Till the Last Beat of My Heart

Gr 7 Up–Jaxon Santiago-Noble, 16, is no stranger to death. His mom is the town mortician, after all. That still doesn’t prepare him for the night his ex-best friend (and first crush), Christian Reyes, comes back from dead. And it certainly doesn’t prepare him for the part he has to play in Christian’s resurrection. This a beautiful queer romance reminiscent of Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End, with Jaxon and Christian drawn together by their shared past and shared commitment to keep Christian alive amid a hunt to uncover Jaxon’s secret family history. Bou-Montes’s debut will have readers hooked, with writing that is deliciously grotesque when it needs to be and beautifully emotional in exactly the right places. Whether it’s his desperate search to understand his heritage or his stubborn refusal to let go of a second chance, Jaxon is a character readers can’t help rooting for. Bou-Montes has created a surreally fascinating world and magic system, with a great cast of supporting characters, that altogether make for a can’t-put-down reading experience.