ABOUT THE BOOK
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 with every face she sees.
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 into―love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?―with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.
If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.
- Publisher : St. Martin’s Press
- Publication date : July 11, 2023
- Print length : 325 pages
- Genre : Romantic Comedy
I was excited to get the chance to read this novel since I like Katherine Center’s books. But now that I’ve finished, I can’t hardly make myself write a review, since I wanted to be able to rate it higher.
Sadie is a struggling artist with some family history that has caused her to be extremely independent. When her dream comes true of becoming a finalist in a prestigious portrait competition, she’s sure she’ll be able to stop being tagged as a struggling artist. She’s feeling very positive about the outcome.
But, wouldn’t you know it, a streak of bad luck puts her in a position that will make it near impossible to carry through with the competition? However, this is one independent lady who just might find a way to still submit a portrait.
My Concerns
At this point, I’d like to say I cared about Sadie, but I found her, for the most part, unlikable. I kept wondering how such a cool guy was attracted to her. Now, this isn’t to say she doesn’t pull off some cute things, but not enough to overcome her off-putting personality traits.
I likened this story to a man asking if anyone has seen his glasses, and of course, we all see that they are pushed up on his head. It got a little old knowing what we knew as readers, while Sadie didn’t have a clue. She appeared to be very dense and unaware. To say readers needed to suspend disbelief was putting it mildly.
Plus, the idea of having an evil step-sister was over-the-top. The story certainly went to new lengths to prove that saying true. It just didn’t work for me.
Final Thoughts
The idea was interesting and I really, really wanted to like this story. But the fact that the MC wasn’t very likable, and as a reader I had to leave my common sense almost at the the beginning, I’d have to say that I can’t recommend this book.
Be aware, however, that I’m not in the majority on this rating. The chance that you’ll like it is fairly high.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year, and many more. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls her summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, “a shot of pure joy.” The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is in production now as a Netflix original starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.
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