Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Surprised Me

Posted March 13, 2018 in BOOKS, Uncategorized / 9 Comments

Badge for Top Ten Tuesday memeIt’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week there is a new topic or theme to base your top ten list on. I only take part every other week, alternating with Teaser Tuesday. You can find more details about it and see the list of topics here.

 

Top Ten Books That Surprised Me

Below is my list of books that surprised me either in a good or bad way. I’ve tried to avoid spoilers, but I have mentioned that some of these books contain twists.

  1. Book cover for Vanishing Girls by Lauren OliverVanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

    This book lulled me into a false sense of security by focusing on the mystery of a missing girl so that I didn’t pick up on all the clues pointing to the surprising twist at the end. I thought it was quite mediocre at the beginning and then BAM! I was hit by how clever and skilful Oliver’s writing is.  

  2. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

    I really didn’t think this book would end the way it did. I expected it to be sad, but I didn’t see the curveball at the end coming.

  3. The Raven Boys by Maggie StiefvaterBook cover for The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

    Another seemingly average book at first which has a great twist in the middle. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the relationships between the four ‘raven boys’. They remind me a little of the ‘marauders’ from Harry Potter when they were young. You can read my review here.

  4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

    Unfortunately, Allegiant surprised me in a bad way. I’d enjoyed the first two books in this series, but I felt this one was a bit of a let down. There was quite a lot of relationship angst between my OTP and many questions were left unanswered. I didn’t find the ending wholly satisfying, although it was in keeping with the characters’ previous actions.  My review is here.

  5. The Book by Jessica Bell  Book cover for The Book by Jessica Bell

    This story is told in an usual way, through diary entries from different POVs, including that of a five-year-old child. I really liked the style, but the ending…oh boy. Have your tissues ready! 

  6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

    This is another book that didn’t quite end the way I expected to…at least for one particular character that I really liked. It was a great read though, and I understand the choices the author made and the message she was trying to get across. You can see my review here.

  7. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

    I actually did guess the twist in this one, but I was still surprised by how the ending was handled. Things aren’t wrapped up in a neat bow as mystery thrillers usually are and I was left in disbelief and wondering about what became of the characters in the future. I also didn’t expect it to be such a raw and honest portrait of an imperfect marriage.

  8. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

    I had enjoyed the previous two books in this series and I was surprised and excited by the direction that the final book went in. Series finales can sometimes be a bit of a disappointment, but there were a lot of plot points that I didn’t guess and it actually exceeded my expectations.

  9. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins  Book cover for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

    This mystery was fairly surprising as they were a few red herrings along the way even though I did eventually guess “whodunit”. How the other characters dealt with the reveal was actually brilliant and I enjoyed the ending very much.

  10. The Kill Order by James Dashner

    What surprised me about this book was that I didn’t really enjoy it as much of the rest of the series. It followed different characters and I struggled to get into it until about halfway through. You can read my full review here.  

Before you go…

Were you surprised by any of these books? What other books surprised you?

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9 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Surprised Me

  1. Shades of Earth definitely exceeded my expectations as well! I loved that book so so much!!! Also agree with the disappointment that is Allegiant. I haven’t even read it because of knowing what happens. I know I’m not going to enjoy it now.

    • Yeah it was a shame, because I liked the characters and I expected a lot more from it in terms of action and answers to a few mysteries. At least the book wasn’t as bad as the film, I thought that was awful!

  2. My Sister’s Keeper also surprised me. But I mean, Jodi Picoult always has a twist ready for you, doesn’t she 🙂

    And I didn’t know about this one from Jessica Bell – I actually read her memoir, so I immediately recognized her signature on the cover. The memoir’s really, REALLY good though, so I definitely recommend it!

    • I’ve not read her memoir but I actually think I might have it on Kindle. I really shiuld get around to reading it, thanks for the recommendation!

  3. Hi Tizzy,

    Great post! :)I was surprised by Gone Girl. Honestly, I had a hard time liking/relating to the characters, but I thought it was a pretty good book. I just read The Hunger Games, so it will take me a while to get to Mockingjay. I really enjoy Collins’ writing style. 🙂 One of us is Lying by Karen McManus surprised me in a good way.
    https://www.teacher-librarian-forlife.com/2018/01/13/4351-one/
    Best,
    Christina

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