10 Books I've Given 5 Stars (Which I Almost Never Do)
Because I have taste, and that taste is emotional devastation.
I’m a huge book snob and a notoriously stingy rater. A friend once asked me, “What does it even take for you to give five stars?” and I said, without thinking, Hamlet. Which is both embarrassing and highly obnoxious—but also, unfortunately, kind of true.
For me, a five-star book has to do more than just tell a good story. It has to transcend its genre, ruin my night, and bring something so original or emotionally precise that I can’t stop thinking about it days later. So no, I don’t give out five stars often. But when I do, it’s usually for something that surprises me, guts me, or sticks in my brain like a splinter.
This list is made up of more recent reads—no Shakespeare, just ten contemporary books that fully earned the rare, coveted five stars.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
What it’s about: After a family tragedy, a washed-up sitcom actor becomes guardian to his niece and nephew. It’s a warm, funny story about grief, healing, and figuring out how to show up for the people who need you.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: This book was such a comfort, even when it was cracking me open. It hit that rare balance of being funny and deeply sincere—I often found myself laughing and crying at the same time. I loved how it explored loss and caretaking with warmth, awkwardness, and genuine heart. Just a delight from start to finish.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
What it’s about: Twin sisters grow up inseparable in a small Southern Black community, but their lives split when one chooses to pass as white and leave everything behind. Years later, their daughters’ paths cross, forcing long-buried secrets back to the surface.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: This is one of the most layered, original stories I’ve read in years. It’s smart in its structure, rich in detail, and emotionally complex without ever feeling forced. Bennett beautifully explores the question of who gets to belong and what that belonging might cost. I was fully invested in each character, even when their choices were painful to watch.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
What it’s about: Based on the notorious Dozier School for Boys, this follows two Black teens sent to a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida where violence, abuse, and coverups are routine. One boy remains hopeful, the other refuses to stay quiet, and their choices lead to very different futures.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: I listened to a podcast about the Dozier School before reading this, so I thought I was prepared, but this book still gutted me. It’s brutal. Whitehead’s writing is understated, the horror is constant, and just when you think it’s finished with you, it hits again. I was thinking about it long after I finished.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
What it’s about: On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne goes missing, and suspicion quickly falls on her husband. As the investigation unfolds, hidden truths about their marriage come to light, and the story takes several unexpected turns.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: The best thriller I’ve ever read, full stop, and still the one I compare everything else to. The structure, the pacing, the sharpness of the characters—it all holds up. Amy’s “cool girl” monologue changed my life. Iconic. Perfect. No notes.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
What it’s about: Fifteen years after a girl’s apparent possession became the focus of a reality TV show, her sister recounts what happened in a series of interviews. As she revisits the events, the truth becomes harder to pin down.
What it’s 5 stars for me: This actually scared me, and the only other book that’s done that is The Shining. I kept questioning what was real and what was performance, and I still don’t really know. Paul Tremblay never fully gives you answers, which is exactly what makes his books so unsettling.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
What it’s about: Alice and Mattia, both marked by early trauma, drift in and out of each other’s lives over the years. Though they understand each other in ways no one else does, they struggle to truly connect.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: A prime number can only be divided by itself or one—it never truly fits with another. That idea runs through this book, and it hit me hard. I read it a long time ago, and if I picked it up now, it might feel overwrought. But at the time, it was the first book I’d read that captured what it means for someone to be so shaped by pain that they become unreachable.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
What it’s about: At a secluded boarding school, a group of children grows up sheltered from the outside world. As they come of age, they begin to uncover the unsettling purpose behind their existence.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: This book ruined me. It’s eerie in the quietest way—so restrained and calm, but it leaves you unsettled. The writing is brilliant (obviously), and the slow reveal of what’s really happening is a gut punch. It’s a story about loss, purpose, and the quiet devastation of realizing how little control you have over your own life.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
What it’s about: A group of classics students at an elite college becomes entangled in a murder and its aftermath. As guilt and obsession take hold, their tight-knit circle begins to unravel.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: One of my all-time favorite books, and I do not say that lightly. The dark academia book to end all dark academia—everything that came after feels like a watered-down version. It’s weird and cold and obsessive, and somehow still perfect. I want to roll around in it forever.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
What it’s about: Told from the perspective of neighborhood boys, this is the story of five sisters whose lives and deaths remain a haunting mystery. Years later, the boys try to piece together what happened and why.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: This book felt like a memory I wasn’t supposed to have access to. You know when people say, "It's a vibe"? This book is a vibe: dreamy, eerie, and soaked in longing. The writing is gorgeous, and it perfectly captures the ache of obsession and the weight of what we’ll never fully understand. Bonus: the movie is one of those rare adaptations that’s just as good as the book.
Luster by Raven Leilani
What it’s about: A young Black woman in a dead-end job starts an affair with a white married man. When she's invited into his home and family life, the lines between belonging and alienation blur.
Why it’s 5 stars for me: This book is messy. Intimate. Stressful. Poignant. I truly can’t believe it’s a debut novel. It captures all the emotional chaos of being a certain age while holding the weight of race, class, and womanhood without ever feeling twee or heavy-handed. I’m dying for whatever Leilani writes next.
Looking at this list, I’ve clearly got a type. Grief, trauma, loneliness, toxic relationships, systemic injustice, existential dread—and The Guncle. It’s the lone warm hug in a lineup of emotional ruin. Apparently, I’m not looking to be entertained so much as left hollow and blinking at the wall.
I have a niche. Now I want to hear yours.
What are your five-star reads? Let me know in the comments. I need new things to obsess over.