mid year freak out book tag 2021!

Hello, everyone!

I am so excited to be doing the Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag, as it has become a yearly tag in my blog and I love looking back onto my reads and also planning future ones for the rest of the year.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2020

Funnily enough, my favorite book of 2020 so far has been one I read all the way back in January and that is, of course none other than Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. This book was so hilarious, while discussing so many serious topics. I loved Maverick as a narrator and how the author showed how all of the things he had happening in his life explained his bad decisions. It’s definitely a relatable story, with so many heartfelt moments and funny dialogues. I have a full review up for it, if you want to check it out. I am so glad I gave this one a shot!

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020

As you guys know, I hardly ever read series and mostly read YA standalones, so I didn’t have a lot to pull from. Because of that, the only sequel I really had to talk about was Heartstopper (vol. 2 and 3). I am absolutely in love with this series now and so excited to watch the show, whenever that comes out. When I read the first installment, I just thought it was cute, but nothing special, and after reading the sequels, I realized how important this series is, with its great representation, the A+ communication the characters have with each other and the overall protection the author has with its audience by always providing trigger warnings.

New release(s) you haven’t read yet, but want to

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THIS WILL BE FUNNY SOMEDAY. I loved Katie Henry’s previous two books, Heretics Anonymous and Let’s Call It a Doomsday and this one seems to be amazing: it’s about a girl in stand-up comedy who’s lying to her new group of friends that she’s in college, when she’s still a high schooler.

I THINK I LOVE YOU. I think I’ll enjoy this a lot simply because it has rom-com references, which is my whole thing. It’s a lesbian, enemies-to-lovers romance, and while that is not my trope, this one seems to have the perfect summer vibes.

THAT WAY MADNESS LIES. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I have yet to read it. It’s an anthology inspired by Shakespeare and I’m so excited because of how many great authors we have here: Mark Oshiro, Dahlia Adler, K. Ancrum, etc.

Most anticipated release(s) for the second half of the year

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ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD. This one comes out on my birthday month, which I think is my true birthday gift. It’s not news that Ari & Dante is my favorite book in the world and I’ve been anticipating this sequel for so long. I can’t wait to cry my eyeballs off.

OUR WAY BACK TO ALWAYS. I didn’t *love* Nina Moreno’s debut, but this one is a friends to lovers second chance summer romance and while the cover reminds me of Episode (that app where you like act out Wattpad stories), I stil have hopes I’ll love it.

CAZADORA. I really said “stan latinx authors” with this answer. But this sequel to Lobizona is very anticipated by me, as the ending of the first book left a lot of questions to be answered and I’m looking forward to be reunited with Manu.

Biggest disappointment

It sucks to say but that will have to be Counting Down With You. I was very excited for this book, because it was a fake-dating romance, which is my biggest buzzword, and while I did enjoy the friend group and the anxiety rep, the actual romance was so disappointing. I found it to be very cliché and honestly quite cringey – they had no chemistry imo and the development of the relationship was so fast. I talked more about it in my Goodreads review, if you want to check it out.

Biggest surprise

Initially, I was shocked to even get early access to an ARC for Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. Being Brazilian, I don’t have access to Netgalley and the only arcs I’ve read before have been through blog tours, so imagine my shock when I opened my email one day and there it was! I am so thankful, especially because this story was amazing. I loved the found family, the romance, the atmosphere – it was so good and I highly recommend checking it out.

Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

A book that also took me by surprise this year was Boyfriend Material, and the one thing I loved the most was the writing. This book was so funny, like legit laugh-out-loud funny. I loved the banter between all the characters and it also had a lot of random pieces of information that were actually very interesting to read about, and while if this was any other book, I would’ve gotten tired of it, Alexis Hall did such an amazing job that I was in love even when they were going on about insects, lol. If they ever release more cute rom-coms in the future, you can expect I’ll be reading it!

Newest fictional crush

Y’all, it’s been a while since I last fell in love with a book character, tbh. I finished the Truly Devious series this year, so I think I’ll be repeating the same answer from 2019 – I love David a lot. He’s very weird, and very pretentious, and not really a good person sometimes, but I adore him. He’s mysterious and loves with all his heart, and feels things very intensely all the time. I just wanted to wrap him and protect him sometimes.

Newest favorite character

I’ve been very lucky this year, because I found myself having a hard time choosing just one character to answer here. But the one that swept me off my feet was Juliette, from These Violent Delights. I have a tendency to like male characters more, so I was quite surprised by how much I adored Juliette and never wanted to stop reading in her perspective. She’s determined and fierce and doesn’t let anyone get in her way. She also shows her vulnerability, and sometimes her impulsiveness takes away from her good decision-making, but I absolutely loved everything about her, even when she was being a bit of a dick.

Book that made you cry

That will have to be Dear Justyce, by Nic Stone. I didn’t expect to full-on cry like I did with this book, but it was so intense and heartfelt. This one is a sequel to Dear Martin and it focuses on the prison system and at-risk teens. It’s also phenomenally written, with so many deep quotes and a really great inside into Quan’s mental health issues. It has a beautiful and hopeful ending, which is probably what moved me the most. I can not recommend this one enough.

Book that made you happy

One I recently finished that just made me smile every time I picked it up was She Drives Me Crazy. This book was the sapphic teen-com of my dreams: it literally reads like 10 Things I Hate About You, with the phenomenal banter, the relevant social commentary and your typical teen fiction tropes that are very nostalgic and fun to read about. This book is a delight, with amazing characters, incredibly great writing, and it’s one I def expect to re-read many times in the future.

Your favorite book to movie/tv show that you’ve seen so far?

Uh, I mean, is there any other answer but Shadow & Bone?

Even though I was a bit confused, I loved the show. I am so excited for season 2 and for how we’ll get to see even more of this universe. I think they did an amazing job by intertwining the Crows’ story with Alina’s, and all the characters are so charismatic and easy to connect with.

Not to mention the couples & ships that had me DYING as I watched it. What a great time.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

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DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER. Jesus Christ, I still have not read this book. This is really embarrassing at this point. I adored the first Darius the Great in 2019, and I still have not picked up the sequel for some reason.

VERONA COMICS. This is clearly inspired by Romeo & Juliet, but it’s about two rival indie comic stores and their workers who begin to fall in love? I have never read anything by Jennifer Dugan before, but I’m still excited.

AN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE THING. This book is raved by literally everyone in the community and my sister keeps insisting I need to pick it up. It shall happen in 2021!

Friends, let me know in the comments: what’s your favorite book you’ve read so far this year? What are you anticipating for the rest of 2021? And do you have a favorite book adaptation of the year?