After brain surgery leaves portrait artist Sadie Montgomery with a (hopefully) temporary medical condition of face blindness -- prosopagnosia -- her world is turned upside down. Sadie is on the cusp of living her dream of being a successful artist, finally earning the chance to showcase her work in the coveted North American Portrait Society competition. But how is she supposed to create an one-of-a-kind, blow-your-mind portrait when she can no longer see faces? With a little help from her best friend, Sue, and her "gigolo" neighbor, Joe, Sadie is determined to not let this opportunity go to waste. But a sick dog, an evil stepsister, a cold and distant father, and a growing attachment to the man she thought was a "dog" -- and not the cute kind like her own pupper, Peanut -- Sadie's hopes and dreams seem out of reach... and out of focus.

Thoughts: Katherine Center's books will always be an auto-buy for me, but this wasn't one of my favorites. While I know that it would've ruined the story, it was frustrating as a reader that Sadie could've cleared up the entire plot by just telling people about her face blindness but was too stubborn to ask for help. Also, there's a scene towards the end with Joe, Sadie, and Sue that has way too much back-and-forth that could've happened "off page", especially considering readers will have already figured it out thanks to Center's awesome explanation of Sadie's condition throughout the book. We didn't need the extended commentary. But where's what I really enjoyed: Joe's character is witty, and his one-liners with his ability to handle Sadie's anxiety without a second thought make him such a likable character. And while Sadie is not my favorite of Katherine Center's characters, I did like the chemistry between Sadie and Joe as well as Sadie's relationship with Sue and Sue's parents. And Center clearly did her research on prosopagnosia, carefully and creatively weaving info throughout the novel for both Sadie and readers to discover more about the condition. There's a lot of great humor even with the heavy plot, and combined with Sadie and Joe's chemistry, this book is very enjoyable.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I devoured this book in a day. Black sheep of the family artist daughter catches her big break as a top 10 finalist in a portrait competition only to need brain surgery and develop acquired prosopagnosia aka, she can’t discern faces. Introduce not one, but two love interests whose faces she can’t see! Add in a bold best friend and a pet dog with the palette of a foodie. It’s a win for me! The way the plot twist was woven in and wrapped up, I also really enjoyed. The miscommunication trope wasn’t too dragged out, either. The author touched issues like grief and family dynamics that made you want to read for more than just the romance! Would highly recommend and enjoyed this more than The Bodyguard (so, if you liked the bodyguard, like I did, you’ll love this).

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book.

I have never read this author before, but I am definitely going to try her other recent novel, The Bodyguard. I loved this one!

The main character is Sadie, and she is experiencing face blindness after brain surgery. Which is unfortunate since she works as a portrait artist. Her life definitely gets complicated between navigating her job, juggling two love interests, and dealing with some tricky family dynamics.

Face blindness isn’t unfamiliar to me, but I’ve never read a fiction novel that depicts someone experiencing it. And I found it so interesting! I was really able to empathize as I saw what Sadie was going through. The frustrations and anxieties were very real to me. At times I didn’t think I was going to like her character, as I found her a little self-absorbed. But by the end she really grew on me.

There is an over-the-top villain, too. Almost cartoonishly villainous. I loved it.

The story was predictable, but it’s a romance novel so what do you expect?

I really enjoyed this book overall. It was a fun, fast read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good contemporary romance.

I typed out my long winded review and then my internet went kaput so it is now lost to the ethers. Annoyed so here's a brief version until I can muster up the patience (and caffeine) to re-write.

I adored this story! It was a book that, immediately upon finishing, made me go "I want to read that again!"
I have knocked off one star for plot holes but I fully understand this isn't a completed copy so hopeful these will be remedied in the final rounds of edits (as well as several typos, including character names).

Sadie seems like a hot mess character which I resonated with at times. I adored Joe's character, he's just so dang helpful and loveable, lol even if the first encounters with him make us feel like he is a true Weasel. Peanut was also a favorite. The insta-infatuation with Dr. Addison was on the verge of being cringe but then I reminded myself that Sadie's going thru brain trauma so can cut her some slack.

I lol'ed, I swooned, I got all the lovey-dovey feelings; I loved this.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the early copy to read and review. I think at this point I can firmly place myself in Katherine Center FAN camp.

Hello Stranger was a such a feel-good and heartwarming story, filled with Katherine Center's typical humor and the sweetest characters that you can't help falling in love with. It was a unique, emotional, and inspirational read, and so much more than just a romance. It is about finding hope and not giving up, despite all the challenges and difficulties in your life. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will forever be a Katherine Center fan but this wasn't my favorite of her books. The MC, Sadie, read very YA to me (she's a manic pixie dream girl to the extreme - she even roller skates!) and there were too many ways I had to suspend disbelief for the plot to make sense. I didn't feel much chemistry between Sadie and the guy she falls for, her step-sister Piper is way too over-the-top to be at all believable and her bestie kinda sucked. I did like learning about face blindness but there was a lot of exposition about it and it took me out of the story. It was also so silly to me that Sadie refused to tell anyone she had it.

I don't know - maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this book because everyone else loves it so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Maybe I have temporary book blindness.

3.25 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the copy to review.

Perfection.

I laughed, I swooned, I grinned, I groaned in anticipation. This book is everything a rom-com should be and more.

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who has been diagnosed with (hopefully temporary) face blindness. And she's got the most important event of her artistic life just six weeks away, a place as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition.

Sadie is trying her best to cope with her life right now, and that includes her horrible step-family, her inability to paint faces, and her best friend and dog, Peanut, is sick. Peanut is getting better thanks to her vet that Sadie has a crush on, and the rest of her life is being propped up by her neighbour, a cute guy named Joe. Seems like Sadie's lost focus isn't just resigned to faces...she needs a win, and while both guys are great sometimes things just aren't always what they seem.

I flew through this book. Charming, engaging, great characters and a really beautiful story about hope and love and dreams that don't always come true the way you plan.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do not read a lot of romance books, mostly because I always want to grab the protagonists by the shoulders and tell them to "talk to each other.!" And so it was for Sadie and Joe in this book, and yet I enjoyed the story, like I have enjoyed all of Katherine Center's books.
Sadie is a portrait artist who suffers from sudden face blindness, weeks before a big competition, that should give her the big break in the art world. That was an interesting background for the romance story, and what carried the story through the predictabilities and the sometimes-forced misunderstandings that Sadie and Joe had to work through.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Oh, I completely enjoyed "Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center! True to her entertaining, lovable, interesting form, Katherine Center does not disappoint. An amazing love story, full of insight into really "seeing", offering kindness, forgiveness, friendship and applying lots of perseverance through challenges and misunderstandings. Loved everything about this book. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the early reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Read it in two sittings, it would have been one but capitalism. Good story and pacing, kept my interest and tugged at the heartstrings quite a bit

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

This is a perfect wholesome romance novel. The main character is a bit flawed, but totally relatable and lovable. The storyline is interesting with a bit of intrigue as Sadie deals with her face blindness and has to readjust her life. This is one I will be recommending to all my friends.

Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for this ARC.

I am a new reader to Katherine Center's work. I've liked what I've read so far of hers and was excited to have the opportunity to preview her new book. I think this may be her best book yet. It has an intriguing storyline in that Sadie in a nutshell can't see faces due to an accident which required brain surgery. Sadie learns about the world around her through her other senses, grieves the loss of her mother, and finds that even when she could see she made some judgements/decisions that have affected her whole life that she must fix. Along the way, Sadie learns more about herself, what she wants, and works through her issues. Of course, there is some romance along the way. I would read again. I loved the characters and felt connected to them. The storyline felt like like what could happen to a regular person you know.

I recommend it for those who love good writing, romance, family drama, painting, friendships, pets, a unique storyline, and characters that you want to feel connected to.

Katherine Center’s upcoming romance Hello Stranger is officially my favorite of her books. Laugh out loud funny with wonderful characters and an engaging plot, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Sadie is a portrait artist on the cusp of her big break. When a medical complication comes at the worst possible time, Sadie has to find a new way to live her life. The lens through which she’s always processed the world is foggy and unusable, forcing her to rely on unused skills and, worst of all, accept help.

Sadie’s life has a fun cast of characters, including her geriatric dog, Peanut; her BFF Sue Kim; her new hot vet, Dr. Oliver Addison; and her weasel of a neighbor who keeps slinking into her life despite her glares and snappiness. Add in an evil stepsister, an estranged father, and a confusing stepmother, and Sadie’s life is full of interesting folks.

As with every Katherine Center book, the world that unfolds in these pages is gorgeously constructed, full of interesting people, and thought provoking in unexpected ways.

This book was a delight to read from start to finish. I didn’t want to put it down, aching to find out if 1) I was right about my plot predictions and 2) I just wanted to spend time with these characters. They’re delightful. And I know I already called this book a delight, but it’s doubly delightful and so it gets two uses of the adjective.

This rom-com has plenty of rom, lots of com, and oodles of charm. From roller skating to polka dot dresses to forced proximity, there’s hijinks and silliness and tropes and romance and swoony hair and, best of all, it’s full of heart.

If you’re looking for a book that has so much heart, makes you think, confronts confirmation bias, and has a science-y spin with an artsy problem, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Katherine Center, and St. Martins Press for an e-arc such that I could share my honest opinions.

Hello Stranger will be available July 11, 2023.

“But that’s what you’ve been doing all along. Telling the story of a girl trying like hell to paint exactly like her lost mother. And maybe now, in the story, the girl has no choice but to paint like herself.”

What if you couldn’t recognize a single face?
What if your brain was so confused that you couldn’t trust it anymore?
What if everyone you saw was a stranger?

What if you fell in love with someone you couldn’t recognize in a crowd?

Did I stay up way too late on 4th of July just so I could finished it? Yes.
Do I regret it? No. This book blew me away. This book filled up all my cracks with light and love. This book was the book I’ve been waiting for without knowing. 🖤

Sadie, you beautiful soul. You made me laugh so hard. You made me cry so fiercely. You made me whole.

Joe, you beautiful soul. The helpful stranger. You made me swoon. You made me so mad. You made me so happy. You made me whole.

Peanut, you beautiful doggy soul. You’re going to outlive us all 🥹

No need to come running back here to thank me for this rec after you finish reading it. 😂 but if you do… here: You’re welcome 🖤

What’s inside:
🖤contemporary romance
🖤face blindness
🖤I always noticed you
🖤you were the one everywhere
🖤dogs dogs dogs and sometimes snakes

Adult. 5 stars (and an extra million or two) ⭐️

What a cute book! Possibly my favorite from Katherine Center so far. I can see this being made into a Hallmark/Netflix movie.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a delightful read! I was immediately drawn to this book because 1) it was by Katherine Center and 2) the adorable dog on the cover!

Sadie is FINALLY getting her big break when things take an unexpected turn once she’s diagnosed with face blindness - a condition that’s probably temporary according to her doctors. This new diagnosis coupled with family problems, small friendship woes, pet problems, possible budding romances, and other every day problems leads to a rollercoaster couple of months for Sadie.

I really enjoyed Hello Stranger! It took me about a quarter of the book to really get into it but eventually I didn’t want to put it down! It made me feel the full spectrum of emotions - including happiness, sadness, anger, embarrassment, and excitement! It was a cute romance. I found it predictable in some aspects but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. Overall, a great read!

I mean… it doesn’t get much better than Katherine Center, let’s be honest. Love a PG13 rom com that takes on complex topics, unique family dynamics and interesting professions in such a sweet and cheerful way.

This book was super cute! Sadie finally has the chance of a lifetime when she finds out she is a top 10 finalist for a portrait contest. The only problem is, shortly after finding this out she has an accident which requires her to have brain surgery and face blindness. Struggling to live with her new reality, Sadie navigates the world and her surroundings with a bit of trouble because how does a portrait artist with face blindness paint a portrait? Along the way, Sadie finds love when she least expects it and grows in other strained relationships in her life.

Katherine Center does a great job of immersing you into Sadie’s world and her struggles with face blindness. The story leaves you with a cozy, warm feeling with how it wrapped up.

Catherine Centers new book Hello Stranger is full of twists and turns right up until the very end! A very interesting read about an acquired condition called prosopagnosia or more commonly known as face blindness. The book is well researched, and has likeable characters in it. But best of all, the reader can clearly see that love is blind, or is it?? A fabulous beach read for the summer that will have you turning the pages to the very end and holding your breath in places. This book is not to be missed. Catherine Center has a way of delivering beautiful messages to her readers that are multi-dimensional, and will stay with the reader well beyond the last page of the book. Run and grab yourself a copy! Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

It has been a long time since I devoured a book in one day, but Hello, Stranger pulled me in. I had the twist figured out at the start, but there were moments throughout that had be doubting if that would really be how it played out. Of course, I was delighted when it did. I’m never good at remembering names, and am always paranoid about getting it wrong when talking to someone new again, so I could relate to Sadie’s face blindness on some level, but can’t imagine having to start every interaction back at square one. I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more from Katherine.