Saint Juniper's Folly is a horror-lite coming of age book and I adore it. Generally speaking, if you give me some queer kids and magic, I am sold. Add in that some of those queer kids are also Latine? More sold.
This story follows three point of view characters, Jaime, Theo, and Taylor, whose lives intertwine when Jaime finds himself trapped in a haunted house and only Theo and Taylor can save him. Each of the characters feels individuated, and their motives make sense, but it is important to note that their motivations make sense because they are teenagers. Sometimes teenagers are incredibly complex creatures, but more often, their desires and motivations are pretty straight-forward, and the latter tends to be the case for these particular characters.
There is a sprinkling of very wholesome romance and self-realization in this that I loved, and I kind of adore how sweet the route the author took for this was.
Beyond that, I was actually not quite expecting some of the turns that this novel took later on, and I think that that definitely increased my enjoyment. While, as a thirty-something person, I am not quite the target demographic for this book, I do think that it is going to be the perfect book for a lot of people.

This was a cute little YA book. I thought it was going to be about a haunted house, and I was a little disappointed to find out that wasn't exactly the case. However, the message of the book was pretty good, that sometimes we are what is haunted. It was a little juvenile and slow to get into, but I really did come to love all three main characters and their dynamic together.

This book definitely give The Cemetery Boys x Haunting of Bly Manor vibes with the eerie atmosphere from an abandoned empty house in a middle of creepy woods with witchcraft and spells as well!

This book follows three different main characters – Jaime, Taylor and Theo.
They form a friendship after Theo accidentally met Jamie who was trapped in an abandoned house deep in the woods. Figuring out there’s something supernatural involved, Theo asked for Taylor’s help who happened to come from a long line of witches.

I really enjoy the mystery element as the three main characters set out to find the answer to what’s keeping Jaime from leaving the house. And the answer at the end of the book really surprised me!

Not just covering the mystery, the romance blooming between Theo and Jaime is also delightful. It’s sweet and cute, it progresses slowly as they keep spending enough time together.

Each character is unique and has their own problem to solve and through this mysterious event each of them ended up discover something for themselves.
Although, sometimes at the middle of a chapter I can forget which POV I’m reading so I need to go back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself.

Overall, for a debut novel this is a really good heart-warming story which comes with a satisfying ending!
It’s enjoyable, entertaining and perfectly suitable for teens who wanted to read a book for the spooky season!
Definitely will keep an eye out for the next book from this author in the future!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Confinement, blood, grief, death, animal death, child abuse, brief mention of murder and racism

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

I loved that this book mixed romance with a tad of haunting thrill! Seriously, how could you not like the main characters (Jamie, Theo, and Taylor) their individual stories were moving and at times emotional and I enjoyed watching the bond deepen over time. The magical elements of the story were a plus and Taylor was fantastic in her role. Overall, this was a pleasantly surprising read!

I got lost a few times, but I liked the overall vibe of this book. The characters were compelling, and it's a good Halloween-feel YA.

3.5 stars

This story has a great flow, it's easy to read & get into.
The first half of the book is very character and the last half is more supernatural plot, I do wish that the two had mixed more. Hey, I wouldn't have been made if this was longer so the supernatural/magic storyline had more progression -in my opinion.

However, I adore the characters, their relationships & their character arcs. An outstanding job was done with them and you cant help but I love them. A great LGBTQ+ READ!

Thank you, NetGalley, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Jaime didn't want to return to Saint Juniper, to a past he's been trying to forget for over eight years and where everyone knows about his business. So he hides in the woods, Saint Juniper's Folly and he doesn't return.
For Theo, instead, the city means being stuck and he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in a dull existence. That's until he went to the woods too and stumbles into a haunted house with a handsome boy physically trapped inside it.
As for Taylor, she struggles to practice her magic her dad banned since her witch mother died. That's until Theo comes looking for a witch, asking for help to save a trapped boy.

I fell in love with this peculiar, funny and creepy book since the description: Cemetery Boys meets The haunting of Bly Manor. How could I say no?
This lovely paranormal and queer romance is absolutely amazing! I loved everything in this book. The characters are wonderfully perfect and complex with their struggles, fears, desires and loves and I did love how they bond together and they have to face their own demons in order to save themselves and those they love.
It's a book about magic and powers, about haunted houses and handsome boys, about found family and friendships, ghosts and their powers. It's both a creepy and thrilling book, a loving story about love and family and a paranormal one. I truly enjoyed this book!

I really loved this. I loved having the three different POVs of the characters. I liked the romance, too. I just wish we had gotten a little more information regarding Jamie’s powers. I definitely want to pick up more from this author in the future.

This was a really cute queer romance set in a small mysterious town, with an interesting mystery to solve as well. Told in three POVs, we meet Theo and Taylor as they race against time to discover why new to town Jaime is trapped inside the strange house in Saint Juniper.

I loved that a lot of the magic in this was tied up in emotions, especially Taylor, who's mother passed away and her father responded by banning Taylor from accessing her books and magic, something Taylor sees as her birthright.

I did want more from Anna, who was an odd character. When she was introduced I was so sure she was going to be the fun sidekick for Taylor, but she kinda disappeared after a few chapters, only appearing occasionally and I completely missed what her whole issue with Theo even was.

This story has solid Stranger Things vibes and is easily one of the strongest small town mystery books I've ever read, I was really invested in the romance and finding out just what was keeping Jaime inside the house. Everything was solved really well, and the final scenes were so emotional they kept me speeding through the pages!

a great paranormal romance that keeps you hooked

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this review copy.

Saint Juniper’s Folly is a very sweet and minimally creepy read. While the POVs all kind of blend together, the story is still enjoyable. It’s deeply satisfying to watch the characters grow, and the romance and friendships develop. And the dedication! “For every queer kid who feels trapped in a life that feels too small and cruel for their big heart. It only gets better from here on out”. I’ll admit, it made me tear up. All in all, a surprisingly heartwarming and slightly spooky book!

This book is such an incredible one and so far, every pick I had from Peachtree has been amazing.
But back to the book itself: I cannot describe the vibes in words but it builds up nicely to the spookier parts. You can grasp how the creepiness of the Folly has an effect on all characters and it is so interesting to witness how this story unfolds.

PS: Yes, I will and want to buy this book and add physically to my collection.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for spooky haunted house books so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

Peach Tree Teen is quickly becoming one of my indie houses to watch. I've enjoyed so many of their books and both their authors and editor's have incredible taste. This was cute and queer, and perfect for scaredy-cats. As a religious horror reader this was something that felt almost cozy, but is also a good introduction into the genre for teens (the intended audience). It's a perfect read for spooky season!

This one was exactly what it promised to be: a book for us queer ones feeling lost. A good comparison for me is seeing this as Heartstopper but make it spooky. Imagine Lockwood & Co but with a (queer) romance.

This was short, adorable and perfect.

easy plot to follow and very enjoyable characters! perfect book for teens or younger to read a mystery thriller without diving too deep into those genres!

A very good read ! Spooky (but not too much) as I like it ! The comparisons between Cemetery Boys and The Haunting of Bly Manor are well find !

I didn’t quite finish this before it expired from my netgalley shelf but it was a very cute read, what I got through. I’ll be purchasing this on my own to finish because I truly did like what I had read. The story is good for both Pride month and Halloween. I agree with past reviewers that it gave Cemetery Boys vibes, while providing a very different story. It’s a good read for those who want something Halloweeny, without it being outright horror.

I honestly don't have much to say. Personally I think that was good reads, just not for me. The romance queer is cute and friendships the three characters also.
The problem is:
1. While this the character are teens, it reads very youngs.
2. Some situacions are ridiculous, implausible and odd.
3. All adults in this novel are negative cliche of abstent/villanous

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I only read about 40% of this book before the book expired on my Netgalley shelf app, BUT I was loving it so much that I got the audiobook with my last audible credit so I could restart from the beginning and finish this. I love what I've read and I'm so glad I found the author on Twitter talking about this book back in March for the Trans Rights Readathon.

Perfect book for spooky season.