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ida's review against another edition
Moderate: Fatphobia
amandaboyer's review against another edition
- 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: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
milesandmiles's review against another edition
3.0
1) Workplace romances - Do not hit on your clients, service providers or coworkers. Seriously, it's in almost every one of her books. These dynamics are so much more likely to be problematic it really shouldn't be a consistent plot point.
2) Toxic family behaviors hide how much they love you! - I lost track of how many times our main character said no to her family and they just ignored her. But we're expected to believe that if you have enough empathy for them they're not so bad after all and maybe even know best! And having empathy for the people who consistently were awful to you is like the most admirable character trait.
3) Horrible, horrible things happen to our main characters but no one ever holds space for them or really listens - In this case, the bff keeps forgetting the the medical disaster that requires hospitalization, surgery, likely loss of career and a possible permanent disability. The family is worse. It's like Center believes that unless it's from the good graces of a man who will marry you, women need to be an island with their bad feelings and never truly grieve or they'll be sad sacks forever. That you need badgering and continuous tough love or false cheer to make progress.
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fatphobia
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: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
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: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
vj_thompson's review against another edition
- 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: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide attempt
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
I received a complimentary ALC of this book from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Entertaining • Outlandish • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality.
But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love—not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Hello Stranger was among my most anticipated releases for 2023, yet it was also the one I was the most unsure about. Katherine Center quickly became a favourite after reading Things You Save in a Fire. But I also wasn't a fan of her 2022 release The Bodyguard, which contributed to my apprehension. Regardless, I dove it shortly after publication, and it turned out my gut feeling was right.
To me, this novel reads more like a rom-com intended for film. The evil step-sister side plot felt outlandish. She was just absolutely awful! As a non-violent person, the fact I wanted to punch her in the face throughout the entire thing, speaks to just how terrible of a person she was. There was also a scene of one character appearing to describe a sexual encounter with a plus-size woman in a derogatory manner that was absolutely unnecessary and harmful. It stopped me in my tracks and I just couldn't believe it made it through editing. It's as though the author was going for shock and the silliest things she could come up with. Throughout reading there was a lot of eye-rolling and the execution just felt silly.
It was a quick read, and the premise had so much potential (focusing on what has become Center's go-to protagonist - a young single woman navigating a tragic pivot). Both of the main characters felt genuine and likeable, but as I've mentioned it was everything else that really ruined it for me. The audio narrated by Patti Murin was fine with good pacing and dictation, but again the story just took away from my enjoyment.
I am sad to say Hello Stranger was a dud for me. It along with The Bodyguard require the reader to suspend belief with such outlandish ideas. I am disappointed that Center has moved away from her signature depth, which is what originally made me love her work. It's clear she's going for more of a fun factor and that just jive with me. With that said, I will likely still give her another shot.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the love triangle trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The more good things you look for, the more you find."
"And the idea that anything could just disappear at any moment is something you suddenly understand in a whole new way."
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide attempt
emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
claireinhart's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Fatphobia
Big TW for fat phobia early in the book butgaby_readsss'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
I was so excited to read this book and I’m so happy I got to read it ahead of its official release.
This book was great! Something about Katherine Center’s writing style makes reading a delight and it feels like you’re not even reading. I was swept into the story and turning the pages so fast, trying to get to the happy ending as soon as possible.
This book has depth and emotion, but it’s also funny and witty. I found the storyline to be very creative, specially for a romance book. Sadie is a character who I think we can all relate to in some ways. Seeing her find her own identity and also fall in love while doing it, was so satisfying. I laughed, smiled, and simply had a fun time reading this book.
I guess I wasn’t that surprised to see how things turned out, but is that so important when reading a romance book? To me, already knowing the “twist” didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the reveal. Getting to that “Aha!” moment was just as exciting and adorable.
I definitely want to reread this in the future with the knowledge I have now.
That’s the fun thing of books you love. You can always relive them, but it’s a totally new experience because you see things in a different light and see things you might have missed the first time you read it.
I totally recommend this book to all my romance book lovers! <3
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia