Scan barcode
A review by katesbooknook
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
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
4.75
Hello Stranger is the second of Katherine Center’s novels that I’ve read, and the second that I’ve rated 4.5 ⭐️s! I’m not usually a huge romance reader, but her novels strike the perfect balance for me of a romcom with depth.
Things are not going well for Sophie. She is a portrait artist in Houston making her meager living on Etsy. She secretly lives in her art studio after breaking up with her narcissist boyfriend. Her dad is emotionally unavailable since her mother’s death, and she has an evil stepmother and stepsister to boot! What could go worse? Just when she’s about it get her big break, enter brain surgery and face blindness.
The face blindness was such an interesting factor. I palpably felt Sophie’s anxiety as she tried to figure out who people were without being able to make sense of their faces and how her since of self was rocked to the core.
The interesting thing about having a main character with face blindness is that since she can’t make sense of faces, the readers don't get the character descriptions that we’re used to. I had a hard time picturing the characters and felt less connected to them for that reason…but maybe that’s the point! Sophie’s face blindness also made her feel disconnected.
Read this book. You will fall in love with Sophie and her adorable fluff-ball dog. You will want to crawl through the pages and give her a hug and tell her she doesn’t always have to be okay. You will relate with her struggle to accept help. You might be able to follow the clues and know what’s coming in the end, but the anticipation is so strong that you won’t care.
I read this book in one sitting-started after dinner and stayed up until the wee hours of the night. I couldn’t put it down! When you pick up this book, learn from my mistake, and start earlier in the day 😉
Things are not going well for Sophie. She is a portrait artist in Houston making her meager living on Etsy. She secretly lives in her art studio after breaking up with her narcissist boyfriend. Her dad is emotionally unavailable since her mother’s death, and she has an evil stepmother and stepsister to boot! What could go worse? Just when she’s about it get her big break, enter brain surgery and face blindness.
The face blindness was such an interesting factor. I palpably felt Sophie’s anxiety as she tried to figure out who people were without being able to make sense of their faces and how her since of self was rocked to the core.
The interesting thing about having a main character with face blindness is that since she can’t make sense of faces, the readers don't get the character descriptions that we’re used to. I had a hard time picturing the characters and felt less connected to them for that reason…but maybe that’s the point! Sophie’s face blindness also made her feel disconnected.
Read this book. You will fall in love with Sophie and her adorable fluff-ball dog. You will want to crawl through the pages and give her a hug and tell her she doesn’t always have to be okay. You will relate with her struggle to accept help. You might be able to follow the clues and know what’s coming in the end, but the anticipation is so strong that you won’t care.
I read this book in one sitting-started after dinner and stayed up until the wee hours of the night. I couldn’t put it down! When you pick up this book, learn from my mistake, and start earlier in the day 😉
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent