Top 5 books I LOVED but others didn’t!

Happy Top 5 Tuesday everyone! This is a topic that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now! I knew that there were quite a few books that I liked that others had problems with, but I didn’t realize just HOW MANY there are! I actually ended up with a list of 11 and needed to cut the list down a little bit. What makes me so excited about this topic is the ‘chance for unpopular opinions’. Our tastes are all different, so there will always be books that we loved that others don’t agree with. I have a lot to say, so I’m just going to jump on in!

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme where I explore different topics. If you are interested in participating I would love to have you! Here is a list of my Upcoming topics in April – please remember to ping back a specific post of mine so I get a notification and I will add you to the participants list!

ARTEMIS BY ANDY WEIR

I LOVED this book! Seriously! The plot, the action, the setting – but most of all, I loved Jazz!! She was feisty, potty mouthed, rude, bold, fearless, blunt, independent, strong, determined, fun – all the things! Even though she didn’t always make the best decisions, she had the best of intentions. She strived for a small and happy living; a simple and comfortable life. Yes, ok, she attempted to do some seriously illegal things for that simple living, but she had a good heart. It’s not like she had the easiest life. There are so many people that didn’t enjoy this book specifically because of her as a character, but I personally loved her!

HIDDEN BODIES BY CAROLINE KEPNES

This is the sequel to the very popular book You. So many were anticipating this sequel, but not everyone loved it, and I can somewhat understand why. The two books seemed to have very different atmosphere’s. We’re still inside the head of serial killer/stalker Joe, but we are no longer in New York and we are thrust into a weird adventure where Joe needs to blend in with society. He was a very different person in this book. He seemed to be a little softer and actually trying to find love and be a good person. In the first book he seemed more raw and psychotic. But, for some strange reason, I actually enjoyed the turn of events! This book was WEIRD! He made some really strange decisions and did some even stranger things. For some reason I really enjoyed watching this psychopath find love. Why I keep rooting for this guy is a mystery!

THE WALLED CITY BY RYAN GRAUDIN

I don’t know if this one is so much that people didn’t like it – I think it’s just that not enough people are reading it – and they should be! Her Wolf By Wolf series is pretty popular. Along with her more recently published Invictus. But this book was AMAZING! I loved the characters, the world building, the connections, the actions, the sacrifices, the consequences – it was just so good! It actually has a 3.86 rating on Goodreads which is still a good rating – but it only has 5,000 ratings.

LANDLINE BY RAINBOW ROWELL

I think I know the reason why not so many people like this book. She is more well known for her YA novels and this one is clearly not YA. This revolves around a struggling couple and then adds in a magical realism element. I’m not a young adult so I most definitely relate to this book more than most. I also read this at a time where I was struggling with my own relationship with my husband. Every marriage has ups and downs and I read this one at the perfect time. I especially related to the fact that relationships change. Being able to talk to the person you knew when you first met would be weird! But it would also help you see that people evolve and you can’t always look back on the past. I can’t wait for more adult novels from her!

THE HAZEL WOOD BY MELISSA ALBERT

Not too long ago, this book was everywhere. It was on so many people’s most anticipated lists and book lovers everywhere were excited! But when it was released, the reviews weren’t as glowing as I expected. But I think that this is a case where the hype built up this book to be something that it wasn’t. I was lucky enough to go into it with my mind clear of expectations, and I actually really enjoyed it! I loved the creepy magical realism elements (seriously – I have two books on this top 5 list that have magical realism in them…. who am I??) and how the main character connected the mystery of her life to the world that her grandmother wrote about in her cult classic book of dark fairy tales. This book wasn’t perfect, but it had just enough strangeness to it to make it the type of story I really enjoy!

AND BECAUSE 5 JUST WASN’T ENOUGH……..

There are 3 other books I would like to mention that I loved that have lower ratings than I would expect:

• Starflight by Melissa Landers – This book was such a great adventure! A good bookish friend of mine (Robin – The Other Weasley) said that it was entertaining as hell. I would totally agree!
• A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay – This is the one and only book that made my skin crawl and genuinely creeped me right out. I wish that this book could be adapted into a movie. If this was on the big screen, I might have nightmares for weeks!
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer – She got a bad rep for the Twilight series (which I could also add to the list of books I loved that others didn’t….. hashtag no shame) so a lot of people either didn’t read this book or hated on it without giving it a chance. It was hard to get into but once the story got going I was so invested and ended up crying like a baby at the end!

TOP 5 TUESDAY PARTICIPANTS:

• Meeghan – Books, Baking and other questionable hobbies
• Robyn – Robyn Reads Books
• Sarah – Weaving Life
• Hanna – Hanna Reads
• Paige – The Girl With All The Books
• Rachael – Beach Bookworm
• Birdie Bookworm
• Nia – Shades Of Paper
• Joe – J.W. Martin – Storeys of Stories
• Kristina – Kristina Reads
• Ally – Ally Writes Things
• Crystal – Paper Royalty
• Jillian – Jillian The Bookish Butterfly
• Aakankshya – Shrestha Logs
• Leetha Rose – Life Should Be Lit
• Kristin – A Simply Enchanted Life
• Sophie – Beware of the Reader
• Lola – Lola Et La Vie
• Cassie – Paperback Cassie
• Rebecca – Bookishly Rebecca
• Rose – Stuck In Fiction
• Taylor – Tays Infinite Thoughts
• Hadeer – Cairene Librarian

This list could have been SO much longer, but who wants to read my post all day long when there are actual books to read! Next weeks list (the books that I DIDN’T like that others did) might have to be a top 10. There are so many books that I have unpopular opinions of! What books did you like that others didn’t seem to enjoy?

Until next time, happy reading!