Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Swoon Reads/ Macmillan via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Release Date: September 1, 2020


Synopsis: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as "groundbreaking."

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

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true 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 off 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.

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Review: 2020 has been a difficult year for many reasons, but one of the outcomes of that was that my reading was erratic and slow. It took me a few months to read this book, but that was nothing to do with the actual content of the book. Every time I felt like I was able to read and had some time for it, Cemetery Boys gave me so much joy. 

Yadriel is a trans teen in a traditional Latinx family who are also members of the brujx community. His family hasn't allowed him to become a brujo because they don't fully understand him, but Yadriel defies them and proves himself. And along the way, he might fall for an unexpected ghostly "bad boy". 

I absolutely loved this book. Seeing trans and queer representation in YA contemporary fantasy is awesome! There's also Latinx rep that shows the diversity within that community. The worldbuilding is excellent. The characters are interesting. You'll laugh, cry, and gasp at this book.

I give this book a 5/5. You may be seeing it on a lot of Best Of 2020 lists and it is well deserving. I'm so excited to read more books from Aiden Thomas. 


--PAUL