Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Hello Stranger

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

10 reviews

maggies's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This just squeaked into 5 star territory by the end...

The bad:

It took me a loooong time to warm up to Sadie and 90% of her problems were self-inflicted
What in the world was Parker's purpose? Just villainous for villainy's sake, weird
Sue is kind of the worst best friend

The good:

The men! Such good love interests
The premise! So clever, unusual and interesting. I learned so much about prosopagnosia and the various experiences of it
The growth! Sadie made me so proud by the end

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ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I enjoyed this story❤️ The characters are lovable except for Parker (she's so mean and a bully.) Sadie's journey having temporary face blindness was both funny and heartbreaking. She was ridiculous to the point of being delulu😂 The twist that Joe and Oliver were the same person was satisfying for me because they were meant for each other. I hate the misunderstanding trope, and this had a lot, but I had fun reading this novel. The Kim family were so nice to Sadie and I love it. Thank you, Katherine, ✨ P. S. I also read The Bodyguard and enjoyed that as well.🔥

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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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.

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vj_thompson's review against another edition

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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 💕

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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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."

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emac021's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.0

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alisonreadsitall's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-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

This is my second Katherine Center book and I am beyond hooked!! 🥰 I cannot wait to read the backlog of all her other works.

Sadie's journey with face blindness was so interesting. Her stubbornness kept her from telling people about it, which made her life more difficult than it needed to be. I loved her journey in learning how to trust and lean on others, after a childhood without that luxury.

I don't want to give too much away, but I loved the twists and the background story in this novel. I was so mad about the original elevator scene, but guessed where it was going in the next chapter so I understood the need for it. 😅 I'm a sucker for a redemption ARC. (IYKYK 😉)

Tropes:
Love Triangle
Forced Proximity

CW: death of a parent, emotional abuse, gaslighting

A big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own.

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roget's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This will be my favorite romcom of the year, probably, and yes, I know Her Royal Majesty Emily Henry is gracing us with Happy Place soon. (Which I am also excited for, but that's a separate review.) I'm that confident in how much I enjoyed this. People like different things in books, and this book pointed its paint-sticky, dog drool-covered finger at me, and said, "Yes, you clumsy, nervous, wounded little optimist. This is OUR time."

Where to begin????

This book is about Sadie, a twenty-something portrait artist struggling to make ends meet in the city. She's determined to honor her late mother's legacy and make it as a painter, to prove herself to her hyper-successful but emotionally distant and disappointed surgeon father. Things are finally looking up when she places in the top ten of a prestigious portrait competition, and Sadie has six weeks to paint a portrait to compete for the grand prize and the recognition it will get her work.

But on the eve of her big break, Sadie discovers that she needs a procedure to correct a cavernoma (malformed blood vessel) in her brain. It's scary, and she'd rather wait until after the contest, but her estranged cardiothoracic surgeon dad talks her into the importance of the procedure, and she goes in to get it done. Only, once in the recovery, she discovers that she's developed an edema (normal swelling from the surgery) near her fusiform face gyrus (the part of the brain that helps you recognize faces and pair them with memories you have with that individual). The long and short of it: Sadie has acquired apperceptive prosopagnosia. Also known as face blindness.

(Note: While I don't have that condition, I believe you can really tell that Center has done a lot of work with people who both study and have prosopagnosia, which she details in the after note, and that work comes through in the book.)

Sadie's healthcare team is optimistic that it will improve, but not certain. In the meantime, Sadie has to sort a way to paint a portrait for the contest in several weeks when she can't recognize the subject matter or fit features together anymore. Throw in the reappearance of her frustrating step-mother, her awful step-sister, and her absent father, along with some issues with her aging dog's health, a sudden, dizzying crush on the new veterinarian, and a blossoming, confusing friendship with a guy in her building, and Sadie's basically up to her eyeballs in "What now."

I
ate
this
up.

I devoured it like strawberry cheesecake with real good crust. Like gooey brownies. Like, I don't even know what. I wrecked my sleep schedule over this UNINTENTIONALLY, and there aren't many romcoms that provoke me to that point anymore.

This was so, so freaking wholesome, and kind, and nuanced. The romance is cozy and warm. You get the experience of knowing that this dude is extremely caring with everyone--that he cares especially about her, too--while you watch Sadie pick up the puzzle pieces to put all of it together. Not just who he is, but how to accept help and to work through her trauma around being "too needy."

Have I seen similar emotional beats in romance novels before? Yes. But this wasn't just pacing out a plot. It was dancing it--full out, thoughtfully weaving elements from Sadie's childhood, ambitions, hopes, and fears into a well-paced and gorgeously written romcom. There were some plot points I predicted, but Center's imaginative and rich storytelling made those moments satisfying, like coming upon a view you knew would be gorgeous after the journey to get there.

I have a lot of quirks with romance, and lately, as someone who reads quite a lot of them, I've been a bit tired of the usual miscommunication/typical third-act breakup plot structure. Often, it feels like the conflict could be more interesting if the characters had room to work past the surface level hiccup and get into the real vulnerability.

But this book really proves that if done well, "predictable" becomes "anticipatory." (Yes, I am referencing the author's note at the end, which I also loved.) It is vulnerable, sweet, and funny. It has such heart. I have an ARC, but I'll be getting a physical copy of this.

I'll stop rambling now, but definitely pick this up if you like dogs and sweet, kind people who care about them.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

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literaryintersections's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-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

4.25

I enjoyed this book - it’s heartfelt and emotional and imo well researched. I am not sure what I thought going in, but I’m glad it was a little of a surprise. With that being said, this book relies on miscommunication and assumptions, and some of these things are easier to guess than others which might make it a little predictable (I guessed the twist within the first 50 pages). BUT, the point of the book is still worth it. That we make assumptions about people and their actions everyday. And we miss opportunities for love and connection and friendship when we do that. I cried, and felt so much emotion. And that’s a sign of a great book for me.

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kat__z8's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried liking this book, but I'll be honest, this is one of the most frustrating books this year.

I'll start off with the things I liked.

The premise is really unique. It's my first time encountering someone with face blindness, and it's interesting to learn more about it, and how people with similar issues try to navigate life. I also really liked the main character's best friend, Sue, and Sue's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kim. And kudos to the complex family relationship that Sadie has with her father and stepmother.

On the other hand, there were two main things that bothered me so much. Firstly, the evil stepsister. I thought we've left that with Cinderella. You know, absurdly irrational caricature-evil step-sibling. The stepsister here is so one-dimensional, and obsessed with Sadie for no apparent reason. At one point there was an explanation about her having some kind of childhood trauma, but it felt more like an afterthought instead of an actual "villain origin story."

Also, I am a hater of miscommunication trope, and this book is just one miscommunication after another, so imagine my frustration. I thought that with face blindness, Sadie would be more critical in other aspects, but nope.

I guessed the twist early on, but it did 't matter much and I was willing to give it a chance until we reached about 75% mark and the whole miscommunication disaster happened. The more I think about it, the less sense it made. How did Sadie hangout and date her neighbour this whole time without asking anything about his job? Why would Sadie go this entire time without telling him about the face blindness, until the dude left? How did Sadie go this entire time without knowing his real name? Honestly still can't wrap my head around the stupidity and carelessness.

All in all, kind of disappointed with the book. I was just hoping for a nice, fun read, but the book instead just frustrated me.

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