2017 Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag!

So… June is almost over which means 2017 is almost halfway done.

Same, Hermione. Same.

I was tagged by Sara @ TheBookCycle to do the 2017 Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag; go check out her blog! I am going to tag Becky @ Coffee Cocktails and Books, Stella @ StellaMaria Books, and anyone else who would like to do it!

#1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2017

Well… I was in a bit of a reading slump for a good part of the first half of the year so I didn’t read too many books but I’d have to say To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han! This book was on my TBR list for so long and I’m really glad I finally picked it up last month. I love the characters and I flew through the trilogy. It’s not often that I really have that “I can’t put this down!” feeling with contemporary novels but this book totally changed that!

(Honorable mention: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon)

#2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2017

Other than the Lara Jean series, I haven’t actually read any sequels this year (which is very unlike me!!!) I’ve mostly read stand alone novels so far so… onto the next question…

#3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to

THIS QUESTION IS DIFFICULT. Do you even know how long my TBR list is…? Ugh. But The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli is definitely one of my top books I want to read, as well as One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Luckily, I own a copy of Upside thanks to a book trade I did… then again, there’s over 30 books on my bookshelf that I haven’t read/finished yet. That’s not good.

#4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Another difficult question! I would say They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (but I have an ARC for this book so yay!) Other books that I am looking forward to are: If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, and Because You Love to Hate Me which is written by 13 authors paired with 13 BookTubers/Book Bloggers/bookish Internet people!

#5. Biggest disappointment

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. There was a lot of hype surrounding it and this book did not live up to it in my opinion! I liked the characters in it but the overall story really let me down.

#6. Biggest surprise

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. I feel like books portraying mental illness are usually a hit or miss for me and this one was definitely a hit!! The ending totally threw me off as well.

#7. Favorite new author

Adam Silvera – I discovered his books while I was doing BookCon planning and they are great! I now own all 3 of his books!

#8. Favorite new crush

Peter Kavinsky from the Lara Jean series. He definitely had his off moments but it was so clear how much he cared for Lara Jean and her family! What a lovable, sweet guy!!

#9. Favorite new characters

Even though I’m not done with it yet, I’ve been listening to Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella on audiobook and I really like Audrey, the main character! I find her very relatable.

#10. Book that made you cry

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han because it was really bittersweet when I finished the Lara Jean trilogy!

#11. Book that made you happy

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – this book was a win-win because of the Indian representation (which was long overdue for YA novels) and because the story itself was so cute! Also, Rishi is ~adorable~.

#12. Most beautiful books you’ve bought so far this year

I especially like Note to Self because it is a hardcover, but it didn’t have a dust jacket – the design was printed right onto the book! And since I always take the dust jacket off when I read hardcovers, I appreciate that!

#13. Books you need to read before the end of the year

Yikes… first I need to read the books that I own but haven’t read yet before thinking about other books! I am way behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge 😦

But some books I am especially looking forward to reading are: Things I’m Seeing Without You by Peter Bognanni; Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (which came out on January 3, so I’m a little late, but still); and A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck!

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If you’ve read any of the books I mentioned in this post, let me know your thoughts on them! Also, sorry for the lack of posting these last few weeks… but now that summer vacation is in full swing, I hope to be doing a lot more reading and a lot more blogging!

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

-Ashna

Today’s quote: “It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” -Albus Dumbledore (in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Philosopher’s Stone, which was 2 days ago!)