Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Okay y’all it’s official: This. Is. Happening! This is my very FIRST post on here outside of standard book reviews! **Pauses for fanfare** I know for some of you the idea of posting your very first TTT this late in the game is laughable because you’ve been doing this for months/years, but hey it’s progress for me! #BabySteps

If you’re like me and are new to the concept, I’ll break it down for you! Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which a weekly topic is issued for the blogging community. There isn’t a topic this week because they’re currently on a hiatus until August, but I saw a few people cycling back through old topics and thought to myself why wait till August to jump on this train?

 So for my very first TTT I’ll be listing my “Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote a Review For”

There are so many wonderful books I’ve read that I haven’t reviewed that it honestly makes me sick. Even though I have countless excuses (didn’t have a blog at the time, didn’t have a GR account, didn’t write reviews at the time, was lazy, didn’t have a crystal ball that could foresee how valuable writing my thoughts down at the time would be, etc.) it still bums me out that I can’t look back at my initial thoughts on some of these reads – especially because some of the books were read more than a decade ago!! Imagine the youthful perspective! Who knows, maybe one day I’ll reread these and write them the reviews they deserve. For now, this list will have to do. *Links have been provided so you can check out the summaries*

---

1.  Bright Side by Kim Holden

I’ve read this tearjerker twice so it’s like a double fail on my part. Although it’s sometimes cheesy — and definitely emotional — this book inspires you to DO EPIC and that’s always a great feeling to have after reading a book. Right now it’s free on Kindle Unlimited so head over to Amazon stat!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

I’ll never forget sitting — criss-cross applesauce style — in the center of my bed in my dorm room in Australia sobbing at 3 a.m. to the ending of this book. Set in WW2 and narrated by Death, it had such a unique take that I just couldn’t put it down. I wish I had written a review while the emotions were fresh.

3. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover  

This was my very first CoHo book and let me tell you, I was one smitten kitten. I went on to read 8 of her other novels that year, but this one remains my favorite. Focusing on a musician and a lyricist, Maybe Someday pushes the boundaries by providing a FREE soundtrack to accompany the tracks featured throughout the novel, which greatly enhances the experience!

4. You by Caroline Kepnes 

This was one of the first books I ever read that made me feel rewarded for being a reader. Packed with references to other works, You is narrated by Joe, a charismatic and intelligent STALKER. Yeah, you’re literally in the headspace of someone stalking, obsessing, and sometimes killing the other characters in the novel. It’s definitely a crazy ride!

5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 

As one of my favorite reads of 2016, and honestly maybe favorite work of Maas in general, I simply can’t believe I’m sans review. Adding insult to injury, I DID write reviews for the other 2 books in this trilogy. Grrr…Argh.

6. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 

As one of my childhood faves, I think it would have been fun to look back and see what kept bringing me back to this enchanting tale. The one thing I do remember is that this is drastically different — and better —  than the movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway.

7. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 

I can’t tell you why today, which is why a review would have been helpful, but I was absorbed into the world of this book. This is one of those books I remember reading around Columbia at stoplights just to finish faster. It had me hooked from start to finish. Too bad the less-than-stellar movie starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon can’t refresh my memory.  *Also currently free on Kindle Unlimited*

8. The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Okay so obviously from the cover art you can tell this is a guilty pleasure book, but I make no apologies. This book had everything I needed: a musically-inclined female lead, a confident hockey-playing love interest, a humorous gang of side characters, and some tough issues. What can I say sometimes you just need an escape and easy read. #DontJudgeTheBookByTheCover

9.  Divergent by Veronica Roth

I don’t know if it was the factions, the Dauntless testing, the post-war Chicago setting, or Tris/Four that got me invested in this series, but I remember really loving the first installment of this series. I also remember feeling super unaccomplished when I read that Roth had sold the movie rights to this while in her undergrad at Northwestern, but that’s neither here nor there.

And finally…

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 

What can I say? This is the series that started it all for me. Nineteen years ago, I was in my grandparents’ condo in Florida reading: “Harry — yer a wizard” and I knew then that my world would never be the same. #Always  *Also currently free on Kindle Unlimited*

---

You’ve made it through my list! Congrats! Now tell me: what were your loved books that didn’t get the love they deserved??