Hello Stranger

A Novel

By: Katherine Center

ADULT & CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE FICTION ROMANCE ROMANTIC COMEDY LOVE STORIES

Description

The glorious novel from the beloved author whose bright, hopelessly romantic New York Times bestsellers have been called "My perfect 10 of a book" (Emily Henry) and cheered for their "speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles" (People).

Love may be blind. But what if . . . what you see isn't what you get?


It's all starting to come together for struggling artist Sadie Montgomery. She was just named a finalist in the national portrait competition of her dreams. But when she winds up with a rare, but real, condition where human faces look like jumbled puzzle pieces . . . it is, to say the least, not good.

With only a few weeks to paint the best portrait of her entire life, Sadie will do anything to reverse her condition and get back to work, but it's anyone's guess when (or even if) that'll happen.

Enter her dog's charming veterinarian (who may or may not be Sadie's daydream fiancé), and her bowling-jacket-wearing, Vespa-riding neighbor (who she can't seem to stay away from)--both vying for her attention and adding to the chaos.

It's a lot, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Because the truth is, seeing the world differently has its upsides. And love has an undeniable way of giving us courage. And the best way of looking is always, always with the heart.

"With its emphasis on its central character, combined with its "swoony" romance, "Hello Stranger" is a hit. Sadie is everything you could want in a protagonist -- the right amount of quirky, sunshiney and stubborn, and the men she's in love with are equally fascinating. All the side characters provide humor and comfort, and even those characters who you aren't really supposed to like are annoyingly intriguing and captivating. Center created a brilliant cast of characters, set to a plot that's sure to keep you reading." --Michigan Daily

The glorious novel from the beloved author whose bright, hopelessly romantic New York Times bestsellers have been called "My perfect 10 of a book" (Emily Henry) and cheered for their "speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles" (People).

Love may be blind. But what if . . . what you see isn't what you get?


It's all starting to come together for struggling artist Sadie Montgomery. She was just named a finalist in the national portrait competition of her dreams. But when she winds up with a rare, but real, condition where human faces look like jumbled puzzle pieces . . . it is, to say the least, not good.

With only a few weeks to paint the best portrait of her entire life, Sadie will do anything to reverse her condition and get back to work, but it's anyone's guess when (or even if) that'll happen.

Enter her dog's charming veterinarian (who may or may not be Sadie's daydream fiancé), and her bowling-jacket-wearing, Vespa-riding neighbor (who she can't seem to stay away from)--both vying for her attention and adding to the chaos.

It's a lot, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Because the truth is, seeing the world differently has its upsides. And love has an undeniable way of giving us courage. And the best way of looking is always, always with the heart.

"With its emphasis on its central character, combined with its "swoony" romance, "Hello Stranger" is a hit. Sadie is everything you could want in a protagonist -- the right amount of quirky, sunshiney and stubborn, and the men she's in love with are equally fascinating. All the side characters provide humor and comfort, and even those characters who you aren't really supposed to like are annoyingly intriguing and captivating. Center created a brilliant cast of characters, set to a plot that's sure to keep you reading." --Michigan Daily

This Edition

Format
Hardback
Pages
336
Published
July 11, 2023
ISBN-13
9781250283788
Language
English
Publisher
St. Martin's Press

NetGalley Reviews

Emily W, Reviewer

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the copy of this book! "Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can’t—but that you yourself never could if you weren’t so lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing." Katherine Center has such a way of immersing her readers in her stories, making her characters relatable and every emotion tangible. In Hello Stranger, we feel through, Sadie a struggling portrait artist on her way to a lucky break in a competition when she's hit by a car, has brain surgery, and is diagnosed with prosopagnosia (face blindness). Yep - a portrait artist who can't see faces. In the midst of this, her family is completely unhelpful (and she has the most EVIL stepsister), but she also meets a very handsome vet she thinks could be her future husband and starts having feelings for the hipster guy living in her apartment building. The suspense was built up in this book with the looming portait competition deadline and the love triangle, and I simply couldn't put it down! While feeling the ups and downs in Sadie's life, I was also laughing out loud at all of the hysterical moments in this book and really just having a pleasant time with this warm hug of a book.

Mary M, Reviewer

Sadie Montgomery is in the brink of getting her big break as a portrait artist when an ill timed surgery leaves her with facial blindness. Will she be able to pull through and find success after all? This book explores this and so much more! I loved this!!!!!!!! Katherine Center is one of my absolute favorite authors and this book only continued to prove that fact. This was a great combination of romance and women’s fiction. The characters were extremely well rounded. Such a fun read!!

Jessica O, Reviewer

Katherine Center left me swooning with this one! Love, love, loved this book. Sadie may be one of my favorite characters yet. Sadie is a portrait artist living in a rooftop hovel, barely scraping by when she receives news that she has been selected to participate in an important exhibition. On her way back from the store with wine to celebrate her success, she loses consciousness. When she wakes up in the hospital, she learns she has facial blindness from a brain bleed. How can she complete a portrait with facial blindness? What follows is an amazing love story where, through an awful step sister, a distant father, a helpful neurotherapist, her best friend and a new love interest, Sadie learns who she really is. She learns to rely on her other senses and opens herself up to becoming the best her. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Mallak Jessika S, Reviewer

This book was phenomenal. Katherine Center has this incredible way of creating stories that entrap you into a imaginary world. The twists and turns this book took were so unexpected and yet so beautiful and wild. This book will still with me forever. I don’t know how she does it but WOW. I recommend going into this book blind. Don’t read too much into, don’t look at spoilers and just enjoy the ride Katherine Center takes you on. Thank you SO much NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

Hanna T, Reviewer

This book was delight! Another great romcom by Katherine Center. This book was full of funny, heartwarming, and sweet moments. But the best parts were the twists and turns the story took, all leading to the ending we crave in a romance. Sadie is an artist that got the opportunity to show her work in a contest that could change her professional career for the better, her big break. The problem is that right when this happens she has to have a surgery that let's her temporarily impaired: she can no longer see faces, which is a big problem since she's a portrait artist. Her journey to dealing with this challenge and also confronting the problems she has with her family leads her to Dr. Addison, a kind, thoughtful and sweet stranger that has been involved in her life in more ways than she knows. I loved the development of the characters, Sadie's relationship wit her best friend and her tenants, even her dad. I despised her sister and was really annoyed by her stepmom. This is a story about resilience, following your dreams, and not judging people based on your assumptions. It was so entertaining, I read it in one sitting!

Trade Reviews

A New York Times bestseller

A USA Today Bestseller

"Irresistibly fun...a fresh look at how people often let pride or misconceptions get in the way of their own happiness. Sure to grab readers right off the bat." --Shelf Awareness

"The latest from the author of The Bodyguard (2022) is a winsome tale of a woman overcoming adversity and learning to lean on the people who care about her." --Booklist

"This charming, heartfelt romantic comedy has a well-told, unique storyline, and Sadie’s prosopagnosia feels deftly explained, explored, and treated with respect. There’s chemistry between the protagonists with a slow-burn relationship, but there’s also a focus on Sadie’s mental and emotional growth, as well as her artistic frustrations and problem-solving methods. Readers who enjoy Jenny Colgan and Susan Mallery will love this engaging, well-written romance from Center (The Bodyguard)." --Library Journal

"With a thoroughly modern millennial heroine at the helm, Center takes Sadie’s life seriously and her struggles with adulting resonate even before her face blindness sets in. Meanwhile, a dash of humor and an endearing love story make the pages fly. Readers will be hooked." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[A]uthor Katherine Center is back this summer with another voice-driven, funny, heartfelt and romantic escapist novel.” --Good Morning America Online

“Laugh-and-cry specialist Katherine Center (The Bodyguard) returns with the love story of talented artist Sadie Montogmery.” --Goodreads

“In this romantic comedy with depth, a health emergency leaves a struggling portrait artist unmoored with a possibly temporary diagnosis of face blindness.” --Lansing State Journal

"With its emphasis on its central character, combined with its “swoony” romance, “Hello Stranger” is a hit. Sadie is everything you could want in a protagonist — the right amount of quirky, sunshiney and stubborn, and the men she’s in love with are equally fascinating. All the side characters provide humor and comfort, and even those characters who you aren’t really supposed to like are annoyingly intriguing and captivating. Center created a brilliant cast of characters, set to a plot that’s sure to keep you reading." --Michigan Daily

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