After undergoing brain surgery, Sadie wakes up with (hopefully only temporary) face blindness. As a portrait artist who just landed her big break as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition, this is an utter disaster. Making matters worse is the fact that she is embarrassed by her newfound situation and refuses to come clean to anyone including her dog's new veterinarian and her helpful neighbor.

This has everything you could possibly want in a heartfelt rom-com--it was funny, the characters are all extremely likable and easy to root for, and the plot is interesting (I had never heard of face blindness so it was intriguing to read about). I usually don't like miscommunication, but in this instance, it was done in such a way that it was actually entertaining and amusing. I've only read a handful of her books, but this is for sure my new favorite Katherine Center novel!

4.5 ⭐️ Thanks to NetGalley, I didn’t have to wait 12 weeks on Libby to get this to me!

LOVED this book! Katherine Center does a wonderful job of portraying so many emotions through this book. I felt connected to the FMC because of her relationship with her dad, which helped me love this book more. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to google medical terms (in a good way). Sadie’s story was a fun and cute escape!

Posted on Goodreads already as well as on my Instagram stories. Will post to my feed 7/15 or 16

I really loved this one! I devoured the audiobook in less than 24 hours! I always think I’m not a fan of clean romances than I read a Katherine centre and I am reminded how good they can be! In this one we have Sadie who hasn’t had an easy life, her mother died when she was a teenager and her father re married and her step mother and sister haven’t made her life easy. Years later she does everything she can to avoid them she is a struggling artist like her mother was and pretty much on her own but her senior dog peanut. As she finally gets the big break in her art career she has an terrible accident and finds out she needs Brain surgery, and after the surgery she has some swelling and gets a disorder that makes her face blind to people. As she recovers from the surgery everything is going well expect for that, and Sadie has never been one to ask for help or let anyone know what’s going on with her so she tries to keep it a secret and it doesn’t make anything easy for her. As she finds her self into some situations she finds her neighbour Joe around to help, she thought he was a man whore and was hesitant to let him help her but as they get to know each other she learns he isn’t what she thought! I loved these two together, and with out saying two much I absolutely loved the ending of this!! I thought it was perfect and so unique! I just honestly loved everything about this! Sadie Joe peanut!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katherine Center for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie has a lot on her mind such as being a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition because she knows if she can create something amazing, then she can prove her father and stepmother wrong about being an artist. However, Sadie ends up having a seizure in the middle of street and ends up waking up in the hospital and learns that she has a cavernoma and it is better to get surgery now even though she is nervous it will mess with getting ready for the competition. She is reassured that everything should go smoothly with a short amount of healing, which means she can continue on with her plans for the competition. But, when wakes up from surgery, she notices an issue with seeing people's faces and is told this is just "probably a temporary" condition known as face blindness. Sadie has to learn to cope and accommodate herself with her new (possibly temporary) disability, her career, the family issues, and falling for her dog's vet even though she cannot see his face.

Back in the Spring of 2018, I was subscribed to Book of the Month, and they ended up choosing How to Walk Away by Katherine Center as one of their picks, which I ultimately ended up choosing to put into my box. I read that book and fell madly love with the story and had to get my hands on any of Katherine's new releases. So, I have been following her books for 5 years now and I loved all of them minus one-The Bodyguard. Due to finding the Bodyguard to be an okay read I became nervous that I would not like Hello Stranger, but I ended up requesting the ALC from NetGalley and I am happy to report that I loved this book!

I could not get enough of this book. The storyline was played out very well and the narrator did a great job with sucking me into the story. I will admit the "twist" was obvious and I think it probably was supposed to be obvious to us readers and if it was not, it still did not take away from the story.

Katherine Center has focused on many different types of hardships that some of her characters in her books have to go through that can affect them physically, mentally, and emotionally to the point where life feels like it just sucks for them, but they have to go through a journey of self-discovery to be okay with what they are facing or learning how to accommodate themselves. Yes, we still see these characters fall in love, but I am always in awe of how amazing Katherine addresses these topics and make us root for the characters. In Hello Stranger, Katherine does exactly this like she has done in some of her previous books such as: How to Walk Away (Margaret becomes paralyzed in a plane crash) and What You Wish For (Sam suffers from seizures).

As someone who works with students who have disabilities, I loved watching Sadie struggle because one of her senses is hindered, but because of that she has to find ways to accommodate herself to recognize people in different ways as well as find ways to paint a portrait for her competition. I would become so excited for her when she would make little victories just like I would with the students I work with.

Now, for the romance: I definitely thought it was super sweet. We have Sadie who falls madly in love with her dog's vet, and she thinks she is going to marry him even though she does not know anything about him, but their date falls through. With her date falling through and then having to deal with an annoying and rude man named Joe in her apartment building, she starts to fall for him.

One thing I have to add is that I freaking love Sadie's dog Peanut because dogs are just the best and I was so excited when she became excited over being able to see Peanut's face when she discovers she has face blindness. I would have lost it too if I could not see my dog's face.

Hello Stranger will have you rooting for the MFC in every aspect of her life, laughing, and smiling ear to ear. You all seriously need to pick this book up and you all should know that I must really, really, really love this book if I wrote a small essay review for it.

I loved this book!

Sadie is an artist who just gets her big break before she finds herself being diagnosed with “temporary” face blindness. Now everyone’s face is a puzzle to her, and as a portrait artist, this makes her life difficult. As she navigates her new normal, she finds herself falling for two very different men.

Although I did see the twist coming, I enjoyed the premise of this so much and learning about face blindness kept things very interesting. The way Katherine Center describes Sadie trying different methods to identify facial features on her model for the portrait was so vivid, I felt like I was feeling what Sadie was feeling. There was never a dull moment throughout the book, and even the comedic relief landed well!

This was an easy 5 stars and I found myself itching to pick the story back up in between breaks. The narration was great— Patti Murin nailed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook arc. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I've never read a book like this one before. It has a wonderful romance, yes, but with a twist I've not seen in any other romance I know of.

Sadie Montgomery has been a struggling artist for so long, she doesn't remember what it's like NOT to struggle anymore. But then she receives an invitation to participate in the same juried portrait artist competition that her mother aspired to be in before she died unexpectedly.

Sadie feels confident that she can fulfill her mother's dreams until an accident leaves her with a condition known as "face blindness." As a portrait artist, being able to see people's faces is kind of the norm. And she no longer can.

As she adjusts to this snag in her plans, she puts forth a strong effort to adapt and adjust to her new circumstances. But that leads to confusing situations she never dreamed of!

This book had so many layers of complexity to it, including dealing with the death of a parent, finding where one belongs, dealing with bullies, meeting Mr. Right, reaching for one's dreams, and overcoming obstacles. There were so many "feels" to feel, and Katherine Center swept us right along with Sadie. I found myself laughing at some spots and feeling emotional at others.

Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy. This was one of my favorite reads this year!

This book was too cute! First off, there’s an adorable dog. Need I say more?? This book also had so much heart. From Sadie and her condition, to the familial relationships throughout the story. The medical aspect of Sadie’s face blindness felt very well researched as well, which I appreciated. The romance in this book was so natural and enjoyable to read. The connections Sadie makes and the paths she chooses on her romantic journey felt very authentic. There was also quite a few laugh out loud moments in this story, which made Sadie a very relatable character. The ending was fun and something I hadn’t yet read in a romance book! If you are looking for a sweet, feel good story, highly recommend checking this one out! 4 stars!

I listened to this as an audio book. It was an advanced reader copy from the publisher, but unfortunately I was behind!! It was published July 11th, but I loved it sooo much… I finish it and knew I had to share!! This book was *SO GOOD!*!!! I fell in love with the main character, Sadie! I would love to be her friend. Not only was I rooting for her, but I was yelling at her sometimes! 😉 like a good friend would do! This was such a well rounded story full of completely developed characters, multiple emotions/emotionally charged situations and feel good moments!! I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll leave it with this… you *must* read or listen to this ASAP! You do not want to miss out on this!

“Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry!”

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC of this beautiful story and the chance to give my candid review.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (0-5)
Audiobook Rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall Rating: 4.75/5
Steam: 🔥 (0-5) kissing only

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over
🤩 Narrated by Patti Murin and such a treat! I could listen to her voice entertainment all day.
🤩 Such humor. I especially loved the funny parts about Sadie overhearing Joe’s “one-night-stand” phone conversation.
🤩 Sadie and Joe are the absolute sweetest MCs.
🤩 Captivating, clever, cute, interesting, and fun with the whole face-blindness plot.
🤩 The descriptive details from a faceless perspective are fabulous.
🤩 I adore Sadie as a the FMM—she’s so resilient, as all Cinderella type characters are.
🤩 Mental and physical health representation.
🤩 Joe takes care of Sadie. And, Joe is total book boyfriend material!
🤩 “I’ll be your model.” Thanks for the extra shot of forced proximity.
🤩 Oh my goodness, the miscommunication is so frustrating but actually understandable in the situation and created so much longing in me for them to understand each other and get together.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I just like a little more physical connection/interaction in my books. More kissing!!

Okay, the premise on this one is absolutely silly, but it works! Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who finally gets her big break as a top ten finalist for a portrait competition. BUT, in an ironic twist after an emergency surgery, she develops temporary "face blindness" and can't identify anyone at all by their facial features. Of course this will be the time period in her life when everything falls apart and she develops feelings for two new strangers: her dog's veterinarian, and the self-sacrificing neighbor who is there to help her through her life spiraling out of control.

This is every bit as far fetched as the premise sounds, but it's still super cute and swoony! The villain characters (mostly her sister) are cartoony and over-the-top in a way that makes their antics more comical than triggering. This is light-hearted and fluffy in a way that Center is known for. Katherine Center also does romance that is very clean and can be easily accessed by younger readers who only want to focus more on the endearing romance/relationship angle.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy!
3.5 stars

4.5 rounded up!! This was a really great book, I absolutely loved the main character and the plot was very unique and told really well. I listened to the audiobook and devoured it in just a few sittings, and the narrator was excellent. Katherine Center is now on my list of auto-buy authors!

Hello, Stranger is author Katharine Center’s tenth novel, all of which are discreetly different and very special stories. Sadie Montgomery is having a wonderful day! She is one of only ten finalists in the North American Portrait Society yearly contest. This is the big break Sadie had dreamed of and now, fourteen years after her late mother gained the same position but died before the competition, Sadie is thrilled to be able to compete in her mother’s stead.

However, as Sadie and her best friend Sue Kim prepare for an impromptu celebration, Sadie has a non convulsive seizure as she narrowly misses being hit by a VW beetle as a Good Samaritan pushes her out of the way. When Sadie later awakens in the emergency room, it’s to find her evil stepmother Lucinda lurking over her, and a battery of tests awaiting her. These tests will discover a Cavernoma, a congenital and inherited malformation of blood vessels in her brain, the same malady that took her mother. Surgery is the only answer, but the competition is only six weeks away and Sadie has a portrait to prepare! Can’t she put it off that long? After all, she has lived almost three decades not even knowing she had it!

The answer is a resounding no and Sadie is a model patient. That is until the person who could draw with Norman Rockwell precision discovers she cannot see faces! She has acquired prosopagnosia, or face blindness.

This is such a well written human story! The characters are so well drawn, the circumstances both dramatic and humorous, and the demonstrations of kindness perfection. Not only was this a mesmerizing story, but it was also a lesson in maladies that aren’t too common. I very much enjoyed this book and certainly do recommend it!!

After a sudden accident and a subsequent surgery, Sadie’s life is completely flipped upside down. Before the accident she was on the cusp of having her big break and finally making it as a portrait artist, but after waking up from the surgery, the brain swelling is causing her to no longer see faces. While this may be only temporary, she only has 6 weeks to paint the most important portrait she will ever create.

Katherine Center can do no wrong. She writes beautiful and emotional romances. Her characters always have some very tough issues to deal with that pull all of the emotions out, but you also know there’s a wonderful outcome coming. Sadie’s journey was no different. I was curious where the love triangle would go (although I did correctly guess the outcome for once), what would happen with Sadie’s portrait, and what snarky digs her step-sister Parker would make next. This was another fun rom com from Katherine.

Patti Murin did a phenomenal job with the audiobook. I loved her narration and how she brought the story to life.

Thank you to SMP Romance, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Sadie is barely getting by as a portrait artist, but landing as a finalist in an art competition is the break she needs to put her on the path to success. However, life is never that easy. She discovers a medical condition makes it necessary to undergo brain surgery. A supposedly easy surgery that should fix her right up, but she wakes to find out she can’t see faces. As if that’s not enough, her beloved dog gets sick and her evil stepsister moves into the building where she lives!

Sadie doesn’t know how she’ll be able to compete portrait contest with her condition but after some encouragement and counseling she’s determined to try other ways to sketch the human face.

Her beloved dog gets sick and she can’t lose Peanut! He’s a bright little ray of sunshine in her life, and the last connection to her dead mother. So, she takes him to the vet and immediately falls in crush with the sexy (from what she can tell, anyhow) vet, Dr. Oliver Addison. She also has strange run ins with her neighbor Joe.

Sadie had so many hits against her I was eager to see prevail! It took some work, change in attitude and help from those around her, but gradually bright spots came out of the negatives. Sadie’s past made it hard for her to rely on anyone but herself, but I was thrilled to see her learn to accept help from others when before she absolutely refused it. Her condition changed her outlook in profound, positive ways and it was a joy to see her grow. The romance had a bit of mystery to it. I suspected things, but I don’t want to say anymore, other than it was lovely!

Hello Stranger was sooo good! I was captivated from the first chapter and knew I’d have to finish in one day to see how it all turned out! I was all smiles as I finished, heart soaring with joy! Katherine Center’s note at the end really resonated with me! It hit the nail on the head on why I love romances: “love is nourishing” and “lets readers access a rare and precious kind of emotional bliss.” Yes!

I alternated between the audio and e-copy of Hello Stranger and I don’t think you could go wrong with either version. Patti Murin’s narration was perfection! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. Definite recommend!

4.5 well deserved stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have been a fan of Katherine Center for a long time. Her newest addition, Hello Stranger, not only met my expectations but surpassed them. I fell in love with the characters Katherine Center created and brought to life in Hello Stranger. It was so well paced, addictive in that I could not pull myself away from it and so well plotted. Hello Stranger just might be my favorite of all her books!

The main character, Sadie Montgomery, was a struggling but quirky portrait artist. Sadie lost her mother when she was a young and impressionable girl. Her mother was her best friend and she missed her each and every day even though it had been years since she died. Sadie had followed in her mother’s footsteps and had become a portrait artist. Sadie was intent in following in her mother’s footsteps as a portrait artist.

When Sadie learned that she was named as a finalist in an art competition that she had entered, she had high hopes that her luck and life was about to change. Sadie had just been informed that she was one of ten finalists in the North American Portrait Society competition. She had six weeks to prepare the portrait that she would submit for the competition. The prize money was impressive and could change her current lifestyle in so many ways.

Sadie lived in a rooftop shack/hovel in a building that was owned by her best friend’s family. Mr. Kim had been told that Sadie was using the shack as an Artist studio. Unfortunately, Sadie was so broke that she and her adorable and faithful dog, Peanuts, lived and worked in the shack/hovel. Her father was a well respected cardiologist but Sadie’s relationship with her father was estranged. Sadie needed her father after her mother died but he was not there for her. He had remarried and Sadie acquired a step mother and an evil stepsister. Her father was unaware of Sadie’s current living situation and her financial woes and that was the way Sadie hoped to keep it.

Sadie could never had imagined how her life was about to spiral out of her control. A seizure placed Sadie in the hospital the day she learned about her becoming a finalist in the portrait competition. She was told that she required brain surgery and that it couldn’t be put off. What timing! She finally consented and remained optimistic about being able to complete her portrait in time for submission. Unfortunately, the surgery left Sadie with a condition called acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia or face blindness. How could a portrait artist paint her models faces if she could not see their features? What was Sadie going to do?

Sadie had another problem. She was attracted to two men. Sadie found herself fantasizing about a relationship with Peanuts’s veterinarian, Oliver. Then there was Joe, who lived in her building and was always there when she needed him. How could she choose between the two of them? What was she going to do? Would a long and passionate kiss make up her mind in a most difficult decision?

I adored Sadie’s character. Sadie was courageous, hopeful, determined, skeptical of certain aspects of the people she was associated with, a true romantic and good friend. I was surprised but pleasantly pleased with the conclusion of Hello Stranger. As Sadie’s and Joe’s relationship blossomed, I found myself rooting for them to accept their fate. I wanted them to find happiness with each other. Sadie’s friend Sue was just the kind of friend Sadie needed. I enjoyed Sadie’s relationship with her therapist as well. I was happy to make this journey with Sadie as she learned to deal with her face blindness, began to heal and found her own love story. Hello Stranger spoke about family dynamics, despair, acceptance, hope and falling in love. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook that was narrated so well by Patti Murin. I highly recommend Hello Stranger to those of you who are hopeless romantics and can appreciate the real challenge that had been thrown in Sadie’s face.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I listened to the audio version and the reader was the perfect addition to an amazing book! I loved everything about it- dialogue, storyline, writing style and especially the way it made me feel. While the author is very popular, she is new to me but I will be reading all of her books now! Highly recommend!

This book was really entertaining. The ending was predictable but I enjoyed the process of getting there and did not mind guessing the ending. Will purchase for my library.

This was such a delightful read! I have had a lot of luck with Katherine Center’s books so I was incredibly excited to dive into her newest offering. There were parts of the story that were fairly predictable but I didn’t care since I was having such a great time. Once I started reading this one, I did not want to put it down. I had a wonderful time with this book and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out in the end.

Sadie was a great character and I loved getting the chance to see her work through some pretty big issues, including the sudden inability to see faces. Sadie is a portrait artist so seeing faces is vital to what she does. I couldn’t imagine dealing with some of the things that were thrown at her in this book. I really liked how the romance of the story was handled and thought it added a lot to the story. l I was eager to see Sadie find her happily ever after.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Patti Murin did an amazing job with this story. I thought her voice was perfectly suited to this book and enjoyed the various voices that she used to represent the cast of characters. I felt like she added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I listened to this book for hours at a time and believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment.

I would highly recommend this book to others! I thought that this was a wonderful story about a resilient character that I couldn’t help but love with a nice dose of romance worked in perfectly. I will definitely be reading more of Katherine Center’s work soon.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

5.00⭐️ | 📖🎧Hello Stranger by: Katherine Center | 📅 Pub Day: Tuesday July 11, 2023

I was so pumped to get a Hello Stranger ALC last night ( on the actual Pub Day, thanks to @macmillan.audio ) that I stayed up and binged the whole audio in one sitting BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD! After reading The Bodyguard in January, and subsequently giving that 5⭐️ and now Hello Stranger getting the same @katherinecenter has a nice seat on my auto buy author list!

Short and sweet synopsis: Sadie, a broke portrait artist becomes a finalist in an epic portraiture competition with a $10,000 prize. Through a series of unfortunate medical events she becomes “FACE BLIND” (which as you can imagine is a slight problem for a portrait artist) and there after hilarity, seriousness, love, and more ensues!

Thanks again to @netgalley , @macmillan.audio , and @katherinecenter for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Hello Stranger follows Sadie Montgomery as she is celebrating the recent news of being named a finalist in a portrait competition. This is could be the big break she has been waiting on but next thing Sadie knows, she is waking up in a hospital and needs to have a procedure that leaves her with "temporary" face blindness. This will not work when she has to have a portrait complete in just a few shorts weeks. With the help of a stranger, she is able to figure out a way to stay in the competition.

This was such a good read and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected! The audiobook was fantastic and i am very thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an early recording.