Best textbooks/ Other rescources for JLPT N3 and up

So I realized this is a little late considering I’m taking the N3 next month, but I have resigned myself to my fate and I will most likely fail it.
SSSSOOOoooo… I’m looking for help finding resources to help me try again in December. I’m interested in your guys opinion on the best textbooks/ any and all other resources for self study at the N3 and up levels of Japanese.
Most specifically when it comes to grammar. Most of the resources I have used don’t have the best explanations and examples of grammar so I’m looking for something that really gets into the nitty gritty of it.

For textbooks, I remember seeing a topic pop up about just that a few weeks (days?) ago. (I didn’t read it carefully, so I do not know how helpful it will be for you)

Other than that, the YouTube channel Nihongonomori has nice videos for N3 grammar and up.

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@Naphthalene do you mean this one?

Resources after N3 - #17 by Myria

In general, I think it is best to have a look at the resources oneself and see which books „feel right“. I had different plans but I was for example just unable to see myself studying Shin Kanzen Master although it is considered a very good series, especially after N3 where there are fewer resources available.

During N3, you can do AIATIJ or Tobira - I have and like them both. Although I find the grammar explanations a little bit short sometimes?

For JLPT specific grammar I like the Try! series because it feels more lightweight and easy to get through.

Sou Matome is a nice overview summary for grammar - favorite book to work through with my teacher because the book is so nice and non scary. But definitely not enough on it‘s own because there are hardly any explanations.

If you are looking for grammar explanations, have you had a look at either Shin Kanzen Master (not sure how good the grammar explanations really are) or the often recommended Dictionary of Basic Grammar and the Intermediate version? You could follow a textbook and look up details in the dictionary.

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新完全マスター series is my favorite.

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Yea I forgot to mention in my original post that I already have both the AIATIJ and Sou Matome. I think I got the same impression as you with SM being more like a review than something I can learn from. AIATIJ is good but I like having a lot of depth to grammar explanations and it just isn’t enough. I will likely check out TRY and Dictionary of Basic Grammar and see how those go.

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