It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday!!! For those of you who don’t know, Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish! This week, I will be discussing some of the best books that I read in 2016 that I consider to be hidden gems. These are books that I haven’t seen many people talk about, but deserve to be read by everyone!

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Holding The Man by Timothy Conigrave

Let me preface this by stating that I am SO happy that I came across Holding The Man by Timothy Conigrave last year. It was a bit of a happy accident as I came across the movie adaptation through Netflix. One, I was not expecting the movie to hit me as hard as it did. The synopsis did not adequately prepare me for what I was about to watch. Of course, I needed to pick up the book the second I finished the film. This time I was well prepared for what I was about to read and it was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as when I first watched the film. I highly recommend picking this one up and even watching the film, but prepare yourself with a box of tissues.

My Review

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Sweet Tooth, Vol.1 by Jeff Lemire

I didn’t really know what to expect when I first picked up Sweet Tooth. I knew nothing about the premise and what little I did know about it I heard from a few booktubers. I decided to pick it up and give it a try when I found the first volume on Book Outlet! I’m not really sure what I was expecting but Sweet Tooth completely exceeded my expectations! I absolutely loved this first installment and I can’t wait to continue on with the series!

My Review

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The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson

After reading We Are The Ants, I immediately went on a hunt for all things Shaun David Hutchinson. I came across The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley and picked it up right away! In this case, my expectations were VERY high. While The Five Stages Of Andrew Brawley didn’t top We Are The Ants, it still blew me away and I would have never found it otherwise.

My Review

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Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

I found Bruiser by Neal Shusterman at a local thrift shop quite a while ago. At that point, I had never read a Neal Shusterman novel before, but I picked it up on a whim after hearing a booktuber praise it. Once again, I had no idea what the premise was and this book ended up blowing me away. I had no idea it was going to be as amazing as it was. I highly recommend going into this one blind.

My Review

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George by Alex Gino

In this case, George by Alex Gino was a book that I had heard about previous to reading it. The reason I’m including it on this list is because it is an absolutely beautiful and important book and I think more people need to know about it and need to read it. It is a middle grade book, and I know that may deter some people, but PLEASE give this one a chance. It’s perfect.

My Review

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Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong

One of my best friends lent this book to me after she really enjoyed reading it. I probably would have never picked this one up if she didn’t give it to me and I ended up really loving it. I have literally seen NO ONE talk about it, so it’s the perfect addition to this hidden gems list.

My Review

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Tokyo Ghost, Vol.1 by Rick Remender

I won’t lie. I bought this trade because it’s written by Rick Remender…a.k.a. the author of my favourite comic series, Deadly Class. I honestly had no idea what this story was about before picking it up. Hell, I had no idea what it was about as I started reading it. While it started out a little slow, it morphed into this amazing story and I absolutely LOVED it.

My Review

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Paper Girls, Vol.1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Again, I picked up this trade because it was written by Brian K. Vaughan, yet another author of a popular comic series that you may have heard of…*cough* Saga *cough*. Not only did that make me pick it up, but the premise of four young girls in the 80s with sci-fi elements? Sign me up. I also read it shortly after watching Stranger Things and they felt like they went hand in hand with each other.

My Review

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My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

I picked up My Best Friend’s Exorcism after I saw a booktuber unbox it from some sort of subscription box. I had no idea what it was about, but the title was attention grabbing enough, not to mention the cover. This ended up being one of my favourite reads of 2016 and I highly recommend it if you like quirky horror stories!

My Review

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The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

The Summer That Melted Everything was probably my favourite surprise of 2016. I was approached by Tiffany McDaniel to read her novel in exchange for an honest review and I agreed based on the description of the novel. This book surprised me on so many levels. It was REALLY dark and I absolutely loved that about it. There were moments that genuinely shocked me. This book needs to be read by everyone ASAP.

My Review

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There you have it! These are just a few of the books that I read in 2016 that I thought were completely underrated! All of these books deserve to be read by more people! What were some of your favourite hidden gems of 2016?

Thank you for reading!