3.5 stars thanks to Netgalley for the E-ARC. As much as I wanted to love this because hello Katherine Center I could just not get into it. I didnt start getting into it nor laugh until I was halfway thru the book. I felt like the MFC was way to stubborn and let me tell stubborn is my middle name. I did cry and I did enjoy the book towards the end but I just didnt vibe with it overall.

This book was an absolute delight! I fell in love with Katherine Center's writing after reading the Bodyguard last year, and Hello Stranger only solidified her place in my heart. Sadie is such a loveable mc and I found it so easy to get sucked into her (and Peanut's) world that I enjoyed every second of my time reading this book.

I was excited to get the chance to read this novel since I like Katherine Center’s books. But now that I’ve finished, I can’t hardly make myself write a review, since I wanted to be able to rate it higher.

Sadie is a struggling artist with some family history that has caused her to be extremely independent. When her dream comes true of becoming a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition, she’s sure she’ll be able to stop being tagged as a struggling artist. She’s feeling very positive about the outcome.

But, wouldn’t you know it, a streak of bad luck puts her in a position that will make it near impossible to carry through with the competition? However, this is one independent lady who just might find a way to still submit a portrait.

My Concerns
At this point, I’d like to say I cared about Sadie, but I found her, for the most part, unlikable. I keep wondering how such a cool guy is attracted to her. Now, this isn’t to say she doesn’t pull off some cute things, but not enough to overcome her off-putting personality traits.

I likened this story to a man asking if anyone has seen his glasses, and of course, we all see that they are pushed up on his head. It got a little old knowing what we knew as readers, while Sadie didn’t have a clue. She appeared to be very dense and unaware. To say readers needed to suspend disbelief was putting it mildly.

Plus, the idea of having an evil step-sister went to new lengths to prove that saying. It just didn’t work for me.

Final Thoughts
The idea was interesting and I really, really wanted to like this story. But the fact that the MC wasn’t very likable, and as a reader I had to leave my common sense almost at the start of the book, I’d have to say that I can’t recommend this book.

Be aware, however, that I’m not in the majority on this rating. The chance that you’ll like it is fairly high.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC.

2.5 stars

Sadie is broke. She has even started living in the small “hovel” she was renting as an art studio space. So when it looks like she could finally get her big break, winning a portrait contest with a grand prize of $10,000, she needs it. But when an emergency brain surgery leaves her face blind, she can no longer comprehend faces well enough to paint portraits. The need to re-learn how to paint portraits shouldn’t leave her time for much else, but she soon finds herself falling for not one, but two different men. Over the course of six weeks, her face blindness will help her find a new way of seeing her mom’s death, her artistry, and her love life.

This is a difficult review to write because I know there are people who are going to love this book. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I found many of the situations to be downright unbelievable, and I did not care about the characters enough to give them my suspension of disbelief.

To be clear: the face blindness plot point I have no issue with. It works fine as a romantic setup, and it discusses a real issue that many people live with but most people, including many of the people who have it, don’t even know about it! Moreover, the payoff from the face blindness miscommunications is actually the strongest part of the book.

Let’s start with the characters. There is no character in this book who is easy to root for. Our main character Sadie is so stupid. She has had a lot of things happen to her that are genuinely very difficult, but the antagonist is correct that she always has to play the victim. When the book opens, before the accident, she is complaining about how broke she is and how much she needs her big break. And I am all for following your artistic dreams! But usually before peoples’ big breaks they like, have a day job to pay the bills. This for some reason never occurs to her. She is also incredibly flighty. For example, when her dog gets sick, and in her rush to get to the vet she doesn’t even notice that she leaves the house in her pajamas and slippers. That is certainly not the only instance of her being A Mess, and it was all too much for me.

Then there are the other characters. Her stepsister is literally sociopathic levels of evil. An entire plot point at the beginning relies on the fact that her father, a doctor, withheld the fact that her mom died as a result of a tumor, the development of which is genetic. Who would not tell your child they have a genetic predisposition for tumors, at least so they can regularly get that checked out? Sadie’s best friend, Sue, consistently abandons Sadie when Sadie is relying on her, and also for some reason it’s a joke that she keeps forgetting about Sadie’s face blindness. The only side characters who don’t suck as people are Sue’s parents.

There were certainly other issues as well. I didn’t mesh with Center’s writing style, which constantly describes an event, backtracks to describe what happened before said event, then goes back to the original event. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. As I mentioned, I really liked the payout at the end and the climactic conversation between Sadie and her love interest, but then for some reason the entire conversation gets recapitulated to Sue, so we get the explanation of the miscommunication twice, even though that is by no means necessary.

Again, I know this book will find its readers and there will be many who love it. It was at least a very easy read, and I have not completely ruled out picking up another one of Center's books in the future. I just won't be jumping to do so.

Omg Katherine Center is my newest auto buy authors ! I absolutely loveeee The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger was no different! I laughed A LOT but also teared up quite a bit. I did my best to take my time reading this one because once it’s done it’s done till the next one lol.

Sadie Montgomery is a struggling artist following in her moms footsteps and paints beautiful portraits. She is in a contest that can really turn her career around. Everything changes for her when she has an accident and ends up having face blindness.

Sadie is my favorite character and I found a lot of myself in her. I found that me and her think the same. Our humor is definitely the same lol.
This book was amazing and I recommend that you pick it up and trust me you will thank me later ! I plan on reading all of her books and I have my eyes set on Happiness for Beginners. 💖

I also want to thank NetGalley for letting me read the advance copy! You have no idea how much it means to me and how much I was thrilled that I got a copy. 💖

Every time I read a Katherine Center book, I just know that I am in for a heartwarming story and this one was no exception! The journey that this book takes us as readers on is fantastic. There are twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I loved that!

Sadie's story and relationships with all of the side characters was great to read. I love where there is huge character development and I feel that the author hit the nail on the head with this one.

I don't want to spoil anything, so as usual, I recommend going into the book blind so that you can get the full Katherine Center experience.

Who has changed - me or Katherine Center? Lol. Her last two books have just seemed fluffier but I definitely liked this one a lot more than The Bodyguard. Katherine Center is great for non-spicy romance. I felt bad for Sadie in Hello Stranger because she had a really sad life! I wouldn't have liked this one as much if it weren't for the ending - it was really good!

Go in blind. I promise it's super worth it.
Well since you're still here, I'll give you a few more reasons to not miss this one. Katherine Center stayed true to form with another page turner (that I stayed up till 1am to finish). A sweet, surprising story with lovable characters in a love triangle situation that keeps you guessing till the very end.

"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. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! Out July 11!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Katherine Center, I don’t know you do it but your writing always makes me feel everything and always makes me feel warm and happy and safe. Reading helps me escape the stress and anxiety of life and this book just made me feel better.

Sadie Montgomery after a medical situation ends up with facial blindness. As she is navigating and adjusting to her new normal, she is also navigating her tense family situation, living situation, her love life situation, and trying to win a prestigious portrait art contest. Sadie is a strong, funny, smart, courageous, and brave. I felt her frustration and her sadness but I also felt her strength. Her journey through this book to me was amazing and self motivating. No matter what or how much her day beat her up, she had hope and always seemed to find the one positive thing that came out that terrible day, something I try to remind myself to do each day.

Joe! I loved Joe. Just an all round kind human being. The world needs more Joes. This is all I going to say about Joe- you will have to read and experience falling in love with Joe on your own. I don’t want to give anything away about him. You will enjoy getting to know him. He is wonderful.

This book gave me the full gamut of feels. It was interesting to see and explore what happens when all of a sudden one of your senses was not working right and how our body and mind adapt. It takes a lot of strength for someone to keep moving and growing throughout it and strength and bravery it takes to ask for help even when it fights with everything inside you to ask and be vulnerable.

This book was funny and beautiful. Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Did I mention this was set in Houston, TX where I grew up?!

I was given this book for my honest review and opinion. Thank you to NetGalley, publisher, and Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this great book.

Hello Stranger, the latest novel by Katherine Center, tells the story of Sadie, a portrait artist with a genetic condition that requires brain surgery. Alas, as a result of the surgery, Sadie becomes face blind, which would be difficult for anyone but devastating for someone who makes a living painting portraits. This leads to some life changing events for Sadie.

Reading Hello Stranger is like wrapping yourself in a warm, fuzzy blanket on a dreary day. It’s comforting and hopeful and as the author states in her Author’s Note (a must read) , positively valanced anticipation. And we can all use that!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opposition to read this digital ARC.

After every single Katherine Center book, I find myself with a similar feeling of contentment - and honestly is there anything else we can ask for in a book? We are completely spoiled by the fact that KC just keeps giving us such special, kind, heartwarming books. Her latest, HELLO STRANGER, is absolutely no exception 🌸

I will keep this fairly short and just share a few thoughts:
•Face blindness 😱 holy cow. I didn’t know it was a thing until now and wow. I went down a deep hole of research after this book!!
•There is “seemingly” a trope throughout the book that some may not like. Just trust KC with this. She will never let you down.
•There’s a bit of a twist. I figured it out v early, but it didn’t take away from the fun.
•There’s real family drama along with found family love.
•A great dog 🐶
•It has KC’s classic formula of women’s fic + romcom and you don’t want to miss it!!

✨𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀✨
• starving artist life
• rare medical condition
• lovable characters
• cliché step-family dynamics
• miscommunication trope done right!!!

I started collecting Katherine Center books a while ago because they were highly recommended, but like all hyped books, I hold off a long time until now. Sadie was trying to live up to her father’s expectation, but she chose to follow her true passion of portrait painting. Her whole life felt like a mess until this moment: she was a finalist for a prestigious portrait painting competition. Things were looking up until she was suddenly rendered faceblind. Everyone around her was a jumbled puzzle of face pieces, and she couldn’t recognize, let alone paint anyone. Hoping the condition will resolve she finds herself attracted to two different men while healing and attempting to paint a realistic portrait, based on what the rest of her senses and perceptions are telling her.

At first, I was not sure what all the hype was about with this author but the story idea and writing was really good, and I wanted to see (haha) where this was going. I loved every character’s personality and the internal thoughts of our sad narrator. Sadie truly was on the struggle bus as everything around her came crashing down all at the same time. But everything started tying up nicely as the end grew near; I was totally engrossed, and had to give the author a slow clap when it all came together. I usually hate the miscommunication trope, but in this book, the author made it “chefs kiss.”

This was CRIMINALLY cute and I will be pressing charges for making me experience a rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed. I cried. I fantasized about violence against a fictional character.

When Sadie Montgomery (finally) places as a finalist in a big-time portrait show, she’s ecstatic. Things are finally looking up for her, and she can’t wait to see what the future holds.

… until a surprise medical whirlwind leaves her with something that will make portrait painting decidedly less simple: face blindness. That will “probably” go away… someday.

Suddenly unable to recognize even her closest friends without help, Sadie desperately tries to find wins anywhere she can in life. From the gorgeous (she assumes) vet who provides life-saving care for her dog Peanut, to the (also probably gorgeous) man in her building who seems to have a thing for everyone (and the charm to make it work).

But as she begins to fall hard, and the inability to identify anyone on-sight causes an untold number of awkward situations - Sadie realizes that there is a world of different ways to see; and sometimes taking away the things we take for granted is the best way to do it.

I absolutely adored this book! It was a fun and unique romance and such an easy and light read that I finished in one sitting. It ticks all the items on my romance list: unique story, strangers to friends to lovers, character development, and more! I enjoyed the writing style; Center has a way of completely pulling you into the little world she’s created. You can tell how deeply she loves and cares for her characters. I’m a huge character driven reader and Sadie’s arc throughout the story definitely fit the bill. I loved seeing her grow and learn to let go. Also, that ending!! I was pleasantly surprised and I loved that fun little twist. This is a romance, so of course there’s a HEA, but as Center says, it’s the journey and the anticipation that makes romances so good and this one did not disappoint.

While this was my first Katherine Center novel, it most definitely won’t be my last!

A huge thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Hello Stranger comes out July 11, 2023.

Sadie is finally getting her big break as an artist, that is until she has to undergo urgent brain surgery. Which shouldn't have been a huge deal except that after her surgery she is unable to piece together peoples' faces, which really sucks seeing how she is a portrait artist. Oh and she needs to paint a whole new portrait for the North American Portrait Society competition. Mix in the developing feelings for two men who are completely different and having to deal with her evil stepsister. Sadie might have to conclude that she is not actually getting her big break. Will she be able to paint a winning portrait, win in the stepsister battle, oh and pick between the two men who have captured her attention.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down, and it became one of my favorite books I have read this year. I loved Sadie, I thought she was very relatable and honestly the way she reacted to the news of not seeing faces is exactly how I would have reacted. I HATED her evil stepsister (that is the emotion you are supposed to have towards her, but I really loved Sue (Sadie's best friend) and her parents. In the effort to not spoil the romance aspect of the book, all I will say is that everything that happened romance wise I thought was perfect. The writing was fast paced, done well, and honestly pretty funny. I really love the cover too. Overall if you are looking for an interesting, funny, romantic novel Hello Stranger is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A story about a portrait artist trying to navigate the world after a life changing accident where she can no longer see faces. As an artist whose main focus is painting facial structures, this new reality is a huge adjustment for Sadie, who is also one of the finalists for a portrait competition with an upcoming deadline. With all this going on, Sadie is also entangled between the affections of two men.

The author’s storytelling allows the reader to understand the main character Sadie immediately like in the first chapter I already know about her relationships with both her parents and the allowed me to connect with her character.

“Plus, don’t we all, deep down, carry an inextinguishable longing for our parents to be proud of us? Even long after we’ve given up?”

Due to her upbringing, Sadie has developed this “never needs help” and “i’m always okay” attitude which I found relatable in a way. So Sadie is trying to overcome that as well as confirmation bias.

“I didn’t want to not be okay. I thought, if I just pretended to be fine and not need anyone or anything, that would be enough.”

I enjoyed Sadie’s self discovery and character development in this book as she works through her family issues, take care of her fluffy best friend, and figuring out her career. Personally, I felt like the story felt scattered with so much plot points going on and with underwhelming conclusions to those plot points. For example, Sadie’s family issues wasn’t fully resolved but I enjoyed Parker getting her karma.

I wish the romance aspect was more prominent but it was still cute. It would’ve been nice to know more about Joe’s character too. To add on, it is heavily emphasized that Joe’s character is a “helper” and always helps others. Like that’s one of the main issues with Joe’s previous marriage too bc he helps a lot apparently. However, it felt like out of character for him not to help Sadie by not attending the art galley with her. I guess its understandable why he didn’t but it was still off to me.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Published: July 11, 2023
St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 325
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Katherine Center writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

“But maybe different wasn’t so bad.”

Sadie earned a spot in a prestigious art show that could launch her career. She also learned she needs brain surgery. Joe, always helpful and goes above and beyond to be there for her, but maybe the timing is off.

Oh. My heart has exploded. I love how Katherine writes a story. She combines every magical element necessary to keep you glued to the page while making you laugh and then cry, and then laugh.

I loved Sadie. Her flaws, her sass, her ambition, and her heart. She was such a brave character. Joe was such a perfect partner. He was charming, kind, loyal, and authentic.

The pacing of this story was beautiful. You can feel the anxiety and pain radiating from the pages as Sadie struggles. The emotions are brilliantly portrayed, and the story is perfectly delivered.

This was such a charming book. From the beginning to the end, you will champion for Sadie. You will grieve with her, laugh with her, cry with her, and mostly, fall in love with her.

Katherine Center just does not disappoint. Hello Stranger was a wonderfully written story, both intriguing and heartfelt. I stayed up WAY too late finishing this book because I couldn’t wait to see how everything would unfold.
You know that feeling when you watch those homecoming videos and your heart swells and your eyes tear up? Katherine delivers this over and over and it’s what makes her books such a delight to read.
I loved Hello Stranger and I would highly recommend it to anyone (or any Katherine Center book for that matter).

This is one of those books that is unlike any other. The entire story is told from the POV of the lead character who is new to having face-blindness. This gives the reader a unique glimpse into what face-blindness, living with a disability, and navigating a sudden medical diagnosis might be like. These life changes also mean the lead character wrestles with identity crisis: Who is she without the ability to paint faces? Where does her value come from if her career is gone? Sadie’s specific disability also pushes readers to examine their own perspectives, perceptions, and assumptions - the info they use to decide who other people really “are”. While readers may not have face-blindness, they may absolutely resonate with the questions Sadie wrestles with as she rediscovers who she is and new ways to navigate the world. My only criticism is that the part in which Sadie's old friend, Augusta, showed up out of the blue at her art show and defended Sadie was just too wild of a coincidence. It felt a bit too far fetched and pulled me out of the story a bit. But, not enough to overshadow how great the rest of the book was.

*arc for honest review* this book was honestly not for me but i tried to get past it. i really liked the bodyguard but this one wasn’t really for me.