We’re halfway through the year and I’ve done my reading goals update, so that means it’s time for the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag. Isabelle did her 2025 tag recently, and I though it’d be fun to do this one as well. So let’s take a look at my answers!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far

Picking just one book out of all of the books I’ve read in 2025 is so hard! There have been quite a few five stars on my list so far. Out of the Woods is a book I still think about often. That book was just so emotional and it was more than just a romance. I see myself doing a reread of this one before the end of the year.

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far

This year has been a good year for sequels! Two that really stood out to me are Enchantra and Bourbon & Proof. Both of these books had me hooked from the start and had me sad when they were over!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

2025 has been packed with new releases I really want to read! There just isn’t enough time to read as much as I’d like to. A few releases I still want to read are: The Knight and the Moth, Problematic Summer Romance, Great Big Beautiful Life, and The Wind Weaver.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

Silvercloak is one of the many books I’m looking forward to that are releasing in the second half of the year. I love the fact that magic is fueled by pleasure and pain. I actually have an eARC of Silvercloak that I’ll be reading soon.

Biggest Disappointment

I’m not sure Just the Tip is necessarily a disappointment, but it just wasn’t good? I’m still not sure what I read. This is only 72 pages, but this one didn’t work for me at all…

Biggest Surprise

Dungeon Crawler Carl has been my biggest surprise. I’m not a gamer myself, but I saw this book everywhere. This ended up being a five star read for me and had me laughing out loud. Princess Donut is my favorite character this year, haha. The audiobook definitely made my reading experience even better. The narrator is amazing!

Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)

I have read a lot of new to me authors this year, but one that stood out to me is Keri Lake. Noticadia is a book I kept seeing everywhere and I’m glad I picked it up. This dark academia story is almost 700 pages, and it kept me hooked from the very beginning. I’ll need to read more by this author.

Newest Fictional Crush

Dusty from Wild and Wrangled is my newest fictional crush. In Wild and Wrangled he’s such a sweet and protective character. I loved reading from his POV.

Newest Favorite Character

For some reason no character is really standing out to me at the moment. One I did recently love is Dayton in the Beasts of the Briar series. He acts very tough and macho, but there’s so much more to his character.

Book That Made You Cry

I’ve had books by Jeff Zentner on my shelves for a few years and I finally read two out of the three I own. Goodbye Days and The Serpent King both hit me in all the feels and had me tearing up.

Favorite Book to Film Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year

I don’t think I’ve seen any so far this year. There are a few I’m excited to watch though: We Were Liars, My Oxford Year, and The Thursday Murder Club.

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought or Received This Year

There have been so many stunning books released this year, but one of my favorites is Shield of Sparrows. The first print with the sprayed edges is truly stunning!

What Book(s) Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

I’m doing terrible with my 25 books in 2025 list, haha. The three I really want to read before the end of the year are: The Will of the Many, Onyx Storm, and House of Flame and Shadow.

 

So this is my Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag for 2025! What has been your best book or biggest surprise? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!