Hello Stranger & The Summer Girl

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Narrator: Patti Murin
Published by Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press on July 11, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love—not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.

This was such a delightful read! I have had a lot of luck with Katherine Center’s books so I was incredibly excited to dive into her newest offering. There were parts of the story that were fairly predictable but I didn’t care since I was having such a great time. Once I started reading this one, I did not want to put it down. I had a wonderful time with this book and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out in the end.

Sadie was a great character and I loved getting the chance to see her work through some pretty big issues, including the sudden inability to see faces. Sadie is a portrait artist so seeing faces is vital to what she does. I couldn’t imagine dealing with some of the things that were thrown at her in this book. I really liked how the romance of the story was handled and thought it added a lot to the story. l I was eager to see Sadie find her happily ever after.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Patti Murin did an amazing job with this story. I thought her voice was perfectly suited to this book and enjoyed the various voices that she used to represent the cast of characters. I felt like she added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I listened to this book for hours at a time and believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment.

I would highly recommend this book to others! I thought that this was a wonderful story about a resilient character that I couldn’t help but love with a nice dose of romance worked in perfectly. I will definitely be reading more of Katherine Center’s work soon.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy
Narrator: Caitlin Elizabeth, Teddy Hamilton
Series: Avalon Bay #3
Published by Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Griffin on July 18, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes
Pages: 400
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

Elle Kennedy's next spicy and emotional romance in the blockbuster Avalon Bay series.
College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town, excited to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday…and maybe find herself a summer fling. She’s ready for breathless, heart-pounding passion. And on her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy.

Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But…maybe not this time? The moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with, and the last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart. So, despite his attraction to her, he turns her down. But that awkward hiccup doesn’t stop a friendship from developing between the two. Tate even helps Cassie find that fling she’s so set on finding. Only it isn’t long before he’s wondering if he made a huge mistake. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. He can’t deny it anymore: he wants that fling now. Big-time. And maybe even something more.

As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when one secret in particular comes to light.

This was great! I was a little worried about picking up this book since I have not yet read the first two books in the Avalon Bay series but it was great as a stand-alone so there was no need to worry. Of course, I enjoyed this book so much that I feel like I need to go back and read the first two as soon as possible. I enjoyed every moment that I spent with Cassie and Tate!

Cassie and Tate were both wonderful characters and I felt that they absolutely belonged to each other. The banter between them was well done and I loved the chemistry that they shared. I liked getting to watch Cassie and Tate deal with their family issues and appreciated the way that they supported each other. I couldn’t wait to see them figure out a way to work things out.

Caitlin Elizabeth and Teddy Hamilton did a great job with this book. I thought that their voices complimented each other incredibly well. I loved the way that they were each able to bring the characters to life and add just the right amount of emotion to their reading. I couldn’t put this audiobook down once I started listening and believe that their narration took the story to the next level.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a wonderful romance featuring characters that were easy to fall for. I cannot wait to read the earlier books in this wonderful series.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio.

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