Luciano Porta

Five was a really interesting read. The premise is simple but incredibly effective: five strangers are waiting on a train platform, and from the very first page you know that one of them will die within the next five minutes. The novel spends most of its time diving into each character’s life, turning the book into a series of compelling character studies.

Overall, I found Five to be an engaging and thoughtful novel. It’s marketed like a thriller, but it feels more like a literary character study with a constant sense of suspense. Sometimes it leaned a little too heavily into the drama for my taste, but it did an excellent job of making me care about these deeply flawed people and reflecting on the judgments we make about others.

absolutely wrecked me in the way I expected it would, but also in ways I didn’t fully see coming

also, grant my beloved i love him so much

I finished this book feeling a bit conflicted. There were moments that genuinely moved me, especially in how the book portrays friendship, childhood summers, nostalgia, and the way those memories become a refuge from darker adult lives. The connections between the characters felt real and meaningful, and some of them, especially Joar and Ali, stood out to me as deeply sympathetic and emotionally grounded.

At the same time, the book never fully captured me. The writing often felt overly verbose and too corny, with dialogue that seems artificial and constantly trying to sound profound or quotable. That exaggeration makes it harder for me to stay immersed. The humor also didn't work for me, it ranges from unfunny to just cringe.

Even with those issues, I still found the book interesting. It surprised me at times and avoided some expected narrative paths, which I appreciated. While the trauma could feel overdone sometimes, I liked that the story remained hopeful and reaffirmes the themes of friendship and love. In the end, it's a book I respect for its heart and intentions and I can see why so many people love it, but to me personally the style kept me at some distance

This book grabbed me right away and has stayed in my head for weeks. I loved the main character Lambert Simnel, moving from a simple farm life into a terrifying political role where he is declared the hidden Earl of Warwick and a supposed rightful heir.

The best part for me was the dimensional cast and vivid settings. Simnel is so easy to care about, there is a standout love interest, and the writing has a great historically flavored style with oldish English words that make it feel authentic. This book is also funnier than I expected and does not take itself too seriously.

I also loved how the book plays with identity and manipulation, and it creates a constant tension where I felt unsure who to trust. That uncertainty made the story more addictive because it pulled me into the same confusion and doubt that Simnel feels. The twists were genuinely surprising and kept me reeling forward.

My main gripe with this book is that the historical context and all the titles and families are not clearly introduced. There is a lot of talk about titles, families, and the lead up to major conflicts, and I felt lost at times because I do not already have that background.

Overall, I thought it was a very cool, very well written historical fiction novel with sharp humor, real emotional weight, and characters that stayed with me.

Ate this one up tbh, historic queer stories always get to me. Beautiful and heartbreaking, it perfectly captures how fear and repression can slowly destroy relationships. Ludwik is such an unforgettable and deeply human character, and I loved all of the female characters here too. This is the type of book where I know I'll have the characters in my mind for weeks lol