Hello Stranger — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Katherine Center
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 336

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Love isn’t blind, it’s just little blurry.

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.

First Impressions

I love Katherine Center. I have enjoyed every single one of her books since reading Happiness for Beginners. I like the color of this book, but I do kind of wish she had stuck with the various colorful floral covers rather than adding cartoon people.

What I thought

Sadie is an artist who just won a spot in a prestigious portrait painting competition when she finds out that she has a malformed blood vessel in her brain resulting in a need for immediate brain surgery. After her surgery, she has brain swelling that leads to (hopefully) temporary face blindness. Not only does this impact her participation in the competition, but it throws her life upside down. She ends up falling in love with two different men and dealing with an evil stepsister.

This book is so weird but in the best way possible. The idea of temporary face blindness as a romance trope is just wild enough that it works. I think Center did a nice just of explaining face blindness and the emotional impact without making it seem rude. Sadie has a lot going on in her life pre-brain surgery and it just gets even more intense afterwards. She hasn’t had a relationship with her dad or step-mom since she was a teenager and she has a step-sister who makes it her life mission to make Sadie’s life miserable.

My one issue with this book was Sadie’s continued participation in the portrait competition. I understand it’s important to the story and her growth, but no one in her life thinks to suggest she reach out to the judges and organizers, explain what happened, and ask to be deferred to the next year? Like, she can’t see faces! Why would she think it’s a good idea to continue in this competition??

I adored the romance in this story though. Joe and Sadie were so cute. It was very interesting to read a book where the lead male’s face was never really described. She ogles his torso a little bit, but it was kind of fun to read a romance where the physical aspect wasn’t the leading factor. Even though her interest in her vet was a little bit physical because she was attracted to his gait.

It was fascinating to see Sadie grow and deal with her emotional issues. I would’ve liked if we could’ve had a few more of her therapy sessions and delved a little deeper into the grief with her mom. I also wouldn’t have minded a little bit more of the happily ever after because I wanted more of Sadie and the man she got together with.