It is now July and we are over halfway through 2018! This made us think it would be fun to do a book tag and kind of talk about the books of the year. 2018 Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag was a tag we saw on Mel to the Any‘s blog. The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books. We have both had an amazing reading year so far and are excited to answer these questions!

1. Best BookYou’ve Read So Far in 2018

Candyce: How can I answer this question? I have read 120 books when I anwer this question and a lot were amazing. I have given quite a few books five stars so far this year. If you ask me this question tomorrow,  I will probably choose a different book, haha. Right how I want to say My Lady Jane. Such a fun twist on history and the fact that three authors wrote this is amazing. That isn’t something I would’ve noticed.

Isabelle: This is such a hard question! I read 85 books and rated 22 of them 5 stars, like Candyce said my answer might change tomorrow. But for now, I’m going with The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. An amazing mystery with a little sci fi twist.

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2018

Candyce: Blood Match is the best sequel I have read so far this year. Blood Type was already amazing and K.A. Linde took this trilogy to an even higher level in the sequel. She knows how to leave us wanting more! I haven’t read many paranormal romances, but these two books definitely make me want to read more. Then again, I don’t know if anything can top this world.

Isabelle: Gemina is actually the only sequel I rated 5 stars I think! I really enjoyed Gemina and I flew through the story. The unique way of storytelling was so compelling and I read it in one sitting.

3. New Releases You Haven’t Read But Want To

Candyce: I am still amazed by how many books have been released in 2018! No wonder no one is ever able to complete their TBRs. One new release that I really want to get to is Leah on the Offbeat. Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda was such a good book, so I need to read this one. I have heard a lot of good things about this book, so hopefully I read this soon (I say this about so many books, haha).

Isabelle: ALLLLL OF THEM, haha. There are so many new releases I really want to read asap. I’m going with To Kill a Kingdom, I already own it and have heard so many amazing things about it. This YA fantasy is a Little Mermaid retelling and the synopsis sounds wonderful.

4. Most Anticpated Release For the Second Half of the Year

Candyce: There are so many books coming out in the second half of 2018! I don’t know where I am going to find the time to read everything, haha. I am looking forward to a lot of the releases this Fall, but I am most excited for Kingdom of Ash. This is the last book in the Throne of Glass series! While I am really looking forward to it, I am also really scared to read this! So much can still happen.

Isabelle: This is probably the easiest question haha, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas. I’m so so so excited for the last book in the Throne of Glass series, I just need it NOW. We’re rereading a ToG book every month so we can be reading and completely refreshed on all the details in October for the release of KoA.

5. Biggest Disappointment

Candyce: My biggest disappointment is Goodbye, Good Girl. This was the first book I gave 2 stars to. I loved the whole idea of this story, but so many things were so out of it and not believable. To be honest, I’m acatually surprised I finished reading this story. I guess I was hoping things would turn around and get better. Unfortunately not everything can be amazing!

Isabelle: See All The Stars by Kit Frick is my biggest disappointment. I got this one on Netgalley and was expecting something different than what we actually got. The story just didn’t grab me at all and I didn’t care about the characters. Also the event that got referenced trough out the story was pretty lame compared to what my mind was making up. I ended up rating it 2 stars.

6. Biggest Surprise

Candyce: The Wicked Deep is my biggest surprise. A small town has a legend of three sisters who come back every year and kill boys that live in the town. I loved how this book was written and did not see the plot twist at the ending coming at all! Even though this book is set in the summer, I definitely would recommend reading it around Halloween. It does have a lot of creepy vibes. 

Isabelle: I had a couple of books that surprised me in a good way actually! Daughter of the Pirate King was one of those surprise. I didn’t expect to like the book that much but I highly recommend every one reading it. It was a great read and I really enjoyed it. Somehow I still haven’t read the sequel yet, I hope to get to that one soon.

7. Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)

Candyce: Laura Steven is definitely my new favorite author. Her debut book The Exact Opposite of Okay is such an amazing book and needs to be read by as many people as possible. On top of that she is really sweet! I got to meet her in April and it was a fun experience. I can’t wait for the sequel to her book.

Isabelle: I’m with Candyce on this one, Laura Steven has definitely made my list. Apart from adoring her book so so much, she is also a great human being. I absolutely loved meeting her, she was super nice. Excited for her next book!

8. Newest Fictional Crush

Candyce: Garrett from Getting Schooled is my newest fictional crush. At first it seems like he is going to be a typical arrogant guy, but it’s a lot different. He is very caring and a loving person. Family is everything to him, as well as his students and football team. Garrett goes for what he wants. He can be arrogant, but I have to say in a fun way.

Isabelle: I didn’t think this would be such a hard question! But looking back on the books I read all my crushes are from books I reread or from sequels. So no new fictional crushes this year, at least not yet. Hopefully there will be some good ones in the upcoming months.

9. Newest Favorite Character

Candyce: I have to pick Josey from The Varlet & The Voyeur. She is socially awkward and doesn’t think before she speaks. I love that about this character, even if it creates some very awkward moments. Josey is a relatable character. She knows what she wants and knows she can be awkward. I love that she is still completely herself. Even screaming weird words during a press conference to help out a friend, haha.

Isabelle: Probably Jack from Every Heart a Doorway. I really enjoyed reading about her, even though she wasn’t really the main character. She was so calm and so herself. And that is quite the achievement with the way she grew up. I was so happy when I realized the second book was about Jack & Jill and I appreciate Jack even more.

10. Book That Made You Cry

Candyce: Books make me cry rather often.What can I say? Pretty sensitive when it comes to that. You don’t want to know how often TV shows and movies make me cry, haha. Tuesdays at Six made me cry a few times while reading it. I read this book at the beginning of the year and it really stuck with me. These characters go through so much, but are able to create their own family.

Isabelle: I normally cry a lot haha, but I can’t think of that many books that made me cry this year. Which is pretty rare to be honest. The last book that made my cry was Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas, even though it was a reread that ending made me cry once again. I had to start Heir of Fire right away after finishing CoM.

11. Book That Made You Happy

Candyce: A lot of books have left smiles on my faces this year. Getting Schooled by Emma Chase was the most recent book that had me smiling very often while reading. There were other emotional moments in this book, but it mostly made me smile. Emma Chase knows how to add a lot of humor and funny moments into her books. If you want a laugh, definitely read Getting Chased.

Isabelle: My Lady Jane! I loved it so much and can’t believe I waited so long to start reading this. The sequel is waiting for me to read it and I really plan on doing so this week. It’s impossible to keep this one unread for as long as I did My Lady Jane.

12. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year (Or Received)

Candyce: A lot of books that I have received or bought this year are beautiful. Beautiful covers everywhere! This is a really hard questions, because book covers can be beautiful for different reasons. I think for the moment I will choose my newest addition to my collection. A Thousand Perfect Notes is stunning. I love the butterfly on the cover.

Isabelle: Got a couple of beautiful books to add to my ever growing collection. The most beautiful on is probably Nevermoor. I absolutely love the edition I have. I had actually been looking for that edition for a while and finally found it on the German Amazon.

13. What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

Candyce: If I wrote down every book I need to read by the end of the year, we would be here for awhile, haha. There is one I really need to read before the end of the year and it’s my goal. I will read Dreams of Gods & Monsters. I read the first two book at the beginning of last year and still haven’t read the last one. I am so afraid of how much I have forgotten since reading the first two. This trilogy is amazing, but you do need to really concentrate while reading them. I think that may be a reason why it’s taken so long.

Isabelle: Dreams of Gods & Monsters is really high on my list as well. But for today I’m picking Spellslinger. I got it at the start of the year with every intention of reading it right away but that didn’t work out unfortunately. The plan is to read it before the year is done 🙂

14. Favorite Book Community Member

Candyce: I don’t have one favorite member. Since starting this blog, we have met amazing book bloggers and people in this community. They have all been really nice and welcoming. The book community is amazing and I am so happy we decided to join it!

Isabelle: I did a post about some of my favorite booktubers, I’ll link it here. Candyce said it really well, everyone has been so incredibly nice and welcoming. Such a great community to be part of <3

Some of these questions are pretty hard!! What is you favorite book so far in 2018? We would love to know what other readers are loving!