I was going to wait a little while closer to release date to review this/post my review of this beauty, but in light of J.K. Rowling's never-ending transphobic Twitter account, I bumped my review of Cemetery Boys up. Also, I'm rereading it, because I have absolutely no self-control and Aiden Thomas is a whole ass legend.


Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.


As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.  

Number one thing that needs to be said about Cemetery Boys: it is officially my NEW FAVOURITE. All caps. Extra large, bold font. End sentence. It has been so difficult not to blab on and on about this book to every person I meet, but it appears I have the occasional grip on my self-control. (Which is honestly a lie, if you follow my Tik Tok and see me posting about it.)

In spoiler free terms, let me elaborate: Cemetery Boys has been one of the biggest bright spots in my quarantine reads line-up. And, I hope, is a sign of what is to come in modern YA publishing. When I picked Cemetery Boys up, I had this feeling of complete joy and, as I read, couldn't help but to feel as though it were a long time coming.

(I say that a lot about modern YA books. We're starting to see more of the content I wish had been present in literature when my friends and I were growing up.)

Needless to say, it is officially in the top ten of this year's releases and I have a feeling that Aiden Thomas, and the world they created, is about to take young adult fiction by storm. My advice to you, when picking up Cemetery Boys, is simple: sit back, relax, and embrace the hype.

(It should go without saying: it is crucial to support Cemetery Boys.)

To summarize this review, spoiler free, and attempting not to turn this into a full blown love letter: Cemetery Boys is one of those novel's you have to experience fully for the first time. It is that brand of good and utterly impossible to put down. I can feel the entire novel still bubbling in my veins. Thomas writes with an undeniably charismatic prose that will have you laughing, swooning and crying just as easily as breathing.

There's this indescribable feeling that comes with reading something like Cemetery Boys. Words, reviews, cannot do it justice. It can only be felt. Cemetery Boys sets a particular standard when it comes to how reading should feel. Due to the wholly hypnotic tone that Cemetery Boys takes from the start, readers should be aware of one thing: not only will you be smitten by these characters, this story will consume you.

Expect to lose an entire day to Cemetery Boys. Trust me, you'll be thanking Aiden Thomas, and feeling a spark of energy for weeks after reading this one.