Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Defied My Expectations

Some of these books weren’t as weird as I thought they’d be! The same cannot be said about some of the others…

This great tag was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Have you read any of these books? What’s a book you’ve read that defied your expectations? Have you tried this Top Ten Tuesday? Let me know in the comments!

1. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

Not as weird as people say it is and truly beautiful writing. A great summer read!

2. Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli

I love everything that Becky Albertalli writes and this was no exception. However, I hadn’t realized how reflective the plot is of the author’s personal life and that changed my perspective of the whole novel.

3. A Million To One by Adiba Jaigirdar

Defied my expectations… by being incredibly disappointing. I loved Hani and Ishu’s Guide To Fake Dating (find my review here) but I think that Jaigirdar should stick to contemporary romance. The heist was full of plot holes and the impression that this was the Edwardian Era failed when characters said hey and what’s up 😬

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This is one of those books that you have to read… eventually. I was hesitant to read it in case it didn’t live up to the incredible things I had heard. However, as often is the case, all of these amazing reviews don’t come from nowhere. Witty, political, so funny and a little crazy, this was one of the best books I’ve read all year.

5. A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I hadn’t expected how violent this book was. I feel like it began very much as a staple Young Adult book, but by the end it was verging into dark adult fantasy. This wasn’t unwelcome, however I thought it could have done with a trigger warning before people start to get executed in gruesome detail.

I also found it fascinating find changes in high fantasy from 10 years ago compared with high fantasy released this year say. I genuinely think these books reflect the society surrounding it.

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Have you read any of these books? What’s a book you’ve read that defied your expectations? Have you tried this Top Ten Tuesday? Let me know in the comments!