my favourite five star books

i think i rate too many books five star

i’ve always been an avid reader. ever since i could remember, every since i learned how to read, i’ve been obsessed with stories. i remember going to the library every month or two, and taking sometimes hours to pick out books that intrigued and spoke to me.

i remember my grandmother reading me books at night when i couldn’t sleep, and in the morning when i woke up before my brother. when i started to learn how to read, she’d make me read these books where she read a part and i read another to make me practise. my parents always encouraged me and my brother to read books as well—being pretty big readers themselves—and i’ll always be grateful for that. 

after i started reading books in english (english isn’t my first language), i became an even bigger reader. i joined booktok, and started to really be conscious of what i was reading. now, i’m more influenced when i choose the books i want to read. i see recommendations on tiktok, youtube, instagram, from people i follow, and that’s how i usually choose them. and while i love the books i read most of the times, i miss the simple way of just going to the library, and choosing ones i’ve never heard of, solely based on the cover and on the summary at the back (yes, i do judge a book by its cover). 

i read a lot of different genres, from romance to fantasy to murder mysteries to thrillers to literary fiction, and so on. if the summary sounds good, and it interests me, i’ll read it. but i have to say, i’m not the most literary person. i wish i was—so desperately—but no matter how much i try, i’m not. at least not yet. i tried reading classics so many times, but it seems i’m too stupid for them (kidding… kind of). they’re just too hard to read for me, and i end up not feeling connected to the story at all. it’s like i can’t immerse myself completely because of the complicated writing, and i hate it so much, because i wish i did. so i usually don’t read very complicated books, and to be honest, the easiest it is to read, the more i can get into the story, the more i like it (sometimes i have to remember that a fast and easy book isn’t necessarily a good book, though).

i’m also someone who rates books pretty highly. i do give a lot of four, four and a half, or five stars. i’m not picky, if a book gives me that five star feeling, i’ll rate it five stars, even if some parts weren’t the absolute best. i rarely rate books three stars, unless i really didn’t enjoy it that much. 

my rating system: 

5☆: absolutely LOVED it / made me feel so many emotions / thought about it when i wasn’t reading (that last one is the most important for a five star rating for me)

4☆: loved it but have small complaints / don’t have anything bad to say but didn’t feel that five star feeling

3☆: liked it but really wasn’t the best / didn’t enjoy it but it’s not bad enough for two stars

2☆: did not like it at all

1☆: absolutely HATED it, hesitating burning it 

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so, here’s a list of my favourite five star reads (in absolutely no order):

1. beach read by emily henry

i couldn’t start this list with a book not written by emily henry. she’s one of my favourite authors ever, and writes the most perfectly written romance books (that don’t feel like bad tiktok romance books at all). every book i’ve read of her has been a five star. this one, though, is my favourite of all—i’d consider it six stars if i could. it’s the first emily henry book i read, and it’s still my favourite. i reread it this summer, and it still hit as hard (though, i’d do anything to be able to read it again for the first time).

gus might be my favourite book boyfriend ever, and there’s something about reading books about writers that i just LOVE. emily henry writes female main characters that i actually like (a rarity in some romance books—or any contemporary books for that matter), and this book for me is really just pure perfection. 

2. the invisible life of addie larue by v. e. schwab 

you probably have seen this book on tiktok, of course, and you might have read it, loved it, or despised it. i have seen a lot of mix reviews about this book, like it being too long and slow, and i get it—i do—but i’ll defend this book with my life. to me, it’s just so perfect, and v. e. schwab’s writing is so beautiful and poetic, but not hard to comprehend at all. like for emily henry, i’ll read everything she writes. even her grocery lists. 

this book is so beautiful, and heartbreaking, and lovely, and i absolutely adore it with all my heart. the story is set in 1714, france, and follows addie larue, a lonely girl who makes a deal with a devil to live forever. but there’s a price to pay, and she’s cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. until one day, nearly 300 years later, she enters a small bookstore and a man remembers her name. 

3. if we were villains by m. l. rio 

i’m not gonna lie, most of these books are tiktok famous. but sometimes, tiktok has good taste, and if we were villains proves that. it has a very similar storyline to the secret history (which i also loved), but it’s a bit easier to read—which, as i said earlier, made me more immersed into the story. i just loved the vibes and the characters and the dark academia, and the story—basically everything about this book. 

4. play it as it lays by joan didion 

i originally rated this four stars, but after thinking about it a bit more, and seeing how much it stayed with me, i think it deserves a five. i just absolutely loved the writing, and the story. it’s so raw and real and hard and lucid and heartbreaking. it’s the first and only joan didion book i’ve ever read, and it made me want to read everything else she’s ever written (so if you have any recommendations on which ones to read next, let me know!).

5. malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

like emily henry, taylor jenkins reid is one of my favourite authors. i’ve read a lot of her books, most of them five stars, but this one might be my favourite. i feel like all of them are like that, but there’s something about malibu rising that just speaks to me (a close second might be carrie soto is back or evelyn hugo). i loved reading about the family, and i related to the characters so much. i also really enjoyed how the main story takes place in just one day.

6. my body by emily ratajkowski 

emily ratajkowski is a brilliant writer. These essays talk about women, how they’re viewed and treated in the modelling industry, and i think it’s just so incredibly well done. it’s so real, and captivating, and empowering, and i learned so much as a woman while reading this book. i think everyone should read it.

7. everything i know about love by dolly alderton 

to stay into the non-fiction books, this memoir is SUCH an incredible book. it just felt so relatable, and i want to reread it every time something new happens in my life. this book is for the girls who are lost in their twenties/thirties, and who just want a comfortable, relatable, funny, real book that just sees right through them. it’s about learning through life, and making mistakes, and making choices, and how important friendships are.

8. as good as dead by holly jackson 

this is the third book in the ‘a good girl’s guide to murder’ trilogy by holly jackson, and it’s one of my favourite series. i put the third book in this list because, while i love every book from the trilogy, the last one holds a special place in my heart. it just feels so much darker and scarier than the first two books, and i became even more obsessed with the story. the ending just absolutely broke me. ravi and pip have my heart, and i’ll defend them with my life. 

9. dead poets society by n. h. Kleinbaum

i  watched the film numerous times, and it’s probably in my top five ever. a while ago, i decided to also read the book, and like the movie, it was absolutely warmingly heartbreaking. i cried—sobbed—while watching the film, and i sobbed while reading the book. i love the characters, and the dark academia, and just everything about this book (except neil’s dad and richard cameron). 

nine is a weird number, and i want to get to ten, so i’ll add an honourable mention:

10. the thursday murder club series by richard osman

i’ve only read the first two books in this series yet, and i’ve rated them four, and four and a half stars respectively. i love these books so much, and i love the characters even more. it’s fun and witty and mysterious and heartwarming. i didn’t rate them five stars, but to be honest, i’m still not sure about my rating—i might change it to five stars.

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i. currently reading

i’m currently reading the atlas six by olivie blake, and i’m loving it. the dark academia is perfect for the fall, and i’m curious to read more about the story, and the characters.

i finished the housemaid by freida mcfadden last week, it was my first freida mcfadden book, and i really liked it. i rated it four stars, and it kept me on my toes until the end. i finished it in three days, which for a very slow reader like me is pretty fast.

ii. currently watching

i’ve been watching maxton hall recently—a bit sporadically, to be honest, since i’ve been doing other things—and i love it so much. i still have the last two harry potter films to rewatch for my annual rewatch.

i also went to see emilia pérez in the cinema, and i really liked it. i loved the songs so much.

i watched hocus pocus for the first time, which was really fun, as well as you’ve got mail. and i also rewatched two weeks notice the other day.

(here’s my letterboxd by the way, if you want to follow me)

iii. currently listening

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love, luna xx