NetGalley Buddy Readers discussion

A few of us are planning to buddy read Hello Stranger some time in May. We will likely choose a specific date when it gets a little closer. Everyone is welcome to join.



Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope―and hang onto her artistic dreams―she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn't want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places―and people― you least expect.

I am in

Just got it so I'll be joining in!

Me too thanks to the Read Now option. Thanks Elyse!

Glad you both got it too! Yay! :D

I'd like to join in if it's in May!

Sure, Saloni! When it gets closer we'll pick a start date that works for everyone, but for now sometime in May is the plan.

Sounds good! Depending on my reading mood/schedule, this may end up being my first by the author. Looking forward to it.

Yay looking forward to this buddy read

I have it too and will join the read!

So, it's been a while since we decided to buddy read this one. Are we still planning for some time in May? When would everyone like to start?

Yup I’m in. I waited to read it with everyone.

I'm excited for it. I love Katherine Center. I am open pretty much any time in May.

I can fit it in maybe the 20th or 21st?

I'm still planning on it but not sure if I will like it! I realize there is romance in her stories and it's usually not my thing. I will try it though since I do have it from NG and it's only fair. lol

Tasha wrote: "I'm still planning on it but not sure if I will like it! I realize there is romance in her stories and it's usually not my thing. I will try it though since I do have it from NG and it's only fair...."

It's not too spicy. She's no Tessa Bailey. lol. She's pretty good at the humor!

I hope you end up loving it, Tasha! :) It'll be interesting to see what you think of it.

The 21st would work for me too, Elyse. Everyone else?

Works!

Good for me!

Works for me :)

Yay! I edited the calendar. Looking forward to it.

We ready for Sunday start? I think I will be!

Yes! :)

Yes! Might end up Monday for me because I have family stuff all day Sunday but I’m excited for this one

I'll be ready :)

I read a bunch today. I probably won't have time to read for a couple days, but I'll be back at it Wednesday. Lots of thoughts!

24% - (view spoiler)[ I can’t image be having the type of face blindness she suffers from. It must be awful! And scary.

So, right away I’m guessing that the guy in her apartment building is the vet as well as the guy who bought her wine and saved her. I’m not sure what that phone call was about. Someone with the same jacket? A teammate or friend? Or maybe someone he bought it from?? I mean, I can’t imagine he was running lines like an actor if he’s a vet. Unless they’re not actually the same person.

It seems that her dad didn’t want her to go into art because that’s what “killed” her mom. She had the same brain thing and put off the surgery for the competition, just like … was going to. I think he blames the art for her death. My guess is he pushed … away preemptively to avoid the pain of losing her. We shall see.

Her stepmom doesn’t seem as terrible as Sadie thinks she is. Her stepsister, however, seems pretty rotten. Haha (hide spoiler)]

28% - (view spoiler)[ I’m thinking about the vet and guy in her building being the same person. Wouldn’t she recognize his voice or gate and r something?? (hide spoiler)]

35% (view spoiler)[ Ok, I don’t think the vet & the guy are the same person. Lol At least I hope not. Haha (hide spoiler)]

45% - (view spoiler)[ I was laughing out loud at the “helpful” bit. I’ve actually told my husband that he is too helpful at times. So Joe is clearly the guy who bought her wine.

Also, her best friend doesn’t seem to really know her at all. (hide spoiler)]

55% up to Ch 18 - (view spoiler)[ ok, Joe is adorable and clearly has a thing for Sadie. I’m still thinking her BF is selfish. This portrait is going to be really intimate. Maybe someone borrowed his jacket? The phone call just doesn’t fit him. (hide spoiler)]

Wow, you got a lot read! I'm only up to 8% so will wait to read those but I'm enjoying the writing so far. I've laughed numerous times!

I really did! I am away for a couple of days and won't have much, if any, reading time here, so I figured I'd get ahead a bit for a change. lol

I'm glad it's making you laugh. I'm enjoying it so far too. I laughed a few times. I even had to share a part with my husband. You'll see it in my spoiler later.

Ok, looking forward to reading them. Have fun!

30% in and I like it so far! definitely found myself chuckling a few times.

(view spoiler)[
This condition sounds absolutely terrifying. I can't imagine not recognizing anyone including myself!

I think her dad sees so much of her mom when he looks at her that it's too hard for him.

I agree that the vet, guy who helped her out in the store, and elevator guy are probably the same. She said sometimes voices are hard because brains remember the whole package together so maybe she doesn't recognize it. I'm thinking the elevator call was about a dog he's fostering and taking pics of for adoption ads.

(hide spoiler)]

Shruti morethanmylupus wrote: "30% in and I like it so far! definitely found myself chuckling a few times. ..."

(view spoiler)[ Oh! Good point about the dog fostering!! I never thought about that. lol Now I'll have to go back and re-read that bit.

I agree about the dad. She seems to be very much like her mother. (hide spoiler)]

I'm 18% in and I didn't realize we would be going in this direction! (view spoiler)[ The facial blindness. Interesting and I feel like it's something that has been in some other books these past couple of years. (hide spoiler)]

I like her writing style, it's very engaging,

Yes, I also like her writing style. That's why I was excited for this book. I was less sure about the blurb, but just hoping she would do something good with it.

60%

(view spoiler)[
Wow the step sister is really mean. There has to be some story to why she treats her that way.

Still hasn't figured out that she wasn't stood up by the vet??

This must be so incredibly difficult already and now her best friend is gone and she's struggling with this portrait anymore. At least before she knew what her best friend looks like even if she can't see it. Now she doesn't have that to fall back on with Joe.

(hide spoiler)]

I'm traveling today, so I'll be reading more. Looking forward to getting back to it. :)

Kristie wrote: "I read a bunch today. I probably won't have time to read for a couple days, but I'll be back at it Wednesday. Lots of thoughts!

24% - I can’t image be having the type of face blindness she suffe..."

I'm up to 40% and read the first 3 comments. Re: up to 35% (view spoiler)[ Ha! No, they can't be the same person at this point, thankfully. And I agree, her step sister is absolutely awful. I can't imagine having this blindness as well. I get occular migraines at times where I see prisms and I feel like this has a similar feel and it is not fun. Her's is much worse obviously bc it's way more serious and more longer term. I hope this resolves itself in the end, I have a feeling it will. (hide spoiler)]

Tasha - (view spoiler)[ I've also had ocular migraines and they are pretty disorienting. It is so strange to move your eyes and have moving prisms like a kaleidoscope. I was pretty freaked out the first time it happened. (hide spoiler)]

I finished today. I really enjoyed it. (view spoiler)[ I thought the at work voice and appearance was a worthy attempt to try to explain away her not recognizing that they were the same person. Plus, she was pretty stressed when she was there. I thought she would have recognized his gait, but again I can see him carrying himself differently at work. Still it seems strange to not be able to recognize him somehow. I'm willing to overlook that though.

I did figure out pretty quickly after thinking they might not be the same person that they really were again. I kept thinking that it made sense that he didn't call to apologize, since he did actually show up for their date.

I thought they had a cute relationship and I really enjoy Center's writing. I liked the author's notes at the end regarding prosopagnosia and how she was explaining the positively valanced anticipation and predictability vs anticipation in romance novels. I've thought about this concept before, but not nearly so eloquently. I have simply suggested that of course we know what's going to happen, but the predictability didn't bother me. I think she's right about there being a positive anticipation. You know they're going to get together in the end and you look forward to it. I enjoy seeing how they end up getting together.
(hide spoiler)]

I was very surprised too when I first got those, Kristie. It was scary and I called my doctor.

Boo for me also having migraines. lol. But since taking Magnesvium daily, they happen a lot less and not as severe. They used to make me throw up.

I've been pretty off of Goodreads but I have been reading! I'm 60% through and just read all of the spoilers (except your final one, Kristie!)

(view spoiler)[I think the vet, Joe, and the wine guy at the beginning are all different men. Only because why wouldn't someone have mentioned it?! When almost no one knows about Sadie's condition. I did forget what her name was because it's written in first person and she spends so much time alone! lol.

I follow someone's blog online who has face blindness that she was born with. It's quite a strange condition! Definitely this book is not as light-hearted as I thought it was going to be!

I also agree that Lucinda is not a meanie like Sadie thinks she is but Parker is TERRIBLE and Sue and Witt are a bit selfish. Witt knew Sue was helping Sadie with her portrait and he still surprised her with the elopement. Not cool.

I do think Joe was talking about a cat at the beginning of the book. One-night stand is an AWKWARD way to talk about an animal but the rest of the context makes sense for a cat. (hide spoiler)]

I'll probably finish tonight!

Done!

Kristie, agree with everything you said!

(view spoiler)[
My only real complaint is that her awful step sister didn't get her comeuppance.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm up thru 59% so finished your spoiler comments, Kristie, and yes, I agree (view spoiler)[ Joe is really sweet and I didn't even think about him possibly being the guy that bought her the wine but that makes total sense! I'm sure it was now that you bring it up. And he definitely can't be that awful guy in the elevator. I figured that is going to be revealed at the end. It's not funny but it was presented in a funny way, the many ways she tried to paint Joe's portrait! I'm still hoping her FFG reverses at the end. I'm assuming it will and she will be surprised by who Joe really is, lol. (hide spoiler)]

Shruti morethanmylupus wrote: "Done!

Kristie, agree with everything you said!

..."

No, she really didn't. But, (view spoiler)[ she did get called out by the girl she was bullying in front of the parents and kicked out of the building. So, it was something. I also think she's just a sad, miserable person. She has no friends and seems to always be vying for love and attention. Plus, Sadie ended up with the man she was interested in and there was nothing she could do about it. I imagine that she wouldn't have a happy life. (hide spoiler)]

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished it. Didn't love (view spoiler)[being tricked. Like, SOMEONE SOMEWHERE WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING. Why the hell would he let her keep calling him Joe? Why wouldn't he apologize for being late for their date? Since he didn't stand her up. A normal person would have said something somewhere along the way. Geez. I still gave it 4 stars but it was frustrating. I liked it more than The Bodyguard which is the only other Center book I've read.

Also, didn't like that Parker did not learn a damn thing. But at least Sadie is shucking her off for good and it seems she's going to make an effort with Lucinda now. I'm still angry at her father though. A CHILD is suffering the loss of her mother. Get over yourself and be there for your child. (hide spoiler)]

Elyse wrote: "I finished it. Didn't love ..."

(view spoiler)[ I was also mad at her dad. He had plenty of time to reach out to her and try to make it better and why would he believe all those terrible things about her? I would assume he had some idea about what type of person she was before that.

I think Sadie finally learned how to stand up for herself. She is having those tough conversations now and putting up some better boundaries, not just avoiding the whole thing.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm 70% in and (view spoiler)[ the elevator mix up has been revealed. He was talking about a dog, lol. (hide spoiler)]

This is tracking at a 3.5 star read for me up to this point and I'm assuming it will stay here. An interesting story but not one I'm thinking about after I set it down for the night. I'm enjoying the humor though, that's a hard thing for me to enjoy in books. Do her other books carry this same humor in other stories? I do have another of her books on my tbr that is on a personal challenge this year so I will give that one a try: How to Walk Away.

I just finished Ch 24 (view spoiler)[ and WTH?! What did she do to make Joe so angry?? He is really pouting. I'm sure it has something to do with when her stepmom came over bc that's when he abruptly left. I hope he's not mad for anything childish and stupid. (hide spoiler)]

Hahaha, Tasha. I can't wait to see what you think of his reason.

I think her books have a more subtle humor, which I like. I find that when a book tries to hard to be funny, it often doesn't sit right with me. Witty banter is something I love.

I really enjoyed How to Walk Away as well.

Ok, I can't wait now to see what it's all about. I'm going out now but plan on reading more later today.

I agree about the subtle humor. I would love to know if she speaks this way in real life, it seems to come naturally through on the pages.

I'll let you know what I think about HtWA when I get to it.

Finished, 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it overall. Not too much romance, which I don't usually enjoy, so that was good. I enjoyed the humor the most. She touched on a difficult topic, I can't imagine living with this issue. (view spoiler)[ The resolution was nice and tidy but it seems it usually is with romance stories, lol! (hide spoiler)]

I have one more book by the author on my tbr and will give that one a try but I don't know whether I would race out to by more of her books, mainly bc of the romance element. :)