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amandaboyer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
kaydeedickins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Chronic illness, Bullying, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide attempt
ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Grief, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
thelibbyshow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Grief
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
"We’re all just doing the best we can. We’re all struggling with our struggles. Nobody has the answers. And everybody, deep down, is a little bit lost."
I'm not sure what went wrong here to be honest. I tend to enjoy her work, and I fully expected to love Hello Stranger after reading the blurb. I've read books with a face blindness element before, and it's a topic that has always intrigued me. I fully expected this book to become a new favorite, but somehow I ended up having mixed thoughts instead... This probably mainly has to do with the main character Sadie; there was something about her that simply didn't work for me. She was just too immature and negative, and I was never able to warm up to her completely... In fact, I liked most of the other characters a lot more! There were also too many cliches incorporated if you ask me. The whole evil stepmother and evil stepsister was just taking things a step too far; especially Parker didn't add anything substantial to the story other than annoying the hell out of me. I also saw the big 'twist' coming from a mile away, which was a bit of a disappointment as I kept hoping I was wrong. That said, I can't deny that it was still a very readable story though... And I did fly though it despite those issues.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Bullying, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Fatphobia
vj_thompson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Bullying, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, and Fatphobia
Minor: Suicide attempt and Alcoholism
emeraldtaila's review
4.0
Our FMC has realistic flaws, family - life - relationship - it all felt very real. this does include the miscommunication trope but it is done well because of the main plot and how the FMC sustained injuries making her ability to recognize faces go all wonky.
The ending wraps up everything nicely - 4 / 5 stars
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent
alisonreadsitall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sadie's journey with face blindness was so interesting. Her stubbornness kept her from telling people about it, which made her life more difficult than it needed to be. I loved her journey in learning how to trust and lean on others, after a childhood without that luxury.
I don't want to give too much away, but I loved the twists and the background story in this novel. I was so mad about the original elevator scene, but guessed where it was going in the next chapter so I understood the need for it. 😅 I'm a sucker for a redemption ARC. (IYKYK 😉)
Tropes:
Love Triangle
Forced Proximity
CW: death of a parent, emotional abuse, gaslighting
A big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own.
Graphic: Bullying and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide attempt
bubbasgotbooks's review
3.5
I’ll start by saying the concept of the plot in this book is unique, which is sometimes hard to find! I enjoyed the MC and found her growth throughout the story interesting. The big twist was pretty obvious but that didn’t make it less fun. The thing I most had a hard time with was the unrealistic character in the MC’s stepsister. It was so outlandish that it took me out of the story. I would still recommend this book to fans of Katherine Center’s other books!
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Bullying and Suicide attempt