August’s Monthly Recommendations theme is a hot topic for us booknerds: underrated books. We all have our favorites that just didn’t get the hype we think they deserved.

However, instead of discussing books that I think don’t get enough hype, I’m going to be talking about truly underrated books in my book- in other words, Goodreads. I have a few favorite books that don’t have the highest of star ratings on Goodreads. And I am here to admit that about 80% of the time, if I see that a book is well-read and has less than a 3.5 star rating on Goodreads, I likely won’t pick it up. Today I’ll be talking about books that have less than a 4 star rating on Goodreads, but I gave a 4-5 Stars.

Finding Felicity by Stacey Kade

Goodreads: 3.5 Star

My Rating: 4 Stars

College YA is one of my favorite sub-genres, and I really liked Finding Felciity’s story and main MC. I loved the incorporation of the real-life TV show, Felicity. I think readers would have maybe rated the book more if it incorporated a slightly more popular TV show. I’ve only seen one episode of Felicity myself, which was right after finishing Finding Felicity.

The Last Boy & Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian

Goodreads: 3.46

My Rating: 4

My poor girl Siobhan Vivian unfortunately tends to have lower ratings on Goodreads. I’m even a little disappointed that Stay Sweet has a 3.82 right now. When I read The Last Boy & Girl in the World back in 2016, I was a bit nervous going in because of its rating, but I thought it was a really unique YA read. Tell me how many books you’ve read about a girl who decides to stay behind when her town is forced to evacuate after going under water.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

Goodreads: 3.53

My Rating: 5

My 5 star rating of Bonfire isn’t me defending Krysten Ritter like she’s my favorite actress. Apologies to my Marvel-loving sister, but I haven’t even watched Jessica Jones. Bonfire was one of my favorite 2017 reads. It was such an addicting read for its mystery and thriller vibes.

My New Crush Gave to Me by Shani Petroff

Goodreads: 3.71

My Rating: 4.5

I’m always looking for festive-themed reads around Christmas, and My New Crush Gave to Me put me in the perfect holiday spirit. I loved it for putting me further into the holiday spirit and it has plenty of rom-com vibes.

A Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen

Goodreads: 3.9

My rating: 4.5

Okay, I know 3.9 is not the lowest of ratings, so A Taxonomy of Love falls more so under the underhyped category than low-rated. However, it only has 549 ratings on Goodreads, meaning more people need to read this 2018 standout! Our MC, Spencer, has Tourette’s syndrome and the book has such a great cast of characters- there may be some High School Musical jokes involved. Overall, A Taxonomy of Love is a fantastic diverse book about growing up.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Goodreads: 3.82

My Rating: 4.5

Again, not the lowest of ratings at all, but how does this book not have over a 4 stars (besides that every reader is entitled to their own opinions)? Celeste Ng is one of my favorite authors, if not my favorite adult fiction author, and Everything I Never Told is such a beautifully written and emotion-filled book.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Goodreads: 3.15

My Rating: 4

The lowest of Goodreads ratings here today, Emma Straub’s books tend to have low (less than 3.5) ratings on Goodreads. While The Vacationers wasn’t the most perfect of books- I had problems with some members of our big cast of characters, I wrote in my Goodreads review that I really enjoyed the storyline and other characters.

Monthly Recommendations consists of a group of BookTubers and bloggers that share monthly recommendations based on a specific theme each month. Monthly Recommendations can be found here on Goodreads.

What are some of your favorite books that are underrated? Share in the comments!