I haven't played many visual novel games, the only full length ones I've played are Emily Is Away, Eliza, and Orwell.
I think out of those my favourite is Eliza. Really great art and a compelling story, but it was way too linear imo, you only get to make one choice that affects the story and it's at the very end.
What about you, are there any visual novels you would recommend to someone like me who hasn't played that many?