Take It to Your Grave coming July 21st, 2026 from Godwin Books; 304 pages
Content Warning: Foul language, graphic violence
About the Author: “Louangie Bou-Montes was born in Northampton, Massachusetts and grew up flitting back and forth between rural Western Mass and el campo in Guayama, PR, surrounded by countless cousins in both locations. Thanks to those cousins, she was raised on a healthy diet of everything from The Addams Family to Silent Hill to Pet Sematary, resulting in a love of telling stories about Puerto Rican kids with morbid hobbies and senses of humor” (Bio from author’s website).
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Joaquin Ladrón has always been fascinated by the occult. From collecting haunted souvenirs to visiting chilling locations with his friends, chasing paranormal experiences has always been at the top of his list. But one night, when Joaquin and his friends visit a famous haunted house tied to his friend’s mother and the city’s past, he gets far more than he bargained for. There, he meets Maximilliano (Max) Guerrero Lopez, the poltergeist haunting the house. As Joaquin and his friends make a rushed escape and head home, Joaquin doesn’t realize he isn’t leaving alone—Max has clung to him. Now, Joaquin and Max have to figure out what Max needs to finally rest in peace. But the deeper they dig into Max’s past, the more they realize his death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone believed. At the same time, Joaquin is learning that his obsession with the paranormal has consequences, and getting involved with the occult is a far more dangerous game than he could’ve ever imagined.
As a major fan of the “Summerween” season, this book scratched that itch in the best way! One of the things I loved most about this book was the representation. The Latin, queer, and deaf representation made me feel so immersed in the story, and I loved how these different aspects of identity were included naturally without ever feeling like they were just added in for the sake of representation. One of my favorite details that I feel not everyone might notice was the hair expression. Just from the detailed explanation of Joaquin parting and cornrowing his little brother Santi’s hair, I adored how much care was put into these small details. When it comes to the characters, Max was easily my favorite. Since he’d passed away in the ‘90s, seeing him confused by all the technology that had been invented while he was gone was honestly one of the funniest, but also saddest, parts of the book. What I loved even more was Joaquin’s loyalty to him. No matter how many things exploded or broke whenever Max was around, Joaquin made it clear that he would do everything he could to help him finally rest in peace, even if that meant asking his ex, Marte, for help. Take It to Your Grave had everything I wanted in a haunted read. From the paranormal elements to the genuine relationships, it struck an amazing balance between creepy and emotional. I’ll definitely be revisiting this book when the Halloween season rolls around!
Take It to Your Grave releases on July 21st, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Godwin Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Keonte Emerson, Pine Reads Review Co-Assistant Director, Lead Writer, and Social Media Manager