I love reading but sometimes it feels like all of the book recommendations you find online end up just being the same ones over and over and over again. So here are 14 underrated books that you might not have heard of!
This Is How You Fall in Love – Anika Hussain
Zara and Adnan have been friends forever. Zara is obsessed with romance books and movies and is desperate to have her own great love story one day. However, when Adnan asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to cover up his relationship with a girl who has an overprotective dad. Zara is initially hesitant but then realises that since her parents love Adnan… dating him might actually get them to stop arguing for a while.
So they begin fake dating.
But then Zara meets a boy that she really likes and things become more confusing than ever.
GENRE: Young Adult, Romance
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
Uncle Paul – Celia Fremlin
Meg and Isabel want a quiet seaside holiday, but their older half-sister, Mildred, has just accidentally rented the same cottage she stayed in where her bigamist ex-husband Paul was arrested for the attempted murder of his first wife.
Mildred is convinced Paul is now out of prison and stalking her… but is she right?
GENRE: Adult, Classic, Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
One Last Breath – Ginny Myers Sain
Tru has grown up in Mount Orange, Florida, a town known for 2 things: freshwater springs prefect for freediving, and the deaths of two teenage girls 20 years ago. No one knows what happened or who did it but Tru has always felt an odd connection to the case. But she has plans to get out with her boyfriend, until Rio arrives in town.
Rio has also always felt a connection to the case, despite never living in Mount Orange. Together they become convinced someone is following them and the killer is back in town… so they agree to work together to solve the murders once and for all.
GENRE: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
American Royalty – Tracey Livesay
Duchess is a rapper that is about to sign a deal that will make her one of the richest women in hip hop. But the deal is put in jeopardy and she’s forced to generate some positive publicity… or else.
Prince Jameson prefers a life out of the spotlight and usually works as a professor. But when the Queen is desperate, he agrees to be in charge of a tribute concert to her late husband.
Duchess agrees to be part of this concert to improve her image and ends up spending time with Prince Jameson and they become closer than any of them would’ve ever expected.
GENRE: Adult, Romance
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
Suddenly A Murder – Lauren Munoz
To celebrate the end of high school a group of wealthy teenagers attend a week-long 1920s-themed party at the glamorous Ashwood Manor on an isolated island. Until one of them turns up dead.
Investigators declare he’s been murdered and when a storm traps everyone on the island, detectives are determined to find out who killed him. There’s the girlfriend, the other girl, the old friend, the new friend, the brooding enigma, and Izzy – the girl who brought a knife to the party.
GENRE: Young Adult, Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
The Boyband Murder Mystery – Ava Eldred
Harri and her best friends worship Half Light – an internationally famous boyband. One day frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend and Harri feels like her life is about to fall apart. But Half Light superfans know he could never have done it and they know more about the band than anyone so Harri meets up with her online friends and together they attempt to prove Frankie’s innocence. They show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…
GENRE: Young Adult, Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org#
Haven – Claire Kent
A global catastrophe has wiped out most of humanity but Faith was lucky enough to be living on a farm with her parents. Alongside Jackson, she’s now the leader of a small self-sustaining community on a farm.
Jackson and Faith begin finding comfort in each other in a horrible world.
GENRE: Adult, Romance, Post-Apocalyptic
BUY THE BOOK: amazon
Beasts of Prey – Ayana Gray
Koffi is indentured to the notorious night zoo where she cares for its magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts. When her family is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, she unleashes a power she doesn’t understand.
Ekon is destined to become an elite warrior and uphold his family legacy but on the night of his final rite of passage he encounters the Shetani, a deadly creature that has plagued his city for a century, and Koffi saves his life. When he lets her flee, he dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.
Ekon and Koffi become reluctant allies as they agree to enter the deadly Greater Jungle to catch the Shetani. Ekon vows to hunt the creature down to redeem himself and Koffi wants to sell it to pay off her debts.
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
A Million to One – Adiba Jaigirdar
Josefa, Emilie, Hinnah and Violet seem to have nothing in common, but they’re united by one goal: to steal a jewel encrusted book aboard the RMS titanic. They all have their own reasons for wanting the money, but careless mistakes, old grudges and a budding romance put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes.
GENRE: Young Adult, Thriller, Historical
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
The Last House on the Cliff – Anne Wyn Clark
When her aunt dies, Lowri returns to her childhood home on the island of Anglesey with her young daughter, Ruby. Lowri expects this to be a fresh start for the both of them, but soon after they arrive strange things begin to happen.
Ruby begins insisting that an old woman is visiting her when no one else is watching, and a tattered old doll keeps being left for her to find. And then Ruby disappears. Lowri is desperate for answers and soon uncovers secrets that suggest Ruby is not the only one in danger.
GENRE: Adult, Horror, Thriller
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
How We Fall Apart – Katie Zhao
Popular ‘It Girl’ at Sinclair Prep, Jamie Ruan, has disappeared and is soon found dead. Soon after she’s found, rumours that her 4 ex-best friends are involved. Someone naming themselves ‘The Proctor’ knows all of their secrets and is incriminating them on social media and they soon find themselves the prime suspects.
GENRE: Young Adult, Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
Good Girls Die First – Kathryn Foxfield
Ten teenagers are lured to a derelict carnival on a pier by someone claiming to know their deepest, darkest secrets. When fog and magic swallow the pier, the group find themselves cut off from the real world and from their morals. As the teenagers begin to turn on each other, they must face their secrets that brought them here in the first place.
GENRE: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
What Kind of Girl – Alyssa Sheinmel
A girl walks into the principal’s office and accuses her popular boyfriend, Mike, of hitting her. She has a bruise on her face to prove it.
But the students quickly choose sides. Some call for Mike’s immediate expulsion and some question what really happened. Why did she go to the principal instead of the police? And, why did she stay with Mike if he was hurting her?
GENRE: Young Adult, Literary
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
The Surviving Sky – Kritika H. Rao
The last of humanity survives in plant-crafted cities high above the surface of a jungle planet ravaged by storms. Society is literally held together by architects, who are revered above anyone else due to their powers that allow them to create civilisations made of plants.
Iravan is a charismatic and powerful architect married to Ahilya, an archeologist. Ahilya’s beliefs that they are too reliant on the powers of architects has caused issues in their marriage, and Ahilya is determined to find a way to live on their planet without the help of architects. But, as their city begins to plummet and Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to illegal limits, they’re forced to work together to prove his innocence and save their entire civilization.
GENRE: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: amazon | bookshop.org
