Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Surprised Me

~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Books That Surprised Me (in a good or bad way).” I love when an author manages to surprise their readers. Sometimes it’s with a twist, other times it’s with a cliffhanger, and sometimes you’re just shocked by how fast you fall in love with a book. Here are ten books that surprised me for various reasons. I promise this won’t include spoilers. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

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1. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera – This book was a gut-punch and I am still recovering. On a related note, if getting gut-punched is kind of your thing, you need to pick up some Adam Silvera.

2. The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson – I feel like reading this book was like finding a diamond in the rough. Nobody told me how fantastically witty Lily Anderson’s writing was!

3. The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – I knew Silvia Moreno-Garcia was a talented author, but I didn’t realize how gifted she was at writing different genres until I picked up this one.

4. The Merciless II: The Exorcism of  Sofia Flores – I don’t know if I’m more surprised by the gruesomeness of this sequel or that I could not pull myself from it.

5. Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson – So many things surprised me with this one and it really made me think we need more YA thrillers in general because that was a wild ride.

6. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – I will never been over that twist at the end and honestly, I try to block it out most days because it hurts too much.

7. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – I remember last year when this book sparked a debate about unlikable characters and after finally reading this one, I do not understand why so many people disliked Dimple.

8. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows  – I’m continuously surprised by how much I enjoyed this very silly yet witty book.

9. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – After finishing this one, I had the urge to go back and reread it because I saw everything in an entirely different light.

10. Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry – Another surprise ending that I may never recover from. Seriously, it’s been years and yet the pain is still so fresh.

What’s the last book that surprised you? Any of these surprise you too? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.

Special Note: Have you entered my bookmark giveaway yet? Click the image to the left for all the info. Less than one week to enter! Ends on the 18th. U.S. only.

Published by Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense

Tackling one book at a time in an effort to conquer my TBR pile. It isn't going well. Visit my book blog, A Kernel of Nonsense, for book reviews and more ~

65 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Surprised Me”

  1. AHH! So many books I have on my shelf; your list is serving to remind me I *still* have to discover them all, Alicia. 🙂 Among those I haven’t read (but want to) are ‘Dimple’ (how cute does this one sound?); Jennifer’s (love some fun suspense); and of course, ‘Lady Jane.’ It sounds so fun, and the sequel promises to be equally as witty. 🙂

    Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

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  7. I had the exact same reaction to When Dimple Met Rishi! I could see how her personality could rub people the wrong way, but I don’t think she was anywhere near as bad as people were making her out to be.

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  9. I agree with you about When Dimple Met Rishi. While I was reading it I couldn’t stop wishing that Dimple was my best friend, so when I saw so many people calling her unlikable I was so upset!
    I haven’t read any of the other books on your list, but you’ve made me reconsider The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You – I judged its cover and thought it looked rather cheesy, but I should really give it a chance.

    Here’s my TTT.

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  13. When Allegedly first came out, I wasn’t that interested in it and the reviews didn’t really talk much of what it was about. Then I listened to it and was completely blown away! Such a surprise.

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  20. Lynda Barry is a famous cartoonist, and has been for years. She notoriously dated Matt Groenig of Simpson’s and Futurama fame. However, what many people don’t note is that she also wrote this amazing, bold, scary, beautiful novel called Cruddy. I read it years ago and then taught it at an all-women’s college. Then, when my husband and I were choosing a new book for me to read to him before bed each night, I told him about Cruddy. I read it, and he’s not over it. That was a few years ago, and he wants me to read it again. The beginning, the middle, the ending: all of it is twisty and amazing.

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  23. Same here, We Were Liars totally gave me the same feeling of wanting to go back and reread everything again. I didn’t have high expectations coming into the book but I left feeling very happy with my decision of picking it up 🙂

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  27. I’m with you. I have no idea why so many people disliked Dimple. I thought she was great (not as great as Rishi ❤ but..). Allegedly was so incredibly written and yes, it was a wild ride that kept me guessing the whole time. I LOVE what E. Lockhart did in We Were Liars. Just brilliant! My Lady Jane was such a fun read.

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