We’re halfway through the year and that means it’s time for the yearly tradition; the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag! I don’t do many tags anymore, but I always enjoyed this one, so of course I had to do it this year as well. This tag probably doesn’t need any introduction, so let’s dive into the questions!
Best Book You’ve Read So Far
Looking back at what I’ve read this year there have been A LOT of rereads. So these questions will be harder than usual and there might be a lot of repeat answers haha. After thinking long and hard I have to go with The Long Game for best book I’ve read so far! I already read it 3 times this year, so that probably says a lot.
Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far
This is an even harder question, but I think I have to go with Role Model. It’s book 5 in the Game Changers series, so it counts as a sequel. And after Heated Rivalry and The Long Game it’s my favorite book in the series!
New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To
There are a couple of new releases I really want to go to soon, so this is a difficult pick. I think I have to go with The Tapestry of Fate, the second book in the Amina al-Sirafi series. The first book was amazing and I have been waiting for this sequel for 3 years.
Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year
There are a couple of AMAZING releases coming our way. At least 4 sequels that I have been waiting for for literal years are releasing in 2026. It’s so hard to choose between those! But I think I might have to go with Dangerous Impulses, the fifth book in the Naturals series, simply because I never thought we would be getting another book in that series.
Biggest Disappointment
I haven’t read that many new books, so it’s pretty difficult for me to be disappointed to be honest. After thinking about it for a bit, I have to go with Mr and Mrs Dixon Hide a Body. Simply because I loved Jennifer Holdich’s debut book so much more than I did this second book. I had pretty high hopes and while this book was fun, it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.
Biggest Surprise
The Mindf*ck series! My first dark romance and I never expected to like it as much as I did. I devoured all these books in just a couple of days during my last vacation and I had a wonderful time. Never in my life would I expect to utter those words haha.
Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)
I have only read books from a couple new authors and for most of them I have only read 1 book and for the others only 1 series. So that does make it somewhat hard to pick a favorite new author. I guess I have to go with the author that gave us Shane and Ilya, I love those guys so much, that makes Rachel Reid an instant favorite haha.
Newest Fictional Crush
Can you blame me if I say Ilya Rozanov? He is exactly the man I would fall for (to my detriment haha) and I have been reading about him non-stop. Not just the whole Game Changers series and both Heated Rivalry and The Long Game 3 times, no I have also been consuming an ungodly amount of fanfiction haha.
Newest Favorite Character
Since I already mentioned Ilya, I guess I will go with Shane Hollander as my newest favorite character. I think he can be pretty misunderstood by people! While I unfortunately can relate to Ilya on mental health matters, I love the way Shane shows up when he realizes he might have messed up. He’s not perfect, but he tries his hardest and he deserves the world.
Book That Made You Cry
I have cried over many books this year haha. Rereading Throne of Glass, The Foxhole Court and A Deadly Education means I have cried many tears. But the new book that made me cry the most was for sure The Long Game. I cried all 3 times and I’m so scared for the second season of the show.
Favorite Book to Film Adaptation You’ve Seen This Year
Does it count if I first watched Heated Rivalry and only read it afterwards? Because it’s for sure my favorite adaptation. I’ve watched it at least 15 times already and I still find new things to love. It’s incredible to see how much love and labor went into this project and for me it has become the standard of adaptations.
Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought or Received This Year
I didn’t get that many new books this year, but just before my summer holiday started I did get myself 2 new books. One of them is quite pretty, so I have to go with that one; The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance.
What Book(s) Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?
I would love to finish Dune 2 before the end of the year, that way I’m completely prepared for the third Dune movie! My brother and I will be watching it in the movie theater and we’re so excited for it.
That was my yearly Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag! I always forget how many questions there are and how hard they can be when you’ve read so little new books haha. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed writing this post! What has been your favorite book so far this year? Let me know down below!
