amazon 5 star book reviews

Booklist Queen

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50 Incredible Five Star Books You Need to Read

If you want the best of the best, these five star books won’t disappoint. Here are 50 of my all-time favorite books to read.

If you are looking for the best books to read, where do you begin?

You could search for “five star books on Goodreads”, but then you’ll get Twilight in the top five. While many of you might love Twilight , you have to admit it’s not exactly the epitome of top-notch writing.

Searching “5 star books on Amazon,” you’ll get a handy list of twenty-five titles, only 7 of which I recognize. And I am in the book business!

I figured it was time to make my own list of favorite books. Those books that I gave five stars to because I couldn’t get enough of them. 

Of course, you are likely to disagree with some of my choices. Reading taste is highly variable and subjective.

Which is good! We don’t need a million copies of me in the world, I can assure you.

Regardless of taste, I’m fairly certain you’ll find some books to your liking in my list. I mean, I gave you fifty to choose from.

Don’t Miss a Thing

5 Star Books For Book Clubs

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony doerr.

If I had to pick a winner for the top rated books, Anthony Doer’s masterpiece would be my first choice. I’m not at all surprised it won a Pulitzer Prize; the writing is fabulous. Anthony Doerr masterfully interweaves the stories of Marie-Laurie, a blind French girl who flees from Paris to the coastal city of Saint-Malo with her uncle, and Werner, a German radio operator charged with rooting out the French resistance. While the plot is interesting in and of itself, the character development and storytelling will keep you glued to the page.

Publication Date: 6 May 2014 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Night Circus

Erin morgenstern.

Without warning, Le Cirque de Rêves arrives in town, a circus that only operates at night. Within its walls are two competing magicians, Celia and Marco, bound together in a high stakes challenge. When they fall in love, a love so magical it affects the world around them, their dangerous game becomes even more precarious. From the first page to the last, Morgenstern had me captivated with her seductive and mysterious prose. Her five-star book left me craving more novels about magicians.

Publication Date: 13 September 2011 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Everything I Never Told You

Set in 1970s Ohio, Celeste Ng’s debut novel starts with the drowning of Lydia, the beloved daughter of James and Marilyn Lee. As the family struggles with her death, the author takes you deeper into the cracks and flaws of this mixed-race family. It is a poignant character study into the dynamics of a family where the parents’ unfulfilled hopes are pinned on one child, to the detriment of all. The story unfolds masterfully, and Celeste Ng’s writing is exquisite. By the end, I was in tears for these poor children and the damage that had been done by their parents’ selfishness.

Publication Date: 26 June 2014 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

A Man Called Ove

Fredrik backman.

Ove, a cantankerous old Swede, just wants to be left in peace so he can commit suicide, but his pesky neighbors keep getting in the way. A heartwarming tale that I found downright hilarious will be a popular book among book clubs for years to come. Highlighting our need for connection in the modern world, A Man Called Ove typified how important it is to leave our digital worlds and make sure we check in on our neighbors.

Publication Date: 27 August 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia owens.

For years, Kya Clark has survived alone in the marshes of the North Carolina coast. Dubbed “The Marsh Girl” by the locals, she raises herself in nature after her family abandons her. Now, as she comes of age, Kya begins to yearn for something more than her loneliness. Maybe even a connection with the locals. An exquisitely written tale, Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the best books of 2018.

Publication Date: 14 August 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Highest Rated Books: Fiction Bestsellers

Still Alice

Lisa genova.

Sometimes authors knock it out of the park with their debut novel, and neuroscientist Lisa Genova certainly fits that description. Harvard professor Alice Howland is at the top of her career when she begins to have trouble with her memory. The story of her decline due to early-onset Alzheimer’s will leave you wracked with emotions. Just be sure to have a box of tissues handy because you will need them.

Publication Date: 6 July 2017 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info B uy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Ask Again, Yes

Mary beth keane.

NYPD cops Francis and Brian happen to move next door to each other in the suburbs. Though their children Kate and Peter become the best of friends, Francis and his wife have learned to keep their distance from Brian’s wife due to her precarious mental health. When tragedy strikes between the two families, Brian’s family moves away in shame. But when Kate and Peter fall in love, the two families must learn to confront the tragedy that ties them together. A story of love and forgiveness, Ask Again, Yes serves up the perfect blend of family drama and character study to win a place among the five star books to read in 2020.

Publication Date: 28 May 2019 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Behold the Dreamers

Imbolo mbue.

The American Dream. Many hope for it, but how many truly find it? Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel details the lives of Cameroon immigrants living in New York City: Jende Jonga, who is trying to apply for legal status under a false asylum claim; his wife Neni, struggling to finish schooling in hopes of becoming a pharmacist; and their son Liomi, trying to balance his American-ness with his Cameroon side. In the days preceding the Great Recession, Jende gets lucky enough to get a job as chauffeur to Clark Edwards, a Lehman Brothers executive. Mbue brilliantly paints a fascinating look at immigrant life – the struggles with the immigration system, the desire for a better life, the balancing of cultural differences and the financial burden that comes with being poor in America. Through her writing, Mbue asks you to ponder: What really brings happiness? and Is the American dream all it’s cracked up to be?

Publication Date: 23 August 2016 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Gail honeyman.

If you are wanting light-hearted book club books for 2020, you’ve found the perfect choice in socially awkward Eleanor Oliphant. She has the habit of saying exactly what she thinks and much prefers to spend her weekends at home talking on the phone to her mother. When Eleanor and her slovenly coworker Raymond help an elderly gentleman after a fall, the three become friends, and Eleanor learns that opening up isn’t always a bad thing.

Publication Date: 24 April 2017 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Me Before You

If you had to think of books that made you cry , Me Before You should be near the top of your list. You’ll be in tears at the heartbroken man who felt he had nothing left to live for as a quadriplegic, not fully understanding that there is always something more. Will brings meaning into his nurse Louisa’s life and gets her to reach beyond what she thought she was capable of. In return, Louisa tries to bring meaning back into Will’s life before it’s too late. I promise this is one of those books that will leave you sobbing.

Publication Date: 31 December 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Save for Later

Historical Fiction Books Rated 5 Stars

The Great Alone

Kristin hannah.

Coming off The Nightingale , her wildly successful World War II novel , Kristin Hannah’s next book explores the untamed wilds of Alaska. A recently returned Vietnam War POW, Ernt Allbright decides to move his family to the Alaskan frontier. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers and just what Ernt needs. But when the harsh Alaskan winter approaches and Ernt’s mental state begins to deteriorate, his wife and daughter must fight to survive. A captivating, stay-up-all-night novel that is a favorite among book clubs.

Publication Date: 6 February 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo ishiguro.

For all you Downtown Abbey lovers out there, this book is meant for you. Stevens, an old English butler (à la Mr. Carson) decides to take a vacation and contemplate his many years of service and his unrealized love for the former housekeeper. A thoughtful portrayal of the importance of balancing personal and work lives, The Remains of the Day is one of the best books to read if you love thoughtful literary fiction.

Publication Date: May 1989 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Kite Runner

Khaled hosseini.

The unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father’s servant, it beautifully describes love, friendship, betrayal, and redemption. Be warned that the novel is violent and graphic at times, so understand that while moving, the story is dark and disturbing. It’s that contrast between the worst of human nature and the best that truly brings out a remarkable tale that will stay with you for a long time.

Publication Date: 29 May 2003 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Daisy Jones & The Six

Taylor jenkins reid.

Among the highest rated books on Goodreads in 2019, Daisy Jones & The Six won the Goodreads Choice Award for best historical fiction for good reason. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s addictingly fun read about the rise and fall of a fictional 70s band couldn’t be left off this list. With sex, drugs, and plenty of drama, you’ll feel like you are watching a biopic on VH1 – but an extremely well-written one.

Publication Date: 5 March 2019 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Code Name Hélène

Ariel lawhon.

Ariel Lawhon’s new novel based on a true story has already won a place in the best books of 2020. Nancy Wake, a New Zealander living in Paris, becomes a spy for the British and rises to one of the top leaders of the French Resistance and one of the most decorated women of the war. The story is split into two narratives – the first starting with Nancy parachuting into France in 1944 and the second telling of her courtship in 1938 with her husband, Henri Fiocca. You’ll fall in love with Henri and cheer on Nancy as she transforms into a fierce fighter and respected commander. As the earlier timeline catches up with the later one, you’ll feel all the emotions of a woman caught up in a terrible war.

Publication Date: 31 March 2020 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Thrilling Five Star Mysteries

A Time To Kill

John grisham.

John Grisham’s debut novel didn’t receive much attention until after he published the bestsellers The Firm and The Pelican Brief , but it’s my favorite of his books. After the brutal rape of a 10-year-old girl, her father seeks his own justice and murders the rapists. With the Mississippi town aflame, young attorney Jake Brigance must decide how much he is willing to risk to defend the father. Just be warned, the beginning of the book is horribly graphic and extremely hard to read.

Publication Date: 1989 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

And Then There Were None

Agatha christie.

If you want a quick classic mystery, Agatha Christie is the way to go. You’ll have fun trying to figure out whodunit on an isolated island mansion where the suspects start dying off one by one. I’ll be impressed if you figure it out. I never do. A classic for a reason, this novel is surprisingly short, leaving you plenty to read even more five-star books.

Publication Date: 6 November 1939 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart turton.

On the 19th anniversary of their son’s murder, Lord and Lady Hardcastle throw a party with the same guests as that fateful day long ago. At 11 pm, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered. In a Groundhog Day -esque fashion, Aidan Bishop must relive this day 8 times, but from the perspective of eight different witnesses. His task: identify Evelyn’s murderer, or do it all over again. Evelyn Hardcastle will throw you into a brilliant game of Clue as you see the same events from multiple perspectives. Just ignore the why this happening and jump right into the mystery come to life, with plenty of fun twists and turns along the way.

Publication Date: 8 February 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Girl on the Train

Paula hawkins.

Taking the same train to work every day, Rachel is fascinated by a woman who lives along her route. Every day, Rachel gets a glimpse into this woman’s “perfect” life. Until one day, when Rachel witnesses something shocking. I think unreliable narrators like Rachel make for the best page-turners because you can never figure out what is true and what is not. You might love it or hate it, but The Girl on the Train wins all the stars in my book.

Publication Date: 6 January 2015 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Lost Man

Jane harper.

Way out in the Australia outback, brothers Nathan and Bub Bright find the body of their brother Cameron on the edge of their ranch. Did Cam end his own life walking out into the desert or did someone end it for him? More an enveloping character study than a murder mystery, The Lost Man looks at the secrets a family keeps combined with a fascinating portrayal of life in the outback.

Publication Date: 23 October 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Top Rated Books of All Time –  Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Martian

Astronaut Mark Watney wakes up to find himself marooned on the planet Mars, left for dead by the crew of the Ares 3 mission. Now, he must use all his ingenuity to overcome insurmountable odds for the chance to return home to Earth. I love how Weir uses real science and technology in this captivating book. I have to say it’s one of the best science fiction books out there, and one of the most thrilling books I’ve read in recent years – which is saying a lot considering how much I read.

Publication Date: 27 September 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

World War Z

Don’t let Brad Pitt’s “meh” film adaptation put you off from reading Max Brooks’ novel. The book is far and away superior in every possible way. Written as an oral history of the Zombie War, Brooks splits the book into a series of short stories, interviews of survivors of the war. Each tale focuses on a snippet of the conflict – from the discovery of Patient Zero to the complete invasion of Japan to the point where the balance shifts in favor of humans. Brooks expertly narrates each character to convey a diverse overview of a fictional world event. Don’t let the concept of zombies turn you off, the story is a five-star read for anyone. If you have the chance, be sure to pick up the full-cast audiobook.

Publication Date: 12 September 2006 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Ender’s Game

Orson scott card.

In a future where humanity is at war with an alien enemy determined to destroy life on Earth, Ender Wiggin is a third child in a family of extraordinarily gifted children. Sent off to battle school at only six years of age, Ender – with his perfect mix of compassion and ruthlessness – is forced to become the military genius humanity so desperately needs. Ender’s Game is an amazing novel – not only thrilling enough to intrigue teenage boys who never read but also so packed with complex themes and deeper meanings you’ll want to read it again and again.

Publication Date: 15 January 1985 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Isaac Asimov

In a far distant future, psychohistorian Hari Seldon has analyzed the cycle of history and realizes that after twelve thousand years in power, the Galactic Empire is headed toward collapse. A collapse that will spawn 30,000 years of Dark Ages. To prevent complete disaster and shorten this dark period, Seldon sets up Foundation – a planet on the edge of the galaxy to contain the best minds with the knowledge of humanity. At crucial junctures in history, Seldon has set up steps to sway the course of events to protect the fledgling Foundation. Considered one of the best science fiction books of all time, Isaac Asimov shines in this classic tale.

Publication Date: 1942 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Name of the Wind

Patrick rothfuss.

Everyone should read at least one fantasy series in their life, and this is the best one out there. Kvothe, a living legend in the world he lives in, tells how he cultivated his life into a myth of epic proportions to a local biographer. The intricate details of the world Rothfuss creates will captivate your attention for days on end. Be warned, Rothfuss never released the third book in the series, so start this book at your own risk.

Publication Date: 27 March 2007 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

5 Star Rated Books: Memoirs

The Glass Castle

Jeannette walls.

One of the most powerful memoirs of recent years, Jeannette Walls recounts the story of her tumultuous childhood. She opens the book with the account of how at 3 years old, she ends up hospitalized with severe burns after pouring scalding water on herself when cooking hot dogs for lunch. You meet her charming father Rex, equal measures brilliant and paranoid; her mother Rose, selfish and depressed; and her three siblings, trying their best just to survive. To quote my husband, “Sometimes someone’s train wreck of a life is fascinating.”

Publication Date: March 2005 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Tara Westover

There is no excuse to not read Tara Westover’s spectacular memoir. In my opinion, Educated was one of the best books of the last decade . Westover grew up in the rural mountains of Idaho with no formal education. Despite her extremist survivalist parents and violent older brother, Westover managed to make her way into college, eventually earning a Ph.D. Her amazing determination is inspiring while the circumstances of her childhood are incredibly sad. Definitely one of those books that will stay with you for a long time.

Publication Date: 20 February 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Michelle Obama

One of the highest-selling books of recent years, Michelle Obama’s memoir is easily one of the top five-star books to read. Detailing her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, her success as a working mother, and her years in the White House, Michelle Obama shows how her past has shaped her into who she has become today. A poignant memoir of a woman trying to do her best for her family while balancing the greater good of having a husband in politics, Obama’s story is a remarkable tale no matter what your political affiliation.

Publication Date: 13 November 2018 Learn More : Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Marley & Me

John grogan.

I don’t even like dogs, and I loved this book. The antics of Marley, the world’s worst dog, are simply hilarious. Even more, the love that springs up between Marley and his owner despite Marley’s many flaws is so touching. A great reminder for you to be grateful for the love of four-legged friends in your life. When Marley eventually dies of old age, you’ll be in tears at the wonderful life of “the world’s worst dog.”

Publication Date: 18 October 2005 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

I Am, I Am, I Am

Maggie o’farrell.

I can’t begin to describe how incredible this book is. Instead of telling you her life story, Maggie O’Farrell gives you glimpses into her life through separate incidents where she brushed against death, which has occurred surprisingly often. From a childhood illness to near-fatal accidents to miscarriage, O’Farrell gives you such an intriguing look not just at how she has almost died, but more importantly how she has lived. If you are willing to listen to an audiobook, the narrator on this one is exceptional.

Publication Date: 22 August 2017 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Nonfiction 5 Star Books to Read

Band of Brothers

Stephen e. ambrose.

The thrilling account of Easy Company, a unit of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army is one of my favorite World War 2 books . The book gets its title from the Shakespeare quote, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” Instead of following one man’s journey, the cast of characters winds in and out as men come and go from the company due to reassignment, injury, and death. Stephen Ambrose’s powerful book is a remarkable look at the everyday men who became legends.

Publication Date: 6 June 1992 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

David McCullough

David McCullough is the king of history, and you can’t go wrong with any of his books. In this astounding work, McCullough tells of one year of the American Revolution – of the leadership of George Washington, the brilliance of Nathanael Greene, and the ingenuity of Henry Knox. Giving a fascinating look at the war that lead to American independence, McCullough brings history to life for even non-history buffs.

Publication Date: 24 May 2005 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

In Cold Blood

Truman capote.

Truman Capote was the founder of narrative nonfiction with his thrilling look at an unspeakable crime. On November 15, 1959, in the small farming town of Holcomb, Kansas, two men brutally murder the Clutter family in their home for no apparent reason. Through extensive interviews from the first days on the scene and following the events all the way to the execution of the murderers, Capote suspensefully unfolds the whole story of exactly what happened and more intriguing of all, why it happened. Make sure you set aside a chunk of time to read this modern classic because, I promise, once you start you’ll realize this is a book you can’t put down .

Publication Date: 1965 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Blind Side

Michael lewis.

Did you know the Oscar-winning movie was based on a five star book? Michael Lewis is an expert at writing narrative nonfiction, and he takes his talents to cover football in The Blind Side . You probably know it’s the inspiring story of Michael Oher, who, after being taken in by the Tuohy family, rose to become one of the most sought after football players of his generation. However, what you probably don’t realize is that the book itself is also about the evolution of football. Lewis gives a fascinating look at how the game has changed over the decades and why that leads to the importance of Michael Oher’s position.

Publication Date: 17 September 2006 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Only Plane in the Sky

Garrett m. graff.

Graff spent years collecting stories about 9/11 and compiled them into one of the best books of 2019. In this outstanding book, he compiles quotes from various people together to fill out a brilliant oral history into a timeline of that fateful day. Let me tell you, this is a powerful read. I had to digest it in small pieces because I started to cry from the very first page. As an older millennial, 9/11 was a defining day in my life, I was old enough to understand that everything had changed. However, reading this account helped me truly understand the absolute confusion of the day. I paid more for this book than I have for any other book. And I have to say, it was worth every penny. If I could rate it six stars, I would.

Publication Date: 10 September 2019 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

John Carreyrou

Imagine a Silicon Valley startup that raised insane amounts of money all based on a gigantic fraud. It sounds like a fictional thriller, but it is the actual true story of the company Theranos. Investigative journalist John Carreyrou’s expose of Elizabeth Holmes’s company is an eye-opening read. Looking back, the massive power of Silicon Valley will surely be a recurrent theme in literature in the years to come.

Publication Date: 21 May 2018 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Malcolm Gladwell

What makes extremely successful people different from others? Is it talent, intelligence or hard work? Gladwell uses statistics and interesting real-life examples to show how closely success is tied to not only natural ability and hard work but also opportunity and timing. It’s one of those books that get you thinking about how much culture, upbringing, and just plain luck play into your life.

Publication Date: 18 November 2008 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Power of Habit

Charles duhigg.

One of the hottest topics of the last decade has been habits – how they form and how we can use them to better ourselves. The New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg takes an in-depth look at the power habits have in our lives. Explaining the science of habits with fascinating real-life stories, Duhigg’s style is much like Malcolm Gladwell’s. One of my favorite books I read last year, I proudly proclaim  The Power of Habit as one of my favorite five star reads.

Publication Date: 28 February 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Essentialism

Greg mckeown.

Greg McKeown encourages you to the pursuit of less into all aspects of your life. Described as Essentialism, McKeown urges you to learn how to decide what is most essential and then cut out anything else. All about reclaiming your life through powerful choices, McKeown will make you realize it’s not about having more time, it’s about doing the right things with the time you have.

Publication Date: 31 December 2011 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Invisible Women

Caroline criado perez.

In an eye-opening book, Caroline Criado Perez shows that we live in a world designed for men that systemically discriminates against women. With overwhelming statistics, Perez exposes the prevalent gender-data gap in countless fields, including medicine, technology, and urban planning. The staggering evidence will blow your mind and make you rethink everything you thought you knew. If you have a chance, Perez’s audiobook narration is spectacular, catching every hint of sarcasm, disbelief, and anger in the author’s voice.

Publication Date: 7 March 2019 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Five Star Classic Books

To Kill a Mockingbird

There’s a good reason that practically every school makes you read this book. Voted the Great American Read and one of Goodreads’ best books, To Kill A Mockingbird is a timeless classic that everyone should read. The story of young Scout and Jem watching their father Atticus Finch defend an innocent black man will make you want to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

Publication Date: 11 July 1960 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Les Misérables

Victor hugo.

Among long classic books , Les Misérables is one of the most famous stories ever told. Victor Hugo’s tale of Jean Valjean – the peasant convicted for stealing a loaf of bread – will leave you breathless. From the example of forgiveness of the priest to the unrelenting determination of Inspector Javert, the story has so many outstanding themes to learn from. Yes, the musical is fantastic, but if you have a chance, be sure to pick up the original book. While it might drag in some spots, overall, the story is simply unforgettable.

Publication Date: 1862 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre dumas.

If you haven’t read this amazing classic novel yet, you are truly missing out. Dumas’ epic tale of revenge will keep you entertained through all of its 1,000+ pages, making it a long classic worth your time . Wrongfully imprisoned for years, Edmond Dantes successfully escapes a brutal French prison and sets out to get the ultimate revenge on all those who have wronged him. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the top classics to read in your lifetime.

Publication Date: 1844 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Pride and Prejudice

Jane austen.

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen the BBC miniseries or the Keira Knightley movie, you still need to read the book. Jane Austen’s witty novel is a fun reminder of the importance of marrying for love and not lust or security. Follow along as Elizabeth Bennett goes from loathing to loving Mr. Darcy in this classic British tale.

Publication Date: 1813 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

George Orwell

Published in 1949, George Orwell’s terrifying vision of the future is just as important today as when it was written. Telling the story of Winston, a depressed Party worker who longs to join the Resistance, 1984 shows the horror of a totalitarian society continually at war. Commonly referenced in modern culture (i.e., Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime,), 1984 is one of the top classics to read in your lifetime.

Publication Date: 1949 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Five Star Books For Kids and Young Adults

R. J. Palacio

If you think about the best books of the decade for children, you have to recognize Wonder as the clear winner. This story of a boy with a severely deformed face entering public middle school for the first time will make you ponder how you react to people who look differently. This middle-grade phenomenon will be read in classrooms around America for years to come.

Publication Date: 14 February 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Book Thief

Markus zusak.

A book narrated by Death might be off-putting at first, but quickly you’ll fall in love with this Young Adult WWII historical fiction. In 1939, Liesel Meminger is sent to live with foster parents in Munich. There she befriends the charming neighborhood boy Rudy and settles into a life of book thievery. Coming of age during the rise of the Nazis, Liesel and Rudy must face the complications of growing up in a dictatorship they hate.

Publication Date: 1 September 2005 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Hate U Give

Angie thomas.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter works hard to find balance in her life between her poor neighborhood and the elite suburban prep school she attends. Yet, when Starr is the only witness to the fatal police shooting of her best friend, she finds herself in the middle of a national headline. With all the recent coverage of police shootings, Thomas’ novel adds a new layer to the conversation on this important topic. If you want to discuss this same topic with younger children, I suggest reading the middle-grade book Blended by Sharon M. Draper.

Publication Date: 28 February 2017 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Fault in Our Stars

Two kids with cancer who fall in love. That’s a recipe for tears if I’ve ever heard one. Knowing that she will die someday sooner rather than later, Hazel is afraid to let anyone get close to her. In her selfless way, she wants her death to cause as little pain as possible. Yet when she meets Augustus Waters in her Cancer Kid Support Group, her conviction begins to waver. The true beauty of this story lies in the ending lines: “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you.” If you want an inspiring and emotional read, this book is for you.

Publication Date: 10 January 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

Code Name Verity

Elizabeth wein.

I can’t recommend this book enough. Seriously, if you are just dipping your toe into World War II novels, you should choose this one. You’ll find yourself immersed in a world of intrigue with the story of a British spy, Agent “Verity.” Captured when her plane crashes in occupied France, Verity is interrogated by the Gestapo in an attempt to learn of her mission. As she confesses under torture, you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering what secrets she is willing to exchange for her life. How far is she willing to go for her mission? A brilliant and emotional read that you won’t want to miss.

Publication Date: 6 February 2012 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

The Harry Potter Series

J. k. rowling.

Although I had already compiled my list of 50 five-star books, I just couldn’t resist adding 7 more. That’s right, I firmly declare that all seven books in the Harry Potter series deserve full stars. Immersed in a magical world within our own, the Harry Potter series send children on the ultimate hero’s quest as Harry Potter must fight off the pending evil from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Just as entertaining for adults as for kids, the series is one of the best ever written, and the books I reread more than any others.

Publication Date: 26 June 1997 Learn More: Goodreads | More Info Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books

What 5 star books do you recommend?

• Overrated Bestsellers: Read This Not That 2020 Edition
• The Top 50 Books of the Last Decade
• 20 Book Club Books to Read in 2020

Recommended

Reader Interactions

Rachel @ Never Enough Novels says

April 3, 2020 at 8:41 pm

This is an insane book list!!! We have so many similar opinions (and I spy a bunch that were included on my best of the decade list). I also adore the fact that you added all the HP books at the end 🙂 Well deserved! I have Code Name Verity on my mantle right now and it’s the only YA one I haven’t read. Moving that to the top of my list!

Rachael says

April 6, 2020 at 6:01 pm

Oh, yes do! I’ve been really wanting to re-read it lately. Maybe when the library is open again this summer.

Michelle says

April 8, 2020 at 12:39 am

Thanks for the 5 star booklist. I have read a lot of Jane Austen books and John Grisham books. My favorite book of late was Girl on the Train. I will check out some of those other ones you suggested. Did you read A Sparkling Fire? Can’t remember the author ‘s name but it’s about Ww ll. Is that post office box your address? I would like to write to you. Is the pandemic taking you away from a book a day due to homeschooling?

April 13, 2020 at 6:25 pm

No, that isn’t my PO Box. Mine is in the post office. I was taking pictures of books when I spotted the open slots on some neighborhood mail system. I figured it would be a good backdrop for my photo. My PO Box isn’t listed on the blog, but you can’t email me anytime.

My reading has definitely fluctuated throughout this pandemic. Actually homeschooling has increased my reading. My kids don’t need me to actively teach them, just direct them to a new task every 15-20 minutes. The short gap is very conducive to reading while supervising them.

Ashton Skelton says

August 27, 2020 at 4:43 am

Thank you for this list! I’m not sure what the five star pics are based on and if you’ve already read all of these, but everyone that I had already read that was on this list I completely agree with being five star. And I own probably half of the others and I’m slowly working my way through them. But I am currently stuck in the middle of game of thrones which I’m surprisingly not enjoying. I will pick one of these bad boys up when I’m done with it!

May 28, 2021 at 12:49 am

This list is AMAZING. Thank you

Terrie says

April 8, 2020 at 10:43 pm

This is a great list and I find that are tastes are surprisingly similar. While I haven’t read all of these and maybe some were a 4 star for me, I can totally see why they made your Best Of list. It’s a lot of work to put together this comprehensive of a list …. good job! It’s nice to find a reader with similar taste so that I know to trust your opinions on future books. 🙂 Thanks for all your hard work – I love your many lists.

April 13, 2020 at 6:28 pm

Thanks so much! I set out to do a list of five books each from specific genres, so I may have moved a few of my 4.5 stars up to fill the categories.

The real question is do I just keep adding books as I read more amazing stories, or do I keep it at 50 books. Luckily I have awhile before I feel like updating it.

Sheree @ Keeping Up With The Penguins says

April 9, 2020 at 2:55 am

Totally with you on so many of these: A Man Called Ove, The Martian, 1984, In Cold Blood… plus, there’s a few lingering on my shelves that I’ve not got to yet, thank you for the added motivation/reminder! 😉

April 13, 2020 at 6:29 pm

Yay! I hope the move up on your TBR. I often kick myself when I realized I let an amazing book languish on my TBR for years.

Donnajean arnold says

April 21, 2020 at 3:18 pm

I was most delighted that you recommended ,the last plane in the sky,. I thought it was fantastic information and so well written. Ive been recommending it to everyone I know.

Dr.Naveed Ifra says

May 8, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Glad to see ur list ;awesome

I have nearly 6-7 of these n today on my day (bday ) I m planning to gift rest of 43 books to myself ;Thanku so much for this Levi’s dedicated list

May 13, 2020 at 1:57 pm

You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy them.

May 26, 2020 at 8:36 pm

So many of my favorites!!!I would add Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts and Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

E McElroy says

October 27, 2022 at 4:16 pm

I was thinking that The Nightingale and Before We Were Yours should be added to this list. I haven’t read Shelter in Place, and Truly Madly Guilty wasn’t a favorite of mine, but we don’t all have to agree with everything.

Yollande says

July 22, 2020 at 4:39 pm

Thank you for this list! I can’t wait to read the ones that I haven’t tackled yet. I absolutely loved, loved, loved Daisy Jones and the Six – this is definitely one of my favourite audiobook! I would highly recommend “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah, “A Gentleman In Moscow” and “Rules of Civility” both by Amor Towles and “Red Notice” by Bill Browder. Some brilliantly narrated audiobooks that I’ve had the pleasure of listening to include: “Inside the O’Brien” and “Left Neglected” both by Lisa Genova, “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese, “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman, “The City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen and “The Book of Dust” by Philip Pullman. I have a longer list but I’ll stop here.

Marija Manic says

August 17, 2020 at 12:01 pm

The list is great! However, I would include The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and also Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides as well as The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes is also one of my favourites. If you haven’t read these novels, I strongly recommend them. Thanks again for your list, there are some books I still haven’t read but certainly will

Meredith says

October 14, 2021 at 1:18 am

I completely agree with you about The Goldfinch. Some of these book lists just astound me by trying to compare apples to oranges. Listing Girl in the Train and NOT listing Pulitzer winning The Goldfinch is one such example. I thought Girl in a Train was a run of the mill formulaic mystery that I found to be below average when compared to European mysteries! I am going to try the other books you mentioned. I do have Middlesex. Thanks!

September 17, 2020 at 4:48 am

The part on Harry Potter gave me a chuckle! I absolutely support your decision to add all 7 books to the list. I re-read these the most too – nearly once a year I go through all 7. There’s something very comforting about Rowling’s prose.

DBurke says

October 22, 2020 at 9:24 am

Of the first 25, I have read 19… one of the few times I have found myself in a “must read” list. I would encourage readers to “find your reading tribe.” Just because it’s a published list of books, doesn’t mean I/you will agree. I have find my reading list helpers at Goodreads, Bookbub and the NPR lists… happy reading all!

Suzanne says

November 3, 2020 at 5:00 pm

Excellent list! A Time to Kill has always been a little underrated, but I thought it was a very powerful book; I’m glad to see it on your list. The second book in the series, Sycamore Row, was a strong follow-up and I’m really looking forward to the third book, A Time for Mercy.

November 22, 2020 at 6:09 pm

This is a great list! We seem to have similar taste in books. Have you ever read The Inextinguishable Symphony? I highly recommend.

Renee Freeman says

December 7, 2020 at 6:53 am

Great list, would add, especially the audio, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.

December 16, 2020 at 1:07 pm

My new favorite is Beartown by Fredrik Backman.

January 17, 2021 at 2:27 am

I have read many of the books on this list and agree that most of them are excellent. However, I must take you to task on Glass Castle. I thought it was well-written and I enjoyed reading it. But as someone who worked in Social Services for many years, I found the book to be completely implausible! The book was written when memoirs were selling much better than novels. I am convinced that an editor somewhere told Wallis to present her novel as a “memoir” in order to increase sales! I don’t think that woman could ever corroborate a single thing in that incredulous book! I can’t believe she hasn’t been confronted in this by now!

Yamila says

February 12, 2021 at 9:07 pm

Is there a checklist?

February 15, 2021 at 1:21 pm

If you are a newsletter subscriber, I do have a printable version (with a checklist) in my Queen’s Secret Library. Just look at any of your emails for the link and password!

February 27, 2021 at 10:37 pm

My new favorite author is Fredrik Backman. I liked A Man Called Ova, but I absolutely loved Beartown and it’s sequel Us Against You. I’m reading Anxious People now. I enjoy his writing style. I also just finished The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. Highly recommend it!!

March 2, 2021 at 3:00 pm

Backman is such an interesting writer. He definitely has a unique writing style. I need to read more of his books!

Connie says

March 8, 2022 at 10:12 pm

Yes! I read Anxious People and I would definitely include it on my all-time 5 star list!

March 10, 2022 at 8:23 am

He is a favorite of mine. I’ve read everything he’s written an anxiously await each new book. The third beartown book is coming out in September

KAREN ADAMS says

May 27, 2021 at 1:50 pm

I think The Clay Girl is one of the best I have read in recent years!

February 2, 2022 at 8:22 pm

“Rules of Civility” would be right up your alley as it was my favorite of 2021. I also LOVED “Blind Your Ponies” by Stanley Gordon West. The audiobook is a must.

February 7, 2022 at 1:36 pm

Oh, Rules of Civility is a great book. Though I will admit, I didn’t love it as much as A Gentleman in Moscow or The Lincoln Highway. He really is a brilliant writer.

Kondwani Thawi Nyirongo says

February 10, 2022 at 4:02 pm

Its been a while since I read a book. U have inspired me with your list to get back to reading. Bless you

March 8, 2022 at 4:09 pm

I’d like to add four. 1) I MUST BETRAY YOU by Ruta Septetys. One of my former bosses was Romanian and his Swiss wife said that his family’s behavior was very strange when they visited. Now I understand completely. I also recommend her OUT OF THE EASY and FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE. 2) A MORE PERFECT UNION by Tammye Huf. An incredible debut novel. What a story! 3) LITTLE WING by Freya North. Breath-taking. 4) If you like poetry, WINTER RECIPES FROM THE COLLECTIVE by Louise Glück. Only 15 poems and a little expensive but exquisite. Her first book after having won The Nobel Prize.

April 17, 2022 at 2:40 pm

One of my alltime favorites is MODOC THE WORLDS MOST AMAZING ELEPHANT. Non fiction incredibleness!

Goutham says

April 19, 2022 at 11:52 am

Perfect. Just perfect. I was going to definitely curse you if you had not added that Harry Potter section at the end. It’s just so marvelous that I can’t express it with words:)

Kerry Chrisman says

April 20, 2022 at 4:43 pm

I love your list, but I would include A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (which I am currently rereading), Diary of a Young Girl and The Great Gatsby.

Anonymous says

April 24, 2022 at 12:23 pm

I’ve read all but 18 and all the others I have read were either 4 or 5 star for me. Love this list! Have you updated it? Just add more! I can never get too many book recs and you definitely seem to like the same ones I do. Thank you so much.

Arati Phillips says

May 31, 2022 at 9:45 pm

Love your list! Thank you. Have to catch up on my reading. Your suggestions are ‘right up my sleeve’ Keep it up!

Connie Mercer says

August 4, 2022 at 3:23 am

Love your list. I have read many of these and now have a list of what to read next! In high school, my favorite was Exodus by Leon Uris. Others are Bel Canto, Poisonwood Bible, Ahab’s Wife, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, The Thirteenth Tale. So many good reads!!

Dan West says

October 18, 2022 at 12:45 pm

THIS is a stunning list, thank you! The degree of correlation to my own tastes and experiences is almost unsettling. And (sarcastically:) thanks a LOT for adding to my endless and ever-growing “burden” of books I MUST READ! I noticed a prior comment mentioning Bel Canto (Ann Patchett, who is nearly-always brilliant!), which brought up for me another resonant master of the medium: EVERYTHING by Lauren Groff (and here, “everything” is not a title, but an amount). Jus’ sayin’. And thank you, NON-sarcastically!

Rachel says

October 30, 2022 at 1:44 am

Fantastic list! I have seen many book lists and read thousands of books, and your list is one of the very best I’ve seen! I have already read and love so many books on your list, and I’m adding all of the others to my list. I can’t wait to dive in! I feel almost like we’re kindred spirits, especially since we share a name. Thanks for such a fantastic list!

The 20 most-reviewed books of all time on Amazon

• Amazon's customer reviews are one of the features that make the site so valuable.
• This is particularly true of books: Reviews help you save money, space, and time by getting the gist of how good (or bad) they are up front.
• Below, you'll find the 20 most-reviewed books of all time on Amazon .

Customer reviews are one of Amazon's most valuable features.

Before ever paying for a product, be it a $300 RoboVac or a $13 all-natural cleaner , we have access to thousands of reviews telling us how something will perform once we're holding that something in our hands.

Like other customer-review platforms, such as Yelp and Goodreads , the best thing about them is they help us maximize time. Instead of thousands of us relearning the same lesson, we share our knowledge to steer people to the best choice the first time around ("These shoes run small — order a half size up").

The same advantage applies to books. Why give $10 to a book you won't finish reading? Or worse, devote 15 hours of your life to a book that left thousands dissatisfied with a nonsensical cliffhanger? Not every review will interpret a creative tome the same way you would have, but that's why a high volume of reviews is useful.

Below, you'll find the 20 most-reviewed books of all time on Amazon. Of all the books the site stocks, these are the ones that provoked the most people to sit down and write a review for the benefit of prospective readers.

The 20 most customer-reviewed books of all time on Amazon:

Book descriptions, provided by Amazon, are lightly edited for length.

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Buy it here

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called The Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

"Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse ...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance. Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life — answers that will ultimately free them both.

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions — Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure's reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

When a beautiful woman goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in her marriage and a mysterious illness; while her husband, desperate to clear himself of suspicion, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have occurred.

"Beneath a Scarlet Sky" by Mark Sullivan

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He's a normal Italian teenager —obsessed with music, food, and girls — but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

In an attempt to protect him, Pino's parents force him to enlist as a German soldier — a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler's left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich's most mysterious and powerful commanders.

Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.

"The Fault in our Stars" by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

"The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington's eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys' own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man's personal quest.

"Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy" by E L James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too  — but on his own terms. This book is intended for mature audiences.

"The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret — something with the potential to destroy not only the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive … Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all — she's an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. But that letter is about to change everything — and not just for her. There are other women who barely know Cecilia — or each other — but they, too, are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband's secret.

"Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

"The Martian" by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old human error are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

Scottish Highlands, 1945. Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach — an "outlander" — in a Scotland torn by war and raiding clans in the Year of Our Lord, 1743.

Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of a world that threatens her life and may shatter her heart. Marooned amid danger, passion, and violence, Claire learns her only chance of safety lies in Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. What begins in compulsion becomes an urgent need, and Claire finds herself torn between two very different men, in two irreconcilable lives.

"Sycamore Row" by John Grisham

John Grisham takes you back to where it all began. One of the most popular novels of our time, "A Time to Kill" established John Grisham as the master of the legal thriller. Now we return to Ford County as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension. Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises many more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love — and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, best-selling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. "The Nightingale" tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France — a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

When Death has a story to tell, you listen.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

"Inferno" by Dan Brown

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces: Dante's "Inferno" .

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante's dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust ... before the world is irrevocably altered.

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life — as she sees it — is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen has made it out of the bloody arena alive, but she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

Subscribe to our newsletter. You can purchase syndication rights to this story here. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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International sites

November 15, 2023

Written by Erin Kodicek, Amazon Books

Amazon reveals the best books of 2023

Page overview

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

by James McBride

"Featuring a cacophonous cast of characters you will adore and a story chock full of the social, racial, and ethnic politics of the small town in which they live, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is an irresistible novel—profound as it is ingeniously entertaining, making it one of the great American novels of our time, and why we named it the best book of 2023." —Al Woodworth, Amazon senior editor

by Amanda Peters

"Debut novelist Amanda Peters explores the lengths we go to for love, the cancerous impact of lies, and the unbreakable bonds of family. For fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Patchett , this quietly beautiful book will break, then mend, your heart." —Sarah Gelman, Amazon editorial director

by Michael Finkel

"What a romp! You’ll fly through this true story of an idealistic maniac on a mission to filch priceless treasures —upping the ante with each outrageous crime. A blast to read—but also horrifying when you consider what happened to $2 billion worth of invaluable art." —Lindsay Powers, Amazon senior editor

by Rebecca Yarros

"An epic of world-building, this tale of a kingdom under duress, a deadly competition to become an elite dragon rider, and the young woman who bucks the odds to become powerful in her own right, is a thrilling, not-to-be-missed romantic fantasy." —Seira Wilson, Amazon senior editor

by Jonathan Eig

"Eig’s definitive and engrossing portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. is a remarkable feat of writing and research, revealing the gutting hardships and heroics of a man who changed the world. This is biography at its absolute finest." —Al Woodworth, Amazon senior editor

by Nathan Hill

"With the vibes of Jonathan Franzen novels mixed with the panache of (500) Days of Summer — Wellness is a love story, a marriage story, and a contemporary critique on our world that’s captivated (and maybe even controlled) by social media and the pursuit of domestic bliss. Utterly absorbing, funny, and familiar, Hill captures how life can be hopeful and hurtful, idiosyncratic and robotic, fated and chaotic." —Al Woodworth, Amazon senior editor

by Abraham Verghese

"We didn’t want this book to end—told over the course of three generations, Abraham Verghese weaves a magnetic story of how cultural, social, and racial politics play out in the lives of wives, doctors, and artists who strive to find a home and purpose in a world that is ever-shifting and ever-dangerous. Filled with characters who love deeply and dream big, this novel will sweep you off your feet." —Al Woodworth, Amazon senior editor

by Stephen King

"Holly is retro-King horror at its best in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse between an unassuming couple committing unspeakable crimes and Private Investigator Holly Gibney. With tension that coils tighter with every chapter, this unforgettable novel will thrill longtime King fans and newcomers alike." —Seira Wilson, Amazon senior editor

by Walter Isaacson

"You probably have strong opinions about Elon Musk. Walter Isaacson’s page-turning biography perfectly captures the troubled, brilliant, pugnacious billionaire—and how his growing power circles the globe. Packed with oh-my-God moments big and small, I couldn’t put this book down." —Lindsay Powers, Amazon senior editor

by Dennis Lehane

"Unflinching, unsparing, and unsentimental, Lehane's incendiary story is a freeway pileup of racism, mob rule, and a desperate mother pushed beyond her last limit. This moving and darkly hilarious vengeance novel was the mystery we kept returning to this year." —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon senior editor

Explore the latest releases and enjoy popular books and authors right now with Kindle Unlimited, our binge-worthy literary subscription service that offers unlimited reading and listening.

Finding the happy medium between self-growth and nurturing home + family

What It Takes for a Book to Get a 5-Star Rating From Me (+ 10 Novels That Made the Cut)

A little more than a year and a half ago, I made an important shift in my reading life—I started not only recording the books I was reading on Goodreads (on a regular basis) and giving them ratings, but I also made the decision to always, ALWAYS give a review of some kind once I finished. I’ve been reviewing books on my blog since 2011, but now that my reading habits have picked up quite a bit over the past couple years (and my reading tastes have been refined a bit more), I found that an old teacher tendency started to creep up on me—

I wanted my ratings to be more consistent, to follow a definite sort of criteria, so that when asked why I gave such and such book a certain rating, I could have a ready answer (even if I couldn’t even really remember a lot about the book’s particulars).

So I created a “grading rubric” of sorts (because apparently you can take the teacher out of the assessment practices, but you can’t take the assessment practices out of the teacher, or something like that). While these rules don’t always make it EASY to decide what to rank a book after I’ve read it, they definitely have simplified the process, and I’ve noticed that since adopting them, I’m rarely wanting to change any of my previous rankings (something I was wanting to do quite a lot before).

Just for fun, though, before we get to what constitutes a 5-star read, let’s start at the bottom with my criteria for getting just one, and move up from there.

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One-Star Rating

• A book must be truly awful to get a one-star rating. In fact, so few books receive this rating from me simply because if a book is this awful, I usually won’t even finish it.
• In the past, I gave two books a one-star rating ( Heart of Darkness , Tender is the Night ) that I’m sure I would give a slightly higher rating to if I re-read the book now, simply because now, if I’m giving a book one-star, it’s because I basically see no merit in the book, or I find it so despicable on some level (often in its message or content) that I just hate the experience of reading it. As both of these books are considered classics, chances are high that if I gave them a shot now that I’m a *bit* more mature, I might at least be able to see WHY they are classics, which would help boost their rating.
• The only book I’ve given a one-star rating to in recent years is Give It Up! , so it’s the only one I feel confident I would STILL give a one-star rating to now. It’s the story of an upper middle-class woman who decides to give up some of the superfluous things in her life in pursuit of greater happiness (such as shopping for clothes, nights out drinking with friends, etc.). Sounds like it would be right up my alley, right? (Especially because I’ve recommended books that have a similar premise very recently, like this one .) Well, this book was awful–the writing was lackluster, there was very little personal growth that I saw, and I kept having the nagging feeling that the author had only undertaken the project because she wanted to publish a book, and this seemed an easy way to go about getting a contract.

Two-Star Rating

• One thing that’s important to me is writing style, so if a book’s writing feels too juvenile or forced or cheesy or whatever, that can quickly take it down to two stars for me.
• I’ve noticed lately that many of the books that I’ve been giving two stars to in the past little while have been because the book didn’t match up to my (higher) expectations for it. I have often found that when I read a particularly great book by a new author (new to me, that is), often the second book I read by that author gets a lower rating. I’m guessing this is because I generally only try new authors that come highly recommended, so if a certain book gets a lot of buzz by that author, I’ll go for that one first and then read less-talked-about books later. Often, those less popular reads won’t get as high of a rating, but I’ll unfortunately be expecting a lot more from them just because of my experience with the other book I read by that author. This happened recently with Circling the Sun by Paula McLain–I’d read The Paris Wife years ago and really liked it, so I was excited to check out this newer release by her, but it ended up being far below my expectations.
• I don’t always need likable characters if the story or the writing style are good enough, but if I really hate a main character (particularly if I find him/her annoying), that’s a quick way to drive down a novel to two stars. Some examples: Twilight (though the writing was cheesy enough that I’m not sure it could have gotten a higher rating even if I had liked Bella, which I didn’t), Lemon Tart (writing style also played a major factor in this one), and Every Exquisite Thing (writing was fine, even likable–but the main character + the terrible ending were enough to take this one right down).
• I don’t need happy endings to like a book or even need an ending to wrap everything up (in fact, I often prefer some ambiguity to my endings rather than to have everything *too* neatly tied together), but if I hate an ending, it’s definitely enough to kill any higher rating the rest of the book might have merited. It seems that the final books of series often fall into this category, which is why you’ll notice that Mockingjay and Allegiant both got two stars from me on my Goodreads account.
• Occasionally, if a book has too many “triggers” in it (profanity, explicit sexual scenes, superfluous descriptions of gory violence, etc.), it’s enough to push a rating down for me. That was the case with The Girl With All the Gifts (for profanity and violence) and it didn’t help the case for The Course of Love (because the section on adultery just made me so mad).
• And sometimes, a book just is a little too slow or goes on too long without saying much of anything or just doesn’t grab my attention, which was the case for New Slow City , The Signature of All Things (though all the sexual content took this one down, too), and Traveling With Pomegranates .

Three-Star Rating

• Often, the books that get three stars are the ones that I didn’t feel strongly enough either way to give it a higher or lower rating. In other words, I didn’t mind the experience of reading it, but it didn’t necessarily have much staying power, either. Often, my “fluff” reads fall into this category, such as the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before that I just finished–it was a fun, light read to pass the time, but it’s not the kind of book that I would be eager to re-read or that I will think back on often.
• A book pretty much has to get at LEAST three stars from me in order for me to ever recommend it, and I’ve found that with a lot of my 3-star reads, it was a book that was just in the middle for me but I could also recognize why it would be a GREAT book for someone else. Take the book The Orphan Keeper as an example—while I got hung up on some of my issues with the writing style and narrative choices, I could totally see why someone else would give that book five stars because the story is AWESOME.
• Basically, if a book gets three stars, I at least see some merit in its plot, writing style, message,etc., and I also–to some extent–had to have been at least somewhat entertained by it (or it at least made me think). Classics are notoriously hard for me to rank because I often don’t ENJOY my reading of them, but because I almost always see their merit, they will usually always get at least 3 stars from me (if not 4), even if I don’t necessarily LIKE the story. Some examples would be A Passage to India , Wuthering Heights (though I feel I need to give this one another shot now that I’m older), and A Room With a View .

Four-Star Rating

• Ah, now this is where it gets really good! To get four stars, a book almost always has to be well-written and well-paced (if it’s a novel) or have some really thought-provoking content in it (if it’s nonfiction).
• A four-star book is one I thoroughly enjoyed and usually would not hesitate to recommend (though some, like Beartown and The Goldfinch , both of which I gave 4.5 stars to, I do have to recommend with caveats, as they have quite a bit of content–profanity, sexual references, etc.–that might be offensive to some readers). Sometimes those triggers are the ONLY thing holding me back from giving the book 5 stars, in fact, which was the case with both of those books.
• A four-star book must be memorable, to some degree. Often with my 3-star reads, I forget plot or character details within months, but with a 4-star read, those things must be sufficiently memorable for me to give it that higher rating.
• Interestingly enough, I actually find that my four-star books are often more easily readable or “un-put-down-able” (to borrow a term from Modern Mrs. Darcy) than my five-star reads, which might seem a little backward. Often that’s because a five-star read tends to have more “meat” in it, which can make it a lot harder to read (or mean that it has a slower plot). Actually, I would even venture to say that the books I’ve given four stars to are more likely to appeal to a general audience than the books I give five stars to (more on that in a minute).
• A few four-star picks that I’ve finished this year: The Snow Child , El Deafo (the first graphic novel to get the designation), and This Must Be the Place .

Five-Star Rating

• Last the best of all the game! To get five stars from me, the book almost always has to be extremely well-written (and I definitely tend to favor books whose writing style would be considered more “literary”) and needs to have strong, memorable characters (and it often helps if those characters are likable too, though that isn’t ALWAYS necessary!).
• The book’s pacing needs to be such that I always or almost always look forward to reading it and seek out opportunities to read it whenever I can (though a few of the titles that have gotten the designation, like classics, don’t always fit that criteria).
• While a 5-star book can occasionally have some aspects I don’t love (like profanity, vulgarity, etc.), it’s much more common for me to favor stories that DON’T have those triggers in them for my highest ratings. (Part of the reason for this is because I figure if I’m giving a book five stars, I’m usually excited enough about it that I want to recommend it to EVERYONE, which I just can’t do if it’s got a lot of content stuff I have to warn people about.)
• Besides wanting to recommend it to just about everyone, a five-star read needs to be a book that I’d be excited to read again, which is actually really saying something coming from me (since I hardly re-read books ever). For instance, I just finished Cutting For Stone –which I LOVED–but one of the main reasons I didn’t give it five stars is because I’m just fine with having read it once and calling it good. For me, a 5-star book should be so good that I almost want to start reading it again as soon as I’ve finished it. (It’s this criteria that makes it so that far more nonfiction reads get five stars from me than fiction ones, just because I’m so much more likely to want to re-read something nonfiction.)
• Lastly, a five-star book has to be life-changing, paradigm-shifting, or completely unforgettable in some way to earn the ranking.
• Since I’ve recently set the bar so much higher for my five-star reads, I’m actually starting to go through the books I gave five stars to years ago and re-reading them to see if they still deserve that designation. (For example, I recently read Peony in Love for the second time and knocked it down to four stars–and almost knocked it down to three, but the ending saved it–after a re-read, just because I REALLY didn’t like the first part of the book, and there was a lot more sexual content than I’d remembered.)

Perhaps another time I’ll share a post about some of the life-changing nonfiction books that definitely earned their five stars fair and square, but for today, I’ll go ahead and share ten of the novels:

10 Five-Star Fiction Reads

Title: peace like a river, author: leif enger.

The perfect example of how my five-star books might not be as universally appealing as some of my four-star picks. Peace Like a River definitely skews more “literary”–the writing is seriously beautiful, almost like poetry–and I don’t remember the plot being one that was particularly fast-paced. But!–the characters were memorable, the ending was just as it should be, and I’m STILL excited to re-read this one (since I haven’t yet, seeing as I just read it last year). This is the story, told from a child’s perspective, of how the narrator’s brother has to go on the run from the law after killing someone who was threatening their family, thus becoming like a real-life “outlaw.” The book explores everything from religious themes like miracles to the question of which is more important–staying true to your family, or staying true to the law, even if you think it doesn’t “apply” in this case. This definitely has a distinct “Western” feel, but don’t let that turn  you off–I didn’t think I was into Westerns, but I was definitely into this book.

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: khaled hosseini.

This is definitely not an easy book (emotionally) to read, but it DEFINITELY fits the criteria of being highly memorable (and the added benefit of being totally engrossing). I’m definitely due for a re-read of this one (as it’s been about seven years), but elements of the story have still stayed with me, even after all this time. The Kite Runner is the story of two boys who both grew up in the same household but under very different circumstances (one was the master of the house’s son, the other was one of the servants). When a horrific event happens to the servant–and the other boy does nothing–the effects are long-lasting and devastating. This remains one of the most powerful novels about the concept of forgiveness that I’ve ever read.

Title: Memoirs of a Geisha

Author: arthur golden.

I believe this is now the third book roundup of mine that this book has made it onto (the others were Riveting WWII Books and Love Stories For People Who “Don’t Do” Romances ). So obviously I love this book. Memoirs of a Geisha is about a girl who is sold by her parents into the geisha life, and while the story deals with growing up and dealing with hard things and rising up against your fiercest rivals, it’s a love story at its heart, and how one act of kindness and compassion can change a life forever.

Title: Crossing to Safety

Author: wallace stegner.

This is the only adult fiction novel to have earned five stars so far this year (other than Sense and Sensibility ), and though I finished it back at the beginning of March, I still think about it all the time. As I wrote in my Goodreads review, very few writers could take such a quiet plot and spin it into such a compelling story, but Stegner manages to do just that in this novel. On the surface, this is not a book about much–it basically just follows the progression of the friendship of two couples over much of a lifetime–but at the same time, it’s a book about everything, or at least a book about everything that matters. I seriously can’t wait to read another of Stegner’s works (and the only reason I’m waiting is because I’m actually going to break one of my usual book-buying rules and buy a few before I’ve read them, just because I’m confident I’ll want to read them with a highlighter in hand).

Title: All the Light We Cannot See

Author: anthony doerr.

Here’s another one I can’t wait to read again (and have wanted to ever since I finished it). In fact, I liked this one so much, I immediately looked up everything else the author had written (which actually isn’t much) and bought his Four Seasons in Rome (which, for the record, was a 3.5-star read) soon thereafter when I came across it in a used bookstore. All the Light We Cannot See is the story of a blind girl, a famous jewel, and an orphaned-boy-turned-soldier during WWII, whose paths eventually intersect in an unexpected and memorable way. The writing is a large part of why I loved this one so much–it’s told in short snapshot-like chapters with continually varying viewpoints, and the prose is so beautiful that it should come as no surprise that the author was actually given a generous amount of money AND a stint in Rome, just so he would finish writing this.

Title: The Handmaid’s Tale

Author: margaret atwood.

Although many people love this for the way it explores current political and social issues, I loved it for its compelling story and its fabulous prose (this was my first exposure to Atwood’s writing, and I knew immediately it wouldn’t be my last). This dystopian novel (written well before the dystopian genre got “trendy”) is about a futuristic society where many rights (such as the right to read) are taken away from women in the name of “protecting” them, and how women in this society hope above all else that they’ll get pregnant during their mandatory “meetings” with their Commanders, as their value and worth is determined by their fertility. While the society is obviously super disturbing, I found the book to be compelling and thought-provoking, and while some people hate the unresolved ending, I personally thought it was quite brilliant.

Title: The Help

Author: kathryn stockett.

I’ve found that when it comes to super popular fiction that nearly everyone has read, I can often become a bit snooty without meaning to be, in that I try really hard to find something to criticize or a reason to not like it as much as everyone else. While a part of me halfheartedly tried to do the same for The Help , I quickly just got wrapped up in this story set in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t often reread books (and for several years, I actually didn’t “let” myself reread anything), but this is one that I’ve actually listened to on audiobook (which is FABULOUS, by the way, and if you haven’t already tried a free trial of Audible , you can listen to it through that) two or three times since, just to enjoy the pleasure of getting lost in this world and time period again. This book might not be as “literary” or “life-changing” as some of the other books on this list, but it’s one where I just absolutely fell in love with the story.

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Author: betty smith.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that about a third of the books on this short little list deal with “quiet” plots–in other words, literature that represents life as it really is. While I love to get immersed in a different culture or different time period (which is also evidenced in this list), I also love a well-written book that I can totally relate to on some level because it represents MY life in some way. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is just such a book–in reading about Francie Nolan’s childhood, it’s like you’re reliving your own childhood. The details of both might not be the same at all, but the FEEL of childhood is captured so magically in this book that I’ve rarely read anything else to rival it.

Title: I Capture the Castle

Author: dodie smith.

This is actually a five-star read from many years ago that I’m currently rereading to ensure that it still will earn five stars, but I’m fairly confident (based on what I can remember) that it will. This novel about a young aspiring writer living in a crumbling old castle with her poverty-stricken family reads like escapism of the best kind. I don’t remember a ton of the details (I read it over a decade ago, I believe), but I do remember that this book made me want to pick up my pen and start writing again AND that it made me want to go find a castle for sale somewhere, ASAP.

Title: My Name is Asher Lev

Author: chaim potok.

Sometimes it’s the writing or the characters or the setting that really stick out to me in a book, but in this one, it was actually the THEME that has never left me. This entire book is basically about a Jewish boy who is this phenomenal artist, but as he progresses in his work, he has to face a crucial question–when his artistic vision goes against what his faith teaches (in this case, he wants to produce a work with a definite Christian theme), what should he then do? I’ve always wanted to be a writer and I’ve also always been very devoted to my faith, and at times, I recognize that the two don’t always mesh well, so this book really made me think a lot. As it’s been almost a decade since I read it, I’m thinking it’s another one due for a reread soon!

What are the fiction books that YOU would give five stars to? And what are your own criteria for awarding a book this highest of ratings?

Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for her Quick Lit series !

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A Quick Guide to Rating Books (1-5 stars) on Amazon

This game sucked – one star review, this widget did exactly what the description said it would do – five star review, my new windshield wipers arrived late – one star review, this shirt is red. and it fits – five star review.

See where I’m going with this?

For 99% of the products sold on Amazon (or any site where reviews are gathered) rating things is a fairly straightforward process . If a product doesn’t work, doesn’t match its description, or showed up a billion years late, the result is usually BOOM – bad review. If a product works, fits its description, or basically doesn’t fall apart within five minutes, BOOM – good review. It’s easy. It’s simple. It’s a formula that applies to most consumer goods, from clothing, tools, toys, jewelry, et cetera.

But for books…whoa.

Totally different process.

But it’s no problem. Not at all. Simply refer to my handy guide on deciding how many stars to rate a book on Amazon.

Now let’s start at the bottom:

One Star Reviews

To be used only when a book is awful, unreadable trash, the one star review should seldom be applied. I reserve it only for those books that have awful editing, a truly atrocious grasp of storytelling, or a first chapter so dull and uninspiring I couldn’t get past the first few pages. When thinking about one star reviews, consider that if you finish the entire book, it’s probably not a one star book. If you enjoy even some small part of it, it’s probably not a one star book. But if it’s so wretched you feel ill after a chapter, then maybe, just maybe, you can go ahead and kill it with the old single star.

Two Star Reviews

Now is where it gets a little trickier. Did you get halfway through a book, but you couldn’t finish it due to a sudden, moronic plot twist spoiling everything? Did the book have a few interesting characters and events, but crappy grammar throughout? Was a book ok, but wayyyy too short or wayyyy too long to really reach out and grab your interest? These are a few of the reasons to hit a book with two stars. Once again, if you can finish an entire book without throwing it at the wall, it’s generally not a good idea to cripple it with two stars.  Although a book might be two star worthy if you find yourself slogging through it just to say you finished it.

Useful side-note: if you stop reading a book due to something going on in your life (as opposed to the book sucking) consider a three star review instead.

Three Star Reviews

In theory, this is what most books should be rated. Three stars for average. Three stars for good, but not great. Three stars for readable, but not gripping.

Did you finish a book, but found yourself struggling near the end due to poor plot management? Did you enjoy a novel, but hated a character or two because they were badly, unrealistically written? Was the story pretty darn awesome, but the editing or grammar spotty? Now we’re talking three star material. Three stars is for solid, readable material written competently, but not written masterfully. If something was pretty good, but just a bit too long or short, it’s probably three stars. If it had a decent, but not super compelling story, it’s probably (you guessed it) three stars.

The three star review is underused. Consider adding it to your arsenal.

Four Star Reviews

Now we’re getting somewhere. The four star review is where most good books (should) reside.

If a book has solid grammar, tight editing, and a story that makes you want to read just one more chapter before going to bed, it might be four star worthy. If after you finish, you can’t stop thinking about that one cool plot twist or awesome chapter, it might be a four star book. If I’m an author ( and I am ) I’m happy beyond measure with four stars. It means I entertained the reader. It means I made them love some of my characters (and maybe hate some others.)

Think of it this way: if right after you finish a book, you’re hoping for the sequel, you’ve probably got a four star story on your hands. If you itch to recommend it to your friends or maybe even re-read it the very next night, we’re talking four stars all the way.

Five Star Reviews

Ah, five star reviews. Perhaps the most overused and misunderstood star cluster in the universe. No author will complain about getting a five star shot in the face, but let’s face it, most of the books a person reads in their lives probably aren’t five stars…even if they review ’em that way.

Five star books should be at least one of the following:

• Among the best literature you’ve ever read
• Something that stirs deep thoughts in you for days after you’re finished reading it
• A book that ignites a new passion in you
• Something you just can’t put down. It’s so good, you’re willing to lose sleep (and possibly friends) in order to finish it

If a book isn’t really, really good or it doesn’t possess a unique quality compared to other books, it might not be five star worthy. But if it grabs you, scares you, makes you fall in love, or lights up your intellect, that’s when we’re talking five stars.

Five stars should be reserved for the best of the best. If you love-love-loved a book, that’s when you take a dive for five.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and dirty star-guide.

For even more interesting content, check out the hundreds of articles on Tessera Guild .

J Edward Neill

If you feel like reviewing some good fiction, try this .

If you prefer non-fiction, go here .

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Decoding the 5-Star Book Rating System: A Reader’s Guide

Delve into the world of literature as we demystify the 5-star book rating system, unraveling its nuances and significance

Within the vast expanse of literature, opinions on books can diverge widely. What one individual considers a masterpiece, another might deem an ordinary read.

To navigate through this sea of subjective experiences, the 5-star book rating system has emerged as a prevalent tool for readers to articulate their sentiments and share insights about a book.

In this article, we will delve comprehensively into the nuances of the 5-star book rating system, exploring the distinct connotations of each star and outlining practical strategies for its application.

Unveiling the Spectrum

The 5-star rating system provides a simple yet effective means of articulating your overall assessment of a book. Below, we delineate the customary significance of each star:

One Star: ★☆☆☆☆

Typically assigned to books that you found disheartening or struggled to connect with, this rating denotes a strong sense of aversion.

It could suggest subpar writing, one-dimensional character development, perplexing plot trajectories, or an amalgamation of these factors.

A one-star rating unequivocally signals that the book drastically undershot your expectations. This is a book you would NOT recommend to like-minded readers.

Two Stars: ★★☆☆☆

A two-star rating implies that while the book might possess redeeming attributes, it ultimately failed to captivate your interest or left you underwhelmed.

It could have harbored latent potential, but notable flaws were detrimental to your enjoyment. Now, this may be something that would interest others but leaves you cold, i.e., too much gore, too many spicy scenes, etc.

Be sure to state that in your review so that other potential readers know there are qualities you did not enjoy, but they may! Even a “negative” book review can guide readers to something they may enjoy.

Three Stars: ★★★☆☆

Connoting an average read, a three-star rating might have had instances of intrigue, yet it failed to impart a pronounced impression.

It does not scale the summits of excellence nor plummet to the depths of dissatisfaction, nestling instead in the middle stratum of the spectrum. It was pleasant but lacked memorability.

Four Stars: ★★★★☆

Awarding four stars communicates your genuine fondness for the book, affirming it as a noteworthy read.

It might have featured a compelling narrative, well-sculpted character dynamics, or a narrative style that resonated deeply.

While not bereft of minor imperfections, the book resonated with you on a lasting level.

You would certainly recommend this book and would also read more from this author in the future.

Five Stars: ★★★★★

Symbolizes a profound connection with the book. These are the tomes you deem masterstrokes, ones deserving a universal recommendation.

Awarding five stars signifies recognition of impeccable prose, engaging storytelling, and a lasting impact on your psyche.

You may even revisit this book in the future and list the author as one of your favorites.  

In employing the 5-star rating system, strategic considerations come into play:

Embrace emotional reflection.

Probe your emotional resonance with the book. Did it evoke laughter, tears, or contemplation? Gauge how profoundly the book affected your emotional and intellectual faculties.

Contextual Insights

A singular star might only sometimes denote a poorly composed book.

It could result from a mismatch between the subject matter and your personal tastes. Equally, five stars don’t assure universal appeal; a book you adore might not synchronize with another’s preferences.

This is why a written review is always the most effective way to share your thoughts on a book.

Champion Consistency

Endeavor to uphold a consistent rating framework across different books. This aids in illuminating your distinctive inclinations and facilitates a comparative assessment of various literary works. This is ESPECIALLY important if you have followers who rely on your reviews to introduce them to new works.

Augment With Reviews

While the star rating provides a rapid snapshot of your judgment, coupling it with a brief review enhances context. This assists fellow readers in gauging the book’s resonance with their biases.

5-Star Book Ranking System

The 5-star book rating system is valuable for articulating your sentiments regarding a book.

It condenses intricate reactions into an accessible and shareable format. Remember that a book’s merit extends beyond its star rating; personal connections, thematic pertinence, and idiosyncratic preferences all contribute.

Thus, whether you confer five stars upon a life-altering novel or a solitary star upon a book that failed to align with your expectations, your ratings contribute substantially to the diverse tapestry of literary viewpoints.

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Christoph’s Content Corner

Content Strategy Consultant, Head of Contet

• by Christoph Trappe
• November 19, 2020 November 19, 2020

Amazon star ratings: How Amazon calculates star ratings for different countries

Trappe Digital LLC may earn commission from product clicks and purchases. Rest assured, opinions are mine or of the article’s author.

Amazon star ratings matter. If we can say our book has 5 out of 5 stars that matters. Even 4.5 is probably okay. But people certainly look at Amazon star ratings to make decision on their purchases. Like with anything on Amazon, there’s a method to how Amazon star ratings are calculated and displayed.

Read next:  Your guide to making online reviews work for your business

For example, for my latest book – Content Performance Culture – Amazon is showing different star ratings for different countries. For example:

• USA: 4 stars
• Germany: 3 stars
• Canada: 3.5 stars

The difference doesn’t even mean that readers in Germany or Canada like it less than readers in the United States. It’s a matter of how Amazon calculates the ratings. In other words: It pulls reviews differently based on where reviewers purchased the book and where they review it from.

Calculating Amazon star ratings

Interesting, how is that possible? How are Amazon star ratings calculated? Basically, it comes down to this:

Amazon takes all verified purchases – so purchases of the book from Amazon. Those are applied to all countries’ calculations of the Amazon star ratings. So a verified purchase in that country gets taken into account. In addition, all other reviews from that specific country get added to the total.

Here’s how that looks in a more visual format:

Here’s how I figured this out. I try to send potential buyers their specific country link to purchase the book. For example, somebody in Germany gets the Amazon. de link while somebody in Canada gets the Amazon. ca link.

An exception: I also offer signed copies to people in the United States and Canada via this paypal.me link . But I don’t offer to mail signed copies outside of North America. Once, I sent a signed copy to the United Kingdom from the United States. The package and book were severely damaged during transport and the customer asked for a full refund. So I was out the production cost and the postage which was more than the book.

Read next:  How to turn your blog into a book with real chapters

Now if that UK customer would leave a review it would show up on the United Kingdom Amazon site, but not on the United States or Germany or other Amazon sites. Since they bought it from me directly, Amazon wouldn’t consider it a verified purchase. Them buying it on Amazon UK would be a verified purchase however.

Read next:  Why there are so many No. 1 and best-selling authors now

Amazon star ratings by country

Let’s break down my Amazon rankings for my latest book for the three countries.

United States

As you can see in the screen shot, as of this writing there are five global ratings. The United States shows 4 of the 5 total with 2 of them being verified purchases. One of the verified purchase is for 5 stars while the other one is 1 star. The final review came from Canada but since the book wasn’t purchased through Amazon it’s not showing as a verified purchase and the 5-star Amazon star rating doesn’t carry globally.

Of course, a 1-star Amazon star rating hurts, but the reviewer also has some points. I previously published   some of my negative speaking feedback received as well. Since it was a verified purchase it carries globally, just like the other 5-star verified purchase. Though, there are other 5-star reviews, the verified purchase reviews get more weight from Amazon worldwide.

In Canada, the 2 verified purchase reviews form the United States carry over and the one review of an unverified Amazon purchase show for a total score of 3.5.

In Germany, there are no reviews yet from Germany but the two verified purchases from the United States carry over. Since one was really good and one was really bad the overall Amazon star rating showing in Germany is 3 stars.

Strategy to increase Amazon star rating

When I know somebody bought a book or read a promotional copy, I usually ask them for a review and send them the link to Amazon. That’s also a strategy I implemented with my first book .

It is important to try to get the best possible Amazon star rating. They show prominently on Amazon, in ads like this one:

The most obvious way to get a good Amazon star rating of course is to produce a good product that people are willing to review. Keep in mind that not everyone will love it though, so once again it’s a numbers game. The one negative review has some points about formatting, which happened because I wrote the book completely in Google Drive on an iPad. That’s not an excuse but it happened. I certainly could avoid those reviews by buying a computer and finalizing the book that way.

Another strategy is to gently ask and remind people you know read the book to please leave a positive reviews. Some will and some won’t. Maybe the ones that don’t didn’t like the book to begin with.. Since we aren’t after negative reviews, I don’t bother them after asking them the first time.

You can also remind people on podcasts and social media that the book is available for purchase and you’d love a positive review. Some people might also leave you a negative review just because they don’t like you. Hard to believe, I know, but it can happen.

That’s why it’s a numbers game. Hope your readers that love the book leave a review and try to remind the ones you know of to do the same.

Read next:  “Mean” things people have said to me on Twitter [VIDEO]

Also consider what countries to focus on. If you are planning on speaking in Germany ( and I’m currently offering global virtual keynotes ) a positive rating can help. Especially if you are asking the conference and attendees to buy books there.

Read next:   Is the use of emotions the most overlooked B2B marketing strategy?

Need help with your book marketing and production? Drop me a note know to get the help you need to be successful. 

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The best 5 star-rated books to read in 2024

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Tip : Many of the below featured books are available on   Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Subscription for free or at very reduced prices .

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Unique Book Recommendations to help you find your next read

Books worth 5 stars - Historical Fiction

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkeins Reid

“Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.”

“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.”

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F.Kuang

“That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.”

“Nice comes from the Latin word for “stupid”,’ said Griffin. ‘We do not want to be nice.”

5 star Fantasy 

The Night Circus by Erin Morg enstein

“The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones.”

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”

Jungle nama – a story of Sundarban by Amitav Ghosh

“Dokhin Rai, exultant, feasted his eyes on Dukhey.

‘The Rich one has kept his word, he’s left me my prey.’

His maw beagn to tingle as he watched his prize;

In an instant he assumed his tiger disguise.”

“’How long has it been sunce human flesh came my way?

What bliss to find a victim like this sad Dukhey.’

One the far mudbank Dukey caught sight of the beast.

Its amber eyes glittered, as it watched its feast;

With its nose a-twitch, it sniffed the spoor of its game;

Its ochre stripes shimmered, like tongues of burning flame.”

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-m i Hwang

“Just because you're the same kind doesn't mean you're all one happy family. The important thing is to understand each other. That's love!”

“That's all there is to it. We look different, so we don't understand each other's inner thoughts, but we cherish each other in our own way. I respect you.”

Books worth 5 stars - Mystery/Thriller

The Maid by Nita Prose

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”

“That’s the trouble with pain. It’s a contagious as a disease. It spreads from the person who first endured it to those who love them most. Truth isn’t always the highest ideal’ sometimes it must be sacrificed to stop the spread of pain to those you love.”

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

“We're more than the sum total of our choices, that all the paths we might have taken factor somehow into the math of our identity.”

“It's terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches off into a new world.”

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

“I am a bricklayer without drawings, laying words in sentences, sentences into paragraphs, allowing my walls to twist and turn on whim...no framework...just bricks interlocked...no idea what I'm building or if it will stand...no symmetry, no plan, just the chaotic unplotted bustle of human life.”

“Still, there might be something fitting about a friendship based on a common love of words being founded on an exchange of the same.”

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

“Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little Indian boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven. Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six. Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little Indian boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little Indian boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none.”

Confessions by Kanae Minato Translated by Stephen Snyder

“The world you live in is much bigger than that. If the place in which you find yourself is too painful, I say you should be free to seek another, less painful place of refuge. There is no shame in seeking a safe place. I want you to believe that somewhere in this wide world there is a place for you, a safe haven.”

“If you’re always worrying about what other people think, you’ll never get any tougher.”

The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong Translated by Chi-Young Kim

“There are some people you just can’t love. Even when they smile, they make you want to pull on either side of that smile and rip their mouth off.”

“Mother knew exactly how to get under my skin, what to take away from me in order to get me to submit. The guilt coming from one part of her heart would have been offset by confessing in her journal just how painful it was to bully me. I turned the page.”

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

“The people you love weren’t algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm’s length across a decimal point.”

“He smiled, put his hands on the back of her neck, fingers in her hair, and leaned in to press his forehead against hers. He’d told her before that he did it to take away half her sadness, half her headache, half her nerves before her Columbia interview. Because half less of a bad thing meant there was room for half good.”

Non-fiction - Best of the Best

Why I am an Atheist and other stories by Bhagat Singh

They can kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.

Criticism and independent thinking are the two indispensable qualities of a revolutionary.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things Right by Atul Gawande

“What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even than selflessness. We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. We can't even keep from snacking between meals. We are not built for discipline. We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail. Discipline is something we have to work at.”

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by S arah Meyers

Monstrous  is an  impressive   adolescent   mature   graphic   bio  about a Korean- American  girl  who uses  cult  and  art -  making  to  conquer racist bullying.

5 star Classics

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”

5 star Contemporary Fiction 

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

“Does letting go mean losing everything you have, or does it mean gaining everything you never had?”

“But it’s what we do, what we’ve done for years now. We drag our past behind us like a weight, still shackled, but far enough back that we never have to see, never have to openly acknowledge who we once were.”

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kufaka

“You don't need to have it all. You only need to figure out how much is enough.”

“Grief was a hole. A portal to nothing. Grief was a walk so long Hazel forgot her own legs. It was a shock of blinding sun. A burst of remembering: sandals on pavement, a sleepy back seat, nails painted on the bathroom floor. Greif was a loneliness that felt like a planet.”

Boat Number Five by Monika Komp amikova

The  heart-breaking  yet   comic   story  of a neglected  girl   who struggles  to  care  for herself and others in post-communist Slovakia.

Romance -  5 star rated 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

“I can appreciate my body in a bikini and still want to set fire to the patriarchy.”

“I am a homebody, through and through, and there’s nothing like being home.”

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

“I’ll love you until my heart gives out. I’ll be your man for a thousand years. Longer if I’m allowed.”

“When I hug you?” Fuck. His heart was turning over and over like a car engine. “My hugs are your recharging station?”

Heartstopper I and II and III by Alice Osman

“You can't tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren't the only two options.”

“I’m just… so sorry I ran away! I was just freaking out like honestly I am having a proper full-on gay crisis!”

“There's this idea that if you're not straight, you HAVE to tell all your family and friends  immediately , like you owe it to them. But you don't. You don't  have  to do anything until you're ready.”

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Maintaining A 5-Star Feedback Rating on Amazon: The Definitive Guide

Flip Those Books is an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions if you purchase products from retailers after clicking on a link from our site.  

Keeping a 5-star Amazon feedback rating is pretty easy ‒ if you know what you’re doing.

Case in point: I’ve managed to maintain a 5-star Amazon feedback rating for more than two years now.

My current rating is 99%, with 287 positive feedback scores, 2 neutral feedback scores, and 1 negative feedback score. 

I’ve been able to maintain this 99% rating because I’ve followed a few key principles, which I’ll lay out for you in the following guide to maintaining a 5-star feedback rating on your own Amazon store. 

Note: This guide is specifically written for Amazon sellers who deal primarily in used books, but the principles still apply no matter what your niche is. 

• Step #1: Understand the value of a 5-star feedback rating.
• Step #2: Build up positive feedback by asking customers to leave feedback.
• Step #3: Be honest when grading and describing your books.
• Step #4: Examine each item with extreme thoroughness.
• Step #5: Be honest when grading and describing your books.
• Step #6: Remove any trace of pricing.
• Step #7: Respond promptly and politely to customer messages.
• Step #8: Use Amazon’s automated feedback removal tool.

Step 1: Understand the value of a 5-star feedback rating

Many sellers cut corners in key areas of their business to increase their bottom line by a little bit. There are many businesses in which this is fine ‒ but an Amazon business is not one of them.

Amazon became the eCommerce behemoth it is today by focusing one one single principle: make the customer happy.

Your feedback rating is what Amazon uses to gauge how happy its customers are with your service.

If Amazon’s customers aren’t happy with you, Amazon will remove your ability to interact with its customers by removing your selling privileges.

That’s why you need to care about maintaining a high feedback rating.

I have a somewhat unorthodox attitude when it comes to my Amazon business. I believe making your customers happy and thereby maintaining a good relationship with Amazon is actually more important than your bottom line.

If you’re like me, your Amazon business is the only thing standing between you and the dreaded 9-5 slog. Or maybe you’re just starting out, in which case your Amazon business is a glimmer of hope with which you can escape your current job.

No matter what your situation, one fact remains true ‒ if Amazon hits you with a permanent suspension, the game is over. Unless you’ve got another successful business up your sleeve, it’s back to the employment grind.

That’s why I value my feedback rating over all other business metrics ‒ including my bottom line.

If you fall a little short of my sales goals from time to time, that’s okay. You and your business will both persist.

But if your feedback rating drops to a dangerously low level, you could lose everything.

Despite my doom and gloom rhetoric, it’s actually pretty easy to remain in good standing with Amazon. There are only a few things they’ll actually suspend you for:

• Low feedback rating
• Selling counterfeit items
• Selling restricted items
• Inappropriate customer interactions

The only item from this list that’s sort of out of your control is the feedback rating. If your thorough enough, everything else is 100% avoidable.

That’s why you need a strategy to achieve and maintain a five-star feedback rating. The remainder of this article will lay out that strategy. 

Step 2: Build up positive feedback by asking customers to leave feedback

The best way to cement your five-star feedback rating is to get a ton of positive feedback.

Sounds pretty obvious, I know. But it’s so important that I have to mention it.

So, how do you get a ton of positive feedback?

The best way I’ve found is to email customers and ask them to leave you feedback.

You could just leave it to chance and hope your customers just randomly decide to leave you feedback ‒  but that’s probably not going to work.

Most people won’t go out of their way to do things unless specifically prompted to. This is perhaps more true of leaving feedback for random Amazon sellers than any other action.

If sending feedback request emails to every single customer sounds like a lot of work, don’t fret. It’s actually one of the easiest parts of your Amazon business.

It’s easy because you can automate the entire process.

With feedback automation software, you can ensure everyone who buys something from you receives an email asking them to leave feedback.

I use FeedbackExpress for this purpose, and I recommend you do the same. They offer a free 30-day trial , so you can try it out risk-free.

I’ve already written a couple of articles on FeedbackExpress, so I won’t belabor you with the details in this article. If you’d like to learn more and better understand how FeedbackExpress can get you a bunch of positive feedback, read these articles: 

• Why Every Amazon Seller Needs Feedback Automation Software
• How to Write the Best Amazon Feedback Request Email [Free Template]

Step 3: Be willing to give full refunds for mistakes

One of the primary reasons I’ve been able to mitigate quite a few negative feedback ratings is my willingness to refund buyers who contact me with a complaint.

As media sellers, we have a unique advantage in the refund department because most of our inventory costs a few dollars at most. Refunding unhappy customers without expecting them to return the item isn’t a huge deal. In my over 10,000 orders in the two years I’ve been selling on Amazon, I’ve had less than 30 customers contact me with complaints.

It is true however that as the item cost goes up, your willingness to refund will go down. I’ll refund a $12 novel without hesitation, but if the unhappy customer bought a $150 textbook, I’m going to suggest they return the book in the normal fashion and hope they don’t leave a negative review.

Step 4: Examine each item with extreme thoroughness

This is arguably the most important factor in maintaining a five-star feedback rating.

Because Amazon takes responsibility for order fulfillment, the only way you can feasibly get negative feedback is through a failure to inspect, grade, and describe your items properly.

So take your time and make sure you check for every possible flaw that could degrade a book’s condition or make it unsellable:

• International/Teacher’s editions
• Counterfeit books
• Broken spine
• Warped spine
• Missing/torn pages
• Moldy smell
• Cigarette smell
• Water damage
• Writing/highlighting

Step 5: Be honest when grading and describing your books

Don’t make books seem like they’re in better condition than they really are. When in doubt, go with the worse of the two conditions. 

If they have any significant flaws, mention them in your description. It might hurt the sellability of the item, but it will go a long way toward keeping your feedback rating intact.

Step 6: Remove any trace of pricing  

How would you feel if you paid $200 for something on Amazon, only to learn after receiving the item that the person who sold it to you got it for $1?

Personally, I’d commend that seller for their undeniable genius, but I’m in the minority here. Most of the non-reselling community would understandably feel a bit annoyed if they knew they paid a 10,000% premium on their book.

As such, you should do everything you can to remove any trace of the low pricing you purchased the item on.

Price traces come in a couple of forms:

Labels . You can get rid of most labels with a set of label peelers. I use this set of Scotty label peelers from Amazon. It’s a cheap $5 purchase, and will save your nails and hands from a lot of trouble.

Pencil markings. You can get rid of pencil markings pretty easily with a high-quality eraser. I use these high-quality Pilot Foam erasers , also on Amazon. They last a ridiculously long time, and can remove tougher markings that generic erasers can’t handle.

Step 7: Respond promptly and politely to customer messages

Once a customer is unhappy with their purchase, you need to do everything you can to appease them.

I’ve found that much of their anger can be alleviated with a prompt apology and some polite rhetoric. Often, customers just want some validation that their displeasure has been received.

If you can give that to them, you might even be able to convert a would-be negative feedback into a positive one. I’ve received a few positive feedback ratings from customers who were initially angry about some perceived slight (late shipment, inaccurate item description, etc).

Step 8: Use Amazon’s automated feedback removal tool

Most of the negative feedback ratings I’ve received have been due to order fulfillment issues. The item didn’t arrive on time, or the box was damaged, or the deliveryman left the item in the wrong location.

As an FBA seller, you are not responsible for these problems. Amazon takes full responsibility for any order fulfillment issues, and they will remove any negative feedback left because of order fulfillment.

So if you receive a negative feedback for order fulfillment, don’t fret. Just click on the remove feedback button and Amazon will automatically remove it.

Make sure you don’t abuse this automated feature though. If Amazon catches you removing negative feedback that you are responsible for, they will remove your ability to get feedback removed ‒ which means you’ll have to eat any future negative feedback ratings related to order fulfillment.

Final thoughts

To maintain a 5-star feedback rating on your Amazon Seller account, follow this 8-step process:

• Step #1: Understand the value of a 5-star feedback rating
• Step #2: Build up a well of positive feedback by asking customers to leave feedback
• Step #3: Be honest when grading and describing your books
• Step #4: Examine each item with extreme thoroughness
• Step #5: Be honest when grading and describing your books
• Step #6: Remove any trace of pricing  
• Step #7: Respond promptly and politely to customer messages
• Step #8: Use Amazon’s automated feedback removal tool

Steve Rajeckas

Hi! I'm Steve. I've been selling books using Amazon's fulfillment service for more than two years. I love learning new things about the online bookselling world, and I hope my tips help you build and expand your own bookselling business.

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Louise Matsakis

What Do Amazon's Star Ratings Really Mean?

Nothing in the maze that is online shopping is ever what it seems. Unless it’s a product you already know, buying something is always a bit of a gamble. The way the fabric feels, whether the cream will give you a rash—these things remain impossible to assess through a screen. To make a decision, buyers often rely on those who purchased before them: They read the reviews.

On Amazon, like many ecommerce sites , buyers also leave star ratings for items, from one to five. They’re important shorthand, symbolizing at a glance how people felt about a certain item. They also serve as a convenient way to filter, rank, and manage the overwhelming amount of choice that is a hallmark of 21st-century living. (How else can someone decide between, say, over 40,000 shower curtain options?) Higher scores are crowdsourced seals of approval; Amazon even built brick-and-mortar stores devoted entirely to goods with four or more stars.

But Amazon’s little yellow luminaries are less straightforward than they appear. Why does one product get 4.7 stars and another get 4.8? I know what you're thinking: Louise, clearly these are just averages—take the total number of stars and divide that by the number of reviews, and there you go. Just simple math! But reader, that is not the case. While Amazon says these stars reflect the “average customer review” of an item, the calculation behind them is more complicated—and mysterious—than that.

Starting in 2015 , Amazon began weighting stars using a proprietary machine-learning model. Some reviews now count more than others in the total average, based on factors like how recent they are and whether they come from “verified” purchasers (meaning Amazon could confirm the reviewer actually bought the item they claimed to love or hate). David Bryant, an Amazon seller who also blogs about the company, believes Amazon may also take into consideration factors like the age of the reviewer’s account and the average star rating they usually leave. “There appears to be some discount applied to reviewers who predominantly leave negative reviews,” he says.

The new system is largely a good thing, at least from the customer’s perspective. Five-star ratings from three years ago probably shouldn’t count as much as three-star ratings left just last week. But it also represents an additional layer of algorithmic secrecy, which can be frustrating for third-party merchants on the ecommerce site. Amazon's seller forums are full of merchants struggling to understand the black box of how their products are ranked and rated. "Why would a 5-star review make the average drop a full star?" asked one poster last year.

Sellers have a lot to lose if their product rating goes down. Good word of mouth can turn a relatively unknown item into a huge success. “Reviews are more important than a brand,” says Fred Dimyan, CEO of Potoo Solutions, a firm that consults with ecommerce companies. “There’s major brands that are being crushed by small direct-to-Amazon or direct-to-consumer brands.” He points to Cali White activated charcoal and coconut toothpaste for example, the number-one best-selling toothpaste on Amazon, which beat out famous companies like Crest and Colgate.

Star ratings aren’t only influenced by Amazon’s algorithms. They’re also sometimes manipulated by sellers who pay for glowing reviews in order to raise the rank of their products in Amazon’s search results. “Amazon very quickly removes positive reviews because they find them sometimes to be fake,” Dimyan says. “They more quickly remove positive reviews than they remove negative reviews.” After this story was published, an Amazon spokesperson denied that the company prioritizes positive inauthentic reviews specifically. "We estimate more than 90% of inauthentic reviews are computer generated, and we use machine learning technology to analyze all incoming and existing reviews 24/7 and block or remove inauthentic reviews," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Julian Chokkattu

Eric Ravenscraft

Oliver Hazelwood

Even “verified” Amazon reviews may not always be what they appear. “There are plenty of verified reviews that need to come down and should be deleted,” says Chris McCabe, a former Amazon employee who now runs a consultancy for Amazon sellers. “All of them were from buyer accounts that had a stake in what they were buying.” For example, the seller may have reimbursed them for the item via PayPal after they bought it. Amazon prohibits posting reviews “in exchange for compensation of any kind (including free or discounted products, refunds, or reimbursements) or on behalf of anyone else.”

Courting reviewers is just as important to Amazon as the reviews they write are to sellers. The company relies on a sprawling network of contributors—who mostly do this work for free—to get customers to trust its products, many of which aren’t sold by household names. This setup has spawned an elaborate ecosystem that goes beyond just distinguishing real reviews from fake. First, there’s the Vine program , where sellers can have new products reviewed by Amazon’s “Vine Voices” in exchange for giving them free merchandise. (If you’re thinking, “Can I get free stuff?” the answer is probably no. The Vine program is unfortunately invite-only .)

Amazon also reviews its own reviewers and ranks the Top 10,000 Contributors on a constantly shifting leaderboard. Members of this elite crew are given badges to display on their profiles, like “Top 500 Reviewer.” The rankings aren’t influenced just by the number of reviews a person has but also by how many customers found their feedback to be helpful. On the webpage where Amazon lists these esteemed tastemakers, it invites you to “Take a minute to explore the reviews written by these customers. They will inspire you.” The company also honors top reviewers from previous years in its Hall of Fame . But the system is also competitive—reviewers who enjoy being in the top 10,000 can’t simply rest on their laurels. A handy Reddit bot monitors who gets cut from the list each day.

Have a tip about Amazon? Contact the author at [email protected] or via Signal at 347-966-3806.

Update 5-26-19, 1:25 pm EDT: This story has been updated with Amazon's statement.

When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read more about how this works .

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Amazon tests new star ratings that are even harder to read

Amazon’s search results have some different ways to communicate ratings..

By Jay Peters , a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.

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Amazon is testing a new way to show star ratings for products in search results that is more difficult to parse at a glance, as reported by Android Police .

Under the new system, when you’re browsing search results, Amazon will show you an average star rating as a number, then a singular gold star, and then, in parentheses next to the star, what percentage of reviews are five stars.

The change is a bit easier to understand in an image, so take a look at this one from Android Police:

Android Police says it saw this different layout in the Amazon India mobile app, on the Amazon Germany website, and on Amazon’s global website when accessed from Germany.

I don’t like this change because it gets rid of the easily glanceable stat of the volume of ratings in favor of the percentage of how many are five stars. Personally, if a product has tens of thousands of reviews but is still hovering on the mid-to-high end of a five-star average, I generally take that as a better assurance of quality than a product that has double-digit total ratings but an average that’s just under five stars.

A statement from Amazon didn’t confirm that it’s making the changes shown in Android Police, but it did leave open the possibility that it might. “We are always innovating on behalf of customers to provide the best possible shopping experience,” Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti said in an email to The Verge .

I’m personally not seeing the different layout here in the US, but I am seeing a couple other versions of the ratings. Some show an average rating, one gold star, and then what appears to be the total number of reviews. Others swap out the single star for five star icons — though, in the few examples where I’ve seen these, all five are filled in even if the average rating is closer to four than it is to five. (Note that Amazon’s star ratings aren’t a simple average but are calculated using “machine-learned models,” according to a support page .)

It’s all pretty confusing. While writing this article, I’ve warmed up to my colleague Sean Hollister’s proposal that Amazon get rid of star ratings altogether .

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5 Book Reviews to Read This Weeks

“the collection reads like a juvenile burn book, totally uninterested in the world outside her group chat.”.

Our fist of furious reviews this week includes Ann Manov on Lauren Oyler’s No Judgement , Hilton Als on Cynthia Carr’s Candy Darling , Gene Seymour on Hanif Abdurraquib’s There’s Always This Year , David Klion on Alexander Ward’s The Internationalists , and Laura Miller on Lionel Shriver’s Mania .

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“‘Literary critics do fulfill a very important role, but there seems to be a problem with much contemporary criticism,’ Simon Leys once wrote. ‘One has the feeling that these critics do not really like literature—they do not enjoy reading.’ This was a line my mind kept drifting to as I plodded through Lauren Oyler’s debut essay collection, No Judgment . The book was originally to be called Who Cares , and perhaps that title should have been retained. Who cares, really, about any of this? … No Judgment is already dated, even before its release …

It’s not that all of Oyler’s subjects are uninteresting..But Oyler is contemptuous of disagreement, quickly bores of research, and rigidly attempts to control the reader’s responses. As a result, the writing is cramped, brittle. Oyler clearly wishes to be a person who says brilliant things—the Renata Adler of looking at your phone a lot—but she lacks the curiosity that would permit her to do so … It turns out that No Judgment displays many of the flaws Oyler once so forcefully identified in others … Oyler doesn’t want to be a writer of personal essays; she wants to be an erudite critic of the old school. But again and again, she drifts toward personal recriminations and eschews any sustained discussion of literature …

Oyler claims she is well read, even a ‘snob,’ but great swaths of No Judgment rely on the thinnest of online research … Oyler conceives of her own claim to cultural elitism as a series of adolescent signifiers flung on with the pride of a Goth teenager donning her first Hot Topic belt … her writing indeed seems aimed at little more than scoring points against her rivals, real or imagined. The resulting collection reads like a juvenile burn book, totally uninterested in the world outside her group chat … The pieces in No Judgment are airless, involuted exercises in typing by a person who’s spent too much time thinking about petty infighting and too little time thinking about anything else.”

–Ann Manov on Lauren Oyler’s No Judgement ( Bookforum )

“Like Marilyn Monroe—another brilliantly constructed persona—Darling was a master at projecting energy in a two-dimensional medium, by which I don’t mean that Candy, who grew up in Massapequa Park, on Long Island, radiated physical joy, like Marilyn cavorting in the California surf. If anything, her energy was of a blondness turned inside out: no matter how much she smiled or gave come-hither looks, she was a melancholy urban creature, protected by a sense of irony that sometimes lit her from within or lit up the crummy hotel rooms and park benches where she posed … the point of Darling’s life—a point she insisted on with the few people she was close to—was that you can’t walk away from yourself, no matter how difficult it is to be who you are. ‘Always be yourself,’ Candy told a cousin, and it’s the story of how she became a self—or, more accurately, lived simultaneously in her real and her fantasy selves—that Carr tells in her book. Candy Darling is the first full-length biography of the trans star, and I can’t imagine a better or more honest writer for the task …

By honoring Darling’s disconnection from her birth name (what some trans people call their ‘dead name’), Carr not only meets Darling on her own terms but insists that we do, too. ‘The word ‘trans’ implies a journey,’ Carr writes, and the journey was a long and arduous one, driven and framed by romanticism and conviction.”

–Hilton Als on Cynthia Carr’s Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar ( The New Yorker )

“This disclosure, one in a torrent of observations, ruminations, and reveries tightly woven into the book’s narrative, gives you some idea of Abdurraqib’s willingness to pile everything he’s able into his quasi-autobiographical, proto-philosophical inquiry into turn-of-the-twenty-first-century basketball, especially its prodigiously gifted Ohio-bred avatar for both triumph and tribulation, LeBron James.  In this testament to both a sport and a state, Abdurraqib leads with his own heart, one that’s been broken over time by loss of family, friends, even a home … an awesomely discursive mixtape of memoir, film criticism, tone poem, and sports punditry … It is more a portrait of Abdurraqib-the-artist as a young man, living his own tribulation-laden life through the last decade of the twentieth century and the first two of the twenty-first while taking in everything going on around him …

Paraphrasing that talented teenage goalkeeper Albert Camus , the intellect, if it’s worth anything in its own fields of play, watches itself as intently and as unsparingly as it watches others. Maybe that’s why Abdurraqib’s book makes its most breathtaking pivots when he probes the act of bearing witness … Maybe, a reader might wonder, it’s just gravity—a law guaranteeing that every ascension that comes with the fulfillment of a wish is followed by a fall to Earth, whether soft like a feather or hard like a building. Abdurraqib’s chronicle doesn’t directly say this. But as the seconds tick away in the fourth quarter of his riveting game, he accepts the pattern, the persistence of dreams continuing into their own ongoing cycle, the way Brian Wilson says he wanted to fade ‘God Only Knows’ with a loop of the chorus, ‘a sort of infinity spiral.’ And if you’re inclined to wonder, even at this late point in the action, why Abdurraqib thinks Brian Wilson has anything to do with basketball or everything else he’s been dealing with, then maybe you need to turn the play clock back to the first quarter and, this time, be prepared for the break.”

–Gene Seymour on Hanif Abdurraquib’s There’s Always This Year ( Bookforum )

“Anyone who writes about current events knows how cruel the gap between final edits and publication can be … the book’s resilient-comeback narrative has already been undermined by global events. This is in no sense Ward’s fault—unlike Sullivan, he bears no responsibility for the state of US policy in the Middle East or anywhere else—but it does cast the principal subjects of his book in a different light than he presumably wanted or expected. Written with what was clearly extensive access, The Internationalists reflects the weaknesses as well as the strengths of Biden’s foreign policy advisers. Team Biden members sees themselves as a group of sober-minded yet idealistic professionals who took office intending to end wars and to repair America’s ailing body politic at home and its damaged reputation abroad in the wake of Donald Trump.

Nevertheless, on their watch the United States has been drawn into a set of major new wars whose unintended consequences threaten to prematurely end the Biden presidency and transfer the reins of global power back to Trump. Like Ward, they had set out to tell an uplifting story about American global leadership, but at some point they lost the plot … The idea of ‘getting a win’ for the Biden administration is representative of a larger problem with how the A-Team views US foreign policy. Their decisions have real and often bloody consequences on the ground, but wins and losses are tallied in terms of the political consequences for Biden and the professional standing of his advisers. What these wins and losses might mean for the rest of the world is rarely remarked upon.”

–David Klion on Alexander Ward’s The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump ( The Nation )

“The intimacy of domestic politics moderates Shriver’s polemical side, which, when given free rein—as during an infamous 2016 speech she gave on cultural appropriation while wearing a sombrero—usually turns out to be smug, crude and obtuse. In Shriver’s tiresome new novel, Mania ,  the balance is off … As parody goes, this is ham-fisted stuff. Ironically, Mania lacks the discernment required to make it work. Satire demands precision, and Shriver applies an ax to a job calling for a scalpel. Although Shriver has made writing unlikable protagonists into a sort of cottage industry, Pearson is something more, a preeningly self-righteous didact swathed in false modesty about her own supposedly mediocre brain. Like many of Shriver’s narrators, Pearson often speaks or narrates with the sort of affected, antiquated vocabulary of a stock character from a 1930s movie, the portly gentleman in a white three-piece suit, up to no good and puffing on a cigar, played by Sidney Greenstreet …

The most—really the only—intriguing aspect of the novel is the relationship between these two friends and Pearson’s growing realization that Emory lacks a moral center. Emory herself remains a cipher. Is she a sociopath? Or just an opportunist? If only she  were the unlikable narrator to tell this story. That would constitute a stretch for Shriver, imagining the interiority of a character who’s not basically an avatar of herself. That would be a truly daring choice, and dare I say it, a smart one.”

–Laura Miller on Lionel Shriver’s Mania ( The New York Times Book Review )

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These 10 Amazon Deals Are Under $10 With Thousands of 5-Star Reviews

Originally appeared on E! Online

We independently selected these products because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Some brands featured in this article are partners of Amazon's Creator Connections program, which means E! may make an increased commission on your purchase if you buy something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Prices are accurate as of publish time .

The Amazon Big Spring Sale is a deal hunter 's paradise with tons of opportunities to snag amazing deals without breaking the bank. I've curated 10 irresistible deals under $10 that are sure to delight any savvy shopper . From practical gadgets to indulgent skincare, these products are budget-friendly and highly sought after, boasting thousands of glowing five-star reviews from satisfied customers.

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Fallout review – an absolute blast of a TV show

This immaculately made, supremely witty post-apocalyptic drama is yet another brilliant video game adaptation. It’s funny, self-aware and tense – an astonishing balancing act

The following review contains spoilers for the first episode of Fallout .

The first thing to note is that, as with The Last of Us, there is no need for any viewer to be au fait with the source material of Fallout, Amazon’s new competitor in the field of hit video game adaptations (though a fan of the game who watched it with me assures me that there is much to enjoy in addition to the basic narrative if you are).

For newcomers such as me, this intelligent, drily witty, immaculately constructed series set in the Fallout universe fully captivates and entertains on its own terms. It opens in 1950s America, at the height of the cold war and the “red scare”, with former TV star Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) reduced to appearing at a children’s birthday party after being tarred with the pinko brush. A mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, the blast wave hits, the apocalypse arrives.

All those who can afford it rush to the secure vaults they have had built in preparation. We cut to Vault 33 two centuries later, by which point they appear to be doing very nicely. All the naivety of the 50s and the better parts of its mores – politeness, consideration, cooperation, modesty and restraint – have been preserved, albeit with the occasional twist. Like daily weapons training, and chipper approaches to the avoidance of marrying one of your many cousins.

The underground idyll is shattered when they are brutally raided by surface dwellers led by a woman called Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). Vault Overseer Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan) is kidnapped and his daughter Lucy (Ella Purnell) defies orders from the remaining Council and leaves the Vault to find him. As a wide-eyed believer in the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you), she is wildly unprepared for the array of delights surface-dwelling holds. It’s not like she can disguise herself effectively either. As one gnarled resident of the desperate nearby town of Filly says – “Clean hair, good teeth, all 10 fingers. Must be nice.”

Surface threats include, but are not limited to: giant cockroaches, godawful sea monsters (the Gulper’s innards haunt my dreams), radiation poisoning, strung-out survivors, fanatics of various kinds, puppy incinerators and cannibalistic Fiends. The Brotherhood of Steel try to control the Wasteland but you can’t help but feel, committed warrior faction though they are, that they are on a losing wicket. The Brotherhood is divided into Lords (in battered Iron Man-esque suits), Squires who attend and hope to become them and Aspirants training as Squires. Aspirant Maximus (Aaron Moten) is our guy and we follow him as he rises from bullied victim to rogue Lord. His mission? Acquire the severed head that Lucy also needs to find, containing a chip that Moldaver wants (and which Lucy hopes to trade for Daddy MacLean).

The biggest threat of all, however, is the Ghouls, and one in particular – a noseless, mutated remnant of Cooper Howard who is also hunting for the head and the bounty on it. He is the first to cross paths with Lucy, and oh the fun we have! By the end of a fishing trip, she’s in such a state that if she were to return to Filly, they would probably accept her unquestioningly as one of their own.

Co-creators Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner somehow manage to combine traditional post-nuclear apocalypse tropes with semi-ironic takes on 50s motifs, B-movie conventions and horror-level blood and gore (and work in plenty of Easter eggs and other pleasures for gamers). It’s a perfectly paced story that is both funny and self-aware without winking at the camera, undercutting our increasing emotional investment in characters who reveal – and sometimes unexpectedly redeem – themselves layer by layer. If I tell you that the organ-harvesting robot is voiced by Matt Berry, that the Ghoul’s meeting with a long-lost, rotting colleague almost made me cry and that neither element jarred with the other, perhaps that will convey something of the triumphant balancing act that is maintained throughout the eight-episode series.

It is, if you’ll pardon the pun, an absolute blast. Goggins is wonderful as both the unsullied golden boy Cooper and the wretched Ghoul, Moten brings such nuance to what could easily be a one-note role and Purnell performs Lucy’s fall from innocence brilliantly. The growing mystery back at Vault 32, as Lucy’s brother Norm (Moises Arias) becomes suspicious of the origins of the murderous raid and the supposedly benign Council that has protected them all these years, adds yet another strand to the story and ratchets up the tension even further. In short, for Fallout, I’m all in.

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Amazon’s Bestselling Taylor Swift Biography Is On Sale for $5 & Makes the Perfect Gift for Swifties

Starting with her Pennsylvania roots to her rise to fame, learn about the singer-songwriter's journey to global success.

By Rylee Johnston

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“Who Is Taylor Swift?” by Kristen Anderson

Throughout 112 pages, Who Is Taylor Swift? details the Billboard Hot 100 chart topper’s life from growing up on a tree farm in Pennsylvania to her music reinvention and multiple award wins. You’ll also be able to look at illustrations of the singer by artist Gregory Copeland.

Fans new and seasoned can enjoy flipping through its pages; even verified Amazon reviewers can’t get enough of the book with one Swiftie commenting that they “still learned a few things [they] didn’t know.”

And, if you’re looking to further expand your merch collection, you can pick up a copy of Taylor Swift Mad Libs and a popular fashion book that details some of her most notable style moments. If you want to infuse some of her style into your closet, then you can also snag the exact Aupen purse she’s sported and more of her best outfits if you need some costume ideas to wear if you plan on getting tickets to the Eras tour .

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How To Get More 5 Star Reviews: Discover What Smart Business Owners Do to Get More Customers, Clients, & Patients from the Internet Paperback – March 19, 2019

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