Mid-Year Freak Out Tag (2019)

Well, we’re a tiny bit past the mid-year, but we are tackling the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag still! This is one of my (Mandy’s) favorite book tags, since it’s always so interesting and fun to look back at the year so far.

Thank you so much to Norees @ NoReadsTooGreat for tagging us for this one! We definitely enjoy her blog, which is filled with amazing reviews, tags like this, and more. Her blog is super pretty – and her instagram that I just realized I had been missing is stunning. Make sure to check our her blog for sure!

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Best Book You’ve Read so far in 2019

Mandy: There have actually been a few??? Like, me??? With a few favorites in 2019 so far?? What is life. Here are a few that have made the cut: Hurricane Season, With the Fire on High, The Poet X, and I Wish You All The Best.
Sha: I’m going with the book that left me in five different realms of excitement: SKYY WITHOUT STARS. When is the sequel coming out??

Best Sequel You’ve Read so far in 2019

Mandy: Her Royal Highness. It’s not quite a sequel per say – more of a companion novel – but it basically counts. I think. It had so many adorable feels and I enjoyed so much. MY EMOTIONS ARE NOW PURE FLUFF.
Sha: I didn’t read any sequels.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

Mandy: A few that I’m looking forward to are: Ninth House, In the Hall with the Knife, House of Salt and Sorrows, and The Babysitters Coven. Apparently it’s going to be impossible for me to pick just one in this tag.
Sha: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh. May October come quickly.

Biggest Disappointment

Mandy: This year has kind of been the year of meh, so yay for not having a major fiery disappointment so far? I don’t want to speak too soon, since this is, um, me. Probably Hot Dog Girl, These Witches Don’t Burn, or The Haunted, because I had high expectations but they did not bring the enjoymenttttttttttttttttttttttt due to characters flaws and plot issues.
Sha: Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon. I had high expectations but the main character was not developed enough to my taste, nor did the plot hold up.

Biggest Surprise

Mandy: Long Way Down and The Poet X. I really didn’t think I would enjoy a book told in verse, since verse and poetry have definitely been not a jam for me. But they were so amazing and emotional and I enjoyed so so much.
Sha: The Center of the Universe and Deposing Nathan.

Favorite New Author (or new to you)

Mandy: Elizabeth Acevedo. Omg, omg, omg. She is AMAZING. Her writing is some of the prettiest writing that I have ever read. In between verse and prose, she manages to kill it every time.
Sha: Zack Smedley. I think he has some really important conversations to start within YA lit.

Newest Fictional Crush

Mandy: I actually don’t have one really this year? I mean, there have been some cute characters in the books, but I haven’t felt in deep with anyone yet like I did last year with a Mr. Leo Valdez. The closest would probably be Jack from Opposite of Always. He was so adorable and real and I connected with him so much.
Sha: like, cute bois? The guy in Kristen Ciccarelli’s book, um. My memory is a black hole. Help me here, Rendz.

Newest Favorite Character

Mandy: Apollo from The Trials of Apollo series. Omigosh, I love him so much. He is just foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr entertaining. I love being in his head, and idk how Riordan manages to do it but it feels so honest and real to how Apollo would be.
Sha: Don’t have a characterI especially loved.

Book That Made You Cry

Mandy: Hurricane Season and The Poet X. Omigosh, I had so so so so many feels. EMOTIONSSSSSSSSSSSS. *screaming*
Sha: I cried after Deposing Nathan.

Book That Made You Happy

Mandy: Her Royal Highness. JUST SO MANY HAPPY FEELS. Also, Red, White, and Royal Blue. SO MUCH CUTENESS and restored my faith in ships and book love.
Sha: I only read sad or serious books haha. Oops.

Favorite Book to Film Adaptation

Mandy: I don’t think I’ve watched any?? I honestly can’t remember. I feel like the only movies that I’ve seen have been Disney adaptions and like, huh. That is pretty par for the course for me.
Sha: From this year? I don’t think I watched any.

Favorite Post You’ve Done This Year

Mandy: I did enjoy my short lived Mandy Reads Fairytales posts! The creativity part of my brain has died a bit for the moment for these, but they were quite entertaining – and traumatizing to my childhood.
Sha: Rants: Good or Bad?

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year

Mandy: With the Fire on High. It’s just so so prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Sha: Girls of paper and fire.

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet but Want To

Mandy: I Wanna Be Where You Are. I just got it for my birthday and it seems like a perfect summer read, so I AM READY.
Sha: um. I don’t even know what’s new anymore. Share your most anticipated in the comments to help me!

Book You Need to Read by the End of the Year

Mandy: So I was actually looking at the 2018 tag, and I put Truthwitch on there…which I still haven’t read, so I’m going to go with that again. I want to finish all my owned physical TBR, so I’m going for all of those.
Sha: Gentleman’s Guide.

SHA: Apologies for lacklustre replies, wordpress keeps freezing and shutting down on me.

I think we are the last people in the blogging world to do this tag, so we tag anyone else that hasn’t done it yet! What do you think, though? What are some of your favorite and worst books that you read this year? Let’s discuss in the comments below!