This is the series where we look at books that didn’t get a giant publicity budget or a ton of buzz, but turned out to be hidden gems. These are the kind of books you stumble upon and then can’t believe you’ve never heard of before. Fun fact: this series was inspired by a tweet that asked for little-known books that got replies with classics and bestsellers. I was determined to find a way to shout out truly under read titles worthy of your praise, and this is the absolutely arbitrary distinction I came to: these books all have under 250 ratings on Goodreads. Not reviews, mind you: ratings. For context, The Hunger Games has 6.6 million ratings. In Watermelon Sugar has 14,000. But enough preamble: let’s get into the books! Can’t get enough little-known gems in your reading life? Check out our previous editions of The Best Books You’ve Never Heard of! This book is such a delight it’s honestly a shock it hasn’t found more of an audience than it has! It mixes humor and Dickensian misfortune to great success amidst a tale of intrigue and adventure. Imagine if Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman had a literary lovechild. That’s this; that’s this book. —Rachel Brittain
