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A review by sarahsbookstacks
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
2.25
This book let me down! While there were some elements I did enjoy, overall I did not love.
I struggled to find the premise believable and I found Sadie to be way too cartoony and dynamic at all. Also didn’t appreciate the fatphobia miscommunication phone call thing. Even though Joe wasn’t talking about a person, the implication alone kinda sucked and the plot point could have been made in other ways that didn’t include harmful rhetoric like that. I also cannot believe that her love interest who is actually her vet too would be so ok with her not feeding her dog actual dog food. That was so weird.
Also, as a Houstonian, there’s no way anyone would survive living in a shack on a rooftop…. I can’t with that!!
That said, I did appreciate learning more about face blindness. I also liked how Sadie figured things out with her Dad and stepmom, and the progress she made in therapy. The stepsister plot line didn’t seem necessary to me, I don’t really understand the point of Parker’s character at all. Brb while I try to find a recipe for the coconut bread though!!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an early copy
I struggled to find the premise believable and I found Sadie to be way too cartoony and dynamic at all. Also didn’t appreciate the fatphobia miscommunication phone call thing. Even though Joe wasn’t talking about a person, the implication alone kinda sucked and the plot point could have been made in other ways that didn’t include harmful rhetoric like that. I also cannot believe that her love interest who is actually her vet too would be so ok with her not feeding her dog actual dog food. That was so weird.
Also, as a Houstonian, there’s no way anyone would survive living in a shack on a rooftop…. I can’t with that!!
That said, I did appreciate learning more about face blindness. I also liked how Sadie figured things out with her Dad and stepmom, and the progress she made in therapy. The stepsister plot line didn’t seem necessary to me, I don’t really understand the point of Parker’s character at all. Brb while I try to find a recipe for the coconut bread though!!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an early copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, and Bullying
Moderate: Fatphobia and Gaslighting