Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag 2021!

Another half-year where I continue the tradition of the Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag. Check out my earlier posts back in 2020, and 2019.

Here are the questions for the Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag:

WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2021?

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. This contemporary/romance book was so good and different than most contemporaries I’ve read. What struck me most was how different it was, but still relatable to the average viewer. Stella and Michael are the cutest couple ever, and the Vietnamese culture was interesting to dive into. – FULL REVIEW 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Published by Allen & Unwin on June 3, 2019
Pages: 328
Goodreads

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE SEQUEL OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR?

Heartstopper Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman is the only sequel I can think of. It was so cute and showed the complications and questions dealing with questioning your sexuality. Nick and Charlie remind me of how I was in high school, questioning everything in life because you’re scared to be who you are. As a straight ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, I thought it was my duty to read and support more LGBT Reads, especially when we just had Pride Month in June! 

Heartstopper 1 by Alice Oseman
on May 5, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Social Themes, Dating & Sex
Pages: 288
Goodreads

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out.
"Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book." -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry OnShy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance.
But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.

IS THERE A NEW RELEASE THAT YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED FOR?

Better Together by Christine Riccio. To be honest, I didn’t really like her first book Again, But Better. I thought it had a lot of plot holes that didn’t make sense, and the story wasn’t well developed. But it was entertaining enough for me to recognize Christine’s potential as a writer, and as a Booktuber I have been following since the beginning. So that makes me want to give her second book a try!

Better Together by Christine Riccio
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on June 1, 2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Family, Siblings, Girls & Women, Coming of Age
Pages: 400
Goodreads

Freaky Friday meets The Parent Trap in New York Times bestselling author Christine Riccio's Better Together, a sparkling and heartfelt story about sisters, second chances, finding romance, and finding yourself.
Jamie’s an aspiring standup comic in Los Angeles with a growing case of stage anxiety.
Siri’s a stunning ballerina from New Jersey nursing a career-changing injury.
They’ve both signed up for the same session at an off the grid Re-Discover Yourself Retreat in Colorado. When they run into each other, their worlds turn upside down.
Jamie and Siri are sisters, torn apart at a young age by their parent's volatile divorce. They’ve grown up living completely separate lives: Jamie with their Dad and Siri with their Mom. Now, reunited after over a decade apart, they hatch a plot to switch places. It’s time they get to know and confront each of their estranged parents.
With an accidental assist from some fortuitous magic, Jamie arrives in New Jersey, looking to all the world like Siri, and Siri steps off her flight sporting a Jamie glamour.
The sisters unexpectedly find themselves stuck living in each other's shoes. Soon Siri's crushing on Jamie's best friend Dawn. Jamie's falling for the handsome New Yorker she keeps running into, Zarar. Alongside a parade of hijinks and budding romance, both girls work to navigate their broken family life and the stresses of impending adulthood.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR?

I’m not good with keeping up with new releases, but another book that just came out that I’m excited for is Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, and Love is a Revolution by Renée Watson. Both books sound like they’d be a lot of fun and romantic to read. Anything with Black women in romance is a plus for me! 

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Published by Random House Children's Books on June 1, 2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Emotions & Feelings, New Experience, Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 304
Goodreads

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The critically acclaimed author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star is back with her eagerly anticipated third novel. With all the heart and hope of her last two books, this is an utterly unique romance.
Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.
As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.
Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT SO FAR?

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I’m still so sad about that book being such a drag for me. It’s a companion series to her first book, The Kiss Quotient, so there are character cameos from there in this new one, but not even that was enough to impress me. The overall story seemed too good to be true, and Khai and Esme’s journey together seemed very rushed. It sucks that I didn’t like it, because I was very much looking forward to reading it. 

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Published by Jove on 2019
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 300
Goodreads

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Kiss Quotient comes a romantic novel about love that crosses international borders and all boundaries of the heart...
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions--like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better--that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working...but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.
With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR?

Don’t really know how to answer this one, so skip!

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE NEW TO YOU, OR DEBUT, AUTHOR?

Elise Bryant (Happily Ever Afters)

Tracy Deonn (Legendborn)

Kalynn Bayron (Cinderella is Dead)

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on July 7, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Adaptations, Girls & Women, Young Adult, Love & Romance, Action & Adventure, General
Pages: 400
Goodreads

"Wholly original and captivating." - Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of A Curse So Dark and LonelyGirls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that's perfect for fans of Dhonielle Clayton and Melissa Albert.
It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they've been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE LOVE STORY FROM THIS YEAR?

It’s a tie between Diana and Matthew from A Discovery of Witches, and Lei and Wren from Girls of Paper and Fire. Both books are kinda old, but I loved each of the characters’ relationships with each other. 

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?

I don’t really have an ultimate favorite at the moment.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?

I don’t wanna sound heartless, but no book has made me cry yet! I’m actually surprised since I cry at the drop of a hat.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?

A lot of books made me happy this year, but the one that really made me was Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones. Every publication of hers makes me smile or uplifts my spirit, but this one has made me want to face my fears! Her stories and advice are so funny and they always teach a lesson without being preachy or mushy. 

Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Published by Penguin on 2021
Genres: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Personal Memoirs, Inspiration & Personal Growth, Self-Help, Motivational & Inspirational, Social Science, Popular Culture
Pages: 304
Goodreads

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the New York Times bestselling author of I'm Judging You, a hilarious and transformational book about how to tackle fear--that everlasting hater--and audaciously step into lives, careers, and legacies that go beyond even our wildest dreams
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is known for her trademark wit, warmth, and perpetual truth-telling. But even she's been challenged by the enemy of progress known as fear. She was once afraid to call herself a writer, and nearly skipped out on doing a TED talk that changed her life because of imposter syndrome. As she shares in Professional Troublemaker, she's not alone.
We're all afraid. We're afraid of asking for what we want because we're afraid of hearing "no." We're afraid of being different, of being too much or not enough. We're afraid of leaving behind the known for the unknown. But in order to do the things that will truly, meaningfully change our lives, we have to become professional troublemakers: people who are committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say to live free.
With humor and honesty, and guided by the influence of her professional troublemaking Nigerian grandmother, Funmilayo Faloyin, Luvvie walks us through what we must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us; how to use our voice for a greater good; and how to put movement to the voice we've been silencing--because truth-telling is a muscle.
The point is not to be fearless, but to know we are afraid and charge forward regardless. It is to recognize that the things we must do are more significant than our fears. This book is about how to live boldly in spite of all the reasons we have to cower. Let's go!

YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK TO MOVIE/ TV SHOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN SO FAR?

Shadow & Bone was really good book to show adaptation on Netflix! I’d only read a bit of the book, but it was too confusing, so I stopped reading and watched the show instead. Watching the show gave me a better glimpse of what the book was supposed to represent. The worldbuilding was very vast and the characters were more fleshed out. Mal and Alina aka Malina are OTP!! The Darkling is the best villain. The magic system could have been explained better, like why the Shu Han clan are so ostracized from society. I can’t wait for season 2 next year. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE POST THAT YOU’VE WRITTEN SO FAR THIS YEAR?

Coming out of another blogging hiatus was the best part of my year, so here are some of my favorite posts from this year:

Patreon’s Choice: where my family picked out their favorite books. I had never involved my fam into anything I do for my blog, so for them to participate was kinda fun. 

My Therapy Journey: A lot of people resonated with this post because it was extremely personal to me. I had never thought about going to therapy for anxiety, depression and loneliness, but talking to my first therapist was really helpful in getting all of my thoughts out. I’m currently with a new therapist now, and it’s weird having to start my story over.

My Writing Journey: Another one that stuck with a lot of readers. I’ve shared parts of my writing journey, but I hadn’t written a full post on how I got started, and where I’m at now. It was good to look back and see how far I’ve come, and how far I still have to go.

WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK THAT YOU HAVE BOUGHT?

I don’t always buy books; I often read via subscriptions like Scribd and Audible, and borrow from my local library and Overdrive. But I did buy Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, which I thought had a beautiful cover! 

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Published by Feiwel & Friends on June 1, 2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Thrillers & Suspense, General, People & Places, United States, African American & Black, Romance, LGBTQ, Social Themes, Prejudice & Racism
Pages: 432
Goodreads

Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully.
All you need to know is . . . I’m here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. —Aces
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

WHAT ARE 6 BOOKS THAT YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

I mostly want to finish Ace of Spades, Midnight Sun, Professional Troublemaker, Happily Ever Afters, Cinderella is Dead, and Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Published by Simon and Schuster on December 3, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Historical, Europe, Action & Adventure, General
Pages: 544
Goodreads

The #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller is now available at an incredible low price for a limited time only!
Discover the “compulsively readable” (Booklist) first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series! Clockwork Angel is a Shadowhunters novel.
When Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks, and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length…everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world…and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Patreon Shout-Outs

Thank you for supporting my Patreon Page: John Reid

The full, unedited version of this post is available on my Patreon. Visit for more exclusive, creative writing and poetry content! Also visit my introductory post on Patreon here.

Some posts include: Why I’m Not Job-Hunting (at least not yet); Poems of the Day; Choose a topic for me to write about on the blog

Don’t want to support monthly? Check out my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/poetrybooksya

Comment below! Your Turn! What are some books you recommend for the Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag?

Thanks for reading,