Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me, and I didn’t even read the synopsis before requesting Hello Stranger on NetGalley! I’m glad I didn’t because for a romance, this one is perfect to go into blind (pun intended!).

I loved the writing in this book. Center blends romance and women’s fiction so well, and can totally draw her readers in from page one! I always find reading about face blindness to be intriguing, but having a portrait artist that can’t see faces was a new take on it which was done really well.

Sadie, the main character, struggles with her new face blindness after an accident and has to figure out a way to paint a portrait for a contest she’s in. There’s a great scene in the book where she’s painting her neighbor and love interest, Joe. Joe is one of my new favorite characters, and everything about him was adorable.

There are some touching moments in this book as well as some laugh out loud funny moments. There’s a bit of a twist which I saw coming, but I loved reading the book to see when Sadie would figure it out. All in all another great story from Center, and I highly recommend it.

I listened along to the audiobook while reading my eARC, and I really enjoyed Patti Murin as the narrator. She brought Sadie to life and you could totally feel her angst with dealing with her face blindness.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review. And thank you Katherine Center for joining our book club for an amazing chat!

Things in Sadie Montgomery's life are beginning to look up. She's placed in the top ten for an upcoming art competition. She can finally prove to everyone that she can make a living doing what she loves and follow in her mother's footsteps. On her way to celebrate the good news, Sadie is in an accident and needs to have life saving surgery. It all goes well, but when Sadie wakes up, she realizes she's face blind. Meaning, she's unable to distinguish facial characteristics in the correct way. Everyone becomes a stranger.

With the art competition only a few weeks away, Sadie has to learn to navigate this new aspect of her life. Sadie begins to realize that there's a lot she hasn't been seeing.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I felt like the narrator really captured Sadie's spunky personality, but also the vulnerability she experiences as she deals with the aftermath of her accident. I thought that she did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice, while also keeping Sadie front and center.

I think that this book is hands down my favorite of Katherine Center's. She has such a way of taking traumatic events and topics, but making them full of hope. I had never heard of face blindness - or prosopagnosia - before reading Hello Stranger. It really makes you think about how all the senses are connected and work as a unit, but when one isn't working how the others have to step up and build up stronger. It also really showcases how much we, as people, perceive with our sight first and how that kind of start the building-block of our assumptions - for better or worse - about one another.

Sadie loses that perception. She has to make up for it by trying to distinguish voices or how someone walks, what they wear. She has to listen more about what people say. It's an interesting premise and a very real reality for some. I think that Katherine Center does a great job of making this understandable for people who have never experienced something like this before.

I loved the interactions between Sadie and Joe. I think it's safe to say, with Sadie building up her "new normal" there's going to be missteps. She's a very prideful person. She has been ever since her mother died and she had to begin a new life with a stepmother and stepsister who would constantly blame Sadie for the trouble she caused. She doesn't like to ask for help, she doesn't want the pity. She tries to navigate things as if she's fine, everything is fine. She learns over the course, that it's ok to not be fine, it's ok to ask for help.

Joe on the other hand always wants to help. He tries really hard to anticipate people's needs before they might ask for help so he can be ready. It's interesting to see Sadie and Joe kind of coming at things from opposite sides and meeting in the middle in that regard. All of there interactions are my favorite parts of the book. It's where we see Sadie begin to let her guard down just a little and be vulnerable.

I'll say that I called a few aspects of the story. I'm not upset about it. I was really interested in seeing how everything would play out in the end. This story is a near perfect read for me. I would have loved a little more closure on the relationship between Sadie and her family, but I understand that sometimes things don't get settled completely. They getting settled just enough.

Overall, this is another great read from Katherine Center. She's an author that should already be on your reading list, and if not, then you need to do so ASAP.

🌺🌸🌼🌺🌸
✨Happy Pub Day✨
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

📖Review
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 68/100
📚Hello Stranger
💫Genre: Romance
✍️Katherine Center
E-Book 5🌟✔️
Audiobook 5🌟✔️
Narrator: Patti Murin

📝Synopsis 📝
Sadie a struggling artist gets the opportunity to compete as a finalist in an art competition her late mother competed in and placed. Not only does she have to proved herself to her father, she also has a step mother and step sister who’s gaslighted her a bit too much.
Last but not least, she wasn’t expecting to suffer from a neurovascular issue and fall for not one but two guys🫢

💭My Thoughts 💭
This was my first Katherine Center book, and I loved it so much and her writing style. This was a cozy read that had me giddy turning pages, and I even happily listened to the audiobook version right after…NO REGRETS! I loved the plot and character development, heck I even liked Lucinda (until the end)…but that evil step-sister was intolerable and a great addition to the story. I loved that this particular story brings light to Face-Blindness, and enlightened me with so many facts about this condition. I don’t want to give major spoilers, but if you love:
Heartwarming books✔️
Unique Plots✔️
Family Drama✔️
A love triangle✔️
Swoony Characters✔️
Then this one is for you!

✨Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio
for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📌Publication Date:
July 11, 2023
✨✨✨✨✨
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#bookreview #booktok #books #booksarelife #bookrecommendations #bookrecommendation #booklovers #booklover #fictionbooks #romancebooks ##netgalley #HelloStranger #netgalleyreads #bookworms #bibliophile #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

Hello Stranger was a journey of personal growth for Sadie. I didn't figure out her name until later in the books because a person doesn't call themselves by their own name. We are mostly shared her thoughts and point of view. Sadie had a rough childhood with her mother's death, her father's withdrawal into grief and then the evil stepmother and stepsister.

She loves art which is her mother's legacy, and treasures some of her mother's things. Then she needed brain surgery or she might die suddenly like her mother did. I really appreciated how kind and positive she stayed with all the past and present problems she has. I don't that I would have been so strong. But some of the family issues seemed a bit over the top. How could they be so evil?

Even though part of her development has her thinking she didn't give enough, somehow she had her amazing friend Sue and her parents so she wasn't without any support or love. Her reluctance to accept help or tell anyone about her challenges seemed believable. Thankfully, she has Peanut to calm any distress.

Like most other books by this author, the heart is this character Sadie and how she struggles, survives and even triumphs in her life. The romance is a bit of a side story. I liked how helpful Joe was and eventually connected him to his profession while Sadie didn't. Their miscommunication was miserable and sad. Really, Sadie was so honest and forthright, it felt unfair.

I really enjoyed Hello Stranger and recommend it. The emotional ride while sometimes a bit silly or unrealistic, is also inspiring. It was so easy to root for Sadie all along.

Narration:
I've listened to Patti Murin previously. She infused Sadie's voice and thoughts with emotion and this was an emotional time for her. All the voices, male or female, were distinct and seemed appropriate. I enjoyed her performance. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.

“Love isn’t blind is just blurry “ has definitely catches my attention from the first second I read it.
I loved the previous book more if I’m being honest but while that one was my first by the author, I knew I had to read this book as soon I could.
Talk about a beautiful, fulfilling romance story. I loved the characters with all their insecurities, flaws and up and down fires. Their chemistry and interactions held me captivated and some of the secondary characters are really good people. It’s not all fluffy sweet moments, her stories are filled with real life issues and how the characters take on them and the outcome is really beautiful to see through the author’s research and imagination.
I think it’s a beautiful romance that many readers will enjoy.
The narrator has brought to life these characters and their story. I liked the voice and it was really easy to follow through.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the author and join some friends for a bookclub in an interesting discussion about this story and her now 2 other books that are made into movies.
It was really interesting and captivating and I’m grateful for being able to join.

Thank you @MacMillan.Audio and @SMPRomance for the #gifted ALC and eARC of HELLO STRANGER. And yes, I loved this book so much that I also bought the @BookOfTheMonth edition as well!

Katherine Center has been an autobuy author for me for awhile now and every time I get her joyful little newsletter or read one of her books, I love her even more.

While I guessed the ending pretty early on, I still absolutely adored this one. The concept of a portrait artist who gets a case of face-blindness after having brain surgery was fascinating. I kept imagining how challenging it would be to look at a loved one’s face and have no clue who they are. And how wild would it be to fall in love with someone without knowing what their face looked like?!

KC writes with so much joy despite challenging topics. You can’t help but fall a little in love with her characters. The audiobook version also included a mini chat with KC at the end where she talks about how people read books for the feelings of anticipation we get. In thrillers we get stress and tension anticipation. But in romance books, we get oxytocin boosted anticipation of watching two people fall in love. And that is why romance readers love romance books. They literally give us happy feelings! How cool is that?!

HELLO STRANGER is out July 11!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5653237734
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuhYCRbLiE-/

Katherine Center is quickly becoming a must read author for me. Her books are always funny but with a certain amount of depth that just gives me all the feels.

I adored both main characters. I thought Sadie handled the situation she was in well. Honestly, better than I would have probably handled it. She had a few pity parties, but who wouldn’t?? And Joe… Nicest guy ever!! Seriously. I just loved him. This book has amazing side characters! Sadie’s bff, Sue, and her family were great and I loved the way they supported Sadie. The antagonists were easy to hate until I didn’t hate them anymore.

I loved the “you only see what you want to see” message. And the ending surprised the heck out of me. I guessed one small part of the twist but I was shocked in the best way. The entire book was charming and witty.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was fabulous. I thought she did a fantastic job expressing humor and more serious emotions when needed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️ 4/5 | 🌶️ 1/5

In the middle of my sea of angsty, spicy books, Hello Stranger was such a sweet, fun ride full of fluffy humor and my fave trope - Doggos!

Sadie’s journey of self discovery while navigating medical problems that leave her face blind was such a refreshing story to read. Her conflicting emotions when exploring her unintentional love (lust?) triangle were also super relatable.

Joe is a darling and a closed-door romance book boyfriend goal. What a sweetie to keep Sadie grounded and confident.

Thoroughly enjoyed this sweet romance. Thank you to Katherine, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for sharing this audiobook with me!

If you have read Katherine Center books before, you’ll know that Hello Stranger is a fun read with great dialogue and a fun - if a bit outlandish! - plot. If you haven’t read any Katherine Center, what are you waiting for?

This book follows Sadie, who is finally on the cusp of professional success as a portrait artist… until she needs brain surgery just before she begins a portrait that will be entered into a prestigious contest. She wakes up to find the surgery was successful, only she is now suffering from face blindness and can no long see anyone’s face… a serious issue for someone who paints faces for a living! As she learns to navigate through a world without faces, Sadie’s life gets even more complicated when she finds herself falling for two separate men - and she doesn’t even know what they look like!

This was definitely a great summer read, and a very quick one. I highly recommend the audiobook - Patti Murin is one of my favorite narrators and she did an amazing job bringing to life the personalities of all the characters, especially Sadie’s manipulative stepsister Parker. It wasn’t my favorite book of Center’s - Sadie was a bit tough to root for at times, and I figured out the plot pretty early on. However, it was definitely a fun read and I really learned a lot about face blindness.

Thank you to St. Martin for the ARC and MacMillan Audio for the advanced audiobook!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Katherine Center and wonderfully narrated by a favorite, Patti Murin - 5 stars!

Sadie is finally starting to achieve her dreams - she placed as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. But then, the next thing she knows she's lying in a hospital bed with a condition that requires brain surgery. After that surgery, she has face blindness - she can no longer recognize the faces of anyone, which is definitely not a condition that a portrait painter needs. It's supposed to be temporary but shows no sign of abating. She no longer wants to leave her apartment and only does when her beloved dog, Peanut, takes ill. She falls hard for the vet, Dr Addison, who also leaves her disappointed. Then there's her neighbor, Joe. And the competition deadline is approaching!

Katherine Center writes the best romance novels - ones you just want to curl up and immerse yourself in. Which is pretty much what I did. You will root for Sadie, cheer on her friend, Sue, and her family, and shake your head at Sadie's own family. Center's novels give the reader a perfect combination of romance, hope, laughter, joy - I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite but sure loved this one! I switched between the digital and audio versions but I'm a big fan of Patti Murin so ended up listening to much of it. The face blindness aspect was very interesting too - be sure to read the author's note.

Katherine Center has done it again! One of my favorite contemporary romances I have read this year. This had such a unique way of telling a romance story and having a journey of self discovery. Sadie figuring out how to navigate her injury and diagnosis through some self realizations was masterfully done. Cannot wait for the next one from Center!
Thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of Hello Stranger

5 Stars!
I'm not sure how Katherine Center does it. I have a few must-read authors, but I can’t say that I've loved every one of their books. It’s reasonable that a reader won’t resonate with every book by a favorite author. The thing is, I've yet to be disappointed by one of KC's stories. I simply connect with her style of writing with its breathtaking mix of poignancy, wit, and romance.

Hello Stranger has a creative premise and with careful research, the author fashioned another unique heroine with Sadie's altered vision after a traumatic accident. The heroine navigates a painful past, the interest of possibly two different men, and her family's unrealistic expectations.

My attention was snagged from the very beginning and never waned. With Sadie's inability to recognize faces, I got to see what she didn't and enjoy the untangling of her misconceptions. As with every Katherine Center book before this one, I felt joy throughout my reading and it was irrepressible by the end.

Notes on the audiobook:
The audio presentation was excellent. I can usually tell when reading would be a better experience than listening. Aside from simply liking the narrator's voice, I also have to agree with the narrator’s interpretation of the material. I know that I’ve listened to Patti Murin before, but now I’ll be sure to check her library of work for more great listens. Her voice(s) suited the material perfectly with smart cadence, diction, and expression.

Happy Pub Day to Katherine Center and Hello Stranger! Pub Day 7/11

I'm a fan of Katherine Center. She is known for writing solid romances with fun storylines full of comfort and hope. Yet she always introduces the unexpected into what is typically a highly predictable genre. In this case it's a struggling artist with a strange side effect from an injury, a couple (??) of possible love interests, and the cutest sidekick of a dog I've seen in a while.

What I love about this book is the way Center works in an interesting and relatively unknown medical condition that forces our artist to approach work and life in a different way and to learn that it is ok to let others help you. I found the family dynamics to be over the top and the conclusion a bit farfetched, but it was still a fun and fast read. Maybe not my favorite Katherine Center book, but I'll still be first in line when her next book is released.

Note: The author's note starts as a reference to her sources for the research on the medical condition and continues into her love letter to romance books and the romance genre. It is well worth your time.

I both read and listened to this book. I enjoyed Patti Murin's narration of the book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio, and Net Galley for the Advanced Reader's and Advanced Listener's copies of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram tomorrow!
This was a cute read. Definitely a palette cleanser for me! The characters were fun and it was a great journey to go on with them. I loved Joe! He was my favorite. I wish something happened to the step-sister, but man karma please do your thing.

I enjoyed this one much more than The Bodyguard. This was fun, and engaging. The concept was different. I have never heard of face blindness. I thought the twist was well done. I called it a bit before but wasn’t sure if it was going to be what was going to happen.
I read this one as an audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator. I felt that I was able to enjoy this one more because of that audio connection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this book.
My opinions are all my own. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a really quick and cute read! I'd not read anything from this author before and found this to be a really easy, light-hearted romcom. It is close door (which I wasn't aware of), but I enjoy those on occasion and thought the banter between the characters made for some great chemistry!

I had this ARC as both an ebook and audiobook and listened to the first 80% of it before switching to ebook for the end. The narrator had a very appealing voice and I would recommend listening if you're an audio fan!

The characters were really fun in this and I thought the face blindness was fascinating! I found the condition was written well so the reader can really understand what she's going through, and it worked great as a plot devise to force the FMC to grow as an artist. I enjoyed Joe as a MMC and he was a nice cinnamon roll of a character. I do wish the characters had a little more depth as I didn't find myself connecting with them in a deep way and I did find some of the side characters to be a bit one dimensional, especially within her step-mom and sister.

I feel like there could have been a little more development in the relationship, as it felt like there wasn't a ton of interaction before the L word was thrown around, but overall they were really cute together. I just wanted a *little* more from them.

Overall, this was a cute, easy to read romcom. I didn't *love* it, but it was a really quick read and had me smiling and chuckling to myself a bit. I recommend for anyone who wants a nice lighthearted summer read!

Spoiler:

I'm a bit confused about if the twist at the end with the two being the same person was supposed to be a surprise. I was under the impression from the description that we knew they were one in the same (and also the Good Samaritan) and felt the author made it clear in describing how the face blindness could affect her that this was the case, but in thinking back to the “reveal” and in looking at other reviews, it seems like it was not obvious to others? I thought the author set it up to have the readers be “in the know”, but if that's not the case, then I'm slightly disappointed as I think the author could have made it not as obvious (and fixed the description as that's what led me to believe they were the same guy right away). It was still a fun read, but a very obvious plot twist if that's the case.

This book is aggressively adorable. And I mean that in the best possible way. Is it predictable? Of course. It’s a romance (adjacent), so naturally you expect to fall in love, encounter an issue/ fight, then get an HEA. I knew what was happening all the way through (why else would EVERYONE use different nicknames for people), but I still loved it. I thought Sadie was relatable and likable. I nearly cried (a supreme rarity for me) when she described her traditions for her mom’s birthday. A great lighthearted read when you need to feel happy or believe in love.

The plot of this story was so interesting and different, I loved it. I had not read a book about this topic before, it was very enjoyable to learn about it and how Sadie navigated the challenges that came with it.

I loved Sadie’s character, I could relate and empathize with what she went through when losing her mother. I was so invested to learn more about her family life and her friendships.

I could see the plot twist from the very beginning, but it did not deterred me from enjoying it. It was actually really satisfying when everything was revealed.

The love interest was and absolute sweetheart, loved the romance aspects so much. The love triangle was great and well done.

Absolutely recommend for everyone to read this one as soon as it’s released! I was lucky to receive an ebook arc and the audiobook, loved the narration. It was great and enjoyable, reading the digital copy was great as well so I would recommend both.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy of this book before the release date in exchange for my honest review.

Sadie Montgomery is diagnosed with face blindness after an unexpected brain surgery. She can still see, but she’s seeing faces as jumbled puzzle pieces. While she’s been told the condition is probably temporary, Sadie has to figure out her new normal. As a portrait artist, Sadie makes her living from being able to see and paint faces. While she’s learning to cope with this, she meets two men and begins to fall hard for one of them.

Hello Stranger is such a cute romance. Katherine Center can do no wrong in my book. The twist was a little predictable, and I felt like it dragged a little bit getting to the big reveal, but overall I really enjoyed the characters and storyline.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a free copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Interest

I had a lot of fun listening to her best selling book, The Bodyguard, last year and was so hoping there’d be a new book from her this year. When I saw it on audio I requested it. (I’m no longer requesting “print” books–only audios).
The Story

Houston portrait painter Sadie has just had the big break possibility of her life–a chance to win a juried portrait show with a prize of $10,000. Since Sadie has had to give up her apartment and move herself and her ancient dog, Peanut, into her studio, this would be a huge help. Just when she’s on the brink of making it she is hit by a car and loses the capacity to see faces!!!

Meanwhile, Peanut has been boarded at a new vet clinic while Sadie was hospitalized. The new vet is HOT! And nice and, well, the stuff of Sadie’s dreams. There’s a guy in her building who might just be ok, too. If only the swelling in her brain would go down and the face blindness would go away forever.
My Thoughts

I wasn’t sure she could top The Bodyguard, but darn it all–I loved Sadie and Peanut. And Joe and Oliver, the cool vet with the “Ivy League” hair style, and Sue and and….well, pretty much everyone except Step-Mom Lucinda [cringe–that’s my Mom’s name] aka “Martha Stewart” and her daughter, Parker, who reminded me of the wife of that red headed Royal who is always buying herself humanitarian awards. You know the one that didn’t attend the coronation? And always plays the victim? Yes, Parker was that level of evil. Even though I figured out the book’s great surprise/secret–it didn’t matter. The journey to get to it was just so fun.

Please let this be the second of a long string of wonderful rom-com books from Katherine Center.
My Verdict
4.0

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center publishes July 11, but is available now for pre-order. (Link is the Amazon USA)

The audio performer consistently mispronounced the word “hovel.”

Sadie Mongomery has spent much of her adulthood trying to prove to her father that she has her life on track. When she finds out that she is a finalist in a portrait competition, she feels like she finally has a chance to honor her mother and show the rest of her family that she is proud of her choices. Suddenly, a medical incident leaves Sadie with face blindness and she feels like her chances to succeed have been crushed.

Hello Stranger is a stand-alone contemporary romance. While the book does cover the MCs frenemies to more relationship it also heavily follows Sadie’s health journey.

Trigger/Content Warnings: medical emergency, bullying by family member, parental death

I had previously heard of face blindness but was not familiar with all of the technicalities. The amount of time and research the author put into studying this condition really comes across throughout the storyline. I learned quite a bit and appreciate the sensitive but realistic way in which face blindness is conveyed.

I have read each of this author’s books and she continues to impress me every time. Everytime I think I have found my favorite Katherine Center book, she writes another exceptional work of art. I can’t wait to see what she has for her readers next.

Patti Murin is one of my favorite solo narrators. She does a fabulous job bringing the characters of Hello Stranger to life. Her portrayal of Sandie’s snarky “evil” step-sister is particularly delightful.

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio!