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dianaschmidty's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I really liked The Bodyguard and was really excited to read another Katherine Center book. That is why I am so genuinely confused by this book.
Disclaimer: Nothing in this review is too spoilery, but I do toe the line because I couldn’t fully express my feelings without that.
I can sum up this book in one sentence: There once was this really dumb girl named Sadie. When Destiny Sidwell called her “delulu,” she was so right! Forget her facial blindness, the girl was objectively dumb, even at the beginning. She seemed to go through the story making the worst decisions possible. Why choose a career you actually like when you can be a starving artist who doesn’t really like art that much? Why tell someone about your newly acquired disability when you could simply not, even though it would make your life so much easier? The only person who gave her stupidity a run for her money was her best friend, who upon hearing that she couldn’t recognize anyone’s face to the point of being fooled by her “evil stepsister” (more on that later), decided that she should throw an impromptu surprise party without even checking to see if Sadie was home.
Another thing about Sadie herself: she’s so incredibly annoying. Like yeah, she’s objectively had a rough life, but that doesn’t give her an excuse to judge people based on nothing but appearance (which she does multiple times) and to ignore people she deems lower than herself. Also, WHAT’S WITH HER DOG FOOD?!? Who in their right mind thinks that it’s okay to feed their dog food that’s even considered unhealthy for humans just because her dog is “a foodie”?!?! Also, WHY IS HER VET SO CHILL ABOUT IT?!? Yeah, he says it’s a bad idea, but he doesn’t actually say that she needs to stop,
Now onto the “evil” stepsister and stepmother. While I completely agree with Parker is evil, she is unrealistically evil. Seriously no one noticed that she was awful?!? Like, no teacher pointed out that the thing that Parker pinned on Sadie sounded more like something Parker would do?!? Also, WHAT 15 YEAR OLD DOES ALL OF THAT STUFF JUST TO GET SADIE KICKED OUT?!? And why did even Sadie’s dad side with Parker?!? Even when that was “resolved,” I still felt very unresolved about the whole thing.
Now onto the actual point of the book: the romance. I thought that the main romance itself was the best (and only good part) of the novel. The tension was good and the few kissing scenes we got were really cute and sweet. But honestly? Every guy in this book deserves better than Sadie.
Finally: the plot twist. I saw it coming from a mile away. I figured it out at the 40% point and I actually now, upon reflection, think that I probably should have figured it out sooner. It annoyed me that it even happened in the first place! If this book would have taken place over a couple of days, okay, maybe I could see it, but six weeks?!? I’m hard of hearing and I bet even I’d know what was going on if I had facial blindness too…
Overall, I’m extremely disappointed, but I also haven’t had the opportunity to rant about a book to this extent in a long time, so that’s fun, I guess? Honestly, my favorite part of the book ended up being the author’s note at the end. If only that had been like the entire novel. I will read more Katherine Center books in the future because this book was well-written, I appreciated the acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia representation, and I truly enjoyed The Bodyguard, but this book was not it.
One last thing: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HATE MISCOMMUNICATION, GETTING SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT, OR PEOPLE BEING DENSE FOR NO GOOD REASON.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Katherine Center for providing me access to this book. I’m sorry…
Content Warnings
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
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
Finished reading: September 5th 2023
"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.
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
I loved everything about this book; from the first page to the author’s note. PLEASE read the author’s note. It made me fall more in love with Katherine Center’s books 💕
Content Warnings
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
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
Title: Hello Stranger
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Bullying
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Abandonment, and Body shaming
Minor: Suicide attempt
emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Fatphobia
claireinhart's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Big TW for fat phobia early in the book butgaby_readsss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
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
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia
sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition
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
dixiecarroll's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review. This was a solid 3-3.5 read. I’ll start by saying that I will still recommend and with it only taking me a few hours, I think it will be a favorite for many. I really loved The Bodyguard and was expecting something similar, but this was a bit too much of a highly unbelievable teenage fantasy for me.
Let me explain… a woman experiences a very rare brain disorder causing face blindness - that’s not the part I found unbelievable - I found this interesting and refreshing (if not similar to several hallmark movies). The part I found unbelievable and teenage was that she actually has an evil stepsister who supposedly framed her for wild suicide-inducing bullying getting her kicked out of school and shipped away to boarding school… and then that evil stepsister follows her around and continues to make her life miserable (yes she moves into the building she lives in and purposely fucks with her since she can’t recognize her). Anyway that part of the story is forgettable to me so I don’t feel bad sharing it now - she gets her moment at the end with her bully being publicly shamed.
I literally think that entire plot should be removed as it was so insane to read. The high stakes of the main plot are more interesting and very twisty in their own way!
Ultimately a 4 star read, but pushed down to 3 stars because of that insane stepsister. The romance was fun and the facial blindness was very interesting - those parts were very compelling!
Let me explain… a woman experiences a very rare brain disorder causing face blindness - that’s not the part I found unbelievable - I found this interesting and refreshing (if not similar to several hallmark movies). The part I found unbelievable and teenage was that she actually has an evil stepsister who supposedly framed her for wild suicide-inducing bullying getting her kicked out of school and shipped away to boarding school… and then that evil stepsister follows her around and continues to make her life miserable (yes she moves into the building she lives in and purposely fucks with her since she can’t recognize her). Anyway that part of the story is forgettable to me so I don’t feel bad sharing it now - she gets her moment at the end with her bully being publicly shamed.
I literally think that entire plot should be removed as it was so insane to read. The high stakes of the main plot are more interesting and very twisty in their own way!
Ultimately a 4 star read, but pushed down to 3 stars because of that insane stepsister. The romance was fun and the facial blindness was very interesting - those parts were very compelling!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Ableism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death of parent, and Grief
cc_shelflove'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH! When I tell you that I had ZERO expectations for this novel, that is the truth. Center’s last book, The Bodyguard, was straight trash. We’re just gonna pretend that book isn’t in her catalog, because this book… THIS BOOK!!!!! Wow. I noticed quite a few plot holes throughout but the ending was magnificently glorious. I really did not see it coming at all. This is not a story of strong relationships with others but rather the fact that your relationship with yourself should always come first. Once you reflect, and maybe even start to ask for a little help, things will always get better. I read this early, and I can’t wait for its release so I can talk about it with everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Fatphobia and Body shaming
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