The Mid-Year Freakout Tag

Where did the first half of the year go? If you know, please tell me. In the meantime, let's chat about what I've been reading through these past six months. This tag originated at https://mayajt.wordpress.com, but I saw it on https://www.precariousbookstacks.com/. Make sure you check both those sites out!

Without further ado, on to the freakout!

Numbers and Math

Yeah,  I've got no idea how many books I’ve read. A whole bunch more this summer than during the school year.

Best Book Yet

Keep reading below to find out why some of these made my list or check out my book reviews for them!

July: Shadow by Kara Swanson
June: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
May: The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M. White
April: Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin
March: Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green
January: The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill

Best Sequel

Shadow by Kara Swanson—OH. MY. GOODNESS. This book was brilliant. The themes were so skillfully woven in. The worldbuilding was so rich and lush, each character was unique—and the messages were exactly what I needed to hear. Couldn’t have asked for more from this sequel.

New Releases I Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

Castle of Refuge by Melanie Dickerson—It looks to be sweet and entertaining read. And it’s an Ugly Duckling retelling, which you don’t see too often.

Most Anticipated Release For Second Half Of Year

The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green—I loved her debut novel Things We Didn’t Say (it’s one of my favorite novels, actually) and I’m interested to see what’s in store for this novel.

Biggest Disappointment

I had a handful of novels I’ve read this year that did not live up to the expectations on the back cover (A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander, Breathe by Lisa Tawn Bergren, and The Captain’s Daughter by Jennifer Delamere), but the biggest disappointment was probably The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright. I’d read her later novels first, and was looking for the vibes of those novels. It did not live up.

Biggest Surprise

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron—I tried this novel with little to no prior knowledge of the book. It was brilliant! The way the four different plotlines were juggled so expertly—and the fact that all four of them were so brilliant. All the characters were so vibrant and the plot had so many twists and turns. It became one of my favorite books and one of the best reads of this year.

Favorite New Author

Excited to explore more of Kristy Cambron.

Favorite New Crush

Didn’t I already explain this in the last tag??? I have no fictional crushes! If forced to choose one to hang out with as friends, I’d choose Sheridan from The Nature of a Lady. Or maybe Rene from The Paris Dressmaker. I loved Nigel in The Paris Dressmaker, but he just didn’t make the best decisions sometimes . . .

New Favorite Character

Sheridan from The Nature of a Lady. He’s so awkward you just have to laugh. And yet so stubborn at the same time. I was very excited to see he’s set up to be the main character of the sequel To Treasure an Heiress coming January 2022.

Book That Makes You Happy

(Why are all the books I read fraught with espionage and despair???)

Best Book To Movie Adaption

I haven’t seen any book to movie adaptions this year.  

Favorite Post

Take It From the Dragons: https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/take-it-from-the-dragons
How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hidden Identities, and Much Sadness: https://racheljleitch.weebly.com/adventure-journal/how-to-train-your-dragon-2-hidden-identities-and-much-sadness
I'm also pretty excited about next week's post, so stay tuned.

Most Beautiful Book (aka, the two best book covers I've seen this year)

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
Shadow by Kara Swanson

Books I Want To Read

Castle of Refuge by Melanie Dickerson
Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White
The Illusionist's Apprentice by Kristy Cambron
The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green
The Spice King and The Prince of Spies by Elizabeth Camden
Storming by K. M. Weiland
Unblemished Trilogy by Sara Ella
Wayfarer by K. M. Weiland
  
There you have it! If you have a blog, go ahead and take the tag, too! Do the freakout as well and share your answers in the comments!