I adore this book. By the end of the first chapter, I was absolutely hooked and didn't want the book to ever end.

I listened to this as an audiobook and let me tell you it has quickly gone to the top of the list as one of my favorite books of the year. The plot was unique, intriguing, refreshing, and endearing. My favorite part of any book by Katherine Center is how well she writes her characters and Hello Stranger is no exception. I highly recommend picking this up and finding out for yourself how wonderful this book is.

I was provided an advanced listener's copy by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley and I have to say, I highly recommend this as an audiobook. This is slightly niche feedback, but the audio quality of this book was superb. The narration by Patti Murrin: 10/10.

This is a predictable (in a good way!- listen to the author note at the end) rom-com. I didn't really enjoy the MC as I felt she was kind of immature. She didn't seem 28 to me and I also don't enjoy the miscommunication trope. However, the plot was unique and I'd still recommend this book to select groups of people (art lovers, Katherine Center fans, etc)
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen early!

Another great novel from Katherine Center! I enjoyed the unique story line and genuine romance. I fell in love with the characters and adored the ending.

Quick Summary: An epic, full stop wo-fi ro

My Review: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was a dream read. I absolutely adored it! I laughed. I cried. I smiled. I empathized. I cheered. I understood. I celebrated.

About the Book: There was so much to love about this book. I was totally invested the whole time. Every character, every struggle, every moment was beautifully written.

My Final Say: This novel gets a 💖 rating. I highly recommend it. It should be read on repeat often.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Besties of All Time: Yes
Audiobook: Yes
Digital ARC: Yes

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to St. Martin’s Press, to Macmillan Audio, and to NetGalley who provided access to digital ARCs of this work. The words I have shared are my own and have been voluntarily rendered.

This was a delightful book to ok listen to. I always love reading this authors stories as she has a way of weaving a narrative that feels akin to Rom-Coms of the 1990’s/early 2000’s. Her hopeful storytelling leads the reader through emotions and excitement as they picture their characters as movie actors/actresses so vividly I almost feel like I’m reading a screenplay for a Reese Witherspoon flick.

As I finished listening to this story I loved hearing the authors note at the conclusion. Katherine explains how romance novels = hopefulness. And that really hit the nail on the head. Reading a Katherine Center novel feels like the dose of hopefulness that all of us are in need of. Possibly a bit predictable, but if I can read something that is positively predictable I’ll take it in our cynical world!

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook***
Release Date: 07. 11. 2023

Summary: Sadie just got her “big break” and is a finalist (made it to the top 10 out of 2000 applicants) in a portrait competition. Her best friend wants to throw a rooftop party at Sadie’s and begrudgingly Sadie agrees to go get some cheap wine. While Sadie is out, she realizes she left her money at home and the kind man behind her offers to pay for her. Sadie and this man have a flirty little back and forth in the street and Sadie suddenly has a seizure. The next thing Sadie knows she’s sitting in a hospital bed, with her evil step mother, Lucinda, horrifying her with the details.
Sadie’s biological mother died years ago. Sadie adored her mother. Sadie is an artist like her mother. Sadie has the same illness that killed her mother. So, Sadie’s father forces her to have the “elective” surgery. The surgery went well, but Sadie woke up to face blindness. She didn’t recognize her best friend sitting right next to her. THEN Sadie’s beloved dog gets sick. Sadie brings the dog to an emergency hospital and decides she is in love with her dog, Peanut’s, doctor – Dr. Addison.
Once Peanut appears to improve, Sadie realizes she needs to focus on the competition. Add in her neighbor, “Joe”, a hipster in a bowling jacket. Sadie originally decided she hated “Joe” but as time goes on, she realizes she might actually like Joe, the kind, will help anyone guy. Sadie’s best friend decides to elope in Canada leaving Sadie scrambling for a person to paint for the contest. Joe, the knight in shining armor agrees to help. Before Sadie decides to go further with Joe, she thinks she needs to end (the non-existent) things with Dr. Addison.
Dr. Addison does not take the ending of things well. Joe decides he’s moving out of the apartment. Sadie loses the competition. Sadie is still face blind.
A lot of other things happen, but I am trying to not to spoil too much.
My Review: This book hit e v e r y emotion for me. I felt everything Sadie felt, in real time – her concern when Peanut got sick, her grieving her mother, her family’s general lack of concern for her. I loved her character. I thought “Joe” was a great character too, a guy who always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. As of lately, I have not felt connected to characters and kind of just finished books just to say I finished it, but I hung onto every word said by the narrator. This book is definitely in the running for top book of the month for me.

This book confirmed one thing (that didn't need much confirmation), I love Katherine Center and I hope she never stops writing quirky books that make me cry and laugh and want to be her friend.

Let's start with the cover: OBSESSED. And everything on the cover ties in so perfectly to the story!

Katherine has a way of weaving deep tragedy with a lightness that makes you feel like hope is always on the horizon. I love that her books never shy away from the hard topics of life, but that she faces them so ferociously.

I'm not going to give any spoilers, but I will say she really had me going with this one and wondering how I was going to end up satisfied with a conclusion. I was surprised and satisfied in a way I did not expect to be.

This is one you're not going to want to miss! It comes out on July 11th, so place those pre-orders now!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

This book!!!! I adore it so much. I went into this one blind (ironic, if you actually read the synopsis), and I pretty much immediately fell in love after one page. I have read one other book about face blindness, so it was very fun to stumble upon another randomly. Reading about love when one person can’t recognize who they’re falling in love with is so special. I did see the “twist” coming, but as this isn’t a mystery novel, I don’t find that a big deal.

This book is pure sugar, swoon-worthy, and I truly did not want it to end. You need to put it on your radar now!

(Now I don’t want to start a new book bc I need to savor this giddiness)

5⭐️ for all the vibes!

(Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc)

What a charming and delightful read! It takes a lot for me to truly enjoy a romance novel nowadays, because I actually have to feel for and like the characters which is hard for me to do in under 400 pages. But Joe and Oliver were truly wonderful and I enjoyed Sadie even if she did some things that irked me (though I understand why she did so).

One thing I didn't love was Sadie's unwillingness to tell people about her face-blindness. While I understand the "it's so embarrassing" thought she had... it really isn't at all and even my anxiety-addled brain was like "yeah, no, we would tell everyone about that immediately" so I became increasingly frustrated whenever she refused to admit it to other people. If your worst enemy already knows, then why worry about what others would say? (But once again... I understand why for her character; it was just ANNOYING!)

I did love that it felt like I was watching a rom-com on TV and I finished this book in a day and a half (and that includes my sleep time). Highly recommend if you're looking for something fun, easy, and fast in between dense fantasy reads (like I am right now).

Katherine Center is a new "auto-read" author for me, because I have simply adored both of her most recent novels and can't wait to see what's next from her.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This was a my first Katherine Center book, so I didn't know what to expect, but what I found was a cute heart warming book that helped me learn about prosopagnosia or face blindness. It’s almost hard to write about without giving anything away. Katherine waves a beautiful web throughout the story with the characters and events. She really knew how to play with the strings of my heart with her uplifting, feel good, sentimental story and the sweetest characters.

Absolutely loved this Katherine Center masterpiece! Such a unique concept and often times health (and pet health) is a heavy topic but this was an overall funny and lighthearted read that I couldn’t put down.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Content warnings: loss of a parent, toxic family members, terminal illness, brain injury

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who gets her biggest break as a finalist in a national competition. But before creating her final entry, she finds out she needs brain surgery. After the surgery, she realizes that her brain can't process the faces she sees around her. She has prosopagnosia when she needs to paint the most important face she's ever painted -- one that could define her career.

Sadie's inability to ask for help and her reluctance to explain her condition makes her life much harder than it needs to be while creating funny and painful experiences that make the novel interesting.

Recommended for all readers of contemporary romance and women's fiction.

Representation: Asian-American side characters

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing with so many lessons. I loved the characters and the story. I was hooked to the storyline and couldn’t put the book down.

I enjoyed the facial blurriness aspect (can't remember the technical term). It brought an interesting aspect to the romance and overall journey of the characters.

The ending was hilarious!


After not liking "The Bodyguard", I didn't hate this book.

I think Katherine Center will get 5 stars from me for every book of hers that I read. I walk away from her books with a happier perspective on life and this one was no exception.

I’m not sure I can share my thoughts on this book and convince anyone to read it. It’s a story of hard familial relationships, finding one’s self, finding joy in your circumstances, and so much more. Did you put your stuff in your bag?

If there was one author I wish I could be more like, it’s probably Katherine Center. Her positive outlooks in her books have me re-examining myself every. Single. Time. I think there’s a reason she has flowers on all her books. Flowers can bloom in imperfect settings, sharing beauty in harsh environments. Katherine’s stories are just that. Imperfect settings with spots of beauty.

Content: I didn’t notice any swearing, if there was some it was minor. One make out session, but it wasn’t pushing any comfort limits for me. I think this book is appropriate for teenagers and older.

Thank you netgalley for the ALC! All thoughts completely my own

Upon receiving the approval to read Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, I was filled with excitement and elation. As a fan of The Bodyguard, I had high expectations for this novel and was not let down.

The protagonist, Sadie, is a skilled portrait artist who faces a significant setback when her mother's past comes back to haunt her. This leads to a condition that hinders her ability to detail a face, which proves to be a significant challenge in her career. As a nurse myself, I have encountered patients with similar conditions, and I found the author's depiction of the emotions of someone struggling with this to be both poignant and accurate.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Katherine Center's writing is the quirks and idiosyncrasies she imbues in her characters. These qualities make them more relatable to readers, and this holds true for Sadie as well. The narration by Patti Murin was also commendable, with her portrayal of Sadie perfectly matching the character's energy. However, I did find that the speed of the narration needed to be slowed down to 1.5x to fully appreciate it.

Overall, Katherine Center has once again proven to be an author whose work I will always look forward to. Hello Stranger is an excellent addition to her body of work, and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy well-crafted character studies and emotionally resonant storytelling.

Dang! There are so many levels to this book! I loved all of the talk about accepting things and adapting to your current situation versus trying to hang on to how things were. I especially loved Sadie navigating her love interest(s) and figuring out what (& who) brought her joy!

The only other book I'd read of Katherine Center's was The Bodyguard, and that one fell flat for me. But the premise of Hello Stranger was too tempting to resist! I'm so glad I gave her another shot, I loved this book.

As a psychology major, I was fascinated by the information about face blindness. It posed such an interesting question: What would you do if you suddenly couldn't decipher faces? Especially if that's what you do for a living.

Yes, the love story was obvious (I won't use the word "predictable," as per Center's perfectly supported argument in her Author's Note 😉 I absolutely LOVED her Author's Note, by the way. I had never thought about how romance books use hope or positive outcome as the anticipation instead of tragedy–like thriller/mystery novels). But it was also fun and satisfying.

I felt the characters and their backstories were more sussed out than in The Bodyguard. I was glad the antagonists eventually received more substance than just "they're evil because they're evil."

Also, I have to mention Patti Murin's narration was stellar! I almost think I preferred the audiobook over reading it because her comic timing was excellent and made me laugh out loud more than once.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC ❤️

Awesome story! Amazing narration and main characters! Story had a good flow and was easy to follow. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this book!

4 STARS!

This is by far my favorite Katherine Center book. It's an adorable fun romance novel with laugh out loud moments. The characters are very warm and enjoyable people, unless they are not supposed to be and you can't help by like them and anticipate their happy ending. I also learned about prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness). The main character in this story, Sophie, develops this condition and she's a portrait artist. Don't look to be blown away by fancy writing, twists, or depressing events in this one, just enjoy Sophie for who she is, her dog, Peanut, friends and family. It reminds me a lot of Christina Lauren books, a similar vibe to 'The Unhoneymooners' and 'Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.' Jul 2023 Pub date