this book is advertised as follows: "a high school senior navigates messy boys and messier relationships in this bitingly funny and much-needed look into the overlap of asian american identity and teen sexuality."

it certainly delivers on most of that! this book is messy, in the best way. and it dives into asian american identity and teen sexuality. the only part i disagree with is the funny part because while i did enjoy this book more than i thought i would, it wasn't really funny at all. to be frank, it was quite serious at times. and that's not a bad thing!

june, our main character, is pretty complex. she has a lot of things influencing her from her parents to her sister to more. she lacks validation from her family and tries to find it within the men she "dates" (who all turn out to be not the best in some way or another). as a (south) asian living in the midwest, i could relate to june about her struggles with living there. she constantly feels like she isn't asian enough because of her upbringing and i relate to that a lot. neither of us were surrounded by people of our own cultures throughout our childhood. anyway, june was flawed and messy and i liked that. sometimes it can be almost tiring to see picture perfect ya characters who get their happily ever after and it was kinda refreshing to see one who didn't and was quite messed up. but june is 18. it's ok for her to be messed up. she shouldn't be expected to have her life together.

i feel like this book is one of those you just have to read to understand. i enjoyed it since i'm in the target audience (an asian american teenager) but it was a read where i can understand why people might not like it. i would say, give it a shot! but remember, it's not a book with a hea.

also, side note: that cover is absolutely gorgeous oh my

Boys I Know started with a hooky beginning, but it took me a few more chapters to really settle into the story. After that, it was a total page-turner to me!

June was a flawed and very relatable main character, and she just felt so real. She messed up a lot and made some questionable choices, but eventually, she learned from her mistakes and I loved that. Her character growth was great.

This book surprised me in the best way, it kept me invested and interested, and made me feel all kinds of things along with June!  (The amount of times I wanted to hit the guys in her life, god...the frustration)

I also loved that it dealt with themes of identity, not feeling good enough, not feeling like we belong, and not being sure of what we want. These are things that I think a lot of us can relate to and it tugged at my heartstrings.

I think Anna Gracia's writing style is engaging (June's voice flew off the pages!) and she is great at making you feel. I'm looking forward to whatever she writes next.

Overall, Boys I Know was a powerful, thought provoking debut which I really enjoyed and recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I really liked this book and the characters. I loved June because her character was so well written and very realistic and I think a lot of teenagers relate to her.

I DNF'd this book as it was just not for me, so I'm rating it 4 stars since I did not finish it. The beginning just fell really flat for me. I wasn't hooked on the main characters story, it just kind of seemed to drone on and the characters didn't make me want to continue reading their story, sadly. However I do recommend this book as I can see other people enjoying it.

As a second-born Asian American teenager, June Chu is the “just good enough girl”. And, to be honest, she also doesn’t see the point in trying too hard if she’s destined to fall short, anyway. Unfortunately, her older sister, Wendy, set the bar too high for June, so their parents’ expectations are, to be frank, excessive – plus, her mom is constantly throwing her riddled Chinese proverbs and passive-aggressive remarks for “her own good”. With a low sense of self-worth and easily intoxicated with love, June ends up seeking validation from boys who end up being jerks.

This book is set in that awkward time between not being an adult just yet but having to make decisions that will affect the rest of your life, and that’s something everyone who has already experienced the teen angst years can relate to. It’s uncertain and sometimes painful, but it’s just what it is, and I liked how the author laid it out on us. So, despite coming from a different background than June, her story deeply resonated with me.

Obviously, I know nothing about how Asian parents are, but it hurt a little to see how June felt every time her mom reminded her she has little to no hope or clarity about her future. I also know nothing about trying to figure out who you are while feeling trapped between two totally opposite cultures, Eastern and Western, but I remember how it was when I was June's age and felt the weight of other people's expectations and ended up being frustrated because we can’t (and shouldn’t even try to) please everyone. And, fun fact, even though I barely remember it by now or at least I try not to, I actually played the violin when I was younger, but I just have the worst ear in the world, so in 3 years I never got past “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

Regarding the romantic part of this book, there are three love interests in the story and a few more boys and, sadly, every and each one was a disappointment. I get most of them though, but I just needed a little sunshine (I kept wishing for one, in particular, to do better). Despite that, I liked how the book explores sex realistically: it’s not always the mind-blowing experience it’s made out to be, and I love how June comes to challenge some internalised misogyny surrounding it (even though her first time broke my heart, since the surroundings to the whole dubious consent issue). It’s also worth mentioning the story addresses other important topics, like growing up Taiwanese-American in a predominantly white Midwestern town, not feeling “Asian enough”, racism and microaggressions and cultural appropriation.

It takes time to get there, but this novel is definitely not about the boys June knows. It’s very much about her discovering her identity and sexuality and, ultimately, the love and validation she wants in no one else but herself. I really think she’s well fleshed out, and I love her and her story for it, but it would be even better if there was more character development regarding June’s friendships and relationships. There are also some loose threads I wished were resolved, but I liked the overall message so much that I conceded the 4-stars and will probably re-read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for providing me with an eARC. I’m leaving this 100% honest review voluntarily.

This was frustrating at times, rushed during some and super depressing during other times. I also felt the conclusion was really abrupt as I was left hungry for a more hopeful ending. I won’t say much about the boys from the title or the other characters (family and friends) because I feel like I would end up spoiling the story. However, June is an incredibly well-written character and she feels realistic. She’s a cleverly crafted teenager, far from flawless even. She felt inherently human and I really enjoyed her journey of self-discovery, although I really wish she could have an Aha Moment a tad bit earlier than when she did.

Thank you Peachtree Teen, Anna Gracia, and NetGalley for this ARC!
Boys I Know was a brutally real book for me, not because it was graphic or explicit, but because of the manner it which it expressed emotions I had yet to begin grappling with. Emotions about family, friends, boys, and the trajectory of one's life. The story follows June Chu, the younger sister with shoes of a practically perfect older sister to fill that she doesn't quite live up to, not for lack of trying. Over the course of her senior year, she deals with the expectations set upon her by her parents while also juggling romantic relationships and deciding who she wants to be.

The book deals with these subjects in a manner that is consistently bittersweet, as June does not necessarily get everything she wants from everyone all the time. It's honest, even when it means feeling lingering disappointment in some of the ways storylines end. If you can appreciate that and especially if you are, like myself, a senior in high school I highly recommend it. Growing up is a huge theme in this book and Anna Gracia does a great job of exploring how it doesn't always go well and isn't always fun. It also shows how though some dynamics, for better or for worse, will never change (especially those with family members), you have to grow around them and take up space when you desire it.

The only downsides of the book were how quickly it flitted from plot point to plot point. It covered a lot of ground over the course of June's senior year, but unfortunately I felt that some of the heavier subject matter relating to June's experiences as an Asian girl living in a predominantly white area left something to be desired as a result of this.

Thank you so much to Netgalley & PeachTree for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so messy, but very raw. June feels the pressure of everyone expecting her to know everything she wants to do with her life. Her perfect sister, Wendy, followed every direction their parents ever gave her, but June believes she isn't "good enough" considering she is the younger of the two, and her parents don't care enough. She is in her senior yesterday of high school, navigating life with her parents, living in her sisters shadow, dealing with friendships, and falling in and out of love. This book covers a lot of important topics, but it's hardly executed well, and mediocre at best.

The book's pacing is so weird. It jumps around to different plot points, but nothing is explained well to figure out how we got there. I was very confused a lot of the book, and lost track of what June is doing. For example, June broke up with her "boyfriend". and then all of a sudden she was dating another guy six weeks later. That relationship abruptly ended, and all of a sudden she was in Washington. The last 70% of the book was probably the best, and the reason why I am giving it three stars. June is starting to realize she is her own person, and can make her own decisions in life.

I didn't like June as a character. Actually, I didn't like any of the characters. June used the boys she was dating as a personality. Every single time a guy came into her life, she wanted to be with them, to fall in love with them, to figure out what they liked, so she can be the best person she could be for them. The book was about trying to find yourself, figure out who you are, and not rely on anyone else's opinions, but June hardly did that. Even at the end of the book, she was still trying to be the person her parents wanted her to be. Yeah, she was going off to a college that her parents didn't exactly approve of, but she was still hoping her parents would care still.

Overall, I did enjoy, but not as much as I was expecting to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I finished this one in two days, and in one word, I would sum it up as honest.

It's June's senior year, and she is trying to figure out her place currently, and moving forward into the future, with her family, her friends, and her romantic relationships. She is trying to determine her cultural identity. How has being raised as an Asian American, Taiwanese specifically, in Iowa impacted who she is? How can she relate to her parents, who were raised in a completely different environment? How can she compete (or stop competing) with her seemingly perfect older sister? Who is she really, and who does she want to be? Where does she want to be? Who does she want to date?

Kudos to Anna Gracia--this was well done. It's a YA book, so in its honesty and authenticity as to what the main character is going through, it can be uncomfortable to read at times. And June is not perfect. She's a teenager; she shouldn't be perfect. Life is messy, and this book reflects that.

Themes: identity, coming of age, figuring out what is right for you

Boys I Know was unexpectedly amazing and relatable. While the plot is mostly centered around and driven by June Chu's romantic interests, her growth as a character was my favorite (and in my opinion, the most important) part of the novel. Despite the amount of romance in it, it didn’t feel like a romance book at all. I found myself both embarrassed, annoyed, angry, and so many other emotions on behalf of June as she tried to sort out her life and discover what was important to her. Boys I Know felt like a much more personal book than most other young adult books I've read. As a highschooler, June's struggles were realistic and relatable, especially when seeing her go through similar experiences to me - despite the many differences between us as well. Also, the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, which is always a plus!

SUCH AN INCREDIBLE READ!
before we get started, the cover is completely gorgeous!
I just don't know how to feel about this
it's always so hard for me to rate books
because even something about the book doesn't sit well with me or if there was a part I didn't particularly like, I still loved reading the book.
like even if it's not <I>good</i> I still really liked the book?
so yeah, some of the things that happened in the book weren't the best
but it was still super enjoyable
I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at here, cause I'm just going in circles, but I think this was a 5-star read.
June was kinda annoying but I feel like this book was kinda just realistic. like not every character is gonna be a perfect person and make all the right decisions.
although I couldn't really relate to this book, I know that many people could feel really connected and found through this?
also, the ending was kinda abrupt, I WISH THERE WAS MORE!!
love all the Chinese proverbs 🤪

*my review seems kinda like I didn't like it, but I completely binged this, read it in basically like one sitting*
like it was actually really good!!

Boys I Know is the story of growing up, of getting to know your worth outside of what your family demands and of standing up for yourself.

June Chu can never win. She is the younger sister, the less talented one and she hears about it, all the time. Her sister is a very talented violinist and got a scholarship for college because of it. June is pressured to practice 3 hours every day and basically follow the same path. And all of this pressure is starting to break her.

She has kind of a boyfriend. She and her bio partner make out a lot, but he doesn't want to commit. Then she moves on. But the people she hangs out with are not the best for her.

June is not an easy character to like, especially in the beginning. She makes a lot of mistakes, a lot of stupid choices, but that is part of growing up. And the more she grows, the more likeable she becomes.

This book is set in that awkward time between being a kid and being an adult. The time where nothing seems to make sense, but decisions that affect the rest of your life need to be made. It's uncomfortable and weird and this book does everything about this so well.

Anna Gracia was also able to discuss growing up Taiwanese-American in a predominately white Midwestern town, racism, and not feeling “Asian enough.”

Overall I liked this book

A novel about the pressures of family and new relationships. This novel spoke to me as I had gone through similar things as a teenage girl and being with boys. I ached for June and dealing with the boys she did. But I can also commend her for her strength.

Thank you NetGalley for the EArc!
*spoiler free*

I'm usually very picky when it comes to contemporary young adult novels, but in this case I was left mildly– and positively– surprised.
Is it the book that will change your life forever? No. But! But, we have to look at it as what it is: a coming of age, young adult novel. And, as a young adult novel, it does a nice job at getting a few points across.
I was pleased with the novel being positive and open about sex, we definitely need it more in ya literature; also, I don't think we're appreciating Anna Gracia's style enough: fresh and lighthearted, perfect for this genre.

Just one thing before getting further into the review: somebody should have added trigger warnings for racial microaggressions and grooming. Tws are mandatory, especially when talking about books that target such a young audience.

Now, back to Boys I Know.
The plot follows June, a second gen Asian-American girl, struggling through her very messy last year of high school while being constantly accompanied by the feeling of never being enough: I found her character– and every character in this book, really– very realistic in all her self doubt, mistakes and general chaos. She is a relatable teenager, and this is one of the book's strongest points: the most authentic detail, in my personal opinion, was the sense of uncertainty and fear of taking the wrong decisions that comes with the last year of high school– as we're about to get thrown into the wide world–, and that pushes June to take her life a little more into her hands.
Sorting out her inner turmoil (despite suffocating parents, living in her sister's shadow and boys that don't value her enough) takes time, many wrong choices and a journey that leads June to the realization of her own self worth.

June's evolution is very personal, very... internal, so to say, which is fine, since we get to see the process of her thoughts during her growth; nonetheless, it would've been great to see that arc expanded to her relationships, which didn't happen as much as it could have, and which left me with the feeling that, after all she went through, the protagonist deserved better.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this book if you're into the genre and want to read a nice coming of age story that isn't scared to touch deeper themes.

Boys I Know. I got this as an ARC and I’m so glad I was able to read this one. Boys I Know was such a good read. I loved the author’s writing style of this one. It flows so well, and I felt like I really related to June in so many of my own high school experiences.
Boys I Know follows high school senior June Chu as she tries to figure out relationships, friendships, and life as a teen. It’s got a lot of great banter and it looks into a lot of Asian American identity and racism. It brings up the topic of Asian racism is several parts. June’s mother wants her to follow in the footsteps of her “perfect” sister Wendy, but June has a hard time following through with that when she feels like she’s going to fail anyway. She decided instead to focus on her relationship with high school crush Rhys as she tries to legitimize their relationship. June has to decided which path she will follow and on who’s terms she will live her life – even if it affects her relationship with her mother forever.
I think I would have absolutely gobbled this book up if I had read it in high school. This is really targeted for teenagers, but I did find myself engaged and interested in June and her story.
It was interesting to see the dynamic between June and her sister Wendy who was the golden child that June felt like she could never live up to which drove her into the arms of boys who didn’t deserve her. Haven’t we all?
I loved the way that June realizes her own mistakes and grew on her own. The character development in this book was so great and while some people said June was kind of whiny, I felt like that fit in with a normal teenager. It was written in a way that didn’t annoy me unlike To All the Boys.
This book has a few triggers to be sure to look those up before reading this one. There’s nonconsensual physical touch and some explicit sex scenes which can be uncomfy in a YA book. It was a little weird for me – but I just kind of skimmed them.
Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this arc in exchange of an honest review!

arc provided in exchange for an honest review, thank you peachtree + netgalley!
so... that was a trip
solid 3.75/5 stars tbh
i did really enjoy this book, i think it was highly relatable
the main character goes through multiple realizations about herself and her wants in a high-pressure asian household which hit a little too close to home
my one problem with the book is that the ending felt way too open-ended in the way that nothing really happened. we are never really shown the aftermath of her decisions or realizations in an attempt to better herself
one thing i really did like, though, was how the messy guys were left behind. june goes through a string of relationships and guys, but then realizes that they are all trash and she deserves better (as she should)
i did like the relationship and the learning moment that happened between june and her sister; i thought that was really sweet
overall a great read, though! (+1 for the wonderful cover)

It a great story overall. June Chu is relatable, I understand her thought process. Even though she was so annoying at first, she is far more complexed than that. Her upbringing and her family affects her more than she will ever know. As a firstborn in an Asian household, I finally know how my younger siblings must feel like, to be known as someone’s little sister. This story is a great example for erikson’s stages of psychosocial development theory, June Chu is the exact story for the identity vs role confusion stage.

We often meet characters in books who are in some way perfect, or have achieved something that we can't even dream of. Well not this book. We have June is your not so perfect teenager girl, who makes mistakes, a lot, and that makes her so lovable

So many things that are usually taboo to talk about in most people's life has been so openly talked about, and wonderfully interpreted in this book, which my younger self would have adored to hear about before I went through them the way I did. I think this book can be a huge help for teenagers who are trying to discover things in the world, who are trying to be just good enough for their parents, trying to keep up with the expectations while also having fun.

It's a realistic and relatable read about what most of the teenagers go through, I wouldn't say it is the way you should do things, but it helps you think thorugh everything. Please buy this book for every teenager in your friend circle, recommend it to your friends' daughter, to everyone. Because it's something that should be neccesary to read for everyone.

Anna Gracia writes about what it means to be dealing with racism, rough family dynamics and a failing romance. First of all, a big thanks to Anna Gracia for the insights on asian culture and the amazing asian representation in this book. One of the eminent points of the book which I really appreciated was the topic on parents expectations and what it means to be someone other than what people expect you to be. As someone who struggles with asian parents and can't decide if I love or hate them, this was really comforting.

As a reader, I I was not that aggravated with June not standing up for herself all the time because in reality that's something we all struggle with. Although I could relate to that part of June it felt horrible reading about her just letting everyone step on her. Supporting characters like Rhys I felt could have just been written a lot better. Sometimes I couldn't figure out the purpose and dynamic of their relationship.

The book was not very well paced and honestly I skipped quite a few parts. The resolutions to every 'traumatic issue' in the book was probably the messiest for me. It felt laking of depth and just felt like it happened to quickly without any solution or healing from the issue. Like I mentioned as someone who feels comforted reading about characters struggles with asian parents the ending felt bleak.

Overall it is still a fun read and I definitely recommend it to those just starting out the YA genre or those who are interested in book with lots of good asian representation.

Thank you net galley for the e arc !!!