Thanks so much to HarperTeen and Netgalley for an ARC of this title! Michelle Quach is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors alongside old favorites like Gloria Chao and Farah Rochon. The Boy You Always Wanted started a necessary discussion about sexism and Vietnamese culture, while still being a loving story about a girl’s quest to be the perfect granddaughter.

Pros:
- Lovable characters: From Francine to Ollie and Jiya to A Gūng, this novel is filled with amazing characters that really kept the story moving along. I was impressed with the amount of care that went into each person and how fleshed out they felt.

- Cultural context: I fancy myself a bit of a history buff; the culture behind his novel was incredibly profound. Quach does an amazing job amplifying the voices of Vietnamese people and giving them their own love stories as well, making them feel more represented in today’s culture.

Cons:
- Needed more: Somehow, I got to them end and I felt like I wanted more. More of the characters, more of the dynamics, more of Francine and Ollie’s relationship, just more!

Thus, I give this title a 4.7 out of 5 stars which I rounded down to a 4/5. Thank you again for this ARC!

This book was very good! I liked the characters and the setting. I found the writing style wonderful too. The cover is also cool!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC! :)

This was a very cute book that followed childhood friends to lovers. The characters were well developed and likable and the writing style was easy to read. This is a fun YA book that many will enjoy.

I love this cozy atmosphere on the cover, this soft light and pastel colors. It reminds me To the All Boys atmosphere. I really love this series. This book talks about such an important topic as family and family values. Relationships between family members, older generation and your roots. The need to value yourself, your feelings and accept yourself. I think this is important and more books with this are needed. The main characters are not ideal people with perfect character; they have their own minuses but they love each other. This story is sweet and cozy, there are little disadvantages here, but they do not spoil the meaning and beauty of the text. This is the perfect book to make your evening cozy and sweet.
Thanks to NetGalley for this amazing book.

tbyaw was such a fun book to read for me. I didn’t feel bored and was interested in ollie’s and francine’s relationship develop. The two start off as acquaintances and then become friends over a series of events that bring them closer together. Their development felt organic and I loved seeing their separate relationships with their other friends as well. While the two characters home lives contrasted greatly, we got to see how small issues were resolved that they didn’t know about before. One thing I would’ve liked to seen was Ollie’s relationship with his parents be fleshed out a little more considering this was dual pov. (The romance was cute too!)

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC

I definitely loved Ollie and Francine as individuals and together. I loved the slow burn and how the book navigated some tougher subjects with family and heritage, it made it feel relatable and raw. The only real issue I had was that pacing threw me off and some of the details didn't feel polished enough so it was very hard for me to give it 4 stars.

Michelle Quach has become one of my favorite writers. She writes the books that I desperately was searching for as a young Vietnamese American girl/teenager. Even as an adult, I still very much relate to her characters. Here's a daughter who works so hard to please her family. And a boy who is like any other teenager, and a bit hapless.. I love the way family, especially an elder generation, plays such an important role in this book. There's a lot of love in this novel and lots to learn about Chinese and Vietnamese history without it feeling like a history lesson. Most importantly. the main characters are good and kind and funny. You want them to be your friends. You root for them. I love how the heroine has strong beliefs, and she doesn't change herself to fit it or make a boy fall in love with her. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was good! I really enjoyed the two main characters and their love story. This was the best combo of slow-ish burn and even with the tough subject matieral. I loved how this book worked through it and made it feel real, and I definitely cared for the characters.

⭐️ 2

I genuinely wish I could've loved this book, but there was something about it that felt pretty lackluster. The plot had a ton of potential, but overall I couldn't really connect with the characters or the storyline as much as I wanted to. Also within the storyline, I didn't feel like all of the conflicts were resolved fully, it wasn't the most satisfying ending for me especially when it came to Francine talking to her grandfather about The Plan, I do wish I could've read more about that conversation.

There were some aspects within the book that I did resonate with, like Francine realizing the importance of allowing yourself to feel ALL of the feelings. One of my favorite quotes relating to this topic within the book is:

"- except you're going to find out that life isn't only about doing the hard things. Sometimes, it is about feeling them."

Overall, I'm not sure if personally I could recommend this book. The target audience is young adult, so it could be a me-problem.

Like Len and Eliza from the author’s previous book, I absolutely adored Francine and Ollie. Although Francine’s idea to make Ollie AGung’s heir seemed flawed at first, it was great to see her character development and see how realize her worth and grow from this encounter. I especially loved the part where Francine was not afraid to defend her idea to her friend, even if she disagreed. I also enjoyed the slowburn relationship between Francine and Ollie, and the author’s descriptions of food had my mouth water.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well-written and both leads were relatable. As an Asian American, I feel that the author did a great job portraying some of the complicated elements of Asian American identity--generational differences, culturally-embedded sexism, feeling disconnected from one's family and heritage because of language barriers, and the pressures of being the children of immigrants who made great sacrifices.

I really enjoyed this book! I flew through it on one afternoon and I am so sad that it's over. The author did a great job with the plot and keeping the story moving with no stagnant parts. The characters were very relatable and fun to learn. Great read!

Dang, I really thought I would love this novel.

I had finished this novel a couple of days ago but held off on the review until I could gather my thoughts.

Lets start with the positives. I absolutely love the cover and the concept and idea. The sexism in the Asian culture is still ongoing today. The need and want for a male son to carry on the family name and duties. Women/daughters are still looked down upon and considered less valuable compare to men/sons. It's something I'm quite familiar with and have personally experienced.

Going in, I thought it was going to be a deep and an emotional read. Unfortunately, the story barely scratched the surface of sexism. I wanted more from the story, more depth. I also had some issue with the pacing and flow. It felt a bit all over the place. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm asking for too much. Maybe this novel is meant to be a light read. Either way, the novel left me unsatisfied.

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Michelle Quach (the author), and Harper Collins for graciously sending me a copy of the novel to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I wanted to love The Boy You Always Wanted since I loved Michelle Quach's previous novel, Not Here to Be Liked. Overall, the book was enjoyable. However, I was yearning for more. Some plot lines and characters felt unnecessary, while there were other instances where I wish the author had focused more attention, detail, and pages to specific characters and plot lines.

What a gorgeous novel full of loveable characters and a storyline that I couldn't put down. This one is a must read!

When I saw that another Michelle Quach had another book coming out, I freaked out and had to read it immediately when I got the arc. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF THIS. Francine is literally one of my favorite main characters ever, she could do no wrong in my eyes. Now Ollie... me personally? I would never let anybody disrespect me like that and get away with it, but Francine liked him and Michelle wrote him so I was inclined to trust him. The vibes were immaculate, the plot was perfect, the humor was amazing. I would 1000000% recommend this book to anyone who loved Not Here To Be Liked or anyone who enjoys ya romance! Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the way Michelle Quach wrote this, it was what I was looking for from this type of book. I loved the cover it really worked with the story inside. The plot was so well done and I was invested in what was going on. It was a great romance going on and I enjoyed the way the characters were written. I can't wait to read more from Michelle Quach.

“What’s the occasion?” I grin and reach for a fork. I’ve always been a fan of the Asian bakery strawberry cake, which has a light sponge and fresh berries mixed in with whipped cream frosting. I haven’t had it in ages, so half the slice is gone in about thirty seconds."