favorites, but this was just a middle of the road type of book for me. Now, that doesn’t mean I hated it. It just means it was middle of the run. I’m not dying on any Hello Stranger hills this year. I felt like the writing was kind of all over the place, and I didn’t really know where we were headed. All I knew is we were heading somewhere without seeing faces. It still had characters I cheered and rooted for, and I still got all the gushy squeals like KC knows how to make me feel. I enjoyed it, but it just wasn’t the 5 star I was hoping for. ⁣
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The audio was great. I listened to a lot of it while at the pool, and it kept my attention. Patti Murin is always phenomenal, so I’m always going to choose audio whenever she is the narrator. ⁣
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I’m a huge acknowledgment and authors note type of person, and I really liked KC’s authors note. I’ll leave you with my favorite part: “Because tragedy is a given, but joy is a choice.” So, overall it was a cute story that had me cheering for every party involved, the audio was great, but it did feel kind of choppy. Regardless, I adore Katherine Center and can’t wait to see what happens next. ⁣
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Hello Stranger is out July 11!

4.25 stars.

This was a feel-good romance book that I needed to read at this time. The story revolves around Sadie, a portrait artist who after an accident and following brain surgery, is diagnosed with acquired Prosopagnosia- or face blindness. This is right after getting her big break from being accepted to participate in a prestigious portrait painting contest. Needless to say, this condition makes this seem impossible and on top of it shes dealing with her dog getting sick and an evil stepsister moving into her apartment building. However, she receives some help in the form of a handsome veterinarian saving her dog Peanut and a helpful neighbor who is always there at the right time.

Center has a way of writing about tough topics (dealing with loss of a parent, medical diagnosis's, etc.) in a lighthearted way. The majority of the book felt more like contemporary fiction to me rather than a romance but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've never heard of face blindness and she definitely did her research on the condition. There is a HEA and in all the book gives you all the good feels.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

When I first finished this book, I wasn’t sure how to feel so I let this review sit a few days.

Now that I’m looking back on it, I’m seeing that it was actually a beautiful story about a girl who had to find herself again after a terrible loss. And I get that.

After losing her mother, and then years a piece of her that not only made her who she was, but connected her to her mother - Sadie was struggling.

But she found her way and she grew in the process, and truly it was beautiful.

If you like stories with some serious character development, with a lil romantic plot twist - Hello Stranger is friend you.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Katherine Center book - and I loved it! I read it in one day, and it's not often I do that.

Sadie Montgomery is an artist who has placed in the finals of a national art competition. As she's out walking one day, the next thing she knows she's in the hospital. After a procedure, she develops "face blindness", which is not ideal for an artist who draws faces for a living.

During this, her dog falls ill and she takes him to the vet, where she starts to fantasize about the doctor. At the same time, she runs into a weirdo in her apartment building, and has to untangle her feelings with him.

There is a twist that I didn't see coming and the story was funny, heartfelt, and emotional at times. Would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good story.

One of my favorite books from Katherine Center! I was super excited to receive an eARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press! Hello Stranger is everything that I wanted from a book - love triangles, amazing plot, laugh out loud dialogue, drama, and whimsical characters! I fell in love with Sadie and her journey to rediscover herself. I foresaw the twist at the end, but thoroughly enjoyed this whimsical and heartwarming novel. Hello Stranger is a must read! 4.5 stars!

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

The premise of this was interesting. Sadie is an artist with a specialty in portraits. She just found out she was one of ten finalists in a competition with six weeks to produce an original portrait when she has a seizure and finds out she needs brain surgery. The surgery results in face blindness.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them but this one disappointed me. The writing was fine and it was easy and quick reading but I just didn't like Sadie or most of the other characters other than Joe and Mr. Kim. She is determined that she does not want help from anyone and when it is offered she is downright rude. On the other hand she says that it is nice to have a reason to do something nice. Okay so let people be nice to you without biting off their heads. Some of the things she does seem so immature and rebellious for what I believe is a woman approaching 30.

There were some funny moments and I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this. Maybe for me it was just the wrong time. I still like the author and won't give up on her.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy.

This romance had me smiling. The premise was unique and Sadie was a heroine who was easy to root for as she navigated her acquired face blindness. I love Joe as the male main character. Peanut was a great dog! Highly recommend this romance!

This book was exactly what I expected it to be, in the best way. I sat down and read it in an afternoon, which is a big way I gauge the enjoyment level of a book — if it’s fun to read in one sitting. I liked the characters, I enjoyed the storyline, and I had fun guessing a few little twists. I loved the face blindness aspect of this, and even though it was completely predictable, it was such a page-turner and such a pleasant passage of time.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Very cute rom com again. I loved the face blindness aspect of this, and even though it was completely predictable, it was such a page-turner and such a pleasant passage of time. I will always love her books!

Katherine Center, the queen of comfort reads, returns following The Body Guard with her latest gem, HELLO, STRANGER —a heartwarming story of an artist whose life takes on a significant change where nothing is as it appears.

LOVE ISN'T BLIND. IT IS JUST A LITTLE BLURRY.

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist who is broke and barely making ends meet in her little studio apartment. Her estranged surgeon father was unhappy when Sadie chose not to continue her medical career and followed in her mom's footsteps instead. He refused to help her out in the future due to this decision or offer his support. Plus, her evil stepmother Lucinda is horrible (her father remarried) and an evil stepsister.

Sadie paints portraits and is so excited that she has earned one of the coveted finalist spots in the competition that could earn her money to catch up. It would be life-changing. It was the same competition her mom placed in years ago. She died when Sadie was fourteen.

Tragedy strikes before the competition. She has a seizure in the middle of the street. A Good Samaritan saves her from being hit by a car.

Her evil step-sister Parker is at the hospital, and she receives the bad news. A malformed blood vessel in the brain: called a cavernoma. A lesion and needs to have surgery. The timing could not be worse.

A cavernoma is a cluster of abnormal blood vessels, usually found in the brain and spinal cord. They're sometimes known as cavernous angiomas, cavernous haemangiomas, or cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM).

After the surgery, she realizes she cannot see people's faces. Everyone is a stranger to her. How can she draw a portrait when she can see their faces?

Sadie's family is no help with the situation. A wicked stepsister and a stepmother, and her father constantly siding against her. Fortunately, she has her best friend, Sue, and her family, who have informally adopted her and serve as a great support network.

How will she cope?

Then she finds herself in a love triangle of all things. Two men, one a helpful Joe, who lives in the same apartment, and the goodhearted veterinarian who saved her dog Peanut.

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys, she realizes that happiness can be found in the places—and people— you least expect.

An uplifting, witty, emotional, heartwarming bittersweet story tackling highly charged topics of neurovascular (cavernoma, prosopagnosia-face blindness), coping mechanisms, and survival, blended with some light-hearted fun romance. You will root for Sadie until the end.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Patti Murin for a highly entertaining and lively performance. I enjoyed the author's note.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for an ALC and St. Martin's Press for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #SMPInfluencers

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
July 2023 Must-Read Books

This is my second Katherine Center book, and I don’t know why I’m so slow to read her others, especially the ones being made into movies - The Bodyguard was one of my very top books of 2022, and now Hello Stranger is one of my very tops of 2023! She’s such a spectacular writer and a very talented storyteller! This book is just so incredible! I purchased copies of several other books last year after loving Bodyguard and now I pledge to get them actually read!

This book has such an incredibly unique storyline, with the face blindness aspect (a side effect after surgery to remove a cavernoma, discovered after a whole interesting situation at the beginning of the book), and not being able to tell who anyone is, let alone not being able to work (being a portrait artist) just when Sadie is accepted into the top 10 winners for a huge competition… the competition her mother was in at the time of her passing, so it’s a huge thing.

The friendships, the neighbors, the family dynamics - everything that Center has included in here has been so carefully crafted and planned, and she so carefully researched the face blindness (prosopagnosia) to make sure she did it justice.

This book is just a dream to read! 5-stars for the book and 1000% recommended by me.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, and this is my honest feedback.

We all know that sometimes we just don’t see clearly when it comes to love, but for Sadie Montgomery … she literally can’t see clearly.

In an unexpected chain of events, one week she’s painting photorealistic portraits and qualifying for a prestigious art contest, and the next she finds herself experiencing prosopagnosia, or face-blindness. Talk about bad timing! How is she going to paint a portrait for the contest when everyone’s faces now look like a puzzle?

On the brighter side, despite not being able to distinguish faces, she really likes her dog Peanut’s new vet, Dr. Addison, but there’s also her questionably-behaved neighbor Joe in the picture. Neither of them know that she can’t tell who they are by their faces, though she has definite ideas about which one she wants, until that starts getting fuzzy too!

Katherine Center shows again why she’s a master of her genre. This is funny, charming, and filled with entertaining characters. Sadie can be prickly at times, but I was always rooting for her as she worked through her painful past and present circumstances. Her best friend Sue was hilariously blunt, Joe was fun, and even her cruel stepsister Parker somehow made me laugh.

From the premise to the ending, it’s well written and engaging. The only downsides: I thought there was a little too much explaining at the end and a few story elements that my overthinking brain had to just roll with and not question too much, but as Center so brilliantly explains in her author’s note, it comes with the territory of the genre. Definitely read or listen to her thoughts!

I both read this and listened to the audio narrated by Patti Murin, who I absolutely love! I think it would’ve been harder to find the humor in some characters - especially Parker - if I’d only read it, but Murin’s voicing for her was snarktastic, and she does gender voicing perfectly, which I always appreciate.

It’s a great read, a wonderful listen and a whole lot of fun. I highly recommend it!

★★★★ ½

Thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the eARC!

4.5/5 stars

This book played with my emotions so much. I was literally laughing out loud at some parts & then tearing up at others. It’s a very creative & interesting story line that made for a great romantic comedy. Katherine Center’s characterization is great. I loved our MCs & was rooting for them the whole time & truly hated our antagonist. I was originally thinking 4 stars but then I literally couldn’t stop thinking about this book so I bumped it up to 4.5!

There were only a few things that I wished had been different! I felt like the resolution with Sadie’s family was lacking. I needed more closure & I really wanted justice for Sadie & all the things that happened with Parker. Also, this is a closed door romance (which is totally fine with me!) & at times I felt like I needed more between Sadie & her love interests.

This eARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

4 Stars
I read The Bodyguard by Katherine Center and loved it so I had high hopes coming into this one. I loved Sadie and her character growth so much. I enjoyed reading from her perspective as she overcame her struggles and pushed herself to stay optimistic (it was great to see her point of view as she realized what happened even though it was obvious from the beginning). Also, I love the Kims, Mr. Kim is literally the sweetest man alive, he made me cry happy tears. This was a unique romance read that warmed my heart.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This was undeniably heartfelt. I laughed and smiled, far more than I expected I would.

Sadie grew so much through this experience and as a reader, I felt like I was on this journey with her.

Some parts were definitely bittersweet but overall realistic. Years of hurt and misunderstandings are hardly solved overnight. But baby steps.

This book was a pleasant, easy-to-read romantic comedy. The exact kind of thing most people are looking for in the summer.

I was debating between four and five stars, and my final questions to myself, whenever I’m on the fence, are always: is there anything significant you would change about this? And would you be willing to gift to anyone, no matter who they are? The answer is yes, so we’re going with five stars.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me and when I saw the blurb for Hello Stranger, I couldn't wait to read it. For me, it was perfect. I adore how much Katherine builds up the anticipation of romance and the push and pull of the relationships she writes within her pages. This story follows Sadie, a portrait artist, who suddenly finds herself unable to see faces in their true form after a crazy medical situation. A challenge that becomes compounded by the fact that she is a finalist in a prestigious Portrait competition with a deadline to paint a new portrait. With the help of her doctor, friend Sue, dog Peanut, neighbor Joe, and vet Dr Addison, Sadie is on a personal journey to discover her own strength and support system while life is a little bit upside or jumbled up. This book will take you on a sweet romance journey filled with tough family relationships, white Gerber daises, vespa rides through town, false first impressions, and inner strength to stand on your own two feet.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine, and St Martin Press for my free eBook. It wasn't expected for me to leave any positive feedback. These opinions are 100% my own.

A unique spin on a romance novel about a woman dealing with face blindness. I enjoyed the love triangle aspect, but more so, appreciated her journey in rediscovery and dealing with her “new normal”. I loved the ending.

I absolutely adored Katherine Center’s newest release, Hello Stranger, and the tie-in to the title is on-point and impactful. This story is now one of my favorite reads of the year.

Hello Stranger has the perfect mix of sweet love story combined with heart-wrenching family dynamics, strong female friendship, challenging personal issues to overcome, and thought-provoking themes. The main character is funny and optimistic, but also realistic, relatable and inspiring. I learned new things about “face blindness”, which is something I knew and have read little about, and the insights gleaned were interesting and valuable.

Hello Stranger follows Sadie Montgomery who as gone her own way in life, despite her father’s dogged resistance, choosing to follow her dreams of becoming an artist like her late mother. In addition to her career choices, she has had to go it alone without the support of her family, who has alienated her and kept their distance, repeatedly choosing to believe her “evil step-sister” over Sadie. It has not been an easy road, losing her mother at a young age and then essentially losing her family, but her friendship with Sue, and Sue’s parents, has kept her going.

Tragedy strikes yet again when Sadie has a seizure on a street intersection, saved by a Good Samaritan. When she has to follow-up with brain surgery, comes out of it with a new obstacle to overcome, prosopagnosia, or face blindness. As a portrait artist, this is especially debilitating, but she handles it with grace, determination and optimism. Along the way, Sadie learns more about herself, tackles some long-held issues, finds restoration and a degree of healing within a certain relationship, as well as a discovering love in an unexpected place.

Katherine Center portrays her characters’ interactions, choices, thoughts and emotions with such authenticity and realism. Her stories consistently have deeper themes for the reader to contemplate; her characters are humorous, likable and engaging; and her plots have unique elements that make each story feel fresh. Hello Stranger was heart-warming and an absolute joy and pleasure to read. Katherine Center is without a doubt, an auto-buy author for me.

I thought this book starts a bit slow. That only lasted for a couple chapters and then it really took off! I really liked all the characters and felt sad for Sadie. It’s another really good book by this author! It was hard to put down! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy