3.5⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Publication date ~ July 11, 2023
Page Count ~ 336
Audio length ~ 10 hours 39 minutes
Narrator ~ Patti Murin
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ face blindness, slow burn, no steamage

Sadie is excited about some news that could change her life when she has a seizure that does change her life. She has brain surgery that results in face blindness, which doesn't bode well for her career as a portrait artist.

I fount it to be a bit on the slower side as Sadie had to try to figure out who was talking to her based on their voice and what she can recognize of something someone has worn in the past. While I'm sure this is quite disconcerting and something I never want to experience, and I know this is the main plot, but it got to be a little much for me. How many times can one person dupe her ~ and the duper was a doozie.

She has 2 possible love interests:
Joe ~ the helpful neighbor who she mistakes for a sleaze.
Dr. Addison ~ the veterinarian who tends to her beloved, Peanut.
Who will she choose? I must say I am very happy with her choice 😉

Overall, I did not love this one like I did The Bodyguard, but I still liked it well enough. There is so much love for this one from other reviewers, so go see what they have to say.

I was fortune enough to have a kindle copy and an audio copy ~ both ways were fine. The narrator did a fine job. She totally nailed a good voice for the rude bully step sister, Parker.

Loved this charming story. It was engaging and educational as well. Loved the sibling drama and the fairytale like backstory - deceased mother, evil step-sister, etc. Loved that the prosopagnosia element created the opportunity for nuggets of wisdom to be scattered throughout the book - really seeing people, wishing things into existence, paying attention/being mindful of your day and those around you. Loved that aspect. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Katherine Center has done it again with another amazing romance. I was hooked on the story from the very beginning. The narrator made the story extremely enjoyable and had me laughing throughout the story. The book was sweet and lighthearted but it also took quite an intense turn when our main character Sadie developed a contain known as, Face Blindness. Which is not ideal considering the fact that she is a portrait artist. I highly recommend this book to anyone and if you haven’t read a Katherine Center book before I highly suggest you do. 5 stars!

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this book!

Sadie, a portrait artist, has a mishap and discovers that she has a genetic medical condition that requires brain surgery. The brain surgery results in face blindness, which is the premise of the story. We follow Sadie as she navigates this new normal- trying to figure out who is speaking to her, dealing with an evil stepsister and all the drama that comes with her, attempting to finish a portrait for a competition she's entered, and falling in love.

Although there were some storylines that didn't click at first, the ending of the book wrapped those up for me and had a fun twist.

Patti Murrin brings Sadie to life and made listening to this book spectacular! The narration was phenomenal and I kept finding myself wanting to continue listening to the story. I am a huge fan of this narrator!

This is a perfect beach read for this summer!

3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.

I listened to this one in a day. I love Katherine Center’s writing so much but I also can’t say this is a fave among her many books. It’s an interesting premise and executed with Center’s compulsive storytelling, hence devouring it in a single day, but it was also filled with anxious moments described so well that I was in constant physical agitation. A mark of an excellent writer, to be sure, but I craved a different balance.

Some things were easily hypothesized, some moments were humorous, many were emotional and fraught, and Sadie is stumbling blind through it all. Her stubborn streak and trauma was just begging for proper acceptance of therapy. It was entertaining and eventually cathartic, but I wanted to get to that catharsis faster, and shake a lot of people along the way. Still, it was also a fascinating journey seen through an artist’s eye and sensibilities. I didn’t hate it, it’s just not one I feel compelled to revisit.

* I received a free early audio copy from the publisher via netgalley

I'm annoyed.

I first tried reading this in print, but the writing was so bad, I gave up. I requested the audiobook from NetGalley and decided to give it a try that way. I'm much more forgiving of bad writing when listening to a book vs. reading.

I should've taken the hint and just stayed away. It wasn't awful, but it was completely unbelievable. So many things had to go exactly, perfectly wrong for this story to work in any way. It was a few too many layers of suspended disbelief for me. I only finished because I needed confirmation that the absolutely ridiculous thing that couldn't possibly have been true all along, was indeed true.

I loved The Bodyguard. I was looking forward to this. I am disappointed, but I will give Katherine Center another try next time.

I am conflicted about this book. I've read "How to Walk Away" and "The Bodyguard" by Center, and I loved both of those books without reservation. Then we come to "Hello Stranger."

I liked the idea of the novel and loved to read about face blindness. I still enjoyed Center's writing style. The mix of funny moments and drama are always enjoyable.

Unfortunately, that's where the trouble came from too. This book lacked the balance of the other two. Sadie goes through so many outlandish things, but then she also suffers tons of tiny disasters too. If someone told me all this happened in their life, I would recommend they become a full hermit because they or others were bound to get seriously hurt.

Sadie was also an incredibly weird character. She doesn't want help to the point of rudeness. She constantly tries to stand up to her family, but <spoiler>she completely backs down and says nothing when her best friend abandons her at the literal most crucial moment of her career.</spoiler> She's hard to sympathize with, and she's flat compared to Center's other leading ladies. The other characters were good, and I'd love to know more about the snake scientist with the huge boobs. Give me a whole book about that lady.

The twist is clear pretty early on, which would be fine, but it's way, way too implausible. It's so implausible that Center makes her main character explain it "to another character," but it was obviously an attempt to explain this incredible leap of logic to the reader. How could the vet not have asked about the adorable and perfect Peanut outside of the vet's office?

I loved parts of this book, but when I analyze the book as a whole, it's shaky as hell. Center is still a favorite, and I still plan to reread her other books. I just don't think I'll be rereading this one.

I received digital ARCs for both the e-book and e-audiobook.

More like 2.5 stars, but Patti Murin’s narration kicks it up a notch.

If you don’t know Center by now, this is more literary romance and not romance romance, so the steam is very minimal.

Face blindness is a great and unique premise that because you see the relative story arc and outcome from miles away (not even 20% into the book), there’s no mystery to it and a real challenge to pretend otherwise. This allows various faults to come to the surface. There’s the repetition--driving the point over and over again what face blindness is, how it works (or rather, doesn’t), and how people cope with it. It’s so bad throughout the book that when the ending we saw from miles away finally happens, the repetition again as everyone, and I mean everyone, put two and two together regarding who Joe is further crushes any good will towards the characters.

Sadie’s bestie was totally clueless in terms of what Sadie needed for support and a bad friend when it really counted (but I know, it’s a way to move Sadie and Joe closer together).
Sadie’s stepsister from Hell was certifiable and I wish she had more just desserts.
And I’m surprised Joe didn’t add some things up and realize what Sadie was struggling with, to outright ask her and connect some dots.

I’m sorry to be so vague, but again, read the first 20% and you’ll have this all figured out.

I love this book so much! The audio is delightful and perfectly accompanies the story itself. It’s so wonderful. Katherine Center is one of the best, most uplifting, solid storytellers we have today. Truly wonderful.

This novel is a must read for the summer! This is my first novel from Katherine Center and I was pleasantly surprised.
The writing was witty and comedic, I laughed aloud several times while listening.

Sadie, a young woman in her late twenties has suffered much loss in her life. As a struggling portrait artist she has an opportunity for what she is hoping to be her big break. However, an untimely accident leaves her with a rare condition called "face blindness". As she navigates this new challenge she finds herself connecting with and falling in love with not one, but two men.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable and lovable. It had the right amount of drama, obstacles, romance, and a happy ending with a twist.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katherine Center for an advance listening copy of Hello Stranger in exchange for an honest review. I truly love every Katherine Center book I have ever read and this one was no exception. The narrator did a fantastic job describing this story and I’m looking forward to more of their work in the future! The premise was extremely unique in this one and that made this one all the more interesting! This is another feel good love story and it will be available on July 11th!

This was a really cute listen! It was actually my first foray into audiobook listening - and I found this book to be perfect for that format. Since the book has to do with the narrator losing her ability to see faces, experiencing this through audio and not visually by reading really added to the experience. As for the story, it's one of Katherine Center's best and she really told a compelling romance with an engaging personal battle in it.

This book was both fascinating and fun! The story opens with Sadie getting knocked in the head in a freak accident, resulting in a case of "face blindness." She can no longer distinguish one face from the next, which is particularly tragic for her since she has six weeks to submit a final work to a prestigious portrait contest. She has dreamed of this forever; however, all of a sudden she finds herself unable to accurately paint portraits. Meanwhile, she has an emergency with her dog and finds herself dreaming of a possible future relationship with the vet and at the same time, spends more and more time with her neighbor, Joe, despite really disliking him at first.

As with many of Center's novels, this is a sweet, heartwarming book. Joe and Sadie's relationship from hateful neighbors to friendship to love is a delight to read. I found Sadie's journey with face blindness and her recovery fascinating. She goes through a period of discovery as she begins to learn who she is without her art as she knows it. The side characters...both her lovable friends and her horrid step-sister...add a lot to the story. Center deals with challenges like difficult family situations, loss of a parent, and physical trauma with a caring touch. It never crossed the line into being too much.

The audiobook version is great! Patti Muran does a great job portraying Sadie's unique character and does well with the voices of Joe and others. She keeps us within Sadie's world which adds to the experience of reading this one.

What I love about Center's novels is that they are all so unique in storyline while still maintaining the heart and warmth that we have come to expect from her. I recommend this to anyone looking for a bright, uplifting story.

My first taste of Katherine Center's stories was The Bodyguard. Since then, I have devoured almost all of her books and have enjoyed every one. I appreciate her quirky, real characters along with the satisfaction and joy that comes with the resolution of each story.
Hello Stranger was nothing short of my expectations. I laughed, I cried, swooned, and enjoyed the anticipation and nourishment of the love story! Learning more about acquired face blindness was an added bonus and made me appreciate the development Sadie's character went through in the story. Word to the wise, don't skip out on the Author's Note!
Thank you, NetGalley and Katherine Center, for the opportunity to read the ARC. I definitely stayed up past my bedtime getting lost in this beautiful story!

It is so refreshing to find a romantic story that has not been done be for. And a seriously legitimate reason for the miscommunication. And character development that shows our heroine will be just fine if she doesn’t end up with the guy.
If you are a romance fan- this is a must read. I highly recommend reading nothing about this book before digging in!

This was an really interesting premise. I’m a little torn, although I did enjoy some parts of it. Definitely had some mixed thoughts. But I did prefer it in audiobook format!

“We are all muddling through, we are all just doing the best we can. We are struggling with our struggles. The more good things you look for, the more you find.” - I loved this message!

Hello Stranger (Audiobook) was a very cute and quirky read. The face blindness aspect was very interesting and unique. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen!

Read if you like:
🧼 Clean Romance
🎨 Artist FMC
🌀 Quirky FMC
2️⃣ Two Love Interests
🧠 Face Blindness

I really adored this audiobook and blew through it pretty quickly. I loved how the book was set up with Sadie having temporary facial blindness as a result of medical condition.

I truly loved Sadie and how stubborn she was as it reminded me of someone *cough* definitely not myself *cough* and how she had to learn the hard way to accept help and work through her strong confirmation bias about the world and those in it.

I truly loved how her love triangle with Joe who lives in her building and her dogs veterinarian unfolds and enjoyed how she just couldn’t help herself and was feeling all the insta love vibes during this tough time in her life.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Prior to Hello Stranger, I had never heard of Prosopagnosia or face blindness. Not only did I learn about this disorder but I was engrossed in Sadie's story. With the exception of the face blindess, Sadie faced some very real obstacles that were relatable. I had a hard time putting this down.

I absolutely adored this book. It was so cute and quirky and the perfect light hearted read. I thought the main character, Sadie was hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. The face blindness aspect of this book was so unique and so interesting to read about. It really makes you think! Although I guess the big plot twist pretty early on I still really enjoyed the reveal. I highly recommend this one!