When I first finished Hello Stranger, I felt that I didn't have anything particularly positive to say about the book. It was my first ever Katherine Center novel, and I think my expectations may have been too high, given how popular she is. As I’ve had some time to sit with my thoughts, I realize that I do actually have some highlights. First, however, I’ll start with two key elements of the story that just didn’t work for me.

1. This book required some major suspension of disbelief in order to make the plot work. I can’t really say anything more without spoiling it (and I know for some people, the “twist” was their favorite aspect of the story), but I personally did not find the plot, specifically the ending, believable. In my opinion, all it would have taken was one single sentence of dialogue between the MFC and MMC to completely derail the entire romance engine.
2. The narration was very action-driven, a lot of “next I did this” and “then I said that” instead of setting the scene with descriptive language. I prefer stories that I can get completely lost in, rather than being told what’s happening.

However, at the end of the book there is an afterword by Katherine Center, in which she talks about why she unabashedly loves romance books. This section was my *favorite* part of the whole book. She talks about how so many books are driven by “negatively-valenced” anticipation, or a concern that things might get worse. But in HEA romance books, the anticipation is positively valanced. The predictability IS the point. That’s why we read them. That’s why we love them.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC. And thanks, Katherine Center, for the Happily Ever After. For that, I’m giving Hello Stranger 3/5 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center.

I absolutely loved this book. The ending and the authors note tied everything together so well and made me love it even more.
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I enjoyed reading about Sadie and her story. I empathized with her and her challenges and struggles with her medical diagnosis (don’t want to spoil anything!) . I also loved the friendship and the romance in this novel.

There were some miscommunication aspects to this novel but I was able to look past it with how it was set up and based on Sadie’s situation, ending and authors note.

I absolutely love Center’s writing, she is able have me connect and empathize with her characters so well.

I listened to this audiobook and can’t recommend it enough! The narration was so well done and paced perfectly!

Another amazing book by Katherine Center!

Loved Sadie immediately. Her struggles were a lot, but she kept on plugging along with grace and humor. Was not so sure about Joe at first, especially that elevator phone conversation, but oh my he grew on me.

This story is so unique and every character was perfect. I didn't know much about Sadie's condition going in but feel like I do now.

And Peanut - you had to love Peanut and his foodie ways!

From start to finish this book just warmed my heart!

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for both an ALC and an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Happy Pub Week!!!

What a bright, beautiful & fun book cover! While I have several of Katherine Center's books, this is the first one that I have read and I absolutely loved it. This is a book that I would love to see turned into a movie.

This is such a sweet, heartwarming story! Sadie has overcome so much in her life and the hits just kept coming…her seizure, slow recovery from her brain surgery (with complications), family drama, health issues with her senior dog, etc. While there were some moments of weakness, I truly enjoyed reading how she prevailed and dealt with any issue that came at her.

Such a delight to meet all of these characters - I loved Joe & Peanut!!! I thought there was great character development. This story grabbed me from the beginning - I was going back and forth between the ebook and audio because I just couldn’t put it down! I loved everything about this story! It is definitely a book that I would read/listen to again. I really enjoy when an author brings awareness to illness, issues, events that one may not typically know about. Katherine did this so beautifully! I have never heard of Prosopagnosia (Face Blindness) before. Sadie’s story definitely shows you that you shouldn't take anything for granted - sight in her case, because you never know when it will be taken away.

Hello Stranger is truly an epic love story - with “fabulous anticipation”! I adored the ending and the author's note at the end was icing on the cake.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬
Strangers to friends to lovers
Miscommunication
Love Triangle
Mental Health Trauma
Health Issues - Face Blindness

I had both the ebook copy and audio of this book. Patti Murin did a wonderful job with the narration!

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 11, 2023
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 336
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡:10 hours, 39 minutes

Thank you to @NetGalley, @stmartinspress, @katherinecenter & @macmillan.audio for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my honest review!

This delightful and heartwarming novel introduced me to Sadie Montgomery, a struggling artist whose life takes an unforeseen twist after a life-altering accident leaves her with face blindness. Center's portrayal of Sadie's journey was captivating, filled with humor and an underlying sense of hope. The well-crafted characters, including loyal best friend Sue and intriguing love interests Joe and Dr. Addison, added depth to the story. I appreciated the author's thorough research on face blindness, shedding light on this lesser-known condition. The narrative, exclusively from Sadie's perspective, was skillfully performed, delivering laughter, romance, and vibrant energy. This story was an unexpected joy, reminding me of the power of resilience, the value of chosen family, and the beauty of perceiving the world through different lenses. The audiobook narrated by Patti Murin, enhanced the already delightful experience of Katherine Center's novel. Murin's performance brought the characters to life with her engaging and animated delivery. Her narration skillfully captured the humor, romance, and liveliness of the story, making it a joy to listen to. As the sole narrator, Murin effectively portrayed Sadie Montgomery's perspective, immersing me in her world and emotions. Her voice added an extra layer of depth and authenticity to the characters, making them even more relatable and endearing. Murin's skillful interpretation of the story further heightened my enjoyment of this story, solidifying my appreciation for both the book and the talented narrator. If you're looking for an audiobook that will entertain and uplift you, I highly recommend giving this book a listen.

So I read this book in one day. I am an absolute Katherine Center fan and this book just further proves why. I am usually someone who is not that into love triangles, but this just somehow worked for me. I also found the premise to be really interesting and clever. I mean a painter that is face blind and then to up the ante works with a hot model... like say less. I was fortunate enough to go to a signing for this book and meet this author in person and it truly even furthered my love for her and this story. If Katherine Centers name is on the front cover I will be reading it no matter what's inside.

This was so adorably cute! Now - I did guess the twist around the 20% mark but I didn't even care due to how cute this book was. Would certainly recommend. The narrator is also very easy to understand at 2.5x speed.

Our FMC has realistic flaws, family - life - relationship - it all felt very real. this does include the miscommunication trope but it is done well because of the main plot and how the FMC sustained injuries making her ability to recognize faces go all wonky.

The ending wraps up everything nicely - 4 / 5 stars

TW: Death of a parent, verbal degradation via a sibling.

Very fun & enjoyable read. a bit of a Cinderella story with a rare medical disorder and a love story. I couldn't stop listening. The reader was incredible and gave great voices and kept the book fun. I felt myself drawn to the characters and really caring about them. I related to the character and felt the emotions jump off the page.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for giving me an advance copy of the book.

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭!

Another fantastic book from Katherine Center, you can’t go wrong with her stories, everyone one of them is unique, heartwarming and awesome. A perfect summer read.

Thank you SMP Romance for this gifted copy.

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 by Katherine Center releases tomorrow July 11, 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I really, really love this author's books! I liked the story almost just as much as her other novel i've read "The Bodyguard" - it had that same optimistic undertone and butterfly-inducing romance.

The story here was extremely, extremely predictable, so if that's something that you usually don't like, this might not be for you. It was almost so predictable that I wondered if it was on purpose and the reader was supposed to know what was happening all along? But either way, I did enjoy going through the story picking up on all the hints pointing toward the big reveal.

Overall, I loved Sadie, I loved our male main characters, I loved the conflict with her family. It was all just so well done! This author will continue to be an auto-buy for me.

This was a fun romance that kept me rooting for the main character the whole way through. Though Sadie is stubborn and struggling, her true heart and all she's been through make her a lovable character. I struggle with the Cinderella retelling aspects of the story as that's not my favorite and felt a bit contrived. However, I loved the uniqueness of a story about face blindness and the problems that ensued because of it. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fun read!

This is my second Katherine Center book and I loved it!

The narrator was fantastic! Sadie had a lot of self growth which was nice (because honestly at times she was annoying with her “I can’t get brain surgery because I have an art show even though I can’t see faces” 🤦🏽‍♀️ but overall watching her grow and realize things about herself and how she treated (and fixed) the relationships in her life was heartwarming.

Using the face blindness condition was a very interesting take. It was a fun change to the normal “don’t remember the guy”, since she was now meeting people without knowing if she met them or not. It definitely kept me on my toes, having to go off peoples descriptions, like their voice and their hair.

The audiobook for this, like I said the narrator was fantastic. It made it so I didn’t want to stop listening, so I started listening to this not just to and from school but when I was cooking and cleaning (shout out to this book for finally helping me unpack the second bedroom after 6months).

I had high hopes for this book after loving The Bodyguard so much but unfortunately this book didn’t meet them! I found the main character a little difficult to like and I felt like it took a long time to get into the story. I really enjoyed the relationship between Joe and Sadie but wish we had more.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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HAPPY PUB DAY to this super sweet read! After reading The Bodyguard I fell in love with Katherine Center’s writing style and was super excited at the chance to listen to this one early.
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Hello Stranger focuses on Sadie Montgomery, an aspiring portrait artist, who is learning to cope with a “probably temporary” bout of prosopagnosia, also known as “facial blindness”. Throughout her journey Sadie delves into her past, grows into a better person, and even befriends her neighbor Joe, who she thought is a total jerk.
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I found this to be a really easy and fast read. I was super hooked from the start. The concept was a fun one, while not completely unique, but very rare to read about, the idea of facial blindness, is not only interesting but downright scary. I appreciate all of the research Center did for this one. I found the character growth being so late in the story (you don’t see much until past 60%) to be a little bit difficult; Sadie’s can be a tad annoying with her stubbornness and need to “do things on her own.” Once her character shows that arc though - man is she a much better human.
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Hello Stranger is a romcom - totally predictable, and I will say in this case I felt the ending was pretty unrealistic, but still I was swooning like no other and I WAS HERE FOR IT. Katherine Center has a way of writing that will have you flying through the pages while making your heart sing. I love where this one went, the ups and downs and everything in between. It made my heart grow a few sizes and it made me eternally grateful for my ability to see faces. It’s worth ever second of that suspension of reality and enjoying the beautiful story.
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Overall, worth the read, worth the hype, Katherine Center is amazing, the end. Hello Stranger releases today! Be sure to check it out! Huge thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Katherine Center for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the narrator for the audiobook and I've loved every Katherine Center book I've read thus far and this is no different. Joe's character was absolutely swoon worthy and in so many ways reminded me of my own husband. Yes, I know how lucky I am. Sadie's character wasn't my favorite but I could relate to her insanity in so many different ways. Sadie overanalyzes things, I overanalyze things. Sadie is a good person, I like to think I am a good person. Sadie has a dog, I have a dog, and another dog. Sadie went through something traumatic, and though I didn't, at least not in the same way that Sadie had, I could see myself have acting in the same exact ways Sadie had.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I thought it was unique in a way I haven't read in any other book. I loved the side characters of Sue, Sadie's dad, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, and even Sadie's dad's wife. Ah, her name escapes me now, but that is the result of listening to an audiobook, I believe. I know it started with an L, but that's I can think of right now. I feel that woman's pain with having Parker has a daughter.

My only complaint about this book was the cursing. I know Katherine is not a "clean" romance author, but I felt like there was way more cursing in this book than in the other's I've read and maybe there wasn't, but I've been reading more, and more clean fiction lately and I could just be picking up on it more now, than before. Regardless, Katherine still writes romance like no other. She writes positivity and the world needs more of that. I love Katherine's books and I'll be ready to read and review the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an audiobook copy for early review.

𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: to laugh and fall in love at the same time.
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: July 11

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙"

This is another Katherine Center book that just stole my heart since its first page. Every time I read a book of hers, I know that she’ll deliver something more than a love story, there’ll always be life insights sprinkled in them that I just absolutely adore.

So here we read about a woman who refuses to ask for any help and a man who is a compulsive helper. 😂 But when you suffer face blindness after a recent brain surgery, living life everyday would be a little easier with a little help. Otherwise, you’re cluelessly breaking up with people left and right 😅 That’s all I would say about this book, because I really think you should just go in blind with this one!

As a healthcare worker, I love occasionally coming across stories with a medical component to it, I loved reading more about prosopagnosia from a patient’s perspective and the author was so smart with how to use this storyline effectively!

It took a little while for me to like the female lead, but hello for amazing character development at the end! I just love the chemistry between the two leads! That rooftop scene? Guys, please DM me when you get to this part because I am just gushing with how cute that scene was! The male lead? Top book boyfriend material! The banter? Equally flirty and witty! The ending? It was everything! ❤️

Ugh go read this please! I wasn’t even able to keep track of the tropes because I was fully immersed in this story!

Buddy read this with my tagged girlfriends and it made the book even more special. As we all know, life is busy rn and I’m so happy I was finally able to join a buddy read again!

"𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝘼 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚"

Thank you @netgalley for the free digital and audio copy!

💭Are you good with remembering faces or you remember names better?
☕️ I’m bad at both 😅

What an absolutely beautiful and heartwarming story. This, right here, is the definition of why I love books that much. This story truly made me forget about my life while I was entranced by it and left me with a feeling of better understanding of how to look at things.

Sadie is such a cute, fun character to follow. She’s quirky and even though life is hard with her at times, she continues to go on and try to be her better self with every day. Sadie had an amazing growth as a character, such a satisfying evolution. I usually complain when I get only one POV, but somehow, with Katherine’s writing, it feels like enough. I don’t feel like I’m missing on something.

The story is the perfect mix of sad moments, funny ones and swoony interactions. When Katherine says that romance is all about that perfect anticipation of getting toward happiness, she is right, and she proves she understands it completely with this book. Hello Stranger has accompanied me during a hard time and succeeded in making me feel better. After ending this book, you are left with a feeling that things can and will get better, you just have to keep being hopeful and focus on the happiness around you.

“The more good things you look for, the more you find.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I buddy-read this book with the #sqafbookclub and we had a delightful chat with Katherine Center. She shared her writing journey, her passion for Duran Duran, her books-to-Netflix movie adaptations, her recommended romance series on Netflix (see slide), and more! Katherine's friendly nature makes you feel like you've been friends forever.

🎨Sadie, the aspiring portrait artist, was about to enter a prestigious competition when an accident altered her life dramatically. She underwent brain surgery and was subsequently diagnosed with prosopagnosia, a neurological disorder that impairs facial recognition. Now, every interaction for Sadie feels like a new introduction.

🎨Sadie faced the daunting challenge of creating a sightless portrait for this life-changing competition. Her decision to create a touch-based portrait was truly fascinating! The painting scenes between Sadie and Joe, her charming neighbor and secret crush were truly captivating. I couldn't help but imagine this story evolving into Center's third Netflix movie.

🎨Sadie struggles with her new reality, facing an evil step-sister, distant father, eccentric stepmother, ailing dog, and two romantic interests. Concealing her recent diagnosis, Sadie relies on her heightened senses to differentiate between people. Engrossed in her journey, Sadie unravels her true identity and finds her desires amidst unexpected challenges. I was wholly invested in Sadie's journey as she unraveled her true identity and discovered her desires in the face of life's unexpected hurdles.

🎨I truly adored the unique storyline and Center's skill in creating unforgettable characters who capture your heart.

🎧 I enjoyed alternating between reading/listening. Patti Murin @pattimurin always brings the characters to life with distinct voices and engaging inflections.

It’s no surprise I love a Katherine Center book - this was my 6th and it was extra special because we got to chat to the author herself! She is just as wonderful and kind as you’d imagine, and I loved hearing her insight into the writing process and thoughts behind what all great rom coms should be.

The book itself is charming and funny as we follow Sadie through her diagnosis of prosopagnosia at a turning point in her life and art career. I love a good dog relationship and there’s an adorable one at the center of this book. While I did guess what would happen early in the book, I had fun the whole way through watching Sadie find her way. The characters are a little larger than life and so much fun. I highly recommend this and any other Katherine Center books for a lovely pick me up.

The audio was also fantastic for this read and gave extra life to the characters!

"Hello Stranger" by Katherine Center is Her Best One Yet!

Wow! It's been over two years since I've read a Katherine Center book. Two long years! So, I was worried about starting "Hello Stranger" and more than a little nervous, as well.

During this two year gap, I read less and less of the Romance genre, especially Rom-Com, as the stories began to sound muddled in my ears, my head, and in my heart. The thought of reading one more with the Insta-Love troupe or another with the bedroom door completely torn down, well let's just say it's not my idea of romance. I'm a little old fashion that way.

When I began reading and listening to "Hello Stranger" "all the feels" of a Katherine Center story came rushing back to me and all my concerns melted away. It was like visiting an old friend and getting a great big hug.

What I truly love about this author's storytelling is how she picks a topic, wraps it around a female main character who's struggling through it and trying to get to the other side as whole as possible.
Then, love walks in. And why not? Everything's a little better with it than without it, right?

In "Hello Stranger" our main character is Sadie Montgomery and she walks you through her story in a first person point-of-view that is touching, humorous, and believable. She's a struggling portrait artist who's having trouble seeing a few things clearly right now. That's enough to get you started and like all this author's stories, this one isn't only about romance, it's about life, dealing with challenging situations, memories from the past, and through it all, trying to carve out a future that works.

"Hello Stranger" was a joy to both read and listen to. My preference, by far, is the audiobook with the excellent narration by the talented Patti Murin. Her voicing is fabulous and worthy of a second listen!

There is one more thing you'll need to know about this author. I ugly cry with every single book I've read from her. Heck, I cried writing this dang review. I suggest you plan on having plenty of tissues to get through "Hello Stranger". It's a doozie.

I think I say this about every Katherine Center book after I've read it, this is her best one yet. I mean it this time. Really. I highly recommend "Hello Stranger" to everyone that reads!

5⭐

Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for a DRC and ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.