Yeah the Boys by Holden Sheppard

A bold, propulsive novel about male friendship and masculinity, set in the world of Holden Sheppard’s bestselling debut Invisible Boys.

Seven years after escaping their rural hometown, the boys – Charlie, Zeke and Hammer – are back, though not as we left them.

Charlie‘s fighting spirit has faded as he’s struggled to make it as a punk musician in Perth. The opening of a new gay bar by Curtis and Ahmed, an older gay couple who have become Charlie’s mentors, offers him a different way to make his mark – but the bar’s opponents have other ideas.

Zeke is lost. He knows what he stands against – the closeted life and conventional success his strict Italian parents demanded of him – but doesn’t know what he stands for. He surprises himself by joining a gay footy team: is it the mistake his friends think it is, or will playing footy finally give him what he’s always wanted?

Hammer has it all – fame and fortune as a star football player – or so he thinks. He’s still closeted, and can’t stand the AFL stuffing diversity initiatives like Pride Round down everyone’s throats, especially his. But when he opens his mouth, he ignites a furore that throws all the boys’ lives into chaos.

Unapologetic and unforgettable, this is the story of three boys finding their way back to each other, and finding their own ways to become men.

Three boys become men in this much-anticipated follow-up to modern gay Australian classic Invisible Boys.

About the Author:

Holden Sheppard is an award-winning author born in Geraldton, Western Australia. His debut 2019 novel, Invisible Boys, was an Australian bestseller and has become a modern gay classic. It won multiple accolades, including the WA Premier’s Prize for an Emerging Writer and the Hungerford Award, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, and in 2025 was adapted for screen as a ten-episode television series on Stan Australia. Holden’s 2022 novel The Brink won both the YA category at the Indie Book Awards and the Ena Noel Award, while his 2025 novel King of Dirt garnered widespread critical acclaim. His new release Yeah the Boys is the much-anticipated follow-up to Invisible Boys. Holden is a gym rat, a supporter of the Collingwood Football Club, and was featured in the ‘Bogans’ episode of hit TV series You Can’t Ask That. He now lives in Perth’s far north, with his husband and his V8 ute.

28 Apr 2026
 

Yeah the Boys by Holden Sheppard ISBN 9781923390164