Joel River and the Zombie Cheerleaders: An Acadia Academy Novel

By Ash Manning

Joel River and the Zombie Cheerleaders - A Queer Southern Gothic YA Paranormal Romance

For fans of Heartstopper, queer paranormal romance, and Southern Gothic YA with a supernatural twist, this sweet, low-heat adventure blends first love, friendship, identity, and the undead.

Joel River is a gay junior with a fainting disorder and a talent for staying invisible. Royal Dumaine is a popular, blue-eyed senior swimmer who is definitely-probably-straight. When the two meet at a creative arts high school in the Louisiana bayou, things literally start with a fall: Joel faints at Royal's feet on day one. Mortifying.

Joel tries to avoid Royal after that, convinced the gorgeous senior thinks he's bizarre at best and unhinged at worst. Everyone knows Royal only likes girls, so catching feelings is absolutely off the table. At least, that's the plan.
The problem? Nature itself seems determined to shove them together.

Hurricanes. Sudden storms. Rogue squirrels. Every time Joel turns around, Royal is there: steady, kind, HOT, and increasingly hard to ignore.

Just as their tentative friendship begins to feel like something more, school life gets very strange, very fast. A cheerleading squad that disappeared in the 1950s suddenly reappears. And everything about that is WRONG. Soon students begin to vanish, the halls reek faintly of decay and hairspray, and Joel and Royal are forced together again; this time to survive.
As zombie cheerleaders close in, the boys must navigate the undead, their own fears, and the possibility that love really doesn't care about labels. Joel knows he's gay. Everyone says Royal is not. But the heart has its own kind of magic.
And Joel would really like to get his first kiss without being eaten alive.

A queer, low-heat, YA paranormal romance filled with humor, heart, Southern atmosphere, and supernatural thrills. Perfect for readers who love:
- LGBTQ+ YA romance with slow-burn sweetness
- Found-family friendship groups facing the supernatural
- Southern Gothic settings full of charm and danger
- Zombies, vampires, and school drama in equal measure
- Heartstopper-style emotional warmth, with monsters

Click "Buy Now" to delve into a heartfelt, funny, undead-filled love story where the scariest thing isn't the zombies, it's your first crush.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 064585719X
• ISBN13: 9780645857191
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Stein & Wilde
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 8.0"