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8 underrated books to add to your TBR list this spring

If you're tired of flipping through the same old books, don't worry bc we've got some *awesome* new reading recs! Here are some of the top underrated reads to pick up this spring...

The Paper Girl of Paris

Present day: Alice is still reeling from the passing of her beloved grandmother, and is shocked to discover her grandmother willed Alice her old apartment. Upon arrival, Alice finds the apartment is untouched, preserved from when it was last occupied 70 years ago. Why was it abandoned? What secrets does it hold? She turns to Paul, a new French friend, for help and finds that she's on the trail of a big family mystery. 

70 years ago: Adalyn struggles with life under Nazi Occupation. When she meets the handsome leader of a rebel group, Adalyn finally feels like she can fight back. But to keep her cover, Adalyn has to act the role of a carefree society girl and mingle with the very people she's trying to undermine. As the war stretches on and her role gets more intense, Adalyn finds herself having to keep dangerous secrets from the people she loves most. 

Yes No Maybe So

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Maya Rehman has low hopes for Ramadan—her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are getting a divorce and her BFF is moving on to a new friend. So when her mother signs her up to go political canvassing with a guy she barely knows, it's the icing on top of the cake. Jamie Goldberg is super passionate about volunteering for his local state senate candidate's campaign. Though he secretly dreams of running for office one day, he chokes every time he gets onstage. Door to door canvassing is okay though, especially now that he has a teammate. As Maya and Jamie get deeper into the world of local activism, they also grow closer. 

Breathless

Claudine Henry has a plan. She wants to start college, become a famous writer and have sex. But when her parents drop a bombshell on her—they're getting a divorce and Claudine is going to be spending the summer on an island off of Georgia alone with her mom—Claudine's plan, not to mention her life, shatters completely. But then she meets Jeremiah. And suddenly, everything changes. 

This is Not the Jess Show

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Jess Flynn is your average 90's girl. She can't escape drama though; her little sister's medical condition is getting worse, her overprotective mom is suffocating her and she's battling a newfound crush on her childhood BFF. The weirdness doesn't stop there—half of the town's population has a freak sickness. Even stranger? One day, she finds a small black device with an apple logo in her friend's backpack. Jess soon finds out a secret that turns her whole world upside down.

Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Sam isn't expecting anything great to come of her counseling gig at Camp Blue Springs because a) she had a terrible time as a camper thanks to her mean bunkmates, and b) she's only working there because her boyfriend Eli is in Europe. But then, she meets Gavin, who in addition to being her younger self's crush, is still smokin'. Sam knows she wants a break from reality, and hey, maybe a crazy wild summer is just what she needs. 

They Wish They Were Us

Nobody would ever suspect anything bad could happen in perfect Gold Coast, Long Island. But during Jill Newman's freshman year, her best friend (and the reigning Queen Bee) Shalia Arnold was brutally murdered. The culprit? Her boyfriend, Graham. Jill is still trying to move on by having the most perfect senior year ever. She's one of the Players now, the "secret" society of Gold Coast. However, Jill starts getting texts from an anonymous source saying Graham is innocent. But if he didn't do it, that means the killer is still walking free. Jill starts to look into the case, but soon realizes it might cost her more than she thinks.

Love and Olives

Liv Varanakis doesn't need her father, thank you very much. When she was eight, he abandoned her and her mother for Greece, leaving behind just a few mementos and still fresh memories. So when Liv gets an invitation to join him in Greece for the summer on a hunt for Atlantis, the lost city for which they both share a love, she's torn. And when she lands in Santorini, it's just as awkward as she thought it would be. There's her father, charming and confusing as ever, and his assistant Theo, equal parts annoying and charismatic. As Liv spends more time in Greece, she slowly starts to fall in love with the beauty that is Santorini. She also discovers that Atlantis is not the only reason her father invited her...

Admission

Nobody's life is perfect. Well, except maybe Chloe Wynn Berringer's. Her famous actress mother's career is back on the rise, the cutest boy in school is taking her to prom and she'll be off to her dream college in the fall. But Chloe's perfect life falls apart completely when the FBI show up at her doorstep with a warrant for her mother. As it turns out, Chloe's acceptance into her dream college wasn't based on Chloe's grades, extracurriculars or stunning SAT scores. Instead, they were because of her mother's willingness to pay to fudge Chloe's application. As Chloe—and the world—is coming to this realization, Chloe starts to question everything she's taken for granted in life, and starts to ask herself how much she *really* knew. 

Happy reading!

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by Elina Graham | 3/21/2021
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