Hello Lovelies!
Here’s my weekly Top 5 Tuesday hosted by the wonderful Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog (go check out her blog; it’s amazing!). I am extremely excited for this week’s topic! I never really sat down and thought about what makes me give a book 5 star; I always thought that I just “followed my heart” but I actually managed to find 5 reasons why I rate a book 5 stars.
It has the “feels” aka it pulls at my heartstrings
The “feels” is the only good word that I came up with to how convey how much I love when a book pulls at my heartstrings; a book that is going to break my heart one way or another. I don’t really know how to explain that feeling but there are moments and passages that I read that are too deep, too raw that they affect me physically. And the fact that words have such power, keeps on astonishing me. So when that phenomenon occurs I know that it is a 5 stars book right away. It is almost like pinpointing the moment you start falling in love with someone.
It has impeccable writing style
This “feels” effect is, of course conveyed by impeccable writing style. There are just enough details and the right amount of description so that I can picture the scene perfectly but not too much so as to make my reading experience painful. It also has perfectly inserted dialogue and a good and solid plot, carried out flawlessly.
It has a promising plot that actually delivers
I’m a sucker for heists or fairytale retellings and I cannot count the times I have been disappointed by books I was excited about and which let me down. You can secure 3 stars-rating from me if the plot is promising enough and if it actually delivers! There are so many brilliant ideas out there that are executed poorly and it both annoys and saddens me.
It has a heartfelt love story
I will read anything that has a good love story but it has to be believable. I even accept “instalove” but the emotions have to be painted and depicted in a way that makes it real; that shows how people actually fall in love in the real world. Some of my favourite books have achieved that.
It has unforgettable characters
Some characters are just iconic and my greatest frustration is that they are fictional and I will never properly “meet” them. There are some characters that remain lifelong companions; characters that you connected with on some deep and holy level and whose personality you slowly absorb. That was the case for many books I have given 5 stars to; to name a few: The Dregs from Six of Crows, The Court of dreams from A Court of Thorns and Roses, The golden trio (and more!) from the Harry Potter series, Lou and Reid from Serpent and Dove and Alex and Henry from Red, White & Royal Blue!
Thank you for reading!
What are some of the reasons you give 5 stars to a book? Let me know in the comments!
Karla xx
Anotherbookworm 
Great post !!!! Agree with everything you said, especially “feels”.. I couldn’t have described it better 😍😍😍 And a heartfelt love story is just what I need whenever real life sucks 😊😊😊
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Aww thank you so much!! 💓The feels are real sometimes haha 😂☺️
Me too! Escapism is what I love most about reading! 🥰
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I definitely share some of the same reasons for rating a book 5 stars. Unique writing style such as books in verse, or books with purple prose, tend to get 4 or 5 star ratings. And then there’s the whole emotional component. It’s rare that a book manages to get me to feel things, so if that happens, it’s likely that I’ll give that book 5 stars. Weirdly enough I don’t care about the plot that much. I’m okay with nothing happening as long as the writing and characters keep me captivated. I think I would have a really hard time just picking 5 reasons I give books 5 stars, because I the reasons for my ratings change with every book I read!
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I completely agree with EVERYTHING you said. Emotions are the most important factor! Great plots are good but reading is more about feeling than anything else. Narrowing it down to five was hard! 🥰
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