Books I would’ve enjoyed more if I was younger

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I’m doing another mini-discussion, today on books I would’ve enjoyed more if I was younger when I read them. I feel like as you read more or as you develop in life, your reading habits or preferences change and develop too. I know I’ve definitely matured as a reader. I still enjoy a lot of the books I enjoyed when I was younger, but there are some things I enjoy less now. So I thought it’d be interesting to go through some books I know I would’ve enjoyed more if I read them when I was younger.

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Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I gave this book 3.5 stars (rounded down to 3 on Goodreads). I enjoyed it, but I also thought it’d be a five-star read for me. Overall, I really related to Kiko for some things, but I also found her reactions a bit over-the-top and didn’t understand some of her motivations. I know for sure, though, if I read this when I was 16-17, I would have loved it.

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The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake

I read this books this summer and gave it 3.5 stars. It was all set to be 4 stars, but the ending sucked. It was too wrapped-up. The conflicts just ended with no real resolution. There was a point where one of the characters could’ve died and another could’ve ran away, and that would’ve made the ending that much better, but instead he was magically cured and she just came home. That being said, I know if I’d read this in early high school, I would’ve been totally satisfied with the pretty ending.

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A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

I think I gave this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads. Overall, there were a lot of things I appreciated about it. I really enjoyed the magic system, the writing, the setting, and the plot, and the characters (in the first book) were great. It just didn’t click 100% with me. I don’t really know why, I just wasn’t as invested as everyone else seems to be. But again, I know if I read this in high school I would’ve loved it. I went through such a YA dystopian/fantasy kick in high school, and this would’ve checked all the boxes.

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Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I think I gave this book like 2 or 2.5 stars. It wasn’t bad, per se, it just wasn’t as great as I thought. The main character was whiny and annoying, the love interest was forgettable, the plot was convoluted and didn’t make sense. BUT I know in my heart of hearts that I would’ve loved this in junior high. If I read this in like grade 8 or 9, I would’ve loved it. I would’ve thought the love interest was the best and that the plot was so clever and it would’ve been perfect for me. But, unfortunately, I didn’t feel that was as a 21-year old.

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So those are four books I know I would have enjoyed if I read them when I was younger. Are there any books like this for you? Have you read any of these and agree? Disagree? Let me know!

Thanks for reading! xx