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The Haunting of Adrian Yates
Adrian's best friend and his boyfriend don't get along. Oh, and his boyfriend is a ghost.
Adrian Yates expected his summer would involve sharing Slurpees with his best friend Zoomer and pretending not to hear his dads' whispered fighting. And that's exactly how it was going, until the night Sorel appeared in the graveyard by Adrian's apartment. Sorel gets Adrian in ways no one else has; the fact that he's not technically alive only makes things exciting. But Sorel can't always control his otherworldly behaviour, and Zoomer's worried he might be hiding something. On stormy summer nights behind the cemetery's iron gates, Adrian and Sorel meet in secret and the pair begin to experiment with consensual possession. Despite the warning signs, Adrian is certain he has everything under control--until suddenly he finds himself fighting for his life.
Adrian Yates expected his summer would involve sharing Slurpees with his best friend Zoomer and pretending not to hear his dads' whispered fighting. And that's exactly how it was going, until the night Sorel appeared in the graveyard by Adrian's apartment. Sorel gets Adrian in ways no one else has; the fact that he's not technically alive only makes things exciting. But Sorel can't always control his otherworldly behaviour, and Zoomer's worried he might be hiding something. On stormy summer nights behind the cemetery's iron gates, Adrian and Sorel meet in secret and the pair begin to experiment with consensual possession. Despite the warning signs, Adrian is certain he has everything under control--until suddenly he finds himself fighting for his life.
328 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2023
3 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Markus Harwood-Jones
7 books80 followersMarkus Harwood-Jones (he/they) is a proudly queer and trans space-case who has been writing since he can remember. Markus specializes in writing young-adult fiction and has a soft-spot for sappy love stories. He lives in downtown Toronto with his husband, their platonic co-parent, and their extra-cute kiddo. Markus is an aspiring TikTokker with 125k+ followers. He and can be found on social media under the handle @MarkusBones.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
dnf
September 26, 2024Objectively the writing in this spooky YA book is unique and very well done, so I'm not sure why it's not grabbing me. Sometimes the perspective of YA is just not my thing, which is fine, it's not written for me anyway! I'll be passing this on to my library's teen group, hopefully a queer/trans teen will appreciate it better than me!
October 16, 2023
4.5 stars rounded down!
Thank you so much to Metonomy Press & the author for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I feel so thrilled to have been invited to enjoy some YA in its finest form!
This book was a super engaging and easy to read; the plot ticked along perfectly paced while still leaving plenty of space for character growth and vibrant descriptions. I really appreciated this modern and interesting (paranormal!) approach to healthy relationships and boundaries for queer folks as I don’t think we get enough of those stories. I was really enjoying it for the first 60% or so, but once I hit that “oh shit!” moment, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
Some of my favourite things about this book I think can be traced back to the importance of #OwnVoices and the very natural authenticity of the queerness alive in this novel. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a story with queer parents that aren’t picture-perfect happy, and I loved that. It felt so real; gay couples fight, have financial strain, work too hard, forget to appreciate each other. All of the many queer & trans characters in The Haunting of Adrian Yates get to be full, complex, unique individuals, in which queerness is important but not everything.
I really love YA when it’s well done like this, because it leaves so much room for messiness and growth. Although as an adult I can look at some decision making skills and be yelling “No!!! Don’t do that!!!” and be frustrated, I think it is very true to real life and the imperfect decisions we make as young people, especially in new relationships.
If you enjoyed paranormal queer books like Cemetery Boys or The Taking of Jake Livingston, I think you’d really enjoy The Haunting of Adrian Yates too!
Thank you so much to Metonomy Press & the author for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I feel so thrilled to have been invited to enjoy some YA in its finest form!
This book was a super engaging and easy to read; the plot ticked along perfectly paced while still leaving plenty of space for character growth and vibrant descriptions. I really appreciated this modern and interesting (paranormal!) approach to healthy relationships and boundaries for queer folks as I don’t think we get enough of those stories. I was really enjoying it for the first 60% or so, but once I hit that “oh shit!” moment, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
Some of my favourite things about this book I think can be traced back to the importance of #OwnVoices and the very natural authenticity of the queerness alive in this novel. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a story with queer parents that aren’t picture-perfect happy, and I loved that. It felt so real; gay couples fight, have financial strain, work too hard, forget to appreciate each other. All of the many queer & trans characters in The Haunting of Adrian Yates get to be full, complex, unique individuals, in which queerness is important but not everything.
I really love YA when it’s well done like this, because it leaves so much room for messiness and growth. Although as an adult I can look at some decision making skills and be yelling “No!!! Don’t do that!!!” and be frustrated, I think it is very true to real life and the imperfect decisions we make as young people, especially in new relationships.
If you enjoyed paranormal queer books like Cemetery Boys or The Taking of Jake Livingston, I think you’d really enjoy The Haunting of Adrian Yates too!
September 30, 2023
Trigger warnings for The Haunting of Adrian Yates include: discussion of suicide, discussion of self harm, descriptions of death, discussion of parent death, emotional abuse, verbal fighting at home, ableism, misgendering, disembodiment and forced embodiment, attempted strangling and vomiting.
☆
☆
I've read stories about ghosts and involving spirits before, but this one was different. It felt more real, and in a way made me more inclined to believe in them.
~
And for a book where one of its central characters can't leave the cemetery most of the time, a surprising amount happened to him.
~
I liked the inclusion of trans and non-binary characters, and I really liked that one such character used neopronouns, and that specifically ze/zir pronouns have been in use for longer than people think.
~
It shocked me to some extent the impact this book had. And the themes it utilised when it's a YA book about a group of teenagers. How it brought up toxic relationships, but did so in a way that wasn't harmful, or triggering. And also how within that conversation it also mentioned boundaries, and how to set healthy boundaries within a relationship.
~
There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book, but one final thing that I really did like was the character growth and development over the course of the story.
•
Thank you to author Markus Harwood-Jones for sending me an ARC copy of this book.
☆
☆
I've read stories about ghosts and involving spirits before, but this one was different. It felt more real, and in a way made me more inclined to believe in them.
~
And for a book where one of its central characters can't leave the cemetery most of the time, a surprising amount happened to him.
~
I liked the inclusion of trans and non-binary characters, and I really liked that one such character used neopronouns, and that specifically ze/zir pronouns have been in use for longer than people think.
~
It shocked me to some extent the impact this book had. And the themes it utilised when it's a YA book about a group of teenagers. How it brought up toxic relationships, but did so in a way that wasn't harmful, or triggering. And also how within that conversation it also mentioned boundaries, and how to set healthy boundaries within a relationship.
~
There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book, but one final thing that I really did like was the character growth and development over the course of the story.
•
Thank you to author Markus Harwood-Jones for sending me an ARC copy of this book.
September 30, 2023
4.5 Stars rounded up!
Prologue Skippers - DO NOT. The prologue is the story of a name, of learning, finding and accepting it. The author made the name visceral, it was alive and it was incredible.
On to the Main Event
This is an Own Voices Trans and Queer YA book. Winning.
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to discover with a ghost boyfriend, and so I was mildly perturbed at the beginning when our main character talked openly about it, but absolutely LOVED how it turned out, more from the friendship experience side of things.
This was a story of life and love; grief and acceptance, and at it's core friendship and belonging.
The author wove in difficult themes, and the style of writing really lent itself well to describe emotion in a way I could easily feel. It was both enlightening and hard.
Overall, I really enjoyed this!
Thank you to the author for an advanced e-book. My thoughts are entirely my own.
Prologue Skippers - DO NOT. The prologue is the story of a name, of learning, finding and accepting it. The author made the name visceral, it was alive and it was incredible.
On to the Main Event
This is an Own Voices Trans and Queer YA book. Winning.
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to discover with a ghost boyfriend, and so I was mildly perturbed at the beginning when our main character talked openly about it, but absolutely LOVED how it turned out, more from the friendship experience side of things.
This was a story of life and love; grief and acceptance, and at it's core friendship and belonging.
The author wove in difficult themes, and the style of writing really lent itself well to describe emotion in a way I could easily feel. It was both enlightening and hard.
Overall, I really enjoyed this!
Thank you to the author for an advanced e-book. My thoughts are entirely my own.
June 1, 2024
"And now I'm, like, all visible and shit. Everybody sees me and that's supposed to be good, but nobody actually notices how crappy I'm feeling."
To me, the most incredible part The Haunting of Adrian Yates is the ability Markus Harwood-Jones has to explain the hyper-visibility and simultaneous invisibility of being queer, all without it coming off as overly-academic or explanatory. As queer people, the concept of 'coming out' and 'pride' is all about being seen: queer people are so often pushed into the shadows, are ignored, are made to pretend as though we don't exist, and so coming outs and pride is meant to counteract that. At the same time, however, those things make queerness hyper-visible, and sometimes, people can be so focused on seeing the 'queerness' that they can't look past it. Adrian's struggle with wanting to be accepted as a trans man while also trying to make his own mental health issues known is such a common, heartbreaking struggle for so many, and Harwood-Jones put that into words that everyone can understand. Sure, gender studies has a trillion fancy terms for it, but having come from that academic background myself, it's nice to just have the experience of it spelled out rather than having to assign a label to it, if that makes any sense.
Harwood-Jones's writing is honest, open, and unabashed, and it's one of those books that makes me as a queer person feel so innately seen. Newsflash, but queer people have more concerns to deal with that just homophobic family members or slurs being thrown at them. While Adrian certainly has his traumas with how his dads reacted to his coming out, The Haunting of Adrian Yates proves that you can live in a queer-friendly family, and be surrounded by people who love you, but that doesn't mean queerness is a simple or easy thing to navigate. Sorel's reaction to Adrian's family is proof of that - he can't possibly understand why Adrian is unhappy in life when he has a roof over his head and two parents who love him. There's more to the complexities of existing as a queer person than the bare minimum of being accepted by those around you.
This whole book was absolutely amazing, but damn, that prologue and epilogue were something else. I don't think a book has ever made me teary-eyed at the beginning and the end. Apparently there are readers out there who skip prologues and epilogues (?), and if you're one of those people, do not do it with this book. The Haunting of Adrian Yates has very big Cemetery Boys energy, so if you're a fan of Aiden Thomas's books, you'll definitely love this one.
While this was absolutely a 5-star read for me, I will admit that the one (potentially controversial) thing that spoiled the experience for me was Zoomer. I hated Zoomer's character so much, oh my god. She's self-centered and controlling, and I can't deny that Sorel telling Zoomer off the first time he slipped into Adrian's body was immensely cathartic. Right from the start of the book, Zoomer makes everything about her - Sorel's existence, Adrian and Sorel's relationship, Adrian's parents wanting to move. I don't love that Zoomer was (by the end) meant to have been that one friend who stuck by Adrian through thick and thin, because she's just... not a good friend. It ground my gears right at the start when Zoomer was the one making the calls over when Adrian could see Sorel - 'oh, we'll see Sorel soon, don't worry, no, I'll tell you when we can go and see him, no, you can't go see him by yourself, it's not safe, and I've decided that on your behalf, and I know better than you.' Fucking insufferable.
On the reverse of that, I absolutely loved Sorel in this book, because he's sort of the closest thing The Haunting of Adrian Yates comes to an antagonist, and I love antagonists who are sympathetic. No spoilers, of course, but even when Sorel is at his most monstrous and dangerous towards the end of the book, I still understood his perspective completely - sure, he might've gone about it the absolute wrong way, but every 'wrong' or 'selfish' choice he makes, I completely understand and sympathize with why he's made them. I also applaud Harwood-Jones for not making there really be a villain in this book, because too often, queer people are made to be the villains, the bad guys, the misguided, the selfish. But the epilogue proves that queer people are, at the end of the day, just people: we make mistakes and we're not perfect, but we're not inherently villainous or flawed either.
Reading this book was such a cathartic, emotional, enjoyable experience, and the perfect way to begin Pride Month this year. Not to mention that it was nice to see some queer Toronto rep too!! I cannot possibly recommend this book highly enough!
To me, the most incredible part The Haunting of Adrian Yates is the ability Markus Harwood-Jones has to explain the hyper-visibility and simultaneous invisibility of being queer, all without it coming off as overly-academic or explanatory. As queer people, the concept of 'coming out' and 'pride' is all about being seen: queer people are so often pushed into the shadows, are ignored, are made to pretend as though we don't exist, and so coming outs and pride is meant to counteract that. At the same time, however, those things make queerness hyper-visible, and sometimes, people can be so focused on seeing the 'queerness' that they can't look past it. Adrian's struggle with wanting to be accepted as a trans man while also trying to make his own mental health issues known is such a common, heartbreaking struggle for so many, and Harwood-Jones put that into words that everyone can understand. Sure, gender studies has a trillion fancy terms for it, but having come from that academic background myself, it's nice to just have the experience of it spelled out rather than having to assign a label to it, if that makes any sense.
Harwood-Jones's writing is honest, open, and unabashed, and it's one of those books that makes me as a queer person feel so innately seen. Newsflash, but queer people have more concerns to deal with that just homophobic family members or slurs being thrown at them. While Adrian certainly has his traumas with how his dads reacted to his coming out, The Haunting of Adrian Yates proves that you can live in a queer-friendly family, and be surrounded by people who love you, but that doesn't mean queerness is a simple or easy thing to navigate. Sorel's reaction to Adrian's family is proof of that - he can't possibly understand why Adrian is unhappy in life when he has a roof over his head and two parents who love him. There's more to the complexities of existing as a queer person than the bare minimum of being accepted by those around you.
This whole book was absolutely amazing, but damn, that prologue and epilogue were something else. I don't think a book has ever made me teary-eyed at the beginning and the end. Apparently there are readers out there who skip prologues and epilogues (?), and if you're one of those people, do not do it with this book. The Haunting of Adrian Yates has very big Cemetery Boys energy, so if you're a fan of Aiden Thomas's books, you'll definitely love this one.
While this was absolutely a 5-star read for me, I will admit that the one (potentially controversial) thing that spoiled the experience for me was Zoomer. I hated Zoomer's character so much, oh my god. She's self-centered and controlling, and I can't deny that Sorel telling Zoomer off the first time he slipped into Adrian's body was immensely cathartic. Right from the start of the book, Zoomer makes everything about her - Sorel's existence, Adrian and Sorel's relationship, Adrian's parents wanting to move. I don't love that Zoomer was (by the end) meant to have been that one friend who stuck by Adrian through thick and thin, because she's just... not a good friend. It ground my gears right at the start when Zoomer was the one making the calls over when Adrian could see Sorel - 'oh, we'll see Sorel soon, don't worry, no, I'll tell you when we can go and see him, no, you can't go see him by yourself, it's not safe, and I've decided that on your behalf, and I know better than you.' Fucking insufferable.
On the reverse of that, I absolutely loved Sorel in this book, because he's sort of the closest thing The Haunting of Adrian Yates comes to an antagonist, and I love antagonists who are sympathetic. No spoilers, of course, but even when Sorel is at his most monstrous and dangerous towards the end of the book, I still understood his perspective completely - sure, he might've gone about it the absolute wrong way, but every 'wrong' or 'selfish' choice he makes, I completely understand and sympathize with why he's made them. I also applaud Harwood-Jones for not making there really be a villain in this book, because too often, queer people are made to be the villains, the bad guys, the misguided, the selfish. But the epilogue proves that queer people are, at the end of the day, just people: we make mistakes and we're not perfect, but we're not inherently villainous or flawed either.
Reading this book was such a cathartic, emotional, enjoyable experience, and the perfect way to begin Pride Month this year. Not to mention that it was nice to see some queer Toronto rep too!! I cannot possibly recommend this book highly enough!
October 29, 2023
"The Haunting of Adrian Yates" by Markus Harwood-Jones is a refreshingly unique queer YA ghost story that beautifully weaves themes of identity, love, and otherworldly connections, offering a refreshing take on the supernatural genre, while also providing much-needed queer and trans representation.
The story centers on Adrian and his unconventional relationship with his ghostly boyfriend, Sorel, which adds a fascinating twist to the traditional ghost narrative. Their relationship is both intriguing and, at times, deeply unsettling as it delves into dark territories, challenging the boundaries of love and possession. Harwood-Jones masterfully captures the complexities of their relationship, portraying the ups and downs with a keen eye for emotional depth.
However, I did find the pacing a bit uneven, as the story oscillated between moments that felt a bit slow and others that raced too quickly. Nevertheless, the richly developed characters, the evocative setting, and the paranormal intrigue make this a must-read for fans of YA ghost stories who are looking for something truly distinctive.
The story centers on Adrian and his unconventional relationship with his ghostly boyfriend, Sorel, which adds a fascinating twist to the traditional ghost narrative. Their relationship is both intriguing and, at times, deeply unsettling as it delves into dark territories, challenging the boundaries of love and possession. Harwood-Jones masterfully captures the complexities of their relationship, portraying the ups and downs with a keen eye for emotional depth.
However, I did find the pacing a bit uneven, as the story oscillated between moments that felt a bit slow and others that raced too quickly. Nevertheless, the richly developed characters, the evocative setting, and the paranormal intrigue make this a must-read for fans of YA ghost stories who are looking for something truly distinctive.
September 29, 2023
If you need good own voice transgender representation in the books you read.
If you want to have an amazing time bonding with characters you’ll miss the second you put the book down.
If you want to read a book with a ghost as one of the main characters.
If any of these things apply to you, I would definitely recommend this read for you. It’s a quick fantastic read that will make you feel cozy and safe, even when that might be the safest bet.
If you want to have an amazing time bonding with characters you’ll miss the second you put the book down.
If you want to read a book with a ghost as one of the main characters.
If any of these things apply to you, I would definitely recommend this read for you. It’s a quick fantastic read that will make you feel cozy and safe, even when that might be the safest bet.
July 10, 2024
I’ve been following the author on TikTok for a while, so I’ve heard about his books and finally got this one for my birthday! Overall it was pretty good, but it wasn’t my favourite. It reads like a YA book, which is fine, but it’s less of my thing now. There’s lots of imagery and vivid descriptions of things, which is pretty, but sometimes it’s a little excessive and distracting. The chapters are nice and short, which I also appreciate. The characters and the plot are both okay, but nothing super amazing. Overall, it was a decent read, but I wasn’t super in love with it.
January 5, 2024
I purchased this book in support of one of my favourite TikTok creators, @markusbones. It is safe to say that Markus has wrote an absolutely incredible book with an amazing storyline and great writing. Markus writes in a way that draws you in to the story and its characters, painting pictures so vivid in your mind as the story unfolds.
As a fellow Canadian from Ontario, the setting of this book felt so familiar while reading, and I loved the way Markus described every scene throughout the story. While romance is usually the only genre I read, I really loved the supernatural elements within this book and how Markus chose to go about writing this type of story. The characters were all amazing, and I enjoyed reading every page of this book!!
I cannot recommend reading this book enough, and I’m super excited to read more from Markus Hardwood-Jones in the future! Definitely pick up a copy of this book!
As a fellow Canadian from Ontario, the setting of this book felt so familiar while reading, and I loved the way Markus described every scene throughout the story. While romance is usually the only genre I read, I really loved the supernatural elements within this book and how Markus chose to go about writing this type of story. The characters were all amazing, and I enjoyed reading every page of this book!!
I cannot recommend reading this book enough, and I’m super excited to read more from Markus Hardwood-Jones in the future! Definitely pick up a copy of this book!
March 5, 2025
The writing style took me a little while to get into, but it was worth it. I thought it was a really unique premise, and I loved getting to spend time with these characters. It was a great depiction of first love, codependency and how that interacts with friendship.
September 20, 2024
Good godDAMN, the wordcrafting is sensational. What a beautiful story told in such beautiful prose.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews