Reviews

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

emchuah's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

jesslojo's review against another edition

4.0

Hello Stranger is yet another charming, feel good novel by Katherine Center. Her novels never fail to leave me smiling while I read. The premise of the novel reminds us that there’s always positives in a situation, even when all you can see at the time are negatives.

Sadie Montgomery is an artist who specializes in photorealistic portraits who finds herself with acquired prosopagnosia, or face blindness, after needing a brain surgery to repair a cavernoma. As she try’s to navigate her new life with the inability to recognize faces, she also is faced with family drama, a work crisis, a sick dog, and a not one but two potential romances!

Katherine Center’s writing is easy to read, and light hearted with the right amount of wit and humor. And Sadie is so easy to relate to, even with a complicated medical diagnosis. The ending was a little predictable, but that didn’t make it any less charming!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader’s copy!

claire_perry20's review against another edition

3.5

Pretty mid. The birthday scene where they were signing to her mom did get me crying a bit but really that was about it as far as heartfelt moments :/

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars

This was just okay. The beginning was very slow and I struggle with what that. I think a lot of people will love this one, especially if the romance works for them, but it was just an okay read for me.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

miamoody's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

chiquita203's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

literatehedgehog's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ah, contemporary romance. Where it is possible to both love a character and want to kick them in the pants. To want the character to find love, but also a therapist. Sadie is an imperfect heroine, to be sure. I think the audiobook narrator makes her...soliloquys more endearing than the whining they could be, especially when she's averring that she doesn't need help, doesn't ever ask for help (even though many of her actions contradict this??). She is a real navel-gazer of a self-absorbed person, clearly traumatized from a traumatizing adolescence, but dang did I want to shake her into recognizing  that the other people around her have feelings and experiences, too. And maybe she could ask them about their lives and feelings, sometimes. I have feelings about her, but that also shows some great writing: Sadie feels like someone I want to talk about over tea (literally? figuratively?).

So there is a plot twist, and even knowing there is a plot twist could be a spoiler, so read at your own risk. I figured out the reveal partway through, and it was actually still satisfying waiting for the penny to drop for Sadie, clues confirming my expectations. Again, very believable for her diagnosis and characterization! So oblivious, get it together girl.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent

thebookishnarwhal's review against another edition

5.0

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center was my first read for this author. I will certainly be reading more! This story has unique plot points woven with laugh-out-loud dialogue, charming main and supporting characters, love triangles, and family drama. It has it all! I will advise for trigger warnings regarding grief and parental loss.

Meet Sadie. She is a portrait artist whose life is full of good and bad moments, but she keeps following in her mother's footsteps and striving for her lucky break. After all, that is the life of a “starving” artist, even if her style is described as Norman Rockwell. The day comes when she gets word she is a finalist in a high-profile portrait competition. It’s great news until Sadie realizes there’s a surgery she needs to have beforehand, and it’s non-negotiable. Recovery brings obstacles for Sadie, but her dog Peanut is there to save her sanity until he gets sick! Is the vet going to be able to save Peanut? Will Sadie continue to suffer, or will she triumph in the competition?

I found this an enjoyable read that was hard to put down. I loved the romance within the story, but the acknowledgments struck me. I highly recommend reading them as you venture along with Sadie.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

aelhage's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

elisabethd8a's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

While the audience, of course, sees the twist in the story long, long, long before the female lead does, it was such a pleasant ride that it doesn't matter. 

Joe's behavior at the end of the book was not at all what I predicted, yet I truly appreciated his thoughtful response.

It did bother me that she blew off her father's career-limiting injury while being devastated by her own, although perhaps she expected her father to be as self-reliant and close-lipped as she was. I'm glad that she's learned some empathy by the epilogue.