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 with every face she sees.
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 into—love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?—with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.
If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.
Book Review: Hello Stranger
Series: No
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5
Spice: 0/5
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I can’t believe this was my first Katherine Center read! I loved it so much 😍
Sadie is a portrait artist, who is about to get her “big break,” when she gets into an accident that leaves her with a *hopefully* temporary condition, face blindness (causing faces to be blurry).
Joe is Sadie’s neighbour, who becomes her friend, and a pleasant distraction. She doesn’t explain her condition to him, but he helps her out nonetheless.
A lot of this book sends the message that things aren’t always as they seem. People aren’t always who we think they are, based on first impressions or external factors.
This definitely had some predictable moments, but that’s part of the fun of it. Definitely read/listen to the author’s note, she explains a lot there.
I tandem read this book – audio and ebook – and really enjoyed the narration! Patti Murin did a wonderful job at capturing Sadie, and all the side characters.
What you’ll find in Hello Stranger:
🌼 Artist heroine
🌼 Cinnamon roll hero
🌼 He falls first
🌼 Romcom
🌼 Friends to lovers
🌼 Forced proximity
🌼 Slow burn
🌼 Miscommunication
🌼 Single POV/first person
Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.