Cemetery Boys By Aiden Thomas

Book Description: 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. 

Book Rating: 4.9/5

Read: March 26-30

Book Review: I learned about Cemetery Boys on TikTok as it was recommended on my for you page. Again, the Paranormal genre of books isn't my favorite but this book was more of a YA contemporary romance book with a mix of Paranormal and mystery mixed in. So, I was practically sold after reading the description of the book. 

I was drawn to this book's ability to weave real-life topics and issues into a captivating fantasy story. The main character, who is transgender, faces the challenge of proving his identity as a brujo to his family. I found the incorporation of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) culture and traditions to be an added bonus, as it allowed me to learn more about a holiday that has always interested me. Furthermore, I appreciated that the author, Aiden Thomas, did not shy away from using Spanish throughout the book. This gave me the opportunity to expand my Spanish vocabulary while also immersing myself in the story. 

As for the romance aspect, I loved how well-paced and developed the relationship between Yadriel and Julian was written in the book. I feel like often I read books where the main couple all too quickly fall for each other, especially when they just met. 

Cemetery books were such a lovely read for me as a romance lover, and the story was so well written I found myself so caught up in the story and even cried a bit during certain scenes. I have re-read this book twice so far and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a cute YA paranormal romance book.