
Cemetery Boys
Reviews

Loved the lore and the familial structure of the magic system. The romance was also so freaking sweet and built on fast friendship (for reference this is YA).
Pacing was a bit slow for me but the writing was so solid for this debut I’ll read this author again!

I was SO excited to finally read this, however I was quite a bit disappointed. The narrative pace is really frustrating, however the characters were likeable and I did enjoy the story. I do think this is rather aimed at younger readers, however the diverse representation draws in lots of older readers for whom it might be a bit boring and easy to figure out what was going to happen.

this is too cute! i love the plot! i love the characters! i love how issues like transphobia, misgendering, gender and identity were addressed in this book. it’s also funny 😂. i’m actually leaning towards YA books, coz they make me swoon 🥹. A big thanks to Aiden Thomas 🫶🏾.

** spoiler alert ** If they don’t get married, what was it for

BRILLIANT

if you’ll excuse me i’ll be laying in bed crying about this amazing book for the next three days

The book seems to be populated with people who don't know how to search. The adults especially brought to mind the clichéd Scooby-Doo chase. Yads and Martiza's trouble is more understandable because they do have school and chores to manage too, but the narrative pacing was still frustrating. At about the halfway point a big clue is dropped. It was enough for me to figure out how things were going to play out. If I were younger, I probably wouldn't have caught on. I might also have been more invested in Yads and Julian. As is, though, I will admit to skimming to the end and having my hypothesis confirmed. http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm... 3300CC couple city maze

i read this in one day, almost one sitting, i could not put it down !!! 😭😭😭 so good omg

4.5⭐️

This book was delightful and I’m so glad I finally read it. It’s a pretty standard YA book in terms of plot, but the characters breathe some much needed new life into the genre, and the writing style is both easy and engaging. After reading the Sunbearer Trials and loving that too, Aiden Thomas is now on my must read author list.
Also, the audiobook has a bonus interview with the author at the end, which was fun.

My son chose this book for a bookclub we are in together. We devoured it in 2 days, and happily suspended our disbelief to enjoy every minute. So much fun ♥️👏

enjoyed it a lot, something new. spooky vibes, perfect time to read it.

Have I found a new favorite author ? What a beautiful book ! I am thrilled this was my first LGBT+ love interest book. It is a single book, so no string attached, still be prepared for some strong emotions.
I found the book raw, beautifully written, with loveable characters. It is medium paced, there is love, humour, mystery, magic, self-love and self-acceptance journey.
We follow Yadriel, a young brujex (spirit guardians, a connection to the dead) on his journey to becoming a brujo, as well as his true battle: having his family accept him as he is, a trans boy.
He is is determined to belong and prove himself worth it. So with the help of his cousin Maritza, he sets to have his brujo ceremony, and help a spirit cross to the other side. But things don’t go as smooth, or as easily they had hoped for, and they end up bringing the spirit of a young boy named Julian.

So good!! Amazing representation, great story, characters to care about

Yeah it’s good

i am appalled this book had the nerve to end on me. how dare you not to last forever?!

The characters in this book were so vivid and alive, ironic considering some were ghosts. I found myself hopelessly enthralled by this YA romance and constantly trying to predict the outcome of the mystery/thriller side. A novel rich in Latine and general teen culture, I would definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Ok, so. What I liked: Wonderful characters, all the love, detail and care put into depicting the latinx diaspora and their traditions, how it built into that for the brujx lore and worldbuilding, THE YEARNING OF IT ALL, and… have I said the characters? It being an own voices book it's not like I was expecting walking latinx stereotypes, but the fact it went above and beyond in Julian's characterization as a brown boy that everyone reads as a hopeless troublemaker because of his neurodiversity (he has adhd, I can see) was something I especially loved. What I didn't like: Ever since the first clues were dropped I was Really hoping it wasn't going to do what it eventually did— I'm not a fan of outliers being represented as extremists that go through methods considered less ethical to even the ground with those that were born into their abilities/status while the system that's ostracized them in the first place is not put in question. I know the book criticizes the transphobia and gender roles in the brujx community and I'm content with what it did in that regard, but the fact that the question of the treatment of magicless folks born into the brujx community (which is was what caused the main conflict in the first place) was left pretty much only addressed in a couple of lines leaves much to be desired. Yadriel has magic and he's eventually recognized by his family. It seems like we shouldn't care about the other marginalized members of the community. Aside from that, wonderful read. I'll carry these characters with me for a long time.

this was so fun, i really enjoyed it! and all the representation was amazing.

I really enjoyed it. I loved the Humor in it

3.5 ⭐️ I would just like to thank cemetery boys for pulling me out of my book slump, I’ll add more words to think when I’ve had time to process it all.

This was so 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

4.5

"he didn't see how anyone could get a clean break from julian once they entered his orbit." cemetery boys has unexpectedly become a new favorite for me. i wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype since it took me a bit to get into, but once i did, i fell completely in love. julian, yadriel, and maritza mean so much to me and it warmed my heart to see them become such a tight-knit group in such a short amount of time. getting to see so much lgbt+ rep in the latinx community warmed my heart and it felt so nice to see how similar mine and yadriel's thought processes were. i think this was a wonderful debut for aiden thomas and i can't wait to read more in the future
Highlights

Julian was the most alive person he had ever met. Even as a spirit, he was bright and full of constantly moving energy. A sun crammed into the body of a boy.

"So the people they brought back were, like, definitely zombies, right?"
Yadriel groaned. "Not the zombies again—"
"Evilly resurrecting someone from the dead can only lead to zombies! I know it; I read books," Julian said.
Yadriel cocked an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay, okay, but I've seen enough movies to know how this goes down!" Julian corrected through barely suppressed chuckles.
Julian Diaz it seems I have grown very fond of you

Things weren't magically fixed by an empowering speech, bat opened doors and built brides. It carved out space for Yadriel to step forward and be who he was, as he was. There were sill more obstacles to overcome and battles to fight, but Yadriel wouldn't feel alone in it anymore.
No, it wasn't the end. It was a better beginning.

Yadriel would happily let himself be consumed by Julian's fire.




As if there were any force on earth that could tear Julian from Yadriel's side.









Yadriel wanted to chase down the sunset. To not let it rise.



Unabashed and beaming this was his favorite version of Julian.
Bright, carefree, and overflowing with infectious energy.
Alive.

Yadriel closed his eyes and buried his nose in the shirt. As he drifted off to sleep, he breathed in the smell of Julian, but it was already starting to fade.



No, none of them deserved Julian Diaz.