Top Ten Tuesday: #QuietYA Recs from 2020

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Another freebie topic week! I decided to take this time to highlight a bunch of YA that has slid under the radar so far this year. Of course, a lot of books have been overshadowed by COVID, but there's also the usual bunch that didn't make the NYT Bestseller List, even though they should've.

1. Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning

2. Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

3. This is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregario

4. The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

5. Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Samira Ahmed

6. Moment of Truth by Kasie West

7. Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles

8. Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer

9. In the Shadow of the Sun by E.M. Castellan

10. The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

What under-the-radar books pubbed this year have you loved?

Random Friday: Favorite #QuietYA of 2019

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• Include the above image in your post and link back to my blog.
• Blog about this week's topic (or a variant of it).
• Add the link to your Random Friday post at the bottom of this one.

As y'all know, I'm a big supporter of #quietYA books. I did a round-up earlier this year of my favorites from the first half of 2019, but now it's time for ALL my favorites.


1. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett


2. The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes


3. A Kind of Paradise by Amy Rebecca Tan
(Technically middle grade, but it's my blog so I do what I want.)


4. A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai


5. Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills


6. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee


7. Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
(Another MG title.)


8. Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson


9. The Beholder by Anna Bright


What are your choices for favorite underrated, not-as-well-known YA titles in 2019?

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11 #QuietYA Titles from the First Half of 2019

There's been a handful of books this spring that got plenty of hype and made bestsellers lists. But then there's also been several that haven't. Here are some of the books that have flown under the radar that you should check out.

1. Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

If you love baking, The Great British Bake Off, or soft middle grade stories, you NEED to read this book.

2. The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Jen's doing it again. It's got dogs, it's got a mystery, and it's got sequel potential, so please give this book enough attention!

3. If I'm Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

This is the kind of YA rom-com I'm 100% here for. Friendships, romance, and a main character who learns to be kinder while not compromising who she is.

4. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

It's got a diner, a mystery, and some serious chemistry.

5. Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon

If you want a story about Judaism and the complexities about friendship, this is the book for you.

6. Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills

I'll always scream about Emma's books because they're the kind of stories I want to write.

7. Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn

More middle grade softness for you. It's all about family and being noticed.

8. The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

I liked this one because it was historical fiction set in another country, during events I knew nothing about.

9. Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

Another good gender-bending retelling of the Robin Hood myth.

10. Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali

Such a wonderful romance with serious moments and great activism moments.


11. The Beholder by Anna Bright
For all y'all who started reading YA because of The Selection, this is the book for you.

Bonus pick:

Okay, this one is technically a 2018 release, but I didn't read it til January, so I couldn't recommend it before now.

If you like books like To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Fangirl, or Alex, Approximately, you should read...

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes


So that's it for some great underrated YA books from the first six months of the year. Stay tuned for some more later in 2019.

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gem Books

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

If you've been around my blog before at all, you'll know I love recommending the books fewer people know about, the #quietYA titles that need a little more love. So any time Top Ten Tuesday has a topic where I get to recommend those, I get super excited. I'm gonna stick mostly to 2018 releases for this post, just because the year is halfway over and there are only so many books that got on the NYT bestseller list. Also... because these books deserve more attention, I'm hosting a couple giveaway! Details at the bottom.


1. Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson


2. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo


3. Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner


4. Don't Touch by Rachel M. Wilson


5. The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor


6. What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae


7. Maid of Secrets and Maid of Deception by Jennifer McGowan


8. Dissonance by Erica O'Rourke


9. The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby


10. The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash


11. In a Perfect World by Trish Doller


12. More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer


13. Calling My Name by Liara Tamani


14. Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson


15. Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett


And now for the giveaway! First up, some rules:

1. No cheating. I check entries.
2. The giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
3. If you're the winner, you must reply to my email within 48 hours; otherwise, I will choose another winner.

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