Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a solid contemporary rom-com (4/5 stars)

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center is a solid contemporary rom-com. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little over ten and a half hours and is narrated by Patti Murin.

Sadie is a portrait artist who is struggling for her big break. After she is selected as a finalist in a huge competition, she learns she needs to have “minor” brain surgery. During recovery, she realizes she can no longer perceive faces. Doctors tell her it’s probably temporary but she struggles to cope.

The artist who did the cover really knocked it out of the park. They also did the cover for The Bodyguard, the author’s last book, which was one of my favorite reads last year. It was the first book I’ve read by Center, and I fell in love with her prose. I read the whole thing in one sitting, which happened again with her latest book.

I enjoyed Hello Stranger but not as much as I loved The Bodyguard. I think the story could have been tightened up a bit, and I’m not sure the side story with the evil stepsister needed to go that hard.

But I do highly recommend this book and the author in general. I need to pick up more of her back catalogue!

Tropes in this book include: strangers-to-lovers, love triangle, forced proximity, miscommunication, mistaken identity

CW: death of parent (prior to book), brain surgery, dog in hospital, description of panic attack, bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, suicide attempt (mentioned), face blindness

I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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