Hello Stranger: A Novel

Written by Katherine Center

Narrated by Patti Murin

The glorious new novel from the beloved author whose bright, hopelessly romantic New York Times bestsellers have been called “My perfect 10 of a book” (Emily Henry) and cheered for their “speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles” (People).

"Patti Murin offers a fun, vivacious performance of this lively romance...with steady pacing and a believable narration, this romance will charm listeners." —AudioFile

“Patti Murin narrates the struggling yet still optimistic Sadie while respectfully acknowledging the hurt and confusion that her condition has caused. Murin’s lively performance and varied character voices make for an engaging and fun listen.”- Library Journal

This program includes an author's note and supplementary materials read by the author.

Love isn’t blind, it’s just a 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.

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.

Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jul 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250893253

Katherine Center

BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads' Best Books of the Year, and many more. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls her summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, “a shot of pure joy.” The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is now a Netflix original starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

Reviews for Hello Stranger

[SerendipityReads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw the "twist" coming literally from the very beginning, so it felt like the explanation about how that happened got waaaaay too dragged out at the end.....and the evil step-sister storyline seemed like a big stretch for a 28 year old woman.

THAT SAID! I really loved the book! Super likable hero(s), and my favorite heroine I've read in a long time. I'm always looking for "quirky" FMCs who don't come off as complete flakes, and this one was adorable. It was easy to see why the hero(s) found her compelling--I fell in love with her too!

Excellent narration job as well....

[Michaelissa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full of delicious anticipation! (to borrow the author's words)
This is my first experience with the author and I'm so glad I gave it a try.
I tend to zone out sometimes when listening to books. This let's me know to move to the next one.

This book kept me engaged 100%.
Completely relatable themes, thoughts, and misunderstandings.

I can't wait to listen to Katherine's other books!

[Lourdes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even though this was good The Bodyguard is still my favorite book

[Dita Tria Ariesta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is incredibly good! I finished it in a day and I love looooove it. I also cried in public listening to this while waiting for my train lol ??? five stars

[Kim L · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the best stories I have read/listened to recently! The characters were wonderfully engaging and even others who were within hearing range of my book wanted to listen with me. I hardly ever write reviews as I just don't know what to say, but wanted to thank the author for creating this book.

[Elizabeth Aguayo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Very surprised at the ending. I did not expect that.

[Emily Ray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely fantastic book. Uplifting and entertaining all the way through. What a great plot and such interesting subject matter “face blindness” is. Was a wonderful book.

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm so happy to have found a new-to-me author, Katherine Center. I read her last release, The Bodyguard, last year and knew she was going to be a new favorite. When I had the chance to read/listen to her newest release, Hello Stranger, I jumped at the opportunity, and I'm so glad I did.
Once again, I was entertained, I loved the characters (aside from the evil stepsister), I rooted for Sadie to get her life back on track and to get her happily-ever-after. I'd heard of face-blindness and knew a bit about it, but definitely learned a lot more about it than I'd known previously. Patti Murin's narration of the audiobook was excellent. And don't miss the author's notes at the end, both the notes about prosopagnosia (face-blindness) and the Author's Note about how she became a romance reader and writer. I can't say it any better than she said in her notes: “This love story really created fantastic anticipation.” I loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

[Rachel Obrien · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So good! When you feel like your life can’t get worse, and then it does. While putting the pieces back together to move forward, it took Sadie down paths I didn’t see coming. Reminding us often that being kind is the way to go. I found myself struggling to put it down and don’t know what to read next while I wait for the next Katherine Center novel.

[Kelly Lautenbach · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adored this book. It took a heart wrenching story and found light and humor and personal growth in each and every corner of the story. The reading of this book is phenomenal and contributes greatly to the enjoyment factor.

[AneesahCooper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. Great characters (some that were lovable, others that were punchable). Some slightly unrealistic circumstances but isn’t that what a great romance story is all about? I can’t wait to read more from this author!

[destinie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

amazing, fantastic, and incredible! katherine center does it again !

[angelica_fernandez_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just love Katherine's charachters, they feel so genuine and loveable. Really enjoyed listening to this. Patti is DEFINITELY my favourite narrator, hands down!