I keep pitching this as Cemetery Boys meets Practical Magic and I really think that's fitting. It's a spooky, witchy story set in small-town Vermont, and I loved every minute of it. Alternating between POVs from Jaime, Taylor, and Theo, Crespo carefully balances three stories that intersect at every turn. This is book part haunted house, part generational trauma, part coming-of-age, part found family. Each ingredient adds something to the magic of this book; an incredible addition to the YA world. Can't wait to see what Alex does next!

Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Cresspo is a captivating and atmospheric novel that draws readers into the world of three teenagers navigating their personal struggles within the backdrop of a haunted house and the mysterious woods of Saint Juniper. With its perfect blend of mystery, friendship, and self-discovery, this book is an ideal choice for a cozy and engrossing read.

The pacing of the story is well-executed, keeping readers engaged and invested in the characters' journeys from beginning to end. The three main characters, Theo, Taylor, and Jaime, are charming and relatable, each grappling with their own internal conflicts. Their friendship and the sense of found family that develops between them is a heartwarming aspect of the narrative.

Cresspo's atmospheric writing style shines throughout the book, creating a vivid sense of place and immersing readers in the haunting allure of the Folly and its ghosts. The author's exploration of Jaime's experience as a white presenting Mexican-American in foster care adds a unique and important dimension to the story.

While the book excels in many aspects, there are a few areas that could have been further developed. Some aspects of the characters' pasts are presented but left unaddressed, leaving a sense of unfinished threads. Additionally, the decision to have three perspectives, while providing different viewpoints, somewhat diluted the impact of the story. Focusing on the perspectives of only Theo and Jaime could have resulted in a more cohesive and emotionally resonant narrative.

Overall, Saint Juniper's Folly is an enchanting read that combines elements of mystery, friendship, and personal growth. It is a book that will draw readers in with its atmospheric setting and endearing characters, making it a perfect choice for a cozy rainy day read at home.
4.4 rounded down to 4/5.

This is the type of book to remind me why I still return to YA in my early 30s; every once in a while I find something that I know would have made a difference had I found it back then, and this lovely little story gave me the cathartic nostalgia with a gentle pinch of envy those books always do.

I can't sell you harder than the description: haunted house, curses, gay teen angst, teenage rebellion. There's so much here but it all works together beautifully imo, and while the alternating first-person perspectives took me a minute to get stuck into, once I did I found a lot to appreciate and resonate with in each character — not usually the case in multi-POV stories for me. The introspection and growth at the heart of this book were so touching and I'm envious of all the mixed-up kids who will pick this up and see themselves as they are now rather than how they were fifteen years ago, but there's never a bad age to read this message and in fact I'll be subtly pushing this book at a few folks once I get a hard copy.

There are a few minor points that felt like first book issues (dropped side characters, miscommunications) but they didn't detract from the emotional impact of the story or my enjoyment of it. If anything, I'm even more excited to read whatever Crespo writes next as his skill was impressive and I marked so many well-crafted or delightful lines.

This was very sweet! I felt for these teens and their struggles with parents and self-worth and their pasts and their worries about the future.

The romance was cute. The way Jaime and Theo spent time together, got to know each other, opened up to each other, not to mention just the whole weird situation they were dealing with, I could definitely believe their feelings. And it was just so nice for Jaime to finally have someone who wasn’t going to give up on him the way his parents and everyone else had.

The friendship was nice too. All three characters bonded and grew close, including Taylor.

There was also some touching family stuff. Not all of their families changed for the better, which I appreciated because it’s just not like that for everyone. But sometimes family isn’t bad, just complicated and making mistakes but trying, so I appreciate that portrayal too.

All three characters grew and changed from this experience. It was well-done, heartwarming character growth.

This was more about, well, all the things I just talked about than about a haunted house. There was a haunted house, as well as some witchcraft and spells, but the ghost story mystery was minimal (which was fine with me), and it was all more of a facilitator for the characters to figure out themselves and their lives and to come together. Still, being supernaturally stuck in the house was the main thing and did pose a very real problem for Jaime.

The ending actually took me by surprise in a good way. It was more intense than I was expecting and portrayed with a lot more gravity and realism than I usually find in books in regards to traumatic events and whatnot (I’m being vague to avoid spoilers).

Overall, this was sort of a “teens with teen problems, but also a bit of magic/supernatural” book with easy to like characters, and I really enjoyed it!

This book is about a boy who gets stuck in a haunted house with his only chance of escaping depends on a stranger and witch. You'd think that a story about a haunted house would be spooky, eerie, and creepy, but instead, it gave me warm happy feelings. I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but the characters were so likable and grew a friendship that was unbreakable. These characters felt like home to me. I really enjoyed this book and seeing everyone grow in very different ways. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you net galley and holiday house/peach tree for this book in return of an honest review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own.

A very nice book by Ales Crespo. I’ve never read a book by this author before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the characters.

I got #saintjunipersfolly early courtesy of @netgalley and @byalexcrespo and I'm so glad I did! I thoroghly enjoyed this book now and stayed up late to finish it- but I would have LOVED LOVED it as a teenager!

There's hidden magic, gothic ghosts, a queer realization and latinx representation- all mixed together with real and deep fears and questions I think all teenagers face. Strangers become friends become family over the course of a curse-fighting summer 🤎

“For the record, I think you could stand to be a little more selfish. You’re going to run yourself ragged trying to be perfect all the time.”“I don’t know who I’d be if I wasn’t trying to be perfect,” I replied.

"I managed to stumble into the kind of feeling that people would kill and be killed for, and I hadn’t even had the foresight to waste my time hoping for it, to stay awake at night and wish for it on the stars. I wanted to bask in it forever, or maybe drown in it. Whichever came first was fine by me."

This book follows three teens in the small town of Saint Juniper, Vermont. They are drawn together by Saint Juniper's Folly, the nearby woods.

I was expecting this to be spookier than it was, at least early on. I also didn't love swapping between three narrators for this book. I think longer sections maybe of each character could've been an interesting take.

Cemetery Boys meets the Haunting of Bly Manor is a good comparison for this book and that’s what drew me in initially! I will say it’s not spooky or scary at all, it felt very YA or almost cozy vibes - but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just wanted more spooky but it’s probably good for younger readers.

I also struggled with separating Jaime and Theo’s voice - they sounded almost the same the whole time. I thought their romance was cute and I liked the trio’s friendship. Enjoyable story overall and solid debut!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Author: Alex Crespo
Genre: YA Fiction/Horror
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a very enjoyable read! The three POVs kept the story moving nicely without any confusion and each character was well-written and thought out. This book touched on hard subjects such as growing up in the foster care system, losing a parent, and coming of age and learning it is safe to come out of the closet all while shadowed by a dark and exciting storyline about a haunted house. The love between the characters didn't feel forced or cringy like in most YA novels. I will say the ending was a little rushed, but overall, a great read that I recommend!

Read if you like:
📖Dark Academia
👻Haunted Houses
🧑🏼‍❤️‍🧑🏽Queer Representation

Thank you, NetGalley and Holiday House for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. The book is set to be published on June 6th, 2023!

This was a lot of fun! A boy stuck in a house in the woods, and the boy and witch coming to save him. The love between two of the characters felt very well fleshed out and developed over a healthy amount of time, which doesn't happen much in YA in my opinion. Like Jaime, I also was in the foster system when I was a teenager, and the feelings he expressed of feeling abandoned and not loved hit very close to home. The trauma and emotions that he had to go through to solve the predicament he was in felt really well done. The connection between the three characters also felt very real and like actual teenagers on the brink of a couple of very life changing events and decisions (going to college, figuring out what to do with the rest of their senior year). Those life moments might have been well behind me, but I remember how lost I felt when I went through that stage in my life.

Really liked this one, and highly recommend!

I originally requested to read this book because I wanted to see if it was something my 13 year old would enjoy. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it myself! The writing was good, the plot was good, and I can't wait to purchase it for my daughter when it's published!

Thank you to Netgalley for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Saint Junipers Folly was everything I anticipated and yet threw quite a few curveballs at me. Jaime, Theo and Taylor were incredible characters and despite their different personalities- they meshed well together. This book had me hooked and I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t able to read it! That being said, the ending felt a bit rushed which I was a bit bummed by and I found the lack of parental interference throughout random times of the story, and then their re-appearance, to pull me out of the story a bit. Especially when it came to Theo’s father, towards the end of the book he didn’t show up at all until the very end of the book. Otherwise, though, this was an incredible queer, witchy book that gave all the autumn vibes!

I'm sorry, I wasn't able to go through with it...

The book was just not for me, the characters are a bit weird and the context... Meh, I think it got lost in the way.

I don't even have words to describe the parts I've read. I got bored of it. Sorry.

4.5 stars

thank you to netgalley for giving me access to the arc in exchange for an honest review!

i did not expect such a fun book when i requested this! (mainly bc i was just interested in the cover and the description which was "cemetery boys meets bly manor"). i loved all the characters and their dynamics and the plot really pulled me in. a very fun and solid read!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60674368

I’m in love. This was such a fun but dark take on magic and coming of age. The three narrators go through so much to help each other and themselves. Each having their own demons to triumph but still managing to find a family in one another.
Crespo does a wonderful job of wrapping up the plot points and giving the characters what they need. As always with stories like this I would have loved more on page development in the relationships, both platonic and not. Overall a great read.

Alex Crespo’s knocked it out of this park with his debut paranormal YA novel that has witches, haunted houses, found families, mystery, and even a dash of romance. Overall, I thought this book was really well written and I found myself not wanting to put it down. The dynamics between the three protagonists were very entertaining to read, and very easy to route for. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of paranormal books, as well as Cemetery Boys fans.

Thank you for the eARC netgalley!

3.5/5

QUEER YA HAUNTED HOUSE STORY!!!!!!

If you're looking for a book with:
- Witches
- Mysterious curses
- Creepy houses
- And queer coming of age DELIGHT

Check THIS BOOK out!!!! It was a really fun read. By the end, I really enjoyed the bonds between the three main characters.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Debut author Alex Crespo presents Saint Juniper's Folly, a haunted house story that is less spooky and more bildungsroman. Readers follow three perspective characters: Jaime, Taylor, and Theo. Jaime is a foster kid who is trapped in the haunted house in the woods. Taylor is the descendant of witches whose father refuses to allow her to study witchcraft after her mother's death. Theo finds Jaime in the house in the woods along with potential growing feelings for Jaime as well.

I don't think this was a bad book, but I do think there is a lot of room for growth as well. In general, everything was fine. The writing had a steady movement forward in pacing and I was never bored. Once you suspended disbelief regarding circumstances, Taylor, Theo, and Jaime were charming characters that readers are likely to enjoy.

More critically, several aspects of each character's past are presented and then remain unaddressed even at the end of the book. I also feel overall that the impact of the book was lessened by having three perspectives instead of two. A narrowed focus on Theo and Jaime might have produced a more cohesive and emotionally solid story, though I don't have anything against Taylor specifically.

I'm left feeling very middle-of-the-road, as there are things I actively liked, but just as many areas I felt could use a bit more polish. I am, nevertheless, happy to have had the opportunity to read this book early.

AHHH. This was AMAZING! I absolutely adored the strong central friendship here, especially how found-family it felt by the end. These characters each had distinct problems, but they all needed each other. The plot was compelling, the prose was gorgeous, and the voice felt so authentically teenager. Can't wait for more from this author.