★★★★☆ |Remember to get yourself a ghost boyfriend this autumn!!
Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Release Date: September 1st, 2020
Pages: 352
Genres: Paranormal Romance| LGBT | YA
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💀 m/m
💀 trans boy rep
💀 Latinx rep
💀 brujos (witches)
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
All Saints day is also important to me and honestly my favourite celebration. Of course, in Poland we don’t go as wild with it as the brujx in the book or latinx in real life, however, I can certainly relate to liking the way the cemetery looks at night with thousands of little lights making the first days of November a little warmer.
So I was certainly very excited to receive this eARC from Edelweiss+!
And it did not disappoint me — it warmed my heart!!!
Oh, sure, it crushed it too and made me cry for a number of chapters (as I recently got used to audiobooks, it’s so hard to cry and read at the same time!! I used to do that All The Time?? How??) because I couldn’t keep my boys (and Maritza) safe.
But all in all it was a beautiful story about growing as a community, celebration of life and death, young love, and two brave boys (and Maritza).
I absolutely loved how motivated Yadriel was to be a part of his community properly. How devoted he was to his traditions. How determined he was to solve the mystery and prove himself.
I loved how Julian brought life to this story despite being the ghost boy. I loved his dimples and his quick laugh. How ride or die he was for his friends and family.
I loved Maritza and her crazy hair. How loyal she was to Yadriel. How she was ready to give up a part of herself to stick to her convictions. Her understanding and fierceless love for Yadriel.
The story might have been a little predictable and felt like a debut but those characters have my heart and the spirit of the story will stay with me for a long time.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Aiden Thomas is a YA author with an MFA in Creative Writing. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. As a queer, trans, latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, Harry Potter trivia, Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.
Their debut novel, CEMETERY BOYS, will be published June 9th, 2020.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17960047.Aiden_Thomas
Website: https://www.aiden-thomas.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aidenschmaiden
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidenschmaiden/
FAVOURITE QUOTES
- Have you read this book? Are you going to?
- How do you celebrate the dead in your culture?
AAAAAAAAAA One of my most anticipated releases of 2020!!! I love paranormal story. Add to that LGBT and romance and I’m sure gonna check it out. Also I’d love to learn more about other cultures especially when it comes to celebrating the dead 😊
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I love paranormal as well!! I’m more used to reading Adult paranormal but CB was great! And learning more about another culture sure is a plus 😉 Hope you’ll enjoy it when you get to it!! ❤
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Great review, E! I’ve pre-ordered this one and I can’t wait for it to land in my mailbox (although it’ll probably take ages lol) 😀 sounds like the characters really won you over!
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Thank you, Dini! You won’t be disappointed with this one! It’s worth the wait! The characters really are precious cinnamon rolls and it’s super easy to get attached ❤ Thanks for visiting!!
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oh great this didn’t disappoint! And that it moved you so much! Even if it was a little predictable, sounds really memorable. Awesome review!
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Yes! After reading a certain amount of books most stories are predictable so memorable is what counts! Thank you ❤
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I’m so excited for this booook!! So glad you enjoyed it (I’ll probably cry too, hahaha) and those quotes sound great – I especially like the one about how there’s no way Yadriel is the first person who doesn’t fit into heteronormative boxes.
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Yay!! You’re in for a treat!! Thanks, it’s good to cry sometimes!! No worries 😀 YESS!! It’s so important to remember we’re not alone in the history and that we always existed!! Thank you for visiting!! ❤
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I really need to read Cemetery Boys!! And fun fact, your schedule date is the 1st day of GHOST month! Totally fits the theme and I love that. 👻 I’m so happy you love the book!
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You do!! It’s so precious!! Ohh! NICE! That’s spooky and fitting 👻 👻 👻 Thank you for visiting!! ❤
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Those quotes though, E!!! 😍😍😍😍 And YESS!! The ones that crush your heart and gladden it simultaneously ARE THE BEST ONESSSS EVERRR!!! 😍😍 And this one sounds exactly like that and I AM 1000000000% HERE FOR THAT!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Lovely review, E! AS ALWAYSSS!! 😍😍❤️❤️
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Haha, I’ve been told that the last one is the best 😀 (it’s even better if you know what moment in the book I’m referencing but that’s a secret)
YESSS!! Ghost romance is always heart crushing, at least for me!! 👻 👻 👻 But I couldn’t do without HEA!!
Thank you, RAIN!! ❤ ❤ ❤
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😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Random thought – I AM SOOO READY FOR CHRISTMAS! 🤣🤣🤣❄️☃️
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Haha! I’m not the most festive person but I do miss wearing coats 😀
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xD 😉 ❤ ❤
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I love your review and am so glad you enjoyed it so much! I read this recently as I will be part of a blog tour soon, and it was one of my favorite reads of 2020 for sure. I agree it was a bit predictable, but that never lessened my enjoyment. I love all these characters so much!
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Thank you, Lindsey! 🙂 Predictable doesn’t always mean bad — I’m glad we agree. I would rather read a predictable book with an amazing cast than the other way round!
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I can’t believe this is coming out soon! I feel like I’ve been waiting for it forever!
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Right?? It’s probably because of the quarantine thing. Messed up our perception of time AND got everything scheduled later
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Definitely blaming it on that aha
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Great review!! I am so freaking excited to read this 😍😍😍
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Thank you!! I hope you love it as well!! ❤
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