Center, Katherine. Hello Stranger. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. 320 pp. ISBN 9781250283788. $29

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An artist looks her facial recognition ability after a potentially life-threatening tumor is removed–just as she’s getting ready to create a portrait for an art contest in which she’s a finalist. Sadie is very anxious about her future, the contest, and her health–and her ability to recognize her canine companion!–but post-surgery, her inability to identify people she knows becomes an opportunity for her friends to come up with creative ways to be recognized. During her physical healing, her evil stepsister messes with her but it’s a chance for her stepmother to support her in ways she couldn’t when was a teenager; and an opportunity to get to know the hot new veterinarian and the cute but fratty guy in her building.

Center’s novel is a great read for fans of Lisa Genova, blending medicine, psychology, family dynamics and light romance with a well-paced, not overly dramatic story, replete with humor and pathos.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HelloStranger from #NetGalley.