Top Ten Books With Less Than 2,000 Ratings On Goodreads

I had a lot of fun doing "research" for this topic. I'd never paid much attention to how many ratings books got on Goodreads, but it was interesting to check out the numbers. I was really surprised by some of the numbers I found.

Maybe I'm cheating a little because some of these are new releases, but I DON'T CARE they deserve love! All of these books received 4 or 5 star ratings from me!

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler - A lesser-known contemporary book that deals with racial identity. It is a quick and sweet read!

Hushed by Kelley York - Obsession, murder, m/m romance. Hooray!

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman - Okay, I don't get it. I feel like this was such a highly anticipated release and then it came out and no one talked about it?? It's fantastic. You can read my review of it. The end will break your heart. Thank the heavens there is a sequel. Trust me, you wanna read this one!

And I Darken by Kiersten White - I know this came out only a week ago, but I still wanted to include it because I wanted to gush about how great it is and how much I love it. My full review wil be up some time this week. But, like, it's a historical reimagination of Vlad the Impaler--if Vlad the Impaler were a girl! It's unlike anything I've ever read. I'm the exact opposite of a history buff and I still loved it. And yeah, once again, the end will break your heart.

We Own the Night by Ashley Poston - Another one that just came out, but this deserves way more attention than it has received. It's so cute and smile-inducing. Here's my review.

Zero by Tom Leveen - There's a drummer boy, Salvador Dali quotes, and insecurities galore. It's a very real contemporary story.

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell - This is a twisted re-telling of Peter Pan. It is deliciously dark and adventurous. You are honestly missing out if you don't crack this one open. My review.

Thicker than Water by Brigid Kemmerer - It's dark, romantical, and has a hint of magic. And honestly, there was some really funny dialogue in this book. It was fast-paced, ad I tore through these pages. Oh, look, I've reviewed it.

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace - This book broke my heart. I read and I read and I couldn't stop reading and then I reached the ending and I cried and I cried and I couldn't stop crying.

Just Between Us by J.H. Trumble - J.H. Trumble's books are everything to me. Seriously, I'm her biggest fangirl. GO READ HER BOOKS ALL OF THEM RIGHT NOW

What are your favorite books with less than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads?

Sunday Post #6

• This was the first week of the new semester, and while it was exhausting, it was still good! So far, I like my classes. I'm taking a screenwriting class, so that's pretty cool (but also kinda scary because I don't know how to write a movie). Buttttt it's a three-day weekend, so I'm happy about that!
• Yesterday I volunteered at my school to help put together meals for homeless people and people who maybe can't afford food. We packed over 37,000 meals in less than 40 minutes, and it was actually a lot of fun! We danced and we sang and we helped people in need. Doesn't get much better than that. 

Reviews:
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Features/Misc:
Flashback #3: The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace

Book Tours: 
Cover Reveal: In the After by Elisa Dane
YA Author Rendezvous Blitz: Bethany Wicker on Supporting Characters

Reviews:
Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Memes:
Top Ten Books I've Recently Added to My TBR
Sunday Post #7

Features/Misc: 
Discussion: Romance in Books

I bought two novels for my British literature class this week.




Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - I'm actually really excited to read this one. I love me some Jane Austen.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

I hate myself because I find all these wonderful posts and then I forget to save them on Bloglovin and I forget who wrote them and so I can't share them with the world! 

The one post I did remember to save was The YA Book Traveler's  review and book trailer for Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman. She loved the book like I did and the trailer she made for it was perfect! I encourage you to go check it out. 

What has your week in books and blogging looked like?

Flashback Friday #3: The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Left-Handed Book Lover's Flashback Friday. I'm not sure if this feature has been done on other blogs. I haven't seen it, but if it has been, let me know so I can give some credit!

FF is a feature here where I talk about books I read a while ago but still want to give major love to. This feature is designed to give some exposure to books that may have been forgotten about or that some people haven't heard of, even though they're really great!


This week's FF goes to...

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace
(standalone)
Published: September 1, 2013 by Flux
Genre: YA contemporary

Summary from Goodreads: 
Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.

Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennett. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.

There's only one problem. Bennett is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't told him the truth.

The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennett - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

WHEN DID I READ THIS

I read an eARC of this before it was released in 2013. I remember reading the entire novel in one sitting, just devouring every single word. 

WHY DID I PICK THIS BOOK

I'm not going to lie, there have been some mixed reviews for this novel, but I personally adored it. It is one of those novels that you kind of know what is going to happen but you just read on hoping it won't. For whatever reason, I love books like that. Maybe I'm just weird? There were parts when my heart was thumping so hard because it was so tense and I was just waiting for everything to hit the fan. Everything about this book was intense and held me captive the entire time I was reading. I got emotionally attached to the characters (extremely) and the writing flowed so well! If you're into contemporary books, this is a fantastic read!

Here are three reasons you should read this book:

1) It was very emotional! I was actually sobbing as I read it.

2) It's told in second person, through letters, which was actually really cool. You'd think second person would take you out of the story a little bit, but it really doesn't.

3) There's a taboo student-teacher relationship. I have a weird thing about reading taboo relationships. They are my absolute favorite. Maybe you're the kind of person who isn't into that thing? Then this book probably isn't for you. But I personally found it so incredibly interesting to read about.

AUTHOR INFO

Amanda Grace is a pen name for Young Adult author Mandy Hubbard (PRADA AND PREJUDICE, YOU WISH). She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband and young daughter.

Other books by this author: But I Love Him
In Too Deep
No One Needs To Know

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

Welllll, I'm on a new laptop and don't have my preferred photo editor downloaded yet, so excuse the blahness of this post. 

1)

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Didn't see this one comin', did ya? 

2) 

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - This is by far my favorite book in the series. By the time I closed it shut, I was a sniveling, snotting, heartbroken mess. 

3)

The Program by Suzanne Young - AH! The feels will bombard you throughout this entire novel. It's such a sad yet beautiful book. 

4) 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - I can't even. I'm still reeling from this, about a year after having finished it. 

5) 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - For me, this wasn't a bawl-your-eyes-out kind of novel. This was a story that cracked my heart in the beginning and continued to break it all the way through. I shed a few tears, but it was more of an internal thing. 

6) 

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - Obviously it had to end this way, but I was really really reallllllly hoping for a different outcome. Oliver has a way of doing that to me. Builds a person's hope, then, Miley Cyrus style, comes in like a wrecking ball and demolishes it. 

7) 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - And, of course. I cried myself to sleep after I finished this. It was so beautiful, which made it even more heart wrenching. 

8) 

Frostbite by Richelle Mead - I think every novel in this series is loaded down with emotion, but looking back on it, this is the one that makes me the most sad. 

9)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - In m opinion, this is the most emotional book in the series. Everything just feels so hopeless. 

10)

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace - I don't care what anyone says. I loved this book and even though I knew how it would end, it still broke me.