It’s Tuesday evening where I’m at and I’m contemplating ordering a pizza. The Fellowship of the Ring is on in the background and I have spent way too long trying to write this review, after putting it off all day. Not a bad setup, overall, but I do wish my brain wanted to focus more than it currently does.
Okay. Pizza has been ordered, so let’s get on to the main event! Up today is my review of Katherine Center’s Hello Stranger, which is officially out today! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
For whatever reason, I was really stressed to read this book. I think I thought it was going to be sad and dramatic and I just don’t have the mental energy or desire to read sad and dramatic books. However, I’m glad that I made myself read it because I was wrong! I love being wrong…in these instances. Hello Stranger is so SO sweet. I loved the main character Sadie, a portrait artist who develops face blindness after surgery. Do you see the issue here? It takes time, therapy, and changing the way she speaks to herself, but I love the way she works through not only her face blindness, but also some past trauma. Sadie’s rediscovery of what brings her joy brought ME joy. The rollerskating scene? *Chef’s kiss.*
Joe…oh Joe. What a CUTIE. What a SWEETHEART. The way he is basically obsessed (in a good way) with Sadie had my heart. I was a bit concerned with the love triangle that presents itself in the story…but it worked out satisfactorily. *Wink wink*
There wasn’t much that I didn’t enjoy about the story, but the aspects that annoyed me are worth talking about. This will have *minor* spoilers, but I will try not to reveal too much. Aimee (@theonewhereaimeereads on IG) mentioned in her review of this book that she rated this book 4/5 stars because of Sadie’s dad and her stepsister Parker. I agree completely with her reasoning on this! Parker is truly horrible and their interactions didn’t do a lot for me. A lot of the trauma Sadie carries from her teenage years stems from a lot of awful incidents that Parker instigated and blamed Sadie for…and Sadie’s dad and stepmom took Parker’s side. Now, by the time our story takes place, it’s been (by my count) about 15 years since all of this…and Parker is still horrible. Still doing everything she can to make Sadie’s life hell despite Sadie doing her best to just avoid Parker and it all felt…so childish in a way that didn’t feel authentic when reading. I don’t necessarily mean that I expected Parker to have transformed into a sweet and kind human, but her incessant targeting of Sadie didn’t feel realistic. She could have still hated Sadie, fine, but all of the things she does (even her dialogue) feels like she is still a teenager when in reality she is almost 30. In addition, I felt like her relationship with her dad and their issues also felt a bit inauthentic once the true root of it was revealed. I don’t want to spoil what that is, but again, after (over) 15 years in this case, Sadie’s dad also felt a bit ridiculous and their “moment of understanding” felt a little anticlimactic.
Now, despite the long paragraph above, this is truly a lovely book and I’m happy that I read it. I was all smiles at the end! Plus, the cover is so beautiful, and I’m a sucker for a beautiful cover. I highly recommend it if you want a sweet, romantic story with a lot of heart and joy.
The Bookish Bird 