Mini Audiobook Review | Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas ★★★★★

“There’s no way y’all have been around for thousands of years without there being one person not fitting into the ‘men are this, women are that’ bullshit.” Julian sounded so convinced, so sure. His obsidian eyes locked onto Yadriel’s. “Maybe they hid it, or ran away, or I dunno, something else, but there’s no way you’re the first, Yads.”

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Cemetery Boys is the must-read debut of the year

This book y’all. I have no words for it. That’s why this review will be quite short. I was thinking about not writing a review for Cemetery Boys, but honestly it’s so good that I want everyone to know how much I love it. These characters are so fun and lovely and I absolutely adored the chemistry between Yadriel and Julian.

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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This book is a rollercoaster so be prepared to feel all the feelings. I loved the plot of Cemetery Boys a lot. It’s full of twists. I love the quest Yads and Julian embark upon together. The story is full of supsense, action and humor. Julian is such a funny character. I found myself smiling more then once while listening to this audiobook.

All these characters are so refreshing. I’ve never read a story like this. Cemetery Boys is full of fresh and unique teens who are just trying to figure themselves out.

I am also a huge fan of Thomas’ writing style. The book is quite fast-paced, which I like. There are some moments that are a bit slower, but still go by so fast. Every time I had to put the audiobook down, I immediately wanted to pick it back up.

I really liked Avi Roque as the narrator of Cemetery Boys. I could easily tell all the characters apart which is really important for me. Roque has a pleasant voice. Their voice suited the story and characters very well.

Overall really enjoyed this book and would definitely love a sequel to Cemetery Boys!

Would I recommend it?
Yes yes yes yes yes!

Trigger warnings
Death, homophobia, transphobia, the misgendering of a trans character, the deadnaming of a trans character, character abuse (off-page)
Representation in this book
Mexican-Cuban-American gay trans main character, Colombian-American gay love interest with ADHD, Puerto Rican-Mexican-American side character, Cuban-American side characters, Lesbian side character, Trans side character Latinx cast
Genre
Young adult, fantasy
Publication date
September 1, 2020
Narrator
Avi Roque
Publisher
Macmillan Audio
About the author
Aiden Thomas is a New York Times Bestselling Author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, useless trivia, Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.

Aiden’s debut novel, CEMETERY BOYS, is a Dia de Muertos paranormal romance about Yadriel (a gay, trans brujo) who accidentally summons the wrong ghost (Swoon Reads/Macmillan, September 1st, 2020).