It’s Tuesday once again and that means it’s time for a new Top Ten Tuesday list! This week’s list has been inspired by my research for a topic for two weeks ago, when I was digging up books set in a small town. I wanted to curate an as diverse list as possible, but I figured I thought of titles which A) I wasn’t sure are set in a small town and B) are actually forgotten. Either by myself, or by the general public. These titles are mostly young adult novels and as today is a genre freebie, it’s the right time to publish this list and remind as many people as possible about these books that have been quite overlooked ever since the rise of booktok, romantasy and let’s face it, pulp books. Don’t get me wrong, I like to read these myself from time to time, but many meaningful titles have been taking the backburner and even forgotten. Many of these have been very popular on earlier book Twitter and in the book blogging world let’s say 3-5 years ago, but many of these folks left and that’s such a pity. Okay, enough of the yapping, let’s shed some books in the spotlight, shall we?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. Don’t Ask me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon – I was sure this book was set in a small town, but it also came to my attention that I haven’t seen this book around for years. I read this in September 2020 and rated it 4 stars back then. It’s well deserved as it sheds a light on very important (and even current) topics such as being an undocumented immigrant and facing racism as a first generation LatinX person at a nearly all-white school. If you haven’t read this one yet, I strongly recommend you doing so.
2. I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee – This book is about a plus sized girl who wants to make it into the KPop industry and is desperate to get a chance to become a trainee. But she faces setbacks as she doesn’t fit the industry standards. I was invested in this novel and remember finishing it in one day when I actually didn’t have the time for it back in 2022. No surprise I rated it 4 stars.
3. Fin & Rye & Fireflies by Harry Cook – This book made me angry. I read it in February 2021, and it was another 4-star read for me. This book deals with conversion therapy, so it could be triggering for some. But I found it really strong and it’s such a pity it seems to have gotten lost in the sea of other popular books.
4. Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson – This one had such a huge plot twist I didn’t see coming. It’s remarkable. It got a 4-star rating back in 2020.
5. Brave Enough by Kati Gardner – I still have the second novel of this duet on my TBR, which I actually forgot about. This is a book about teenagers battling cancer and navigating life. I read it in 2021 and rated it 4 stars. Again, this can be triggering for some.
6. Full Disclosure by Camrynn Garrett – It seems like 2021 is the year of forgotten gems, because I also rated this YA contemporary about a HIV-positive teen trying to live her life with 4 stars. Main character Simone is determined to hide her HIV diagnosis from the students at her new school, because the last time the truth came out it got ugly. When Simone starts hanging out with Miles, things get tricky again when she one day finds an anonymous note in her locker threatening that she should stop hanging out with Miles or the entire school will know of her diagnosis. I really had to read the synopsis because I totally forgot about this book!
7. Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston – Oh well, I can’t even remember why I rated this 4 stars back in 2020, as I can’t recall anything about this book!
8. Lobizona by Romina Garber – I remember really struggling with the amount of Spanish woven into the story when I started reading it, it really put me off at the time. But I’m glad I pushed through back in 2020, as I ended up rating it 4 stars. I read the sequel Cazadora as well, but I wonder if there’s more to come.
9. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust – I read this book in September 2020 and rated it 4 stars. But I for the life of me can’t remember anything about it. Whoops.
10. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown – I haven’t forgotten about this book as I still need to read the sequel, but I don’t see it being mentioned anymore. I remember really enjoying it back in 2020, with a 5-star rating as a result. I also remember being put of by the narration of the second book. I desperately need to get to it though.

Honorable mentions

As there are way too many forgotten gems, it’s impossible to narrow it down to just ten. So, here are several honorable mentions:

• The Black Veins by Ashia Monet (read in 2020, 4 stars)
• The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth (read in 2022, 3 stars)
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Jenauda Petrus (read in 2020, 4 stars)
• Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (read in 2020, 4 stars)
• The Year After You by Nina de Pass (read in 2020, 4 stars)
• We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding (read in 2022, 4 stars)
• Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart (read in 2019, 4 stars)

Pfew, there are much more forgotten gems than I thought! I didn’t even take a look at my TBR and my Kindle, because this is just the tip of the iceberg. What I’ve noticed is that the pandemic years really brought us some meaningful and good books, both contemporary and fantasy alike. Maybe it’s also because I read a lot during those years as that was nearly the only activity that was possible. The reading I’ve done these years is actually the only thing I miss of the Covid-19 pandemic… What I also notice is that all of the books that came to mind, including most of the honorable mentions, are written by marginalized authors. I’m afraid this is a sign that doesn’t look promising, because these authors deserve the recognition for their work as well. I enjoy diversifying my reading, so I naturally gravitate to such stories. Unfortunately, they re hard to find these days, which drives me to the mainstream stories, and this really sucks.

What YA title(s) have you forgotten about and do you want to put the spotlight on?