Top 5 Opening Lines

Hello everyone!

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Bookworm! If you’re interested in participating, check out her wonderful blog to get the details and the prompts for each week!

Today’s Top 5 Tuesday prompt is Opening Lines. I like this week’s prompt because I’m a big fan of opening lines. I like that their job is to pull you in and give you an idea about what’s to come. I like that a good opening line can pique your interest and make you want to drop everything to dive into the book. When I was brainstorming this post, I spent some time pulling books off of my shelves to revisit their opening lines, and some of the books made me want to drop everything and squeeze a reread in. Below are five of my favourite opening lines.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling: This is the first book that came to mind when I saw this prompt. The opening line of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is so iconic, and every time I read it, it feels like I’m going home. I like that this line lets the reader know that something strange or mysterious is definitely about to happen, and it makes you want to find out what’s about to happen.

The Opening Line: “Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.”

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Fangirl is one of my favourite books, and its opening line does not disappoint. I love how simple it is and how it makes you want to keep on reading to find out the significance of the statement. I also think that it’s the perfect way for Cath and Levi to meet, it gives a great introduction to Cath’s personality, and it sets the stage for their relationship going forward.

The Opening Line: “There was a boy in her room.”

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: I’m so glad that I picked up this book to check the opening line because I forgot how great of a line it is. I like that this line lets you know that the character you’re about to meet is dealing with their first heartbreak and that it’s a shock to them. I also like that this is the kind of line that can bring the reader back to the moment in their life when they realized that Disney lied to them.

The Opening Line: “It was late afternoon, on the very last Wednesday of August, when I realized Disney had been lying to me for quite some time about Happily Ever Afters.”

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: I featured this opening line a few weeks ago in a First Line Friday post, but it’s one of my favourites and, I just had to talk about it again. The Hating Game features the enemies-to-lovers trope, and this opening line is perfect for it. I like this opening line because it is so true; hate and love are both strong, all-consuming emotions.

The Opening Line: “I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them.”

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis: When I reread the opening line of this book, I was tempted to sit down and reread the entire book. This is one of my favourite books, I love Terry Fallis’s sense of humour, and I love the characters in this book. I think this line does an excellent job of introducing Daniel and the political fun that this book contains.

The Opening Line: “I am Daniel Addison. When I escaped Ottawa the first time, I was head speech writer for the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. But after five years in the crucible of Parliament Hill, my public-service calling was battered beyond recognition. Naïve, innocent, and excited when I arrived, I was embittered, exhausted, and ineffably sad when I left.”

Have you read any of these books? If not, do any of their opening lines make you want to check them out? Let me know!

P.S. the Disney bookmarks featured in the pictures are from Bibliophile Prints! I’m currently an affiliate for them, and you can use BOOKSARE15 to save on your purchase!

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