Underrated Books List Part 1

 These are some books that I have read and loved but I don't see a lot of other people talk about them on Bookstagram/Booktube/wherever else people talk about books. So I recommend you check out all of these titles if your reading tastes are very similar to mine!

1. Mandy by Julie Andrews

Yes, this was written by that Julie Andrews. It is about a 10 year old girl named Mandy who grew up and lives in an orphanage, but she always felt that she needed a place of her own. One day as she is exploring the woods behind the orphanage, she comes across an old abandoned cottage. She starts to secretly escape there everyday; tidying up the cottage and growing a garden there. Eventually her secret visits to the cottage lead her to a life-changing event.

It's a really sweet and heartwarming book. If you like cottagecore-esque books with great characters similar to Anne of Green Gables, you'll love Mandy!

2. Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This was actually Haddix's debut novel, which came out in 1995. And boy, is it a great debut! This book is about a 13 year old girl named Jessie who grew up in a small town named Clifton in the 1840s, and a diphtheria outbreak has happened. Jessie's mother, the town doctor, tells Jessie she needs to leave the town and get outside help, but then her mother reveals a truth about the place: the year is actually 1996, and Clifton is really a tourist attraction that is supposed to be depicting life in the 1840s, and Jessie's family and everyone around them is secretly being filmed for tourists to see. Jessie's world is turned upside down as she gets a culture shock of 1996 America and finds out even more truths of the Clifton tourist attraction while trying to go get help to save everyone from diphtheria. 

This book has a lot of twists and turns, and a lot of discussions on many ethical topics. Check this book out if you want a mind-blowing adventure. 

3. I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

This is a YA contemporary romance book about a plus-sized Korean American girl named Skye Shin, who wants to be a K-Pop star. So she auditions and gets into a new music based reality show called You Are My Shining Star so she can find her way to the top. At the same time, she becomes close friends with a popular Korean socialite named Henry Cho, who is also in the reality show, which causes a huge uproar from his fans online and the media. Skye learns it's a lot harder to become a K Pop star than she thought, while also getting to know Henry better. 

This book was just sooooo sweet and cute. It was really interesting to delve into the world of K-Pop and Korean/Korean-American culture. I also love the way Lyla Lee writes--it's very approachable, and her characters have a lot of dialogue that's very on-the-nose. It's like she knows exactly what I am thinking! There is also plenty of LGBT rep in this book. Skye is bi and her friends Lana and Tiffany are bi and lesbian--respectively. 

I should warn you the story does get serious at times, especially when Skye deals with fatphobia from several characters and there are some mentions of queerphobia. But for the majority of the story it is all handled really well. 

This book got me into K-Pop, but even if you aren't a huge fan of K-Pop, check this book out!

4. The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

This is written by the same woman who wrote the Anne of Green Gables series. She actually published many things during her lifetime. The Blue Castle is about 29 year old Valancy who is not married and is seen as an "old maid" by her family. Growing up, Valancy has unfortunately always received the short end of the stick in everything she does, and she also suffers from a lot of health problems. She constantly has daydreams of a blue castle where she is the queen and she gets whatever she wants. Well, Valancy one day receives a letter in the main from her family doctor that she only has a year left to live, and so she decides to make the most of the rest of life finally accomplishing what she wants to do: she begins to speak her mind to her family, then she decides to leave her family to take care of a sickly family friend, and then she finally gets married. After her marriage, many more surprises and twists come her way.

The characters are significantly older than most of Montgomery's protagonists (being in their late 20s and early 30s), but it still has the heartwarming, sweet, cottage core vibes Montgomery's stories are known for having. If you want an underrated classic, check out this book.

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Stay tuned for Part 2! (Although I probably won't make one until the far future...)