How is it almost the end of summer? I AM SO READY FOR HALLOWEEN Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger tagged me in this super cute tag, and though it’s taken me a hot minute to get to it, I’m finally here and soaking up the last of summer’s sunshine.

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The Rules:

• Link back to the original creator in your post.
• Feel free to use any of the tag graphics in your post, or create your own!
• Tag 5 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them.

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Not only does Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno take places by the water, it’s set on an island. It’s also such a good summer read, and it’s full of gorgeous writing. I think back on this back a lot. It’s got some heavy topics, but it handles them in such a powerful and empowering way that I just want to give it a standing ovation over and over.

Well, damn if Karou and Akiva don’t have a fiery romance right from the start that quickly devolves into, aw shucks, a war. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor has been flagged as insta-love a lot, and while that’s mildly true, it’s also kind of not since Karou and Akiva definitely do have that instant spark, but then take a step back to evaluate their relationship to one another pretty quickly after that. Also, jfc, that cover is awful.

Hi yes, I’m here to scream about Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy all over again. Is it one of the best 2019 books so far? UM YEAH. It also includes one hell of a journey that involves a lot of planet-hopping, and I am Here For It. (And the sequel? Can I have it now, please?)

I don’t know if starstruck is the right word for what The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Krauss did to me, but it definitely left me in a state of book hangover and holy shit what did I just read. Every time I see it on my shelf, though, I give this little sigh of contentment, so maybe starstruck was the right word for my initial reaction.

I have a very unique relationship with K. Ancrum’s books, which are that I’ve read both of them in one sitting and they nearly destroyed me. The Weight of Stars was a book that I intended to not read as I had The Wicker King, and I did my best, I swear. I read about half during the day, and then proceeded to think about it for the rest of the day until I finally got home and plopped down to finish it.

Am I going to reread Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi for the third time in just barely over a year? I MIGHT. It has not only the sweetest romance, but the most heartbreaking. Like, buckle up, friends, this is gonna hurt, and it’s gonna be great.

All of C.J. Redwine’s books in the retelling series are a breath of fresh air, but The Blood Spell was particularly wonderful because it had a main female lead that literally had no time for the main male lead’s bullshit to the point where she made him reconsider how his behavior might be construed poorly, and he made positive steps forward to not be a jerk.

Let’s all have a moment of silence for the way Nahri roasted the King into absolute oblivion in The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. Because if anyone’s overcome an obstacle, it’s Nahri. Not only does she overcome approximately eighteen million obstacles in this sequel, though, she also sets fire to anyone’s assumptions about her and just delivers their ass straight back to them.

Okay, so, you want to know something that absolutely grinds my gears? NO ONE EVER EATS IN YA NOVELS! EVER! WHY ARE YOU NOT ALL DEAD? Seriously, it’s bizarre. When I was coming up with this list, I didn’t want to list Six of Crows since the only food they ever talk about is waffles, but I could not think of a single other book where food has any kind of mention. But then! I remembered that I spent half of Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody absolutely starving (and the other half fearing for the characters) because she took typical carnival food and elevated it in very simple ways to make it stand out, and I am very thankful for it because none of her characters died of starvation. They might be the only ones in the history of YA.

Wait, also, oh my god, as I was tagging Amanda’s name, I realized her last name is Foody, so. I’m proud of myself for picking her book without even thinking of that.

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Tagging people makes my stress bucket tendencies want to curl up and hide, so consider yourself tagged if you want to do this fun list!