Top Ten Tuesday #55

Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

Top Ten Books Completely Exceeded My Expectations

I've noticed that with the tons of books I read, I've been slowly branching out into new genres. Like YA contemporary, sci-fi, and even romance, which I thought would never happen. And there have been books I thought I wouldn't like, but then I DID. And some that were just MORE than I expected, which just blew me away.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Honestly, I think I put off reading this just because I didn't really know what the subject was about, and I thought it would be boring. Instead, it only turned out to be one of my favorite novels of all time. AND TEARS.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown - First off I only read this because the main character shared the same first name as me, and I was just reading it for some challenge, BUT IT ENDED UP BEING AMAZING. And I just had so many feelings for the MC, that I had to take breaks in between meetings.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown -  I read a good amount of mixed reviews, so when I got a copy of it through NetGalley, I wasn't THAT excited. But man was I in for it. Red Rising was just pure awesome with tons of action that I could not put it down. It was a good start for 2015.

The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman - This is actually my most recent read, and although it's not one of my favorites, I'm surprised that I even liked it at all. Despite all the creepiness and the stalking.

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios - SURPRISE I actually wasn't expecting to like this, or at least I was going to lump it in with all the other generic YA contemporaries (which to be honest, I have nothing to lump it in with, so I don't know why I thought that). But IMYT ended up being just as good as all my friends said it was.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - Her Shiver series didn't appeal to me, so I wasn't really excited for this novel, even though I heard so many good things about it. BUT WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT BLUE AND HER BOYS NOW? HUH?

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - I knew I was going to love this one, but I wasn't expecting ALL THE THINGS that came with it. Like I got more than what I asked for, and I was already asking for a lot to begin with. And also Jennifer Niven is the sweetest person EVER.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - I didn't know what to think of an epic fantasy, but I am so glad that I read this one before any other, because Sanderson's writing is gold, and I didn't even know it!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Loved loved loved LOVED THIS BOOK, and again, like the Raven Boys, I read good reviews on it but just never really was excited about it until AFTER I finished the book.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I remember when this first came out and Rowell was just becoming known, I thought it was a cool synopsis and nothing more, but then I just related to ALL the characters, and now it's one of my favorites.

Yay for TTT freebie! Were there any books that you weren't expecting to be beyond awesome?