The nameless male narrator of this book makes his living as a “Rental Stranger” on an app - you can hire him to pretend to be your boyfriend, your best man, a mourner at a funeral, etc. But his longest assignment is once a week pretending to be the father to a girl named Lily who is the daughter of a single mom, which he’s been doing for more than 8 years. He has always prevented himself from getting attached to anyone, but between Lily and another new client, some cracks in his robotic facade start to make him think about how he is living his life and why, and reflecting on his troubled relationship with his dead mother.

Don’t let the brightly colored cover or the blurbs calling this comedic fool you - there is nothing funny about this book, it’s actually a deeply melancholy read. The premise was very intriguing but the end felt very abrupt and unresolved. Definitely a unique one though!

3.5 stars

This book is a deeply written character study, but it wasn’t the wholesome, funny novel I was expecting based on the glowing endorsements on the cover. Instead, Five Star Stranger turned out to be a more depressing and anxiety-inducing exploration of self-discovery. The relationship between Stranger (the unnamed protagonist), Lily, and her mother, Mai, was the highlight of the story for me. Stranger has been paid by Mai to pretend to be Lily’s father since he was young, and as he deals with his past and Lily’s future, it creates an interesting dynamic.

This concept was fascinating, and I was disappointed that it didn’t feel like the main focus of the book until the end. For most of the story, we follow Stranger through his strange rental jobs, meeting random clients, and getting to know him through his cold and often cruel thoughts. While I enjoyed learning about Stranger’s background and his relationship with his mother, I never felt truly invested in his character unless it was tied to Lily and Mai. I wished there had been more of their interactions together.

Overall, I liked the book but didn’t love it. I’m definitely interested to see what Kat Tang writes next!

Such an interesting premise and I wish I could have gotten more stories of being a stranger. Could be a fun short story spin off of all the misadventures.

I wanted to like this but it disturbed me a bit. A woman hires this stranger for hire to act as the girls father. This made me so sad for her. I also didnt love the unnamed narrator.

This story has such an interesting premise, but this didn’t really work for me. I was so enticed by this cover, title name, and plot, but the actual storyline bothered me. All of the adults in this book really needed therapy and I kept waiting for the point of this book to become clear to me but it never did. The stranger was such an intriguing concept and character to read the POV from, but I found the ending to be very disappointing and I wanted more.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for this ARC!

This was a unique story idea and really made me interested to read it. Once I started reading however, I didn't love it.

Five Star Stranger offers a unique and refreshing premise, unlike anything I've read before. It's a slow-burn, character-driven story where the plot takes a backseat, allowing readers to delve into the complexities of the characters' inner lives. While there isn’t a lot of action, Kat Tang’s engaging writing and intriguing character development kept me hooked. If you’re looking for a thoughtful, introspective read, this book is a hidden gem.

I was initially really excited to read this but I was quickly disappointed. In the beginning chapter 3, there was a mention of masturbation, although it wasn't a fan vulgar description, it was still not something I want to read about. Things started to take a weird turn after that. I tried to continue reading to give it a fair shot but the next two chapters started talking about sex and I lost interest. The book also never names the main character which I found odd. This was a fast read but had no point, I was just uninterested.

Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang. Pub Date: August 6, 2024. Rating: 3 stars. I thought this book would be more of a fluffier read, but in all honesty it was not. It is based around a person who markets himself as a rental stranger for people who basically need a plus one for any reason. I thought it would be funny and light, but it was more introspective and serious in tone exploring themes of loneliness, connection and acceptance. The concept of the novel was intriguing, but the execution lacked for me. It is a character driven novel, so if you enjoy reading that type of story then this book may be for you. Thanks to #netgalley and #scribner for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Five Star Stranger ended up being a bit "heavier" than I expected but was still an engaging, interesting and thought provoking read.

"Five-Star Stranger" is not nearly as fluffly as the brightly colored cover may suggest. Imagine you need a +1 for a wedding, a wingman to help spark jealousy on a date, or even a pretend sibling — enter the Rental Stranger app, a site where you can hire someone to fill exactly those roles and more.

I really wanted to like the narrator but he made a lot of questionable decisions. It is an interesting critique of the line between reality and pretend and how far is too far in artificially altering your reality. Although that is a fairly one sided critique. I kept reading because I was interested in seeing how far the narrator would go but I wasn’t fully satisfied in the end.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my review. Five star stranger has a more unique storyline than many books I have read recently. Need someone to pretend to be your girlfriend? Lover? Mother? Theres an app for that. This story is told from the perspective of the stranger and how these relationships that people pay him for affect him. Really interesting and unique. Four stars.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Scribner for my copy of FIVE-STAR STRANGER. This one is out August 6.

I really really enjoyed this one! The characters, the setting, the FEELINGS! I was really struck by the whole premise and honestly, at first, the ending was something I hated, but after sitting with it for a bit, it was perfect. Absolutely correct and I'm here for it.

Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang hooks you right away with its fascinating premise: a man, known only as Stranger, hired through an app to play roles like fake fiancé, best man, or even long-term father. Stranger has perfected the art of detachment, navigating his various gigs with ease, until a nosy client threatens to disrupt his most personal role—acting as a father to a young girl. As his professional boundaries start to blur, he’s forced to reckon with the emotional walls he’s built and the real connections he's tried to avoid.

What I loved most about this book is how Tang explores the gig economy and the transactional nature of modern relationships without being too heavy-handed. The story digs into loneliness, the roles we play in life, and how much we really know—or don’t know—about the people around us. It’s a thoughtful, character-driven novel that takes a look at isolation in a world where we’re supposed to be more connected than ever.

I will say, while I was hooked for most of the book, the ending felt a little rushed. Some of the relationships, especially the one between Stranger and the child, could have used more development. Still, the story stays with you, and it’s easy to relate to the themes of belonging and attachment.

Overall, this is a strong debut. It’s the kind of book that makes you think, and the concept alone will keep you turning the pages.

I love books that make you think, and this one definitely did that. It had a unique premise-renting a stranger from an app that can be whatever his clients need. He can be a guest at someone’s wedding, a wingman, a date, a stand in father, etc. Although he is around people constantly and lives in a bustling urban city, he still feels the sting of loneliness and isolation.

This book touches on some heavy topics and is not nearly as lighthearted as the cover makes it seem. I enjoyed reading about the different people Stranger met and how sometimes he didn’t want his fake roles to end. It made me think of life in the 21st century and the authenticity of our modern interactions.

I don’t know how I feel about the ending, but all in all, it was a thought provoking and quick read, and I’d definitely recommend it! It was a fantastic debut!

Five-Star Stranger follows a Stranger who is a top rated companion on an app where people can “rent a stranger” to stand in at a funeral, or pretend to be a lover, or a wingman etc. As he goes about his job, the line between his professional and personal life becomes blurred. From the jacket - “this is the story of a man who finds out who he is by being anyone by himself.”

I’ve got kind of mixed feelings - I was expecting to love this book so much! It’s written well, but it's a much more serious book that I thought it would be. While not necessarily a bad thing, I had trouble adapting to the story it actually was over the story I expected. The cover is so cute and it says "hilarious" at least twice in the blurbs, but I didn't find it funny (darkly or otherwise). The ending had me kind of angry actually.

Tang has some very poignant moments throughout that highlight the experience of loneliness or isolated living (even when surrounded by people), but as a whole this one didn't really work for me. Probably more of a 2.5, but I'm rounding up. I'd try another book from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for the ARC copies. All opinions are my own.

Five-Star Stranger was an excellent read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I would read more from this author again.

Such a charming book about the nature of fleeting relationships. I loved the characters and look forward to seeing what else this author writes.