This book was so wonderful! I loved the complexities of all of the relationships. While I didn't find it scary, there was a good deal of tension as readers got to know the characters more intimately. The ending is happy and I didn't want it to end.

Cemetery Boys was one of my top reads of 2020. I adored every single second of this book. It made me eager to read every page. Aiden’s writing style, the lovable characters and engaging plot kept me interested in every little moment. I cried and laughed my way through it and it was so enjoyable I will be recommending this book to literally everyone. I’ve made a point to feature it on displays in the store because I want everybody to experience the joy I did reading it.

This was a wonderful and important book. The love story was sweet but not overwhelmingly so. The plot was quick paced and fun, and the representation in this book is really important.

I need to start this review by telling you to read this book. I will forget all of the small beautiful details that make it so breathtaking and so it no justice here. Cemetery Boys is a ghost story and a story about magic and a story about community and a story about coming of age. The protagonist is trans and has major anxiety his best friend is a vegan who won’t do blood magic. They accidentally summon a ghost with ADHD. And not one of them is drawn one dimensionally. The characters make you fall in love with them because the are full of flaws and good intentions. Almost everyone gets the opportunity at redemption here which leads to my only and very slight criticism. To give everyone the chance to be their best selves the plot ends up a little tight and slightly contrived at the end. I don’t imagine you’ll mind though. Because everything else about it is bright and sharp and wonderful and who can resist a book where characters get what they need?

I fell in love with this book within the first chapter. Aiden Thomas wrote such an incredible book that you immediately feel attached to. It has been a long time since I have read a book where each character I love to read about, not matter what, ranging from the main characters to two pitbull dogs.

This book is powerful on some many levels. From the important LGBTQA+ representation, the main one being Yadriel who is transgender, to the traditional Latinx family that will not allow Yadriel to perform the ritual to become a brujo. Yadriel spends the book trying to prove himself as a brujo to his family, showing that no matter what Lady Death will still accept him. On this path, Yadriel summons the ghost of Julian, who does not want to leave until he figures out his friends are ok and what happened to him.

It was a heartwarming and powerful ownvoices story. I will be recommending this to each and everyone person I can, no matter their age. This is one of the books that I believe will have such an impact on both LGBTQA+ books and Latinx books, as well as literature in general.

This story reminded me of Coco and Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega. I really liked that the main character was told by a transgender point of view. I haven't read a lot of books that the main character is transgender and really enjoyed getting some great rep for it. For me, the book's pace was quite slow. But that being said I was expecting more of a ghost/paranormal mystery story than a love story. I guess it's my bad for not being more informed on the book. I wished it moved a bit faster at times. I did enjoy the traditions and the brujx magic. I thought it was very different from other books I've read. Would recommend.

Fans of Pixar's Coco and Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book will revel in the details of this queer romantic mystery that touches on themes of sexual identity, coming of age, and finding one's place in a community even when you don't conform to everyone's expectations.

I received a complimentary copy of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas from Swoon Reads through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Cemetery Boys came out in September 2020!
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Yadriel wants to claim his place among the brujos, but his traditional Latinx family hasn't allowed him to perform the ritual to become a brujo because he's transgender. Yadriel and his best friend Maritza perform the ritual in secret and Lady Death grants Yadriel the powers of a brujo. Although Lady Death has accepted him, Yadriel knows it might be harder to convince his family. He searches for his murdered cousin, knowing his family can't deny he's a brujo if he summons and releases his cousin's spirit. Instead of his cousin Miguel, Yadriel ends up summoning the spirit of his schoolmate Julian. Yadriel agrees to help Julian check on his loved ones and tie off loose ends before releasing his spirit. But the more time they spend together, the less Yadriel wants to let Julian go.
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This book is phenomenal. The representation is beautiful and perfectly handled! The Latinx roots of the story are vibrant and permeate the whole tale. Yadriel is a fantastic trans character who I adored, and I just wanted nothing but the best for him. Julian is perfectly imperfect and feels so real. He reminded me of some guys I knew in high school. Overall, this book pretty much ties with Felix Ever After for best trans rep this year in my opinion. I will admit that I saw the big reveal coming, but it's YA so that didn't hurt the story for me. I only wish the story had taken place over a longer stretch of time and developed some of the side characters more thoroughly. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for excellent Latinx and trans representation (as well as ghosts and graveyards)!

I adored this book. It's an amazing combination of riveting fantasy plot and real life experience. The protagonist is a transgender Latinx teenager, who wants to be true to himself but also wants his family to love and support him, as family is so crucial in Latinx cultures. It was fascinating to read about how gendered languages make the transgender experience even more complicated to navigate. The protagonist and other characters are relatable, sarcastic and funny, and so very real in their emotions.

In addition to this wealth of educational value and/or #ownreader potential, the story just has a fantastic plot. The protagonist belongs to a community of brujas and brujos responsible for ensuring the safe passage of souls, and in the process of trying to prove himself as a brujo, the protagonist goes through the initiation ceremony on his own. Then, there's essentially a murder mystery to solve with tons of action. I enjoyed all of references to Día de los Muertos and the process of preparing for the festivities.

Really just a stunning debut. This will be going on my list of favorite reads of 2020.

Note this is not a final review, as I am still waiting on the physical copy before posting a more polished review to social media channels.

I can’t decide what I loved most about Cemetery Boys—the plot, the exotic magic or the sweet love story.

What I can say is that if you read one coming-of-age-and-into-your-skin story, this one should be it.

All the stars, Aiden. All the stars.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. I really loved everything about it. It's such a charming story with the most lovable characters -- characters who are unapologetically queer and whose queerness is central to the story but isn't the only thing that defines them. I can't recommend this book enough!

I loved this book. The relationships and romance are amazing and the representation is great. I really liked how Thomas never felt the need to info dump, rather instead trusting the reader to understand the context of topics discussed. Thomas also never translated the Spanish used in this book; once again trusting the reader.

One of my favorite reads of the year.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me.

I loved the storyline and the characters. It just didn't feel like my book.

I love the diversity and the representation in this book. I feel like a lot of people will feel seen (in a good way) while reading this.

I was excited for this book and was not disappointed. It begins and finished strong with characters that are culturally relevant and feel real.
The writing style was smooth and the cultural aspects helped to set the scenes and really played well with the overall style of the book itself.
Characters were true to their heritage without falling flat or feeling as if they were culturally appropriated. The storyline was solid and held up to the end.

This is a great book for a classroom to get hesitant readers interested in something that may feel relevant to them and has a bit of a fantasy spin to it.

Yadriel is a brujo, no matter what his family says. He comes from a long line of brujx; traditionally, women are healers, and the men can summon the dead (to put it simply). Because Yadriel is trans*, his family won't give him the brujo initiation rights they'd give to other men in the family. He plans to perform the initiation ceremony on his own by summoning his newly dead relative Miguel, but whoops, he summons someone else by mistake--a kid from his school named Julian. Julian doesn't know how he died and says that Yadriel can put him to rest if he helps him solve this mystery and tie up loose ends. And so the adventure begins!

I really enjoyed this book! It took me a lot longer to read this book than it normally would (my mood, not the book), but each time I picked it up, I loved what I was reading and had no problem getting back into the text. The plot was well-developed and well-paced. There were lots of family members, but each one had identifiable traits and personalities, and the plot was packed with intrigue. I will definitely add Aiden Thomas's next book to my tbr list!

I could not put this book down. What a wonderful mix of Latinx culture and fantasy! I loved everything about this book, although I did find it a little predictable. The story was so engaging I was able to put my predictions aside. Great characters who literally jumped off the page for me, especially the spirits! Deserving of the National Book Award nomination for sure!

This was just what I needed this month. It was lovely to read and gave me a break from my daily stresses. Yadriel won my heart pretty much immediately. He's trying so hard to prove himself to his family and the other brujx. I loved the relationship he has with his cousin Maritza and of course the interesting relationship that is brewing with the ghost Yadriel has accidentally summoned.

It is a bit of a comedy in spite of the high stakes and seriousness of the mystery, supernatural activities and family matters. There is also a delightful bit of romance.

Altogether, this is simply a lovely, slightly creepy, romp that I was so glad to get my hands on during stay at home orders. Highly recommended.

This #ownvoices novel is sure to delight YA fantasy fans and anyone searching for a coming-of-age story filled with magic, (a little bit of mayhem), and heart.

Do you know what book I needed in my life? An LGBTQ+ Latinx ghost romcom. Luckily, Aiden Thomas has blessed us with exactly that book. If you want a spoopy book to read this time of year, "Cemetery Boys" needs to be on your radar and your tbr.

It’s been awhile since I read a ghost book, and that lore combined with Latinx and brujx culture was so interesting and captivating. We learn a lot about what it means to be a brujx, and how each character responds to and relates to the community and beliefs. The mystery element is awesome, and fun to try to figure out along with our cast of characters.

The characters are all so amazing. Yadriel is such a compelling, well-written character. He’s struggling to be accepted by his family and brujx community as a boy and as a brujo since he came out as trans. I really felt for him and rooted for him from the first page. His arc really grounds the story, and his story is so so important. Everyone should read this for that alone.

Also, Yadriel’s cousin Maritza is awesome. I loved seeing their relationship; she supports him and loves him unconditionally, and they have a lot of fun together too. Julian, the book’s resident Casper, was not what I expected when we first met him (in the best way). He adds some comedy and thus balances the book’s more serious topics and moments.

But what about the romance, you ask? Yadriel and Julian contrast really nicely on the page. They have very different personalities in some ways, but that made for awesome banter and cuteness overload. I dare you not to smile whilst reading their interactions. It’s impossible. It’s definitely more of a slow burn romance, but it’s too cute for words.

If you’re asking yourself what book you should read as we get closer to spooky season, "Cemetery Boys" is the answer. It’s cute, compelling, important, and there’s a GHOST ROMANCE. Do yourself a favour and give this a read. (But really, read it any time of the year if this sounds like your cup of tea).

I greatly enjoyed the journey that this book takes you with its cast of interesting characters. Not just the fact that main character is trans but the ghosts, and the brujo/bruja world was just absolutely fabulous. A lot of effort went into the building of this world and I think it paid off.

With all of that being said I found the ending/villian very predictable. In fact I figured out almost all of it early on. However, I would definitely still recommend this book to others.