This book is cute and charming, but ultimately, I don't think it will be a memorable novel by the end of this year. I thought the dialogue and the banter between the characters were really sweet. This is a very accessible and likeable book. If you want a novel with more depth, then this book won't be for you. It's breezy, fun, and cute.

This is such an amazing novel with a beautiful cover. I loved how the author wrote about the delicate and complicated transactional relationships. The idea of this novel is so unique, and the author's writing style is very artful. She wrote about emotions and relationships without being cliche or so vague that it's difficult to understand.

I am now a big fan of the author and I can't wait to see what else she has in store!

I was drawn to this novel, as the Black Mirror-esque concept of rental strangers really intrigued me. However, I felt the plot stayed in a tamer, cozier light than I was expecting and the ending wasn't terribly satisfying. I did enjoy the characters and the complexity of their relationships, but I was left wanting more. I would love to read another novel set in this universe that gets grittier, perhaps told from the perspective of the older gentleman rental stranger that the protagonist interacts with on several occasions.

Surprisingly poignant! This went in ways I did not expect and was more insightful and character-driven than the cover indicates, but it was a great read nonetheless.

I devoured this smart, surprising novel about visibility and the commodification of relationships. The premise is compelling, I enjoyed the voice, and the narrator was delightfully flawed in the best way. I imagine many Goodreads reviewers will have *thoughts* on the ending, but I think it ended the only possible way that'd be true to this story. Definitely worth checking out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced reader copy.

This book reminded me of Dave Eggers' The Circle, in thinking about what could happen when elements of our daily life (in this case the gig economy) are expanded to the greatest extent. The nameless narrator embodies the experience of being needed by everyone--as a rental stranger--and seen by no one. It was compelling and heartbreaking all at once. The end fell a bit into the debut writer pitfall of going on for a bit too long in an extended metaphor, but otherwise this was great and I look forward to what this author does next.

Pros: Good character study, solid pacing.

Written in the 1st person POV of Stranger (never named), who while not unreliable, is definitely biased and misguided by his own trauma. That's never hidden from the reader, but since it's presented from his perspective, we are inclined to empathize with him until input from other characters creates some dissonance for him, thereby allowing the reader to more fully see the situation.

I was not thrilled with the ending. It felt anti-climactic and without enough closure. Perhaps that was on purpose - the author wanted readers to feel the same sense of uncertainty coupled with the fledgling sense of hope for the future that the protagonist was feeling toward the end. Unfortunately, that combo just makes me anxious and irritated.

Overall still a worthwhile read, but I went into it thinking there would be a different type of ending (nothing specific, just more closure, or a positive growth epiphany that resulted in action on the protagonist's part).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I am still in shock at the way this novel went! Based on the title and cover, you would think this is a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy. You (like me) would be SO WRONG. Even though I went in without fully understanding what this novel was truly about, I still enjoyed the story and characters overall. This novel focuses so much on people that are scared to make last connections with one another and inner journeys that are necessary to truly know one's self. It is definitely heaver material than the cover expresses, tread lightly if that's not what you're looking for!

This book starts out light and ends up very dark. I was left wondering why I had spent the time to read it. Sorry!

Right off the bat I would say the book cover doesn’t fit the story. It comes off a little to light hearted, not doing justice to the story inside. The stranger that is the narrator of the book rents himself out to those that need company for a particular situation. He relies on a 5 star rating to keep his business successful. His longest job is playing father to a now 8 YO. This is where his boundaries start to blur. What could go wrong?

There is so much to discover about the narrator, who is never named. He is forced to evaluate his inability to make lasting connections and his need for total control. The author takes you through the narrator’s his own history and how he ended up where he is.

This was a haunting and thoughtfully sad book. Great fodder for book clubs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!

Kat Tang’s "Five-Star Stranger" is an incredible debut novel that elevates its high-concept premise to a weighty emotional reality.

It’s unfortunate that responses to this book are so mixed because its cover and premise seem to suggest a breezy beach read. While "Five-Star Stranger" is exceptionally readable, it has a lot on its mind, often in a way that may throw readers for a loop. The idea of social surrogacy in a gig economy sounds ripe for antics; expect angst instead.

This is a book about relationships as performance. Early in the novel, a child refers to a map as a simulacrum of real places, and this is the lens through which we see the titular Stranger fill countless roles—boyfriend, best man, father, brother. Readers know he is emulating relationships that are meant to be deep and true, but it becomes difficult to parse the fuzzy boundaries of what normally makes those relationships “real.” Is love about actions or the feelings behind them? Are these dynamics somehow less real because there’s payment involved? This leads to even bigger questions that The Stranger pushes away—What are self-worth and purpose when excelling at one’s work makes them disappear? What is identity when a life is built around being what other people need?

Big concepts for a little book!

While reading, I found myself constantly amazed that this is Kat Tang’s debut. The prose is bright and evocative, the storytelling is so focused in its pacing, and the themes are approached with the groundedness that we would expect from real people. Nobody is esoterically waxing existential, but they do get believably squeamish with the implications of The Stranger’s work. Likewise, the characterization here is really effective, reflecting the hidden depth that our protagonist refuses to broach out of professional obligation. We catch glimpses of full lives, but we don’t learn much because The Stranger chooses not to. Along the way, Tang peppers the story with enough biting humor to mask bitter truths, reveling in the kind of moral ambiguity that fosters genuine clarity.

It feels like a perfect and unlikely alchemy for such a thematically smart book to be this enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing Kat Tang work more magic in future novels.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book and actually appreciated how sad/dark it felt at times even though I definitely expected it to be a more happy and uplifting story. Having an 8 year old daughter myself, I found it very hard to excuse lying to your child (or a strangers child) for so long about who her parent is. I think if it didn’t hit so close to home for me in that regard I would have enjoyed the story a lot more but unfortunately I couldn’t move past that aspect.

I initially thought this was going to be a lighthearted story. It’s not.

Our MC is a rental stranger who flits in and out of the lives of other who briefly need him. His only goal is to make his clients happy and keep a five star rating. His life is 100% about control.

Only one client has been long term, eight years. For this client he’s been acting as her daughter’s father. And he’s accidentally done the thing he shouldn’t, gotten attached.

When another client gets entangled with the long term set up, things get sticky.

Honestly this is a deeply sad book. And a bit poetic that we never learn the mc’s actual name.

As many have said already, this is not a light hearted found family story like the synopsis led me to believe. This is more of a dark exploration of losing your own identity by living a life pretending to be any and everyone but yourself. I appreciated that the author delved into whether children really ever know their parents as full humans. Stranger's ideas about sex felt like there was a sort of Freudian underpinning which was pretty uncomfortable to keep returning to. This was a short read but it was not at all quick for me. I was certainly left wondering whether Lily would ever be able to move on from her mother lying to her for a decade about a fake father. I kept finding myself wishing Mari would just pretend Stranger died in an accident so that Lily could move on since it seemed like Mari would never tell the truth.

I was really drawn to the premise of this book and while I did enjoy it, I was not crazy about it. The rental stranger was immensely drawn into himself and was very focused on what he presented to the world. He was acting through his life from role to role. The hard part for me was that he was a rental father for a little girl for 8 years, The idea of this was extra unappealing and really made me wonder how this dynamic would even work. I really liked the depth of the backstory, however it fell apart for me when he met the woman from this past. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,

I didnt love the book but I also didnt hate it. I found the main character to be annoying. He was selfish and only cared about himself. What he and Mari were doing to Lily for the past 8 years was honestly cruel and wild. Im shocked Mari would do that for so long. I felt so bad for Lily, thinking this man she saw once a week was her father. Im glad he met Darlene and that caused Mari to finally let the rental stranger out of Lily’s life. He is still too emotionally attached even at the end. I did find the ending to be satisfying in that he finally realizes some things in regards to his mother. Some of the men he acted as was interesting and I enjoyed those side acts, but the main act with Lily was annoying. He doesnt deserve to know her anymore.

I think the writing was fine. I did find myself skimming the pages through the man’s thoughts though because I didnt care for him. He was anonymous in the book and anonymous in my mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is not fluffy.

I feel like I should say that because the title, cover and description make is seem fluffy and light.

Instead, it’s bittersweet and poignant and it made me so sad.

I loved our unnamed Stranger and was intrigued by the people he met and situations he was in. But I kept hoping for unicorns and rainbows and it was unicorns with broken horns and bent rainbows instead.

The book definitely makes you think and gives you an overwhelming sense of loss much of the time.

Excellent and very unexpected read.

• ARC via Publisher

I'm at a bit of a loss on what to say about this one. The first half of the book told a story of a man who rented out his time as a companion to anyone in need. Want to go for a walk? Need a friend at a funeral? He's your guy. But in addition, he has a long term client, Mari, who has slotted him in the role of father to her daughter Lily. As Stranger navigates his clients, he finds his "daughter" asking more questions and wanting to know more about her family. This leads him to solicit the help of a client and things evolve from there.

I thought this book was going to make me laugh as I experienced different Stranger scenarios, but it had the exact opposite effect. Instead, I'm left saddened for those who are unable, unwilling or too scared to try to build lasting connections.

A fantastic plot and beautiful writing that is haunting and melancholic.

We follow our five-star stranger as his once faultless boundaries with clients begin to blur and he finds himself emotionally attached to his pretend daughter. While it is a quiet and reflective novel, there are a few surprises along the way that amped up the thrills and tension. I really enjoyed the read and recommend it to fans of contemporary and literary fiction.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Five-Star Stranger
By Kat Tang

Publishing Date: August 26, 2024

Publisher Synopsis:
“Would you hire someone to be the best man at your wedding? Your stand-in brother? Your husband?

In an age where online ratings are all-powerful, Five-Star Stranger follows the adventures of a top-rated man on the Rental Stranger app--a place where users can hire a pretend fiancé, a wingman, or an extra mourner for a funeral. Referred to only as Stranger, the narrator navigates New York City under the guise of characters he plays, always maintaining a professional distance from his clients.

But, when a nosy patron threatens to upend his long-term role as father to a young girl, Stranger begins to reckon with his attachment to his pretend daughter, her mother, and his own fraught past. Now, he must confront the boundaries he has drawn and explore the legacy of abandonment that shaped his life.”

My Rating: 4/5 ⭐️s
The concept of this book was so interesting and unlike any other I just had to read it. The character development was a big part of this read and I was invested in their growth. This would be great book club option!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for providing the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.