I’ve done this mid-year freakout tag every year that I’ve been blogging, and I always enjoy it. I’m still not quite sure where it originated, but I’ve seen it all over on a bunch of blogs. If you know where it came from, feel free to tag/link them in the comments. I’ve already finished 73 books this year. So, I’ve got plenty of great options to choose from for this tag. Let’s get started. 🙂
Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2026
I don’t think I’ve ever had a contemporary romance book take this top spot before. Last First Kiss by Julian Winters was just SO GOOD. Will it hang in there and be my top book of the year? Only time will tell, but maybe. See my review for all of my thoughts.
Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2026
I’ve been waiting for this book for years because it got delayed, and thankfully, it did not disappoint. The Dawn Throne by Tara Sim was an excellent continuation of this series with a tighter plot than the other installments. It set up the forthcoming final book brilliantly and left me yearning for more.
New Releases You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To
I feel like the general answer to this prompt is ALL OF THEM. lol. I managed to pick a few that are at the top of my list, though.
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden, The Bone Door by Frances White, The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn, Green & Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons, Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year
There are so many great releases coming in the latter half of 2026. It was extremely hard to pick one most anticipated release. I landed on The Salt King by Natasha Pulley because I’m a huge fan of the author. I’m very excited to see what cool ideas she’s come up with next. The synopsis sounds so fascinating, and I can’t wait to pick it up.
Biggest Disappointment
I enjoyed A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. So, I expected to love the sequel, too. Unfortunately, A Theory of Dreaming was such a huge disappointment. The story felt unnecessary and like it was torturing the FMC for no reason. The first book should have remained a standalone.
Biggest Surprise
While enjoyable enough, the first two books in this chosen-one fantasy trilogy didn’t really wow me. So, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from the final book, Forged for Royalty by Andrew Knighton. Needless to say, I was very surprised when it turned out to be my favorite book of the series. It had a great mix of action, politics, and found family, all while wrapping up the story in a satisfying way.
Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)
Hannah Kaner is my favorite new to me author. I recently read the entire Godkiller trilogy and loved all three books so much.
Newest Fictional Crush
This is probably the most unoriginal answer ever, but I can’t not choose Ilya Rozanov from Heated Rivalry.
Newest Favorite Character
Picking a favorite character out of over 70 books is SO hard. After much reflection, Harris Drover is that character for me. He was unabashedly authentic and managed to keep a positive outlook on life despite all the hardships thrown his way. I truly admire him and continue to think about him long after finishing the book. So, I cannot recommend Role Model by Rachel Reid enough.
A Book That Made You Cry
While this book did make me cry in some of its sadder moments, The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance also had me shedding some tears because of how much I absolutely adored these characters and their cozy found family.
A Book That Made You Happy
Dungeons and Drama was such a cute story, and it really made me smile so much.
The Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year
I really have no idea what to say for this prompt. I’ve procured so many beautiful books so far this year from Illumicrate, Owlcrate, The Broken Binding, Goldsboro, and other places. Even some of the deluxe editions from the publisher and Barnes & Noble have been stunning. Since I’m struggling with too many choices, I’m going to go with my most recent purchase, which was actually from a reseller. lol. I just finished reading A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross and loved it so much that I needed the new Illumicrate edition of the duology. So, I hopped on Mercari and made it happen.
Books You Need to Read By the End of the Year
There are so many, but here are a handful that I hope to get to this year…
Heartstopper Volume 6 by Alice Oseman, Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty, Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport, Witch Queen of Redwinter by Ed McDonald, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Favorite Book to Movie Adaptation
The television adaptation of Heated Rivalry is one of my favorite things that I’ve watched this year. The chemistry between the leads is fantastic, and I can’t wait for season two.
Well, those are my picks for the mid-year freakout tag. It’s been a pretty great year of books so far. As always, I’ve really enjoyed this tag! I tag anyone else who would like to complete it.
Nice post 🙂 I did this not long ago
I think my brain wiped out A Theory of Dreaming cos I totally forgot we read it this year 💀 Couldn’t agree more with what you said about it! Excited to see your answers for books that made you cry and happy as I’ve got both on my TBR and I recently bought all three of the Boyce books 😂 They just look so cute! Absolutely loved Hannah Kaner too and I’m so excited to get my hands on her new release. Hope you continue to have an awesome reading year, Chris!
I’ve had a very hot/cold year with contemporary romance. Also a super basic Ilya fanboy, and thrilled with how it’s put queer romance (that actually feels Queer!) in a spotlight. I did NOT realize that The Last First Kiss was going to be so high on your list! Based on the very long line I am in the library hold line though, it checks out.
I think you’d really enjoy How to Survive this Fairytale by SM Hallow, and it will make you cry so many tears. It was my favorite read last year, and is coming back in print next month!
Last First Kiss being my favorite of the year so far was a surprise to me, too. When I sat down and started looking through my ratings, it was a no brainer, though. It sucks the line is so long at the library, but I’m glad people are picking it up.
As for How to Survive This Fairytale, I’ve got the Rainbow Crate edition somewhere on my shelves. I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet… Story of my life. lol.