Check out my Hello Stranger mood board. A glimpse into the vibe before you read!
So happy to have received this ARC copy from St. Martin's Press (thanks NetGalley ily) of Hello Stranger as I adored Center’s last book, The Bodyguard. I accepted that this story would likely not eclipse my enjoyment of The Bodyguard, and boy did I have a great time being proved wrong. Hello Stranger was full of a lot of great things, but, in particular, it seeped with hope, something that I find we all need an extra serving of when things feel bleak.
Sadie, aspiring portrait artist, undergoes urgent brain surgery after experiencing an unexpected stroke. Side affects of said surgery include: itchy stitches, trauma, and face-blindness. Upon waking, everyone, including herself, is a stranger. Every face is unrecognizable, which just made her job a whole lot harder. Amongst all this, romance ensues.
Center’s inspired by the rom-com movie greats (i.e., Nora Ephron, Rob Reiner), and you can tell; her writing is cinematic and satisfying. Having one great scene where the tension between Sadie and Joe comes to a head is enough, simple, intimate, and entirely tonal to their character development. This is all to say that Center doesn’t force the characters into hyper-sexy moments to check that romance box.
The main cast of characters feel genuine and dynamic, all while remaining relatable to some degree.
Although I haven’t read all of Center’s work, having now read her two most recent books, there seems to be a pattern…the dead mother trope. I don’t lean strongly one way or another about this trope, but I do find it an interesting decision to establish conflict and more complicated relationships between characters before the reader steps into their world. Being that Sadie’s mom is dead, her perception of her mother does occasionally seem more one-dimensional. She is remembered for only the good things, and comes off a bit perfect. I suppose there is a tendency to glorify the dead to some extent, but I would have enjoyed seeing a bit of Sadie’s internal reflection on more than just the best parts of her mother and how her love prevailed because of the many facets.
The plot was unique and I was very happy to find that the added twist at the end went in the direction I was hoping. The twist in the book worked entirely so well because it is, well, a book. This kind of visual game of who’s who we tag along with through Sadie’s POV is only made to be so effective through it’s literary vessel. Wonderfully and masterfully executed. As Center says herself in her delightful Author’s Note, there is wonderful “satisfaction” to be had with this joyful and engrossing novel.
Check out Hello Stranger when it hits the shelves July 11 of this year!