Ever since Things You Save In a Fire, Katherine Center has been an auto-buy author for me. In Hello, Stranger, she continues her winning streak with a story of Sadie, who suffers from acquired face blindness at the very worst possible time.
I love Katherine Center’s female characters. In this story. Instead of waiting for someone to “save” her, Sadie is a strong woman who learns to work around her affliction. She also uncovers lots about herself and her dysfunctional family.
Having heard of face blindness before, I also appreciated the descriptions of how it feels to have it. It’s obvious through the story and the endnotes that Center did her research to “get it right” in the story.

Katherine Center has done it once again. Absolutely loved this book and the story told. I had never heard of face blindness until reading this book. Katherine explains in great detail what face blindness is and how it affects different people. I enjoyed the FMC and the MMC and their dynamic relationship. The ending was cute and I enjoyed the twist at the end!

This book was all I could ever hope for in a contemporary romance. Funny, emotional, twisty and heartwarming. The character development, disability representation, plot twists, it was literally all perfect. I was a little worried after reading The Bodyguard and being let down, that I wouldn’t like this one either but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although it was slightly predictable, I didn’t expect the twist reveal the way it happened and I loved the tension and emotion that the characters were experiencing. The miscommunication in the book wasn’t too cheesy or obnoxious and it felt real. There are no bad things for me to point out - this book is easily my top read for 2023 so far

I loved this book so much!!! I am a huge Katherine Center fan, I have loved every single one of her books that I have read so far! I am so thankful I got to have an early copy of this one because reading it was an absolute delight. It had everything that I love about her books: a main character that you want to root for, themes and lessons that make me think deeply and engage with the world around me in a different way, a love interest that makes me blush (but also feels realistically imperfect!), and great plot that keeps me on the edge of my seat. I stayed up way too late reading this one and can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know. Her books just bring me joy and make me smile and remind me to be hopeful and kind. Can't wait for her next!!

I struggled with how to review this book without giving everything away only to realize that just like Sadie's "face blindness", the story should be approached with "plot blindness". I've read books about this disorder before but this book really made me feel the frustration and emotions that the character feels. I thought this story was truly unique and the writing is amazing.I highly recommend this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a delightful, fun, and sweet romantic comedy. This story follows Sadie Montgomery who is a struggling portrait artist. She has just found out that she has earned a spot as a finalist in a portrait competition that could change her life. Her mother was also a finalist in the same competition before she passed away. This competition means a lot to Sadie, so when she finds out that she needs surgery a few weeks before the competition, she is still determined to compete.

When she wakes up from surgery she finds out she has “acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia” also known as face blindness. She is a portrait artist and how is she supposed to paint and compete without being able to see faces?

Sadie has little support from her family but her best friend and dog are always there to offer her support and love. Sadie deals with her new challenges and has to ask for help from two new men in her life.

This book is filled with loveable characters that will warm your heart. I loved reading Sadie’s thoughts and her relationship with her best friend. I felt like I was right there with her as she navigated her new world while trying her best to stay positive.

If you are in the mood for a heart-warming, enjoyable read that this is the book for you. Even though this book deals with tough issues it still feels lighter and warms your heart.

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

If you want a feel good, clean, language free contemporary romance - THIS IS IT

We follow Sadie who is a struggling artist and has made it into a prestigious portrait competition. This is her chance for a big break! But then she has to get some brain surgery and everything changes.

At its core, this is a message of hope, finding the positive, and that perspective is everything. I really enjoyed it.

Sadie is trying to figure out how to live her life after her surgery caused her facial blindness.

She of course meets some nice men and falls for one of them.

Loved the romance, loved the life lessons, and loved the dog.

I recommend!

I wanted to love this as much as “The Bodyguard” but unfortunately it did not meet the expectation I had. It was still a cute story that readers of the grunt-sunshine troupe would enjoy, just loved the main characters of the other book more!

I'm probably in the minority but Hello, Stranger is my least favorite Katherine Center book so far. I read to the end to see how everything worked out and I admit that the little twist, when I figured it out, what a good one. However, it was hard to truly enjoy a book when I hated the characters so much. For nearly 30 year olds, it was like Sadie and Parker, especially, were permanently stuck being teenagers. I felt like I was reading teen fiction and their behaviors grated on my nerves. The real winners were Mr. and Mrs. Kim. It's very readable though and I managed to read it all in one day.

I am torn because I really loved this book, but a couple things just didn’t add up for me. So, I am just going with the need to suspend my disbelief and leaving it there.

Funny thing is, I had a friend with facial blindness for about six months post brain surgery and I had to introduce myself to her every time I saw her. And I feel like Center did a great job of describing this condition.

This was an absolutely fascinating book. The interconnectedness of the characters and plot lines was super cool. Sadie’s life choices and family relationships were all a bit of a mess, and then they get worse. Her dad ignores her, her step mom is trying too hard, and she really does have an evil step sister. And then the one thing that she does have going for her, her talent, is compromised.

This is a really complicated story, but so worth it.

After undergoing a medical procedure Sadie has awoken with a condition known as face blindness, which is a real problem since she is a portrait artist. This condition comes at the worst possible time as Sadie is up for the one of biggest awards for her profession. Heartwarming story of perseverance in the most difficult of situations

I ADORED this book. Maybe a little cheesy but just overall delightful!! I didn’t see the twists coming at the end but they were perfect. I think this would make an excellent movie.

This is a story of being on top of the world, finally getting your big break, and then it seems like in an instant you receive devastating news, that changes everything. That is what has happened to Sadie Montgomery. She has had to pick herself up several times before, and she has to do it again.
As she does, there are things she can't see, because she has facial blindness, but she keeps moving forward, and her friend Sue sends her an article where an artist taught herself to paint differently. Sadie thinks about her focus on painting before the facial blindness, and through that she came up with ideas of what her focus as a painter will need to be now.
She meets two men, Joe and Oliver, that makes for an interesting part of the story. When her evil stepsister moves in next door and tries to torment her at every turn, she has been distant from her father and her stepmother for a long time. But, you know, the life she has had hasn't soured her, She sees how she has changed, sometimes you have to change the way you look at things, and the book ends with, the more good things you look for, the more you will find.
I received an ARC from St Martin's Press.

Sadie, a portrait artist is about to get her big break and hopes to win an upcoming contest. That is until surgery leaves her with face blindness. How can an artist paint a portrait if she can't see faces?

Face blindness isn't really something I knew a lot about. I was very interested in the descriptions and felt I have a much better understanding of what people with face blindness actually do see.

Sadie's quest to get her face vision back and the people she meets along the way make for a great story. I knew going into a Katherine Center book that it would be good but this far exceeded my expectations.

Loads of quirky characters and humorous situations kept the book flowing quickly. Although I knew the "twist" was coming I still enjoyed the ride.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Sadie has spent the last few years of her life being her own biggest cheerleader. Cast aside by what's left of her family, Sadie has surrounded herself with a small group of friends and her beloved dog, Peanut, and now after years of working on her art, she has been named a finalist in a national portrait competition. One minute everything feels like she's about to get everything she's ever wanted, the next Sadie wakes up in a hospital room with no memory of why she's there. Diagnosed with a rare brain disorder, Sadie is now facing the biggest challenge of her life - how does a portrait artist work when every face they see is a jumbled puzzle? Now Sadie must figure out how to live her life with face-blindness in order to not give up on the only dream she has ever had. I really enjoy the stories that Katherine Center tells. She has such a great way of helping her readers see perspective on life while giving us a heartwarming story mixed in. Though the concept is fairly predictable and I had it all sussed out mid-way through it in no way held me back from enjoying Sadie's story. Be sure to add "Hello Stranger" to your summer TBD list.

I’m rounding this up to 4.5. It was a slow start to begin with, but once it picked up I was hooked. I felt connected to Sadie on various levels, and she had me in tears a few times. I loved her journey in this book and how Joe played a huge role. Katherine Center has yet to disappoint me. I cannot wait to own my own copy

🌺 Hello Stranger
by Katherine Center

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Read if you like....

👨‍👩‍👧 Family drama
❤️ Romance
🎨 Art

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie Montgomery's big break in her art career is about to happen when she becomes a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. Only problem is...she wakes up in the hospital with a hopefully temporary condition known as face blindness.

To make matters more confusing, she's falling for two different men.

This was a very unique romance. I thought it was fun and enjoyable. If you're looking for something out of the box and light, give this one a try. 3.5 stars

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. The characters were so real and authentic - I laughed, cried, and was angry with Sadie's family on her behalf. I fell in love with "Joe" and I felt hope and fear. I was sad when the story ended because I wanted more of Sadie's journey. Compelling and well-written story Highly recommend!!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books and this is an engaging read. Sadie is left with a case of face blindness after an accident. This leads to some complicated love interests. The romance felt like a bit of a side plot to me because I found myself very caught up in exploring how someone would live with such a challenging condition (Center writes about these topics very well in her books). I have never read a story dealing with facial blindness and it was so interesting. There are so many emotions caught up in this storyline and I think it will appeal to a wide variety of readers! Thank you to Katherine Center, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There were moments that made me laugh, rage, and cry. Sadie was really interesting a lead character. This major, potentially life changing thing happens just when she’s about to get her big break in the art world and the story centres on how she navigates through dealing with this event and the faces she ‘meets’ along the way. Sadie was a bit standoffish and determined to manage things on even when she clearly needed help and support.

Throughout the story, KC did a good job of showing that despite the bouts of prickliness Sadie had a good heart, and was just a little lost and trying to find and hold onto something good and real. As her backstory unfolds and you get more of the details of her family life and loss you come to understand her need to rely on herself and cover up the vulnerabilities more. Sadie’s whole situation with her family made me so angry and sad on her behalf, Parker was the devil incarnate and Sadie’s dad was the worst. Personally I did not love the resolution of that part (mostly because her dad’s failure to turn up in the past and present until he was forced to was unforgivable to me) but I can see why it worked for the character.

As for the romance, I usually hate triangles with a fiery vengence but the Joe-Sadie-Dr A one was well handled. I really enjoyed Sadie’s interactions with both her love interests 🤭. There was great chemistry between all sides of the triangle and how it was resolved was unexpected and perfect. Really enjoyable leads and supporting characters and and fully engaging story. 4.5 ⭐️