Anna Gracia's novel, Boys I Know, placed me within a different culture and I enjoyed every aspect of it.

This was a very raw book about dealing with overbearing Asian parents, the messiness of relationships, and coming of age. While I wasn't sure what direction the plot was going in, it became evident that June's understanding of the world would eventually come crashing down on her. None of the characters are perfect: the helicopter mom who pressures June to follow in her perfect sister's footsteps, the boys that she convinces herself that she's in love with, even the friends who go on their own questionably-destructive paths. As she comes to the realization of the impact she makes on the people around her, she recognizes that she too isn't perfect, and has been treating others wrong as well.

A fun and easy book about growing up and making your own choices that come with consequences, I only wish that June learning her lessons were more impactful. I felt they were all very internal, such as realizing her mother pushed her so hard bec that's how she showed love, or her coming to understanding with Rhys.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! As someone who is East Asian myself it was really refreshing to see the diversity, especially since they are so rare nowadays.

The plot was a little bit on the predictable side, as it was at times, cliche. However, it was still very enjoyable and I was thoroughly invested into it! I really enjoyed the ending of it as I thought it was perfect for June and her growth. There were so many moments of me screaming with joy, or embarrassment and let’s just say this book was one emotional rollercoaster.

At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of June. She frustrated me a lot and it felt like her growth was very slow. But what I really admire is seeing how she changed over time into this incredible, strong protagonist. I love seeing the way she dealt with things and more importantly, how she learned from them. In some ways she was a little unlikeable, but in all honestly she is so relatable. With having parents that constantly put pressure on you to do well in life, I could feel June’s pain and conflict, and her wanting to find freedom to do what she wants.

If I were to give this any criticism, I would say that I wish I had seen more of the relationship between June and her mom. It felt lacking, and it was a little rushed when she and her mom fixed their relationship. The same goes with Wendy and June.

Other than that I thought it was very enjoyable, and I’m excited to read more books by this author! BOYS I KNOW releases July 5th and I highly recommend reading this once it comes out! 4/5 stars!

Anna Gracia delivers exactly what she says she's going to deliver in the blurb.

Cute cover? Yes! A relatable story of a teen who hasn't got their life together? YES!
Messy relationships? Yes! BIPOC Lead? Yes! Honestly, brilliance.

Well written, A+ plot. Enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very solid read.
The main character was so realistically written and so relatable that I couldn't help but feel for her throughout the book. I loved her attitude and views. The book is very realistic with the other characters too, especially the boys that are a part of June's life, and I must note that she deserves so much better than them.
The writing flows well, the tone is just beautiful. I wish some of the themes were expanded on a bit more, but it works nicely as it is too.

Coming of age is tricky no matter what, but it’s even harder when you don’t really have the tools to know what love should be, how it should feel, and what’s right and wrong in the world of love and sex. This was a highly relatable story about all the mishaps that can occur when a teen girl is left to figure it out in her own, the highs and lows of young love or something like it. There’s power in June’s agency, over her future at college and her body and love life, and power in her recognizing when she’s been wronged: by boys, by her family’s expectations. A true testament to how messy your teenage years are, Boys I Know is a book that will stick with me for a long time.

Messy relationships, clashes with parents over what you want to do with your life, and complicated friendships are definitely mainstays of YA stories for a reason. It was interesting to see these experiences through the eyes of June Chu, the main character in Boys I Know. Anna Gracia was also able to discuss growing up Taiwanese-American in a predominately white Midwestern town, racism, and not feeling “Asian enough.”

While I did appreciate a lot of what the book was going for, the execution in the first half hindered my enjoyment. It felt really disjointed and like the story was just jumping around from scene to scene without having a structure for the plot. While June did become a well developed character, the book didn’t feel enough like a character study to make up for the lack of structure. Also, the side characters blended together and didn’t get enough individual development. The story in the second half felt tighter and less meandering which made it easier to get sucked into the narrative.

I’m excited to see what Anna Gracia writes next! I liked her ideas and the themes she was discussing even if the book as a whole wasn’t a new favorite.

Firstly I just have to say thumps up to who ever designed this cover, it's brilliant. I love this book and it's characters, the timely story of June that mirrors what a lot of teenagers face. Every highschool should have copies of this book, it's something teenage me would have appreciated and loved.

I wish I had read this book in high school! (It would have avoided me much heartache...). 'Boys I Know' is not about boys at all. It's about June growing into herself, realizing what she wants, needs, and deserves and not being afraid to go after it. At 18, and especially as a woman of colour, doing that is revolution(ary). I love June's character and development so much that it won't fit into one review. Even as someone who didn't grow up in the United States or part of the Asian-American community, June's doubts and concerns felt familiar. We need more books like 'Boys I Know' for younger audiences - empowering and educating about sex, love, and relationships. Reading about Peachtree Teen's mission to "be a home for empowering, compassionate storytelling and voices that focus on authentic aspects of the teen experience", I am excited and hopeful to see what else they have in store. I also look forward to reading more books by Anna Gracia in the future!

This book feels so real and messy and perfectly high school, dedicated to every girl who never felt like the protagonist. I wish I had a book like this as a teenager and I know that Asian-American teens/kids from the Asian diaspora will relate to and love this book even more than I did. The voice was so authentic. The things that happened were uncomfortable and weird but that's literally what high school is like.

I've also never seen sex explored in this way before, especially with a POC lead. June wants to have sex and pursues her goal without feeling the need to temper her desires. It's messy and complicated and sometimes those first experiences suck, but that's all part of growing up. The best part about June's arc was her ability to take what she learned from each relationship and grow from it.

Such a wonderful, authentic coming of age story.

Whew gosh, I don't even know where to start.

When I was in high school, I always felt different because I was a girl and *gasps* liked sex. Sex that I didn't even have back then. I remember thinking about sex and my girl friends been so disgusted with it.
I wish I could have had a June in my life. I wish this book would have existed back then and would have reached my hands somehow, since my mom was just like June's when it came to sex. I wish I had it back in college when I was chasing the man that was allergic to the word "girlfriend". I wish I had it so I could understand that I wasn't mature for my age. He was just a fucking weirdo.

June has always felt like just good enough and not good enough in her academic, family, and love life. It was a little too short when she tried so hard. When she needed to find herself, but would only meet with the version that everyone else wanted. When she needed people close but kept pushing everyone away because that what she though love was. When she wasn't woke enough, brave enough, ____ enough. I saw —in each page— me. Alex at fifteen when she wasn't pretty,enough. At seventeen when she was smart enough. At twenty two when she wasn't loveable enough.

Gripping, funny and heavy with the concerns of a marginalized girl in a white cis men's world. Boys I know is the mature version of TATBILB that we needed. But above it all is a incredible story that makes you feel seen.

I'm happy to know that this book exists and that girls out there won't feel alone when the word "enough" keeps them awake at night.

Thank you so, so, so much to NetGalley for the ARC. And thanks to Anna for writing it ♥

The boys I know follows main character June Chu as she navigates herself though her last year of high school, trying to choose a college to attend whilst also trying to figure out herself and her love life.

I really liked the publishers and authors notes at the beginning of this story, and felt that they had opened their hearts up a bit, especially the author, the fact that Anna Garcia has made a point of bringing Asian representation to the forefront of this book is fantastic, and her quote resonated with me quite a lot “Please know that there is no percentage threshold or visual requirement for someone to be considered Asian”

The book delivers exactly as the synopsis promises, with some additional emotional scenes that were completely adorable to me, such as June apologising to Candace and June and Wendy’s heart to heart, those moments felt completely sincere, and I was able to feel the emotions through the pages.

June was a very well written character with a lot of depth and character building throughout the book, however there were times that I struggled to connect with her, as I felt she was placing way too much empathises about being in a relationship, and the fact that her sister and friends did nothing but support her (and she was quite oblivious to this for a while) and she didn’t really acknowledge it bothered me a little.

However, I understood the message the author was trying to portray as June’s parents had put such pressure on her to succeed academically whilst not really showing many emotions to her, she looked for validation elsewhere, and unfortunately being told by Amy (her college tour guide) that she wasn’t “Chinese enough” led her to believe she needed to be in a relationship with someone (regardless of how they treated her) So I was completely there to watch June grow and develop and realise certain things, plus I loved the way she was able to challenge the cultural appropriation she came across as well as challenging Tommy and other characters throughout the book!

June was really good at giving advice to her friends Liz and Candace and I especially loved her comment to Candance about Dom: “Don’t let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy, but he is not the sun” this quote is brilliant, and I adored the fact that June was able to figure this out in her own life!
June’s mum really stuck with me, she was often sharing Chinese proverbs with June as a way of educating her or encouraging her to behave a particular way. I am not in a position to completely relate to June, but her relationship with her mum kind of resonated with me, as I too was pushed as a child and barely shown any emotion from my parents so I could understand June’s need for approval from someone, or just to hear those magical words as a child that someone is proud of you.

All in all, this was an interesting read with a lot of character development, just bear in mind that it delivers exactly as the blurb suggests, there are no hidden plot twists .

TW’s : Emotional abuse, sexual scenes, racism and toxic relationships

3.5

A solid 4.5 stars.

When I read the author's note at the beginning -- "It is my hope that reading about June's experiences might spare some girls the hurt of learning these lessons firsthand, even if they don't share her exact background" -- I knew that I'd love this book. And I did. And I loved it even more when the main character quoted Grey's Anatomy -- "Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy but he is not the sun. You are."

Boys I Know reminded me of Queenie but for teens. Boys I Know follows June Chu, a Taiwanese-American teenager, through her senior year of high school as she figures out where to attend college, while dealing with overbearing parents and the many toxic "relationships" she finds herself in. I found June's story realistic and genuine -- June is the "just good enough" girl in academics and to her parents and love interests. June's coming-of-age journey moved me and in all honesty it's a book I'd have loved to have when I was younger when I struggled with self-esteem issues and strict parents. Despite being YA, Boys I Know tackles hard-hitting topics that affect teens but which parents rarely talk about with them, including Asian fetishization, the concept of being in love with the idea of a person instead of the actual person, and the feeling of not being "Asian" enough.

There's alot to love about Boys I Know, but what tugged at my heartstrings the most is the author's discussion of how parenting style affects their children's self-esteem and, in turn, relationships.

"Who would I be if I had different parents? Would I be happier? My parents' constant criticism affected me in ways I was only starting to fully understand. If I'd felt more loved and accepted at home, maybe I wouldn't have spent so much time trying to find it in other places. Their impossible standards made me desperate to please everyone but myself, hiding my own pain just to preserve the pretense that I was doing okay so I wouldn't be rejected again."

I've been mulling over this for quite some time and this is the first time I've read a book that addresses this, so thank you Anna for bringing this book into the world. I can't wait for the physical copy to have a place on my bookshelf!

**Note to publisher: This review will be posted on bookstagram @movedbyprose closer to publication day***

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book similar to this, and I really enjoyed it!

June is a character struggling to find an identity through her surroundings, whether it be at school, college visits, or even by constantly being compared to her older sister. My favorite part about this book was that ‘finding yourself’ was not shown as something that just happens and is there. From the beginning to the end there is clear growth, but she isn’t “perfect” at the end. I loved that because teenagers don’t have themselves figured out, and while I can’t speak for adults I know that neither do they. This book displays growth as a continuous cycle.

The only reason I rated this a 4⭐️ is because of the pacing. Just a personal preference, but the pacing of the story just wasn’t for me.

Boys I Know is a sweet quick read. June steals the show in this book and is so relatable. Her banter with her mother is something everyone has experienced with someone in your family. Anna knocked it out of the park on this one.

I’m grateful to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for a pre-published copy!

I really appreciate that June, the protagonist, was given the space to be messy. We don’t get to see teen girls just make mistakes. We all make them! Witnessing June navigate racist and sexist social/romantic dynamics is cringe but relatable in regards to what teen girls feel they feel obligated to put up with. I just wish there was a little more character development regarding June’s friendships and platonic relationships. I know the novel’s focal point is romance, but I had a difficult time emotionally connecting to how these friendships are sustained. The ending felt a little abrupt, but I get that June gets to the decision she needs to make. The messiness and relatability of June make her a satisfying character to witness grow, and probably many young girls will find something cathartic about her as well.

The character development seems very natural and I applaud the author for executing it well. Her journey was messy, realistic, and relatable— and I like how she had to learn how to handle her responsibilities and maintain boundaries. The author approaches the story in a fresh and sincere way, and I'd recommend it to people who are still trying to figure out their lives.

Honestly, at first this book didn't really speak much to me. I felt like I related more to Wendy and was constantly whispering, "You could do so much better than this, June". But I continued reading. I feel like this is such an ordinary story, but it's something that needs to be told and heard. There's so much emphasis to be put on the "just enough" girl. Being "just enough" is so hard and you feel as if you're not worth it because you'll never be enough, and for June, she seeks for this love that she never had without even understanding what it is. Watching her grow from it really makes me feel like it's okay to make mistakes and it's okay to choose yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

If you know me, you know I love a good bit of mess. I’m always trying to eke out gossip from my friends, though my efforts often bear no fruit. I also love unlikable characters. All that to say, when I heard about this book—about a messy Asian teenager trying to find love—I thought it would be just the thing for me. And I can appreciate this book for what it tried to do, but unfortunately it fell flat to me.

June, the main character, is actually a fairly realistic narrator. She’s not remarkable, but that’s the point. She’s also rude and doesn’t always make the best decisions, but at the end of the day, she’s a teenage girl trying to carve out her way in the world, and I think we need more messy Asian teenage girls anyways. I don’t really have problems there. Where I do have an issue, however, is that I don’t think her voice was particularly entertaining. There was nothing about this book that felt page-turning to me. It kind of all just felt…ok.

The other characters are equally unlikable but far less endearing than June, but again, that’s the point. I don’t have a problem if they’re unlikable, but I do have a problem if I don’t feel attached to any of the characters. I think the problem is there aren’t any relationships between characters that I find particularly compelling—neither good nor bad. That being said, I thought June’s mother was a pretty good depiction of overbearing parents.

If there is one thing this book delivers on though, it is the mess. There is a lot going on in June’s life, even if I wasn’t all that invested. Which is why it’s so strange that I don’t think the plot did anything. The ending didn’t give me any lasting impression or hope. The resolution was highly internal, which I guess is fine, but there wasn’t much change overall.

Ultimately, it just felt like so much happened but nothing happened at the same time, and I didn’t really have any insightful things to say, or feel satisfied, as I turned the last page of this book. It might be good for some of you out there, but unfortunately, this wasn’t really the book for me.

took me a while to get through. i think it’s cuz i didn’t really connect with any of the characters. loved the eau claire shoutout, though!

#netgalley