Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors. She writes good stories with character about whom I care. Hello Stranger is one of my top two read by her, the other being How to Walk Away. That was the book that made me know that I would always want to read Center’s titles.
This novel has a heroine whose voice I loved. Sadie Montgomery can be funny and sassy. She is a portrait artist who has some complicated family relationships. Her mom, also a portrait artist, died young while Sadie’s father was very disappointed that she walked away from being a doctor (his profession). There are also a stepmother and stepsister who challenge Sadie.
Sadie has many other relationships too. There was a boyfriend and there are her dog, a vet, a good Samaritan whom she does not seem to like, a therapist, a best friend, coffee shop baristas, a neighbor whom she finds creepy, and others. It is fun to watch all of these relationships over the course of the story.
Center also looks at a serious and real issue in this story. Looks is just the right word as Sadie suddenly has a medical crisis that leaves her unable, literally, to see faces. She knows that they are there but nonetheless can’t make sense of them. This is a real condition and one that the author researched for the novel. It is especially challenging for Sadie as she is an artist and her work has always been face centered.
Readers will want the best for Sadie. Read this very enjoyable novel and wait to see how her life evolves. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 11 July 2023
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 