29 Underrated Books I Recommend to Everyone

I have been gatekeeping some books.

Not intentionally. These are simply the underrated books I recommend all the time, yet I rarely hear people talking about them anymore.

Some are older, underrated, or were popular for a while before everyone moved on, which is honestly rude because they still deserve attention. And some are books I am personally obsessed with and will continue recommending until everyone finally reads them.

So, the gatekeeping ends today.

This list includes nonfiction, romance, thrillers, general fiction, and several books you should absolutely listen to instead of reading physically. There are also a few books that may emotionally body-slam you.

A quick disclaimer before we begin: I do not read much horror or fantasy. If you came here looking for dragons or nightmares, I love that for you, but that is not what we are doing today.

We are starting with underrated books that will make you rethink your life. Then we will move into romance because we need love, thrillers because we apparently also need stress, and finally, the emotional books that might make you cry.

Underrated Nonfiction and Personal Growth Books

How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill

This is one of my most reliable book recommendations.

Michael Gates Gill appeared to have everything. He had an Ivy League education, a six-figure career, a large home in the suburbs, a family, and all the things that look like success from the outside.

Then, in a relatively short period of time, his life fell apart.

He lost his job, went through a divorce, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, ran out of money, and found himself without health insurance. Eventually, he took a job at Starbucks.

He went from attending power lunches and being served by other people to scrubbing toilets and learning how to serve customers.

This could have easily become a simple story about a wealthy man being humbled. Instead, it becomes something much deeper.

Gill works under a young Black manager whose life has been completely different from his own. She becomes an unexpected teacher, forcing him to reconsider his assumptions about work, privilege, success, and the value of other people.

He has to learn what working hard looks like when no one cares about his résumé.

This book is short, accessible, and surprisingly moving. I have recommended it to many people, and it has never disappointed anyone.

Click here to get it.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is one of those books many people have heard about, but not everyone has actually read.

It is short, simple, and powerful.

The book explores how much of our suffering comes from self-limiting beliefs, assumptions, and the stories we tell ourselves. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, it introduces four principles intended to help people live with more freedom, peace, and self-awareness.

The four agreements are:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Do not take anything personally.
3. Do not make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

As someone who rarely rereads books, this is one I would genuinely return to.

It also avoids one of my biggest complaints about personal development books. It does not spend 400 pages telling you to drink water and believe in yourself. It gets to the point, gives you something meaningful to think about, and stays with you after you finish.

Limitless by Jim Kwik

For anyone who enjoys personal growth but also wants practical tools, try Limitless by Jim Kwik.

Kwik is a brain coach who has worked with actors, athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and other people whose careers require them to learn quickly, remember information, focus, and perform under pressure.

The book is about improving how you learn.

We spend years being told what to learn, but very few people ever teach us how to learn effectively.

Kwik organizes his approach around four areas:

• Mindset
• Motivation
• Methods
• Momentum

The book covers memory, concentration, speed reading, communication, and ways to train your brain instead of automatically deciding you are bad at remembering names, learning languages, or finishing books.

The expanded edition also explores artificial intelligence, nutrition, tools for remote and hybrid work, and a self-assessment designed to identify your “brain animal.”

That phrase sounds slightly made up, but I still want to take the assessment.

After listening to this book, my daughter and I practiced one of the memory exercises. We were both shocked by how much we could remember.

For a nonfiction book that feels practical instead of like a motivational poster, this is a great choice.

Underrated Romance Books and Series

Now it is time to stop fixing our lives and start ignoring them by reading romance.

The Windy City Series by Liz Tomforde

The Windy City books are my all-time favorite romance series.

The series includes:

• Mile High
• The Right Move
• Caught Up
• Play Along
• Rewind It Back

I also consider In Her Own League an honorary member of the series because it overlaps so naturally with the same world and characters.

These are interconnected sports romances filled with banter, emotional tension, lovable characters, and found-family energy.

The romance is fun, but the stories also deal with deeper emotional situations. You are not only reading for the tropes. You become genuinely invested in the characters, their friendships, and the entire group.

Every time I finished one book, I immediately wanted to begin the next.

Anyone who loves sports romance, interconnected series, or the Off-Campus books should try this series.

I listened to every book on audio and highly recommend experiencing them that way.

When the television adaptation eventually arrives, I plan to be completely insufferable about it.

The Bridesmaid for Hire Series by Meghan Quinn

I could recommend almost anything Meghan Quinn writes.

Her books are especially good on audio because the narrators fully commit to the comedy. These are some of the few romantic comedies that have made me genuinely laugh out loud in public.

Start with the Bridesmaid for Hire series, which includes:

• Bridesmaid for Hire
• Bridesmaid Undercover
• Bridesmaid by Chance

Then read For the Cameras, which is technically separate but includes enough character overlap that it feels connected.

Her holiday romances are also hilarious, especially:

• How My Neighbor Stole Christmas
• Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal

For standalones, try:

• Till Summer Do Us Part
• Rules for the Summer

Meghan Quinn’s books are funny, spicy, and filled with chaotic romantic-comedy energy. You know you are there for a good time, and the audiobooks make everything even better.

The narrators understood the assignment.

Thrillers That Deserve More Attention

We have had enough romance. It is time for murder, secrets, and people making terrible decisions.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

This thriller is perfect for readers who love dark academia, college friend-group drama, reunions, secrets, and murder.

The setup is immediately compelling: six friends, one college reunion, and one unsolved murder.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller returns to her elite Southern university ready to show everyone how successful, confident, beautiful, and unbothered she has become.

Naturally, she is extremely bothered.

During college, Jessica’s friend Heather was murdered. The crime destroyed their friend group, and the case was never properly resolved.

Now, the remaining friends are back together, and someone is determined to uncover what really happened to Heather.

As the group reunites, old secrets begin surfacing. Every character has something to hide, and some of them would do almost anything to keep those secrets buried.

Click here to get it.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I realize The Da Vinci Code is not an obscure book.

Still, people have stopped talking about how entertaining it is.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris when he receives a late-night call. The curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, and his body has been positioned with a series of mysterious symbols.

Langdon teams up with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and together they follow a trail of clues hidden within the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

The story includes secret societies, ancient mysteries, puzzles, religious conspiracies, and an enormous amount of dramatic running around Europe.

I recommend finding an edition that includes pictures because the artwork, symbols, and visual clues are an important part of the reading experience.

This book may not be underrated, but it has become under-discussed. Sometimes we need to remember that a book is allowed to be wildly entertaining.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

This domestic thriller has one of the best hooks: Three women. One secret. A letter that changes everything.

Cecilia appears to have the perfect life. She has a successful career, a good marriage, three daughters, and everything seemingly under control.

Then she discovers an old letter in the attic addressed to her. The instructions say it should only be opened in the event of her husband’s death. The problem is that her husband is still very much alive.

Personally, I would have opened that letter immediately.

When Cecilia casually mentions finding it, her husband tells her to put it away. Then he suddenly returns early from a business trip and begins frantically looking for it.

At that point, Cecilia knows the letter contains something capable of changing everything.

The central question is painfully simple: What is inside the letter, and would you open it?

This is one of those books that reveals information near the end that can instantly change the way you feel about the entire story.

Click here to get it.

The A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series by Holly Jackson

Do not let the young adult label stop you from reading this series. I did not even realize it was considered young adult until someone told me.

Everyone in Fairview believes they know what happened to popular high school student Andie Bell.

According to the accepted story, Andie was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then died by suicide. Five years later, Pip Fitz-Amobi still does not believe Sal was responsible.

She remembers him as a kind person, and the official version of events has never made sense to her. For her senior project, she decides to reinvestigate the closed case.

At first, Pip only intends to identify weaknesses in the original investigation. Then she begins uncovering real secrets.

Those secrets suggest Sal may have been innocent, and someone in town is willing to do whatever it takes to stop Pip from discovering the truth.

The story has the investigative appeal of true crime combined with a deeply personal mystery. Pip is intelligent, determined, and completely incapable of leaving anything alone.

The three books also connect beautifully. Something revealed in the final installment may make you want to return to the beginning and reread the entire series.

Click here to get it.

Emotional, Funny, and Comforting Fiction

These books are cozy, funny, emotional, and devastating in wildly different amounts.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

I know I said I do not read much fantasy, but The House in the Cerulean Sea is an exception.

This is not the kind of fantasy that requires a map, a glossary, and a complicated explanation of six kingdoms. It is whimsical, magical, and centered on found family, acceptance, and belonging.

Linus Baker is a quiet, rule-following caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. His job is to inspect orphanages for magical children and determine whether they are being properly managed.

He is sent to evaluate an unusual orphanage containing six supposedly dangerous children. The home is run by Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to protect them.

As Linus gets to know Arthur and the children, he begins reconsidering everything he believed about his work, his life, and what makes someone worthy of love and belonging.

This book is deeply charming and surprisingly relevant to many things happening in the world today.

The audiobook narrator is also incredible. I strongly recommend listening to it.

There is a sequel called Somewhere Beyond the Sea, which is still on my reading list.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People has one of my favorite premises because it sounds ridiculous before becoming incredibly human.

A failed bank robber accidentally bursts into an apartment open house and takes everyone inside hostage. It quickly becomes the least competent hostage situation imaginable.

The hostages include:

• A retired couple who continue buying fixer-uppers because they cannot fix their marriage
• A wealthy bank director
• A young couple expecting a baby
• A deeply unimpressed 87-year-old woman
• A flustered real estate agent
• A mysterious man hiding in the bathroom

The story is chaotic and funny, but because it is written by Fredrik Backman, it also gets painfully deep.

Every person in the apartment is carrying grief, fear, loneliness, regret, or a secret they have not shared.

What begins as a bizarre hostage situation gradually becomes a story about people who desperately need to be rescued, including the bank robber.

I listened to this book on audio, and I recommend doing the same.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Some books are simply better when someone performs them for you.

The Guncle is one of those books, especially because the audiobook is narrated by the author.

Patrick, also known as Gay Uncle Patrick or GUP, loves his niece Maisie and nephew Grant in the way a fun uncle loves children.

He enjoys entertaining them, spoiling them, and welcoming them to his Palm Springs home for limited periods of time. He is not prepared to become their full-time caregiver.

Then tragedy strikes. The children lose their mother, and Patrick’s brother experiences a health crisis. Suddenly, Patrick becomes their primary guardian.

Patrick creates a collection of “Guncle Rules,” which sound as though they should solve every parenting problem. They do not.

He quickly learns that raising children involves far more than treats, jokes, and being the fabulous adult.

While caring for Maisie and Grant, Patrick must also confront his own grief, his stalled acting career, and the loss of his great love.

This book is funny, but it is also about family, grief, and showing up for people when you feel completely unqualified to do so.

Short Books That Will Emotionally Destroy You

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Tuesdays with Morrie is one of those books everyone should read at least once.

The premise is simple, and the book is short, but the emotional impact is enormous.

Mitch Albom reconnects with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, after seeing him on television. Morrie is dying from ALS.

Mitch begins visiting him every Tuesday, and those meetings become one final class. Instead of discussing academics, they talk about love, work, aging, regret, death, relationships, and what truly matters.

One of the book’s central ideas is that learning how to confront death can teach us how to live more fully.

It is a small book that will make you think about your priorities long after you finish it.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Save this book for a time when you are emotionally prepared.

At many universities, professors participate in an exercise called a “last lecture,” imagining what wisdom they would share if they had one final opportunity to speak.

For Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, the premise was not hypothetical. Pausch had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. When he gave his lecture, he knew his time was limited.

His talk, titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” was less about dying than it was about living.

He discussed overcoming obstacles, helping other people pursue their dreams, making the most of the time available to us, and deciding what kind of legacy we want to leave behind.

The book expands on the humor, wisdom, and heart of the original lecture. It is something you can return to whenever you need perspective on how you are spending your life.

Click here to get it.

The Books We Should Keep Talking About

This list began as a collection of underrated books and books I have accidentally been gatekeeping.

But the best books are often the ones that stay with us.

Some of these titles were popular years ago before readers moved on to newer releases. Others may never have received the attention they deserved. Either way, a book does not stop being worth recommending simply because it is older or no longer trending on BookTok.

Now I want to know: Which of these underrated books have you read?

What book do you recommend to everyone, even though you rarely see people discussing it on Bookstagram or BookTok?

Clearly, my never-ending to-be-read list could use a few more additions. (That’s sarcasm.) But still, give ’em to me!