Second time reading:
Me and my boyfriend reread this book together by listening to the audiobook together. 10/10 recommend, it was a wonderful experience. Bumping to 5 stars.

First time reading:
It's done, I did it! For the first time in my 22 years on this planet, I read the first Lord of the Rings book!! I tried reading this many years ago, but I stopped because I was bored by it and I felt like nothing happened. Now, I feel like I'm advanced enough to properly enjoy it and to actually appreciate all the amazing world-building that is going on. 

I went into this book almost expecting to find it mediocre. I ended up really liking it! I had a lot of fun reading it, the story captured me around halfway through and I enjoyed seeing all the parts of the world they're traveling through in the novel! A lot can be said about these books; a lot has already been said about them. I'll leave it at this: I truly understand why this series is so epic. It's not a full 5-star rating for me, because I did struggle with it in the beginning and during some parts, but it's a strong 4. Really excited to read the next one!