I am really excited for this week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic! Not sure what T5W is? Check out the Goodreads group for more information.

This week, we’re discussing underrated reads that really deserve more love than they got. I’m counting books less than or just right above 4 / 5 stars in my list. Without further gilding the lily, here we go!

Give some love to those books that aren’t as widely talked about. Those hidden gems. Those books that maybe used to be popular but people have forgotten about and they still deserve some love.

The Other Guy by Cary Attwell

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some say that the main character is cowardly, and maybe he is in some measure, but I found him to be delightfully honest, real, insecure like many of us, and riddled with flaws that made him seem more human to me. I loved Emory. I loved Nate. I loved Linnea. I loved these characters and the relationship that blossomed for Emory and Nate after their unlikely meeting in Thailand. Great fun read. Will look forward to more from this author.

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

I have always enjoyed Tan’s books and this one was no exception. Winnie and Helen’s story will haunt you with its beauty and make you ponder the hard life so many have led. It has been a LONG time since I read this book, so I don’t have a ton to say about it now, but as with all of Tan’s books, it left a lasting emotional impression.

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

I remember reading this book when I was in middle school. It looked interesting, so I picked it up and literally did not put it down until I had finished it. I read it in one day while sitting on a float in the pool. 🙂 I have read it two or three more times since then. GREAT book. There was such an air of mystery and beauty about this book. Even though it was clearly written for a younger audience, you can’t help but love it as an adult.

Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara

This book right here changed my middle schooler life. I adored this book and literally searched for it for years before I finally found it at Powell’s online bookstore in college. It was such a beautiful tale of light and dark essence and how they are not always what they seem. I will love Chihaya FOREVER. That is all.

Scarlet and White Wolf by Kirby Crow

This book was an enchanting introduction to the world crow has built around the protagonists, Scarlet and Liall. Scarlet was instantly likeable to me. Sassy and yet unsure of himself. Liall was a swaggering type with charm and assertiveness that contrasted with Scarlet’s character. Their slow-building relationship was a breath of fresh air in a genre that often throws characters together too quickly. It’s clear that Crow put in a TON of background world building. The world felt rich with a variety of languages, religions, and cultures all jampacked together in one continent. I look forward to uncovering more about this place in subsequent books. I really enjoyed Kirby’s lyrical prose. It gave the book some of the “old style” feel. I really enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down. Looking forward to the next one! (Purchased it right after I read this one.)

What are your top 5 underrated reads? Do you have a number one out of those 5? I’d love to hear about it!