This book was a TRIP! The main character Sadie is a witty realist who experiences a medical development which quite literally changes how she sees the world. Full of frank discussions of loss and the grief which envelops those the dead leave behind, this book also contained moments of great levity, mistaken identity (although I’m still not sure how realistic it was), and made me rethink how I interact with the world, specifically with the faces of people in the world. The audio-reading of this novel was emotive and engaging, and I found myself able to enter Sadie’s head much more completely. This is the second novel of Stranger’s I’ve read and her injection of snark and novelty into her work has made me a definite subscriber.

This was cute. If you have liked Katherine Center books in the past, you will like this one, too. I thought the exploration of "face blindness" was extremely interesting, and not something that was just used as a cheap plot device. It also wasn't just done away with easily; it felt like a real conflict in the MC's life that brought other things to the surface. The audiobook was very good as well. I called what was going on with the two love interests sooner than the author wanted me to, I think, but it didn't affect my enjoyment. Anyway, I normally hate love triangles, but it works here.

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

Sadie, like her mother, is an artist. After a very public seizure she discovers that she has more in common with her mom than just their artistic abilities. Sadie also has a genetic condition, the exact same one that killer her mom, that requires immediate brain surgery. After surgery Sadie develops some swelling that caused a temporary prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Soon after, she begins to fall for two very different men. Because she can not see their faces she has to rely on other aspects...their personalities, charm, and even their gait, to decide which she has the better connection with. Will it be her crass but charming neighbor or the compassionate veterinarian who saved her beloved dog, Peanut? & Is love truly blind?

How good is a book when you feel like you know exact what's going to happen and exactly how it's all going to play out, yet you still cannot put it down? This was my third Katherine Center book and my favorite of the bunch. So far I've liked each book more than the last & look forward to whatever she writes next! I enjoyed Patti Murin's narration and felt like her voice was perfect for the character of Sadie. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

I absolutely loved this book! This is the first time I encounter face blindness in a romance novel and I felt so many emotions throughout the book thanks to this rep - my heart ached for Sadie when she found out she had face blindness after surgery, I was anxious for her, I was frustrated with her, I whooped at every milestone and bit of progress and eventually, I laughed because of the crazy situation this led her into. I always find it says a lot when I feel so much and so deeply when reading a book! I do have to say though, I'm not sure how Sadie made it out alive with the degree of second hand embarrassment I felt on her behalf! I think if I had been in her place, I would've melted into a puddle on the floor. Hahaha! I am very happy she found her HEA though.

The narrator for this book is brilliant! I really enjoyed listening to her and I feel like she got Sadie spot on! I'm also impressed cause I feel like she portrayed Joe very well too.

Content warnings: Death of a parent, bullying, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders, infidelity.

A huge thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

The narration was done super well for this book; however, the story gets 3 stars from me.

What I liked:
- The premise was promising
- The message this book sends to readers

What I didn't like:
- The weird love-triangle with the twist
- None of the characters were very likable... especially the FMC
- The plot felt like it dragged on forever and like nothing was actually happening

I absolutely loved The Bodyguard and was really bummed when this one wasn't panning out the way I had hoped it would.

This was my first audiobook that wasn't nonfiction/a biography and I'm not sure if romance audiobooks are for me. I found the narrator to be grating and the plot is quite predictable. I also gave a low star score because there's an instance of fatphobia early on in the book that does nothing to move the plot and does not involve the main character (it's almost like it didn't need to be there at all...). I will say that if you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy or other medical dramas, this might pique your interest.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read a romcom like this in a long time. Entertaining, laugh out loud funny and in no way cheesy. Highly recommend this read if you need a slightly more complex romance that will have you laughing out loud.

Already posted to Goodreads. This was great!!!

Predictable, but really cute and original for a rom-com. Face blindness has been used a bit in thrillers, but I think using it in a rom-com was a genius idea.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Katherine Center is a wonderful writer. One can tell she does a great deal of research for her stories. Hello Stranger is about a young female portrait artist who develops a medical condition which interferes with her ability to recognize faces. Character development is great and has you rooting for the good guys and cursing the bad. Patti Murin does a beautiful job bringing the book to life with her outstanding narration. I really enjoyed listening to this book and thank Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC.

This is such a charming summer read, I appreciated the chance to listen to this book while enjoying an early little summer break this past week. I read this book earlier this year from St Martin's as well and knew it would be the perfect book to support as an audiobook in particular, I really like romance novels/rom coms on audiobook. Hello Stranger is a fun book that takes on themes with memory, artistry, family (esp found family, always a great theme), and the simple messy joy of finding your place and pace in adulthood.
Patti Murin's narration was great, it brought to life Katherine Center's words nicely and her pacing and intonation really suited the story well.

Definitely a great audiobook for a summer walk, a road trip, or listening by the pool/on the beach if that's your thing. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and other romance/women's fiction writers such as Emily Henry, Ava Wilder, Elissa Sussman, Jojo Moyes, Abby Jimenez, etc.

This was a cute little romance. The FMC develops a condition, commonly known as Faceblindness. Which sucks because she is a portrait artist in a huge contest with a $10,000 prize. While her life is going way off course, she meets 2 guys that she begins to develop feelings for.

I liked this one. The faceblindness make it unique. It had a fun little twist. It was funny. But ultimately it’s not a favorite for me. I found myself feeling a little annoyed by the FMC at times. I wanted to keep listening and find out the ending, but it just didn’t give me that feeling I was hoping for.

Katherine Center has done it again! This book made me laugh, scream in frustration, and even tear up. The characters were so so much fun. I enjoyed listening to them develop and grow in their thinking as they were thrown into a crazy situation. This book also approached chronic illness in a really beautiful way. The thinking was very accurate and I could really empathize with what the main character was going through. If I could only ever read one book for the rest of my life it would be this one.

I loved the whole concept of this book. I have never read anything quite like it. The female main character goes through a traumatic experience and has to learn how to live her life in a new normal. She went through such a character development and it was so cool to see how everything turned out.

The male lead was such a sweet person. I loved the twist at the end even though I called it from the beginning. Their relationship was adorable and I loved how giving he was. Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It was an adorable love story.

This wasn't for me. I think I may have enjoyed it more if I didn't listen to the audio version. The narrator came across as whiny to me. I also felt that it was very predictable very early on and very repetitive.

The cover was very cute and I'm still looking forward to reading more Katherine Center in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The author’s note was just the chef’s kiss! In it, she expreses how someone saying the romance book they read was predictable or unrealistic. Instead, she asks us to shift our views and remember exactly what the purpose of a romance novel brings to us. These books give us a predictable, but positive structure to look forward to. These books give us hope, joy, and bliss.

The anticipation in this love was something I looked forward to seeing unfold.

I found the story of Sadie having face blindness right after celebrating a high achievement, so unique. Sadie is an artist who focuses on faces for a living. She places as a finalist, hit then her world is flipped upside down when she wakes up in the hospital diagnosed with face blindness. She doesn’t know how she’s going to cope. Every face she sees is like a puzzle. As if that’s not enough, she is dealing with family issues that have stayed with her and somehow try to figure out how to continue with her artistic dream. She meets a man in her apartment building, but is put off by his behavior towards women. Her dog needs to be seen and she meets a nice veterinarian. Even though she didn’t have a good first impression of the guy in her apartment building, they end up in the same areas and start talking…. Now she has two men in her life that she’s having feeling towards. She’s starting to see things in a different way…

I loved every bit of this book! From the unique storyline to the audiobook narration. I was hooked from the beginning and waited patiently for that beautiful ending I wanted.

Although predictable, I loved this story. It was the perfect easy, summer read. I enjoyed learning more about face blindness and felt that added some uniqueness to the storyline. Katherine Center always publishes solid stories!

2.5 stars.

I didn’t like this book as much as “The Bodyguard.” I just felt like main character, Sadie, was just SO self-absorbed and constantly played the victim. Sometimes it was warranted, other times, it seemed like she just wanted to throw a pity party for herself. She constantly gets in her own way because of it.

I struggled through parts of it because it felt like the plot was going nowhere, and I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think at least 20% of the book could have been cut, and it wouldn’t have detracted from the book.

There is also a lot of family drama that’s alluded to and briefly crops up in various forms, but doesn’t really have much impact until the last quarter of the book. It felt rushed and sloppy, and I think there could have better character development with it.

I would also have questions that took a long time to finally get answered in the book, specifically around Joe’s character. Sadie doesn’t seem to question her initial suspicions of Joe, and it bothered me that she so easily overlooked what she initially thought were red flags.

Some may find that the book’s ending is predictable. I had suspicions but never knew for sure, so that added some intrigue to the story.

I could tell this was a well-researched book, which added some realness to it, which I appreciated. I think if the main character was more likable, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Simply put, this is not my favorite book by the author, but maybe others will enjoy it more than I did.

Sadie Montgomery, a talented portrait artist, is suddenly diagnosed with face blindness after achieving a major milestone in her career. As she navigates her new reality of seeing faces as jumbled puzzles, Sadie also grapples with family issues, pursues her artistic dreams, and unexpectedly finds herself torn between two men. Despite the challenges, Sadie discovers that sometimes we find what we need when we least expect it and that there are different ways of seeing beyond physical appearances. As a fan of Katherine Center, I was eagerly looking forward to reading Hello Stranger which is one of my most anticipated summer reads! I devoured the book in just one day! Center's writing style never fails to provide a comforting and engaging reading experience and the pacing was just perfect. I was particularly touched by Joe's unwavering understanding and support for Sadie throughout her journey with facial blindness. The author skillfully portrayed Sadie's struggles and doubts, while also emphasizing the importance of kindness, hope, and overcoming obstacles. I couldn't help but fall in love with Sadie's quirky and lovable complex character. I highly recommend picking up Hello Stranger if you’re a fan of Katherine Center’s work or are a romance reader!

Also the audiobook narrator was wonderful on this!!

I really enjoy Katherine Center's books. She's great at creating situations and inner monologues that elicit a chuckle. I didn't know a lot about prosopagnosia (face blindness), but I always love to see disability representation and it made me more excited to read the book.

Sadie seemed a bit lost. She has a largely absent father, a step-sister who seems to have taken notes from Cinderella's step-sisters, and a loving but distracted best friend. Luckily, she has a darling, senior dog to keep her company. She's also trying to make a name for herself in the art world.

I enjoyed watching Sadie navigate a new disability and the way the community came through for her. She eventually finds her way as one would expect in a romance novel.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Katherine Center always delivers a lovely and uplifting story and Hello Stranger fell nicely into those categories. I loved the art, the history of our main character, and all the complex relationships and people in her life.

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding the miscommunication frustrating at times but knowing the HEA was coming definitely helped! This story was overflowing with love, an adorable dog named peanut, and humorous moments. I loved it!

I read a little of this to start but the audio was done so well that after I switched I ended up binging the rest of it in a day! I don’t think you’d go wrong with either route.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the arc and MacMillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!