I’ve seen this trend on Youtube where readers try to find a book that gives them that five star feeling you get when you pick up a title that is exceptional. To achieve this, they keep reading and reading until they finally find the winner. That’s why, for this article, I’ll be trying a similar challenge and, just like all those youtubers, I will stop only when I find that perfect book. I wanted to partake on this trend from the moment I realized I hadn’t read a five star book since December. Now, I’ll be honest, it’s not that hard for me to rate a book five stars. If I enjoyed it and I was kicking my feet or if it had an amazing story, then done, it gets a perfect score. So I thought this wouldn’t be so hard to do. And wow, was I wrong. Let’s see how this went.
Warning, I am incredibly bad with book summaries so please bear with me on this.
A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid
Retrieved from Goodreads
Tiny summary: College student Effy Sayre loves literature, but sadly, living in a place where women aren’t allowed to study literature, she is stuck in the architectural college. Her favorite author, Emrys Myrdin, who helped her believe in real magic, passed away months ago and his family wants a college architecture student to come up with proposals for renovations of his home. Effy then gets picked for the project. Upon arriving, she and another student realize that perhaps the deceased author was hiding secrets, from what events truly inspired his works.
The writing and atmosphere was immaculate, it made the book feel both cozy and gothic. I could vividly picture, and almost even hear the settings in this story. It was a five star prediction from the first chapter. And it was really close, but it didn’t get to that five star feeling I was looking for. I did give it 4 stars, which for me is a great rating since a lot of books with a similar score end up being my favorites. Even though it was an enjoyable read, I recommend checking the trigger warnings before picking it up since this book deals with misogynistic topics and sexual abuse. With every book I recommend I always try to make potential triggers clear so that people know what they’re getting into from the start.
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Retrieved from Goodreads
Tiny summary: This is the second book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. In the first book, set in the late 1800s Victorian London, Tessa Gray receives a letter from her brother to meet her in the city only for her to be kidnapped by the Dark Sisters who swear she has incredible powers. Shadowhunters (powerful warriors) Will and Jem get her to the London Institute (their safe haven) to, along with other members of their team, help Tessa uncover who’s behind the kidnapping and to find out why they’re truly seeking Tessa’s powers.
I loved the first book! Even though it wasn’t a five star, I still think about these characters constantly. So I was really excited to continue their story through the second book. This was in August. Yes, I have been reading this book for a total of seven months. This month I came to the conclusion that I am softly DNFing this book. (In the book community DNF means “Did Not Finish”) Maybe I’ll pick it up in the future if any interest sparks back.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas
Retrieved from Goodreads
Tiny summary: This is the third book in the hit series Crescent City. The first book tells the story of Bryce Quinlan, who faces a traumatic event and ends up losing people she cares about. A year after this tragedy, she teams up with fallen angel Hunt Athalar to investigate what truly happened and who was involved in the night when she arrived from the club to find her apartment covered in blood.
Ever since January 2023, which was when I finished the second book, I have been patiently waiting for the release of this third installment. It was basically my most anticipated book of all time. Now, let me tell you, it is an 836 page book and sadly, I have not been able to finish it. Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be a five star book anymore. Perhaps once I finish it, I’ll realize I do love it, but for now I’m losing a bit of interest in the plot and where it’s going. Maybe that’s why it has taken me a whole month to get to less than 300 pages.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Retrieved from Goodreads
Tiny summary: A little boy walks around the world and finds a mole. They both decide to walk together and talk about their life, the lessons they’ve learned, and the realizations they’ve had. Along the way they find a quiet fox and a big beautiful horse who both join them in their journey.
Now this was a surprise. The shortest, most simple book I have ever read. The drawings were beautiful, the words were heart warming. This book packed a punch and left its mark on me in less than 10 minutes. The lessons it provided were like a hug to both my mind and heart. If you have 10 to 15 minutes to spare I highly recommend giving this book a chance. The world will seem kinder and a spark of hope will ignite within you. Here is me giving this book 5 beautiful stars, concluding this article.
I think it took me a while to find a five star book because of the pressure I placed on myself to find it in order to write this article. But really, reading is a part of who I am and I shouldn’t pressure myself to read books fast in order to just find “the perfect book.” I shouldn’t put such high expectations on them because that will take away from the enjoyment. Read only because you want to, no matter how many books are five stars or not.
Lots of love,