With the first six months of 2019 coming to an end, it’s time to talk favorites! I think some of you know by now that I hardly ever hand out the full five stars… And that a 4,5 star rating for me is basically what most would already consider a full 5 stars. I had a fantastic start of the year with no less than 28!! titles that received a 4,5 star rating. I’ll be showing them in the bottom of this post (except for one, as it was a Harry Potter reread); they all deserve the mention and are all excellent reads which I can highly recommend. But first things first. Because this post is about those magical books that simply blew me away. Stories that touched my heart, left me with a giant book hangover and made me wonder if I would ever recover. Yes, we are talking about the mythical 5 star reads, books that basically deserve all the stars and more and have earned its place in my hall of fame of all time favorites.

I had a total of five new titles that received the full 5 star rating in the first six months of 2019. They belong to a variety of genres and blew me away for different reasons, but what they all have in common is that they are absolutely fantastic titles and I cannot recommend them enough. Ready to see which titles made it to this list? In the order I’ve read them, as you won’t be able to make me pick favorites between these… 😉

Finding Grace by K.L. Slater

 I’m a huge fan of her psychological thrillers and this newest story is another brilliant addition. Highly highly recommended if you enjoy the genre!

What I said in my review:

“I literally cancelled all plans, sat down and devoured Finding Grace in one sitting. Yes, it was just THAT good.”

“Well written, intriguing, suspenseful, complex and nailbitingly good.”

Click here for my full review

What The Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

 I’m a huge fan of her work in general and this story simply blew me away. What an absolutely stunning read!

What I said in my review:

“The writing and plot development are sublime. The writing style will have you under its spell from the very first page and the beautiful prose is one of the reasons I already know What The Wind Knows will appear on my list of 2019 favorites.”

“What The Wind Knows is wonderful romance story with a time travel twist set in a turbulent time of Ireland history. Beautifully crafted and simply splendid!”

Click here for my full review

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews

I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up her debut, and I’m still kicking myself because it completely blew me away.

What I said in my review:

“The power of A Thousand Perfect Notes is in its characters. Both Beck, August and Joey are so easy to love; you will adopt them straight away and your heart will ache for them as the plot evolves.”

“A Thousand Perfect Notes will make you laugh and cry and the characters will stay with you for a long time. It’s a fantastic contemporary read which balances happy moments and a romantic interest with a thousand musical notes and a dark twist.”

Click here for my full review

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

As a catlover, I was drawn to this book even before I knew what it was going to be about… It’s an absolutely fantastic and heartbreaking read that will stay with me for a long time.

What I said in my review:

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys being around cats. It’s so easy to relate to this wonderful story!”

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a fantastic read I could see myself reading over and over again.”

Click here for my full review

Call Me Star Girl by Louise Beech

I can’t believe this is only my first experience with her work, but it most definitely won’t be my last. What an absolutely fantastic read!

What I said in my review:

“The writing style is absolutely wonderful of course, but it is the characters who steal the show in Call Me Star Girl. Louise Beech should receive an award for being able to create such fascinating characters that are both flawed, strong and essentially unlikeable, but are able to win over your heart anyway.”

“Subtle twists and turns are incorporated in such a way that builds the tension and suspense without even realizing it; throwing new shocking information at you before you are getting comfortable with what you already know.”

Click here for my full review

I promised I would share the books that received a 4,5 star rating before I finished this post, as they are basically all fantastic reads as well and deserve to be mentioned. Like with the titles above, I’ll share them in the order I’ve read them and I can highly recommend every single one! Ready for an overdose of pretty covers? Click on each cover to go to my review!

Have you read any of these titles yourself? Do we share any favorites? And more importantly, my TBR would like to know: What are your favorites of the first six months of 2019 ?

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