Info
We love to talk about underrated books here on Book Riot. From the best books you’ve never heard of to books that are criminally underrated on Goodreads, we Rioters just can’t stand it when a book doesn’t get its due. We never want you to miss a great book—especially just because you never heard about it.
Books can be underrated for all sorts of reasons. Maybe they didn’t get the buzz they deserved. Maybe they were mismarketed. Maybe they were overshadowed by bigger releases. Maybe they had a small release and never found the right audience. Whatever the reason, just because a book hasn’t been shelved on Goodreads or reviewed on Storygraph doesn’t mean it isn’t a good book. It just means not enough of the right people have found it yet. I think that’s very much the case with these six books. Some of them are a little niche, yes, but what do historical fiction readers love more than learning about a little-known period of history?
Alright, we’ve got that settled. Let’s talk numbers. I’m classifying “underrated” historical fiction as a book with fewer than 1,000 ratings on Goodreads and/or 500 reviews on Storygraph. Why the difference? Well, Storygraph doesn’t track the number of users that have shelved a given book as “read,” so I’m using their review tally as a comparable statistic to Goodreads’ “ratings” number. Because Storygraph includes all number ratings in their “reviews” category regardless of whether a written description is included, while Goodreads distinguishes between “ratings” and written “reviews,” the two numbers make for a reasonable comparison.
The number of Goodreads users versus Storygraph users also skews the number of Goodreads ratings higher, which is why you’ll notice a sizable difference between the two. Storygraph surpassed four million users in April 2025, but that’s still a pretty small number compared to Goodreads’ approximately 150 million users (as of February 6, 2025, according to The Guardian). You’ll see the difference in numbers, but I think it’s clear to see that these books aren’t as well-known as they should be, regardless of which book tracking site you use. Since you’re reading this list, maybe that’s about to change.
 Summer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend WarnerGoodreads ratings: 964 Storygraph reviews: 250 An upstanding Victorian woman sends her husband and his mistress away to Paris in order to raise her children in peace, but when both children die, she winds up following them on the eve of revolution. It’s a choice that will change her life forever. |
All access members continue below for more underrated histortical fiction
This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. 🏷️ Books_feed