Sadie’s life is not going well except for being a finalist in a portrait competition. To celebrate she goes to the local store to buy wine. One the way home she collapses in the middle of the road, wakes up in the hospital and is told she needs brain surgery. The surgery goes well but when she wakes up, she can’t differentiate faces. Sadie has to deal with her neighbor Joe, her vet Dr. Addison, and her mean step-sister. Will Sadie be able to have her eye sight fixed and her portrait completed before the competition.

I LOVED Sadie even though times I wanted to yell at her, but she was very realistic. How many of us want to ask for help or admit weakness. This a sweet rom-com, with a cast of relatable characters. Joe sums it off “you can’t see when you’re not looking.”

The narrator was great and did a outstanding job with the voices. I started listening at normal speed and then sped up to 2.5.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC of Hello Stranger!
I love Katherine Center books and couldn't wait to read this one! Sadly, it just missed the mark for me. The idea that Joe and Sadie never had any sort of conversation that "clicked" that he was the vet is just too far out there for me - even with the date blindness.
I'll look forward to her next book!

I love Katherine Center’s writing but holy I’m frustrated with a a fat phobic comment. Fatphobia is so common and a cheap thing to use even if it ended up not being what we were lead to think it was. Not to mention, I KNOW that would be enough to alienate a chunk of readers right off the bat. That being said I did enjoy this one. I just think this comment took away from how beautiful this book was as a whole. I will say I’m not totally sure what a good alternative for it would have been either given the nature of the book.

‘I’ve been pretending to be okay pretty much since the day my mom died.’ wow mood.

Flew through this one! While I don't know anything about "face blindness", I cannot say whether or not this was an accurate and fair representation of the condition. I can however say that it made for an original spin to a romance. I loved Joe & Sadie. I loved Sadie's humor. The writing style had me chuckling throughout, especially when it came to the incessant rambling or Sadie talking to herself. Great story and great ending that, a part of me feels like I should've expected.

The whole dynamic with her step sister didn't really provide the most value to the story, in my opinion.

The audio was great - no issues! Narrator kept a very good pace (especially when you're like me and listen at 2X)

This book follows Sadie, a struggling artist who, due to a *simple* brain surgery, ends up with onset prosopagnosia. The doctors say it should be temporary, but have no guarantees. On top of that, her dog gets sick. What makes this even harder? Sadie is a portrait artist who has made her way into a major art competition. And maybe she’ll find love along the way…

A romance with a fun twist, HELLO STRANGER is my first Katherine Center book but certainly won’t be my last. This book was very fun as an audiobook and the narrator did phenomenally with capturing the emotions and tones of each scene. HELLO STRANGER manages to be fun and flirty while also tackling heavy topics such as family dynamics, parents death, and a potential lifelong neurological condition with care. I do think this book held mostly dynamic, well-rounded characters, but I think the “evil-stepsister” troupe lacked a little development.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Katherine Center is a favorite author of mine and she knocks it out of the park again with this book. I really loved learning so much about face blindness and the ways it can impact how we perceive people in new ways. Joe is simply the best and the way the story concludes had me a little misty-eyed with happiness. Sadie is truly a champion of her own life and such a strong female character. I loved everything about this book and can't wait to add it to my library!

I'm always up for reading a new Katherine Center novel. They always leave me feeling uplifted and and like I just got hugged by my best friend. We meet our lovable heroine Sadie Montgomery as she faces incredible challenges after sustaining a brain injury that leaves her with prosopagnosia (face blindness). You can Google it if you're unfamiliar - I remember seeing a news story about the condition several years ago and just couldn't imagine what it would be like to experience it. I thought Katherine Center did a wonderful job bringing it forward in her story. Imagine being a portrait artist who suddenly has face blindness. Center worked family dynamics, past drama, and learning how to deal with a new kind of normal in such a way that made it a one-day read for me. I loved her author's note that addresses Romance novels - something that resonated with me. All in all, a warm hug of a book. Recommended.
I liked Patti Murin's narration. I thought she did a good job giving voice to each character and made the listening experience enjoyable.

Sadie finally feels like things might be going her way when she got into the finals of the portrait contest, only to have to have fairly emergent brain surgery that affected her ability to see faces commonly known as face blindness. How does somebody who draws faces for a living make it when the faces are now a puzzle that is unable to be put together? And more importantly, how can she get her veterinarian to fall in love with her when she can't pick him out of a lineup?

This book was absolutely unputdownable. I laughed, I cried, and I listened/read well past my bedtime like I did when I was a kid. I could not stop thinking about Sadie, and the phenomenon of face blindness had me SO intrigued. I'm dying to know more about it and through my research it seems that the author did such a great job understanding some of the trials and tribulations that individuals with this condition can potentially experience. What great representation for a fairly large part of the population that I haven't seen represented before. I found this book to be just a fantastic light but thought provoking read, and absolutely enjoyed every second that I took to devour it. The narrator truly allowed the story to come to life and allowed for this to be such a quick listen/read. I cannot wait for this book to go on sale so that I can share it again and again with all my friends. Absolutely stellar book that was just a true joy to read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Katherine Center writes the coolest love stories. Hello Stranger has a super unique premise--a portrait artist, who has just learned she's a finalist in a prestigious competition, has a seizure, which requires brain surgery--but as a side-effect of the surgery, she now has acquired face-blindness. She can't see faces. Period. She strikes up a friendship with a man in her building, who she can only identify because of his unique bowling jacket. But she also has a crush on her new vet--Dr. Addison. As her feelings for Joe get stronger, she has to decide which man she really wants, all while trying to paint a portrait for the competition even though she can't see faces to save her life. There's also family drama, with a side of trauma and gaslighting, but it's handled well, in a way that I don't think people will find triggering.

The ending is absolutely delightful. And honestly, this book has my favorite author's note of all time. It's more like an author's manifesto about the romance genre as a whole, and I may or may not have cried at the end.

The narration is fantastic--Patti Murin delivers a wonderful performance. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and netgalley for my ALC in exchange for this review.

Sadie just got her big break, she landed one of 10 spots in a portrait competition. The timing happens to align with a surgery she needs to have. During recovery, she realizes she can no longer see faces. As a portrait painter, she is struggling to cope with face blindness. Her dog, Peanut, is her light in the darkness. When he gets sick, she rushes him to the vet and meets Dr. Addison who later asks her on a date. Joe lives in her building and leaves a terrible impression on Sadie, but over time they begin to develop a friendship.

As Sadie struggles to find her path, she doesn’t want anyone to know about her face blindness. She discovers that life doesn’t always turn out how you plan, but it could be better than you ever thought.

I adored this book. The relationships and characters were well developed, and I felt like I understood all of them. I was sad to see the book end. The relationship Sadie has with her dog is highly relatable, I know I would be utterly heartbroken if anything happened to my dogs.

The witty banter between characters was highly entertaining and unique to each person.

Katherine Center’s backlist books will now be added to my TBR.

PLEASE don’t skip the author’s note and acknowledgements. Katherine describes romance novels as “predictable”, but why does it have such a negative connotation? She prefers the term “anticipation” instead. Romance novels give you positive anticipation. There is nothing wrong with hope and positive anticipation. The reference to neurosurgery being like ice fishing had me ROLLING!

I can’t wait to read more of Katherine Center’s books.

Title: Hello Stranger
A Novel
Written by Katherine Center
Narrated by Patti Murin

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this audiobook through Netgalley.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone over the age of 16!

Sadie is a struggling artist that is barely scraping by. She’s not exactly on the outs with her family, but they aren’t close. Her family is really her best friend, Sue, and her parents.

She experiences a seizure out of nowhere and due to swelling in her brain - her face reader signed off… that is to say that her ability to see and recognize faces went kaput… at least temporarily. Her acquired prosopagnosia keeps her in a constant state of winging it when it comes to knowing people.

This is the story of how a woman already struggling finds herself struggling even harder, and the romance that sweeps into her life at just the right time.

This is a story of ups and downs, hopes and disappointments, triumphs and pitfalls… and for those reasons I will be forever grateful.

Katherine Center is a genius and deserves thousands of readers scooping up this book - and, yes, it is THAT good.

Patti Murin is a really good narrator. I’ve only listened to two books she’s narrated - but I would be happy to listen to dozens more. Her ability to bring characters to life, bring their emotions to life, and say the difficult words perfectly is incredible. (Examples: Prosopagnosia and Fusiform gyrus). I really appreciate when narrators take the time to learn how to say the difficult words - Thanks Patti!

I also recommend this book to romance book clubs, romance lovers, and anyone desperately in need of a reminder of why hope is always a good thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy of Hello Stranger by Katherine Center and Narrated by Patti Murin.
I was very excited to get this one early and really enjoyed it. The audio version was a perfect weekend listen.
I did find myself pausing to googling face blindness and found this topic very interesting. It is all well described and I could picture the paintings.
This is a feel good romance without the spicy side and a bit of drama. The only downside to this book for me was Sadie is self consumed for the majority but I did still enjoy it. I have enjoyed all of Katherine Center’s novels I’ve picked up so far and am excited for the ones I have not read yet.

Hello Stranger is a great, feel good, romantic book!

Sadie is an artist who just placed as a finalist in a big competition. Unfortunately, she also suffers an accident that same day and has to go through a brain surgery that compromises her face recognition skills. Not being able to recognize faces she struggles to paint the winning portrait she is supposed to paint. In midst of all that she also gets more involved with her estranged family.

The writing in this book is really good, it is definitely a page turner. It has the right amount of "ohh what's going to happen next?" and "sooo cute". The relationship with the family for me is the weirdest part. If her father was such an A***hole why didn't she sue him for child support? Like she didn't have to be this broke. I don't know. She sounds way too naive at some points and her stepsister is way too mean.

I'd say 10/10 for the romance and 8/10 for the family drama

“So weird to think that this feeling had been there all along, hibernating in a box under my bed, just waiting for me to wake it up. Maybe I should have tried these skates on sooner.”

Sadie Montgomery is a Houston based portrait artist who is on the verge of her lucky break. Her dreams are just within reach when an accident sets into motion a series of events, resulting in a condition of prosopagnosia (face blindness) - the inability to recognize different faces. Alongside her companion, a 14 year old dog Peanut, Sadie copes with past heartache and new challenges on the eve of a game changing opportunity.

Take a highly unusual love triangle and add a sprinkle of Cinderella and a dash of Sleeping Beauty and you have a classic and fresh Katherine Center storytelling experience. This auto-buy author’s signature optimism and thoughtful takeaways created a breezy and fun read, perfect for the season.

After realizing THE Patti Murin was narrating this, I requested an audio copy which was absolutely fabulous. Both reviews have been submitted - many thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinions. I loved the experience!

I wasn’t super impressed with The Bodyguard last year, so I was as surprised as anyone to find myself texting my sister while reading this book: “This new Katherine Center book is just amazing… it’s like a 00’s rom com.”

4.5 Stars rounded up for Center’s afterward. Remarkable insight on the Romance genre!

Sadie Montgomery is in a rough spot…
✅ Living in a hovel.
✅ Only two real friends (and one is her dog).
✅ Doesn’t talk to her family.

Her luck finally seems to be turning when she beats out 1,990 applicants in an art competition for a shot at $10,000, but then she:
- has a seizure.
- has brain surgery.
- can no longer make sense of faces.
- finds out her dog is incredibly ill.

Scrambling for a distraction from all of this. She thinks she’s falling for her dog’s vet, but maybe her weasel of a neighbor will turn out to be more than she bargained for.

On top of nailing the vibe, this book did a great job of walking the line between being a rom-com and seeing a young woman navigate loss, heal from long trauma, and learn to stand on her own feet.

Would recommend for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, medical enigmas, and TRUE rom-coms. I laughed out loud multiple times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions above are my own.

I have been a casual Katherine Center fan for a while but I didn't love her last book so I was tentative about this book, especially with the somewhat outlandish premise. I was proven wrong. Yes, you must turn off your skepticism a bit and just ride the vibes, but this book filled me with warm fuzzies, even if I figure the twist midway though getting to the end was just a wholesome and fun

This book was an adorable surprising delight. I think my favorite Katherine Center book yet! Nice twist at the end.

Love Patti Murin as a narrator (chef’s kiss).

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC! 2.5 stars.
This certainly had some charm to it and I loved the overall message regarding confirmation bias. I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about prosopagnosia (face blindness) and thought it was a unique plot device for a romance novel, however; the foreshadowing for the “twist” etc, while I’m glad seeds were planted it was painfully obvious and just a drawn out miscommunication trope.

The fat phobia at the beginning was striking and highly off putting, even though ages later it turned out not to be actual fat phobia, what a weird and just plain bad way to move along a plot twist. The character of Parker was a caricature and highly unnecessary - that entire plot point was a little too glossed over and didn’t fit.

Finally, while parts of this were good, the characters were underdeveloped, the various threads didn’t quite fit together and I wasn’t loving it.

After brain surgery leaves her unable to interpret facial features in context, Sadie can’t even recognize her best friend. Which would be terrifying for anyone, but especially for a portrait artist - one who is a finalist in a prestigious painting competition to boot. And her face blindness doesn’t discriminate - everyone, from her evil stepsister to the objectively gorgeous veterinarian (even the weasel butt from the elevator who fat shamed his one night stand!) is a total mystery. She can’t paint like did pre-surgery, but she can’t let this opportunity slip by - but can you paint a face if you can’t even see it?

This book was ADORABLE AS HELL. This concept works so well as a book, because the reader is also left without the ability to see each character’s face.

Can we just give it up for Mr Kim?? From his nicknames, and his support, he’s a gold star supporting character.

The relationship dynamic between Sadie and her family is so interesting - the evil stepmother and stepsister keep her at arms length from her father, and the loss of her mother as a child made her feel so isolated. I liked how her relationship with her stepmother evolves slowly throughout the book.

The romance was also so much fun! The anticipation of how it was all going to turn out had me speeding through this book with reckless abandon.

This book also had the audacity to point out how valid the miscommunication trope is, and have me kinda agreeing.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave it there, but her therapy sessions after brain surgery had so many incredible bits of wisdom - one being “You don’t see what you’re not looking for”. Mic drop.

I would highly recommend this book, especially as an audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator, and how it took away any visual stimuli from the experience and threw me more into Sadie’s world. Pick this one up!

This was my first book by Katherine Center and I will definitely be reading more from her! This was such a fun & feel-good read! Interesting plot, lovable main characters, and a sweet romance and family story. Although romances are generally predictable, I was shocked by a twist in the ending which made me like it even more. This is a great one that left you with a warm and fuzzy feeling!