Reviews

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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nerdygirlk's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rhiroreads's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

monique3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.0

"Hay niñas con pene, niños con vulva y transfóbicos sin dientes" Page 143 (There are girls with penises, boys with vulvas and transphobes without teeth)

"Why do you have to prove anything to anyone? (...) You don't need anyone's permission to be you, Yads" page 183

"The aquelarre celebrates transition. All of you are on the precipice between youth and adulthood (...) Between uncertainty and confidence. Our traditions should grow and change with every generation. Just because we follow the ancient ways does not mean we can't also grow. I have
been shown that these past few days, (...) I failed my son, Yadriel, as both a father and a leader, (...) He tried to tell me who he was, but I didn't listen, I didn't understand. (...) But now I am listening, and I will learn to do better, (...) Growth isn't a deviation from what we've done before, but a natural progression to honor all those who make this community strong." Page 339

"Things weren't magically fixed by an empowering speech, but it opened doors and built bridges. It carved out space for Yadriel to step forward and be who he was, as he was. There was still 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." Page 342

caroline_m's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

serdean06's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

widowrites's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I almost didn’t read this book because it’s YA and I typically don’t like YA books. I’m too old for them to be relevant, the characters are frustrating for me because they make decisions a teenager would make (yes, I know, I know. They are. This is why I don’t read them). They aren’t written for me, they’re written for teenagers. However, this one is highly recommended, even by older readers who don’t enjoy YA, so I gave it a chance. And I’m really glad I did!

It was a struggle to read sometimes, not because it wasn’t good, but because Yads family was so frustrating. It was so hard to read him being misgendered and dead named, but it was part of the story. It needed to happen to explain why he did things the way he did. And oooh boy did I even resonate with him and feeling guilt about hurting family even when it’s their fault.

I figured out the plot twist pretty early on… around the 40% mark, but that’s a feature of YA, so it honestly didn’t bother me. It didn’t detract from the twist, because the character didn’t see it coming.

All in all, I really really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, even for readers who don’t like YA.

Content Warnings