It’s that time of year again folks!! The Mid-Year Freak Out tag is a book blogging staple and I love doing it every single year. We’ve officially survived the first six months of the year, only six more to go. In those six months I’ve read 61 books and I’m excited to reflect on those books today!
✨Past Mid-Year Freak Outs!✨ – 2019 // 2020 // 2021
Best book you’ve read so far in 2022.
I did a whole blog post last week talking all about my favourite books of the year so far.
I think I included something like 8 books on that list but my definite favourite of the year so far is still really easy to point out: Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
This book was so goddamn addictive. I could not put it down and reading it was just one of those experiences where my brain couldn’t get enough.
My life now revolves around waiting for this TV show to premiere.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022.
I have read very few sequels this year but that does not mean I’m choosing this book because it’s the only viable contender.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert is the third and final book in the Brown Sisters trilogy and it was by far my absolute favourite.
This book dragged me cackling and crying out of the beginnings of a reading slump and for that I am forever grateful.
(Just realised that Take a Hint, Dani Brown was last years favoruite sequel lol).
New releases you haven’t read yet but want to.
She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick // So This is Ever After by F.T Lukens // This May End Badly by Samantha Markum
I only have a copy of She Get’s The Girl so out of all three of these, that’s the one I’m going to be able to read first. I want you to know though that the only reason I haven’t read the other two is because I’m a cheap skate who refuses to pay more then £5 for an e-book and won’t be able to get my hands on a physical copy till I’m back in the UK next year.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes // The Society For Soulless Girls by L.K Steven // Youngblood by Sasha Laurens
Here we have a final book in a series, a new book from an author who wrote one of my favourite books a few years ago, and a new vampire book that just looks so freaking cool!!
Biggest disappointment.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Listen. This one wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to the hype.
My problem with this book was that I knew too much about it before reading. I wish I’d gone into this book knowing that it touched on the topic of domestic abuse, but nothing more then that.
I like books that subvert expectations and that’s what this book did, it was just lost on me because.
Also. I don’t get the Atlas hype. Tik-Tok really set him up for failure in my eyes.
And then just because I’m an overachiever I have a second, really popular book that lead to me feeling disappointed: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake.
I really liked the concept and the idea surrounding this book. Dark Acadamia, magic, characters of different ages that hate but kinda fancy each other. Murder.
The problem here is that it bored me more then it entertained me.
I’m saying all this but the ending, and one ship I want to see sail, is probably enough to make me read the second book.
Biggest surprise.
I expected to like Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney, but I never expected to love it as much as I did!
It touched on some really important topics such as consent, virginity, sexual health, the relationship between sex and religion. Topics that you just don’t find in YA books.
I also really loved Monique’s entire journey – what she learns about herself, the new friendships she makes and the realisations she has in regards to her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and parents.
Favourite new (to me) author.
I’ve already talked about both Joya Goffney and Taylor Jenkins Reid in this tag so I’m not going to rehash my love for those two new-to-me authors but just know that the love is there.
I might (definitely) be cheating when I say Sophie Gonzales because I included her as my favourite new-to-me author last year. I’m included her again though because the book of hers I read last year was co-authored but last month I finally read a book that was solely written by her and loved it.
My other pick is Devney Perry. I really enjoyed Juniper Hill which is actually a second book in a companion romance series and I’m hoping to read more of her books soon.
Newest fictional crush.
I’m scrolling through the list of books I’ve read this year and nobody is standing out to me so I’m going with Harry from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
I know that he’s gay but I love him with my whole heart and I would happily be his second fake wife. I just want to be his friend.
Newest favourite character.
Elliot from In Other Lands. Actually no. Not just Elliot. I’m also giving a shout-out to Luke and Serene. These three dumb-asses are my children and they come as a trio.
Book that made you cry.
I can’t remember if I actually cried while reading Afterlove by Tanya Byrne but this is definitely the book that made me feel the most emotion.
Even when I was happy at the beginning of the book, watching Ash and Poppy fall in love, I kept crashing down to Earth because Ash’s eventual death was hanging my head like a dark cloud.
Yeah this book really made me feel a lot of things. Please read this book but do go into it prepared with tissues and chocolate for emotional support.
Book that made you happy.
I randomly picked up The Tea Dragon graphic novel trilogy by Kay O’Neil last month and it cleansed my soul and cured my anxiety … at least for the afternoon I spent ready it. The art style and the characters, especially the adorable Tea Dragons. All of it made me smile!
Favourite Book Adaptation.
I’ve got two for this one. Of course the first is going to be Heartstopper. This took the world by storm, as it should. I watched this in one afternoon and then spent the next two weeks talking about it non-stop with my friends.
I’m also going to say The Summer I Turned Pretty. Me absolutely loving the adaptation of one of my most hated books is hilarious to me.
I’ve got posts about both of these shows if you’re interested 🙂 – Heartstopper // The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Favourite post you’ve done this year.
- Building my dream library
- Dear Hollywood, please adapt these books!
- Pro-wrestling is my weird interest // Book Tag.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year.
This is a hard one. There’s so many pretty covers out there at the minute. It doesn’t help that most of the book I’ve bought this year have been e-books so the pretty covers just don’t hit the same on screen compared to physical copies.
For that reason I’m going with Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I can’t remember if I bought this really late December or early January but I’m choosing this anyways. Now if only I could spend as much time actually reading this book as I do talking about how pretty it is.
What book do you need to read by the end of the year?
All of them. Please refer to my current TBR to see what books I set out with at the beginning of the year and how much progress I’m actually making with that.
And there we have it for another year. Genuinely do love doing this tag every time. Thanks for reading :))
AceReader 