The other day they were giving away free ARC’s of this book and the cover looks amazing so I was like let me read it. I think this book is very universal and I loved the fact that everyone could find some piece of themselves in June. The story was very deep and over after reading I felt very influenced by it. Definitely a 5/5. Thank you to Netgalley and PeachTree Teen for allow to read and review this novel early!

Wow. This book felt so much like one of the quintessential coming of age movies I watched growing up. I could envision the whole thing in my head (including the soundtrack).

Each character felt like someone I’ve met before or could meet at any point in my life because they all felt like real human beings. I couldn’t even get mad at June when she was making mistakes (especially in regards to her parents and her guy problems) because I’ve made some of those mistakes too, and I know the mindset she was in because I’ve been there. I did get mad at other characters, but the fact I got angry just goes to show that they felt very real to me and that I grew to care about June and the others while reading.

I also loved the issues June faced in terms of her racial identity despite being unable to fully relate. I was however able to recognize certain things I’ve said/done in the past that were definitely not okay and were for sure microaggressions towards my friends, even though they never called me out on it. This book really made me think and reflect on myself which not many books do, and I truly did learn something from reading it.

Also, as someone who is about to graduate, I know I absolutely NEED to reread this book when it comes out because I’ll relate that much more after graduation (and I’m sure I’ll cry, but everyone needs a good cry sometimes).

!!!SPOILERS BELOW!!!

I’m very glad that June didn’t end up with any of the guys and stayed single in the end. Sometimes it feels like writers think that their characters need to end up with someone in the end when, especially at June’s stage of life, that’s just not the case. This book wasn’t a romance, it was June’s journey of self-discovery, and I love it so much for that. So thank you, Anna Garcia, because this was amazing.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.
Keeping this sweet and short : it was good. It was cute and refrshing but i found myself frustrated with the mc and it lowed the score for me. I know that the protrayal of the mc was a realistic one but i just couldnt stand it and i truly dont know if i should praise her for it or not.
Also the end was a little bit rushd in my opinion. It felt like the author wanted the book to end quickly and just wraped it all up.

I loved this book! First of all the cover immediately had me desperate to read it and I was hoping that it lived up to the hype I built up in my head. Luckily, it did. June is very much a flawed character but we see her missteps and how they guide her to a clearer understanding of who she is. This book was one of the truest depictions I have seen of high school and all the pressures that come with it. I was glad many of the struggles June faced are discussed instead of glossed over like so many YA books out there. This was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I know I will be picking up a copy when it is released.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This was lovely and I wished I had liked it more. Of course, I appreciate any form of POC representation we get in literature, but I think this book just wasn't for me. As an Asian myself, it is amazing to see the wave of own-voiced POC books hitting the shelves. However, a lot of them have the same issue I found in Boys I Know -- lack of nuance and subtly. I do acknowledge I sound pretentious (and that is because I am) but it doesn't hurt to hold back a little. I love that this was so genuine and had I still been in high school, maybe I would've adored seeing someone with a culture similar to mine who faced the same struggles I had as not only a teen, but as part of the minority in a white Western-centric society. Again, this book just wasn't for me. But my subjective opinions aside, I do want to give credit to this for how careful and honest the main character was portrayed, as well as how the themes in this book were handled. Often, sex and sexuality are not discussed in young-adult fiction, so it was lovely to see it portrayed in such a careful, educative way here. This honestly felt so series for a young-adult fic, despite the author describing it as having "all the ‘com’ of a rom-com”.

But I digress-- June felt so raw and real, for her as a character alone this would've been a five star.

I would absolutely recommend this to high-schoolers, specifically POC teens :)

So I read this book a few days ago and have not stopped thinking about it since. After recently getting out of highschool myself, this book was insanely refreshing to read and live vicariously through (the pandemic kind of robbed me of my 'best years').
I have to say I loved how lived in and relatable these characters felt to me. The dialogue wasn't what I expected after reading too many millennial authors butcher the real essence of communicating and thought processes during your teens. I think this book's discussions on self-worth and the pressure lots of young adults have to face (either from yourself or your family) especially in society today.
This isn't my typical genre of book but the cover and premise stood out to me, especially as a young adult who has had her fair share of messiness, and I knew I wanted to give it a try.
Definitely a 3.5-4 star rating because although this isn't what I'd usually read, it definitely had an impact on me and caused me to reflect on the past few years of my life and feel related to!
Thank you to Anna Gracia. Peachtree Teen, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

After finishing this book, the word that comes to the top of my mind is authentic. These characters feel lived in and real, none more so than June which can sometimes be a double edged sword. Sometimes I wanted it to be a little bit more of a fantasy, to incorporate more of the wish fulfillment that you can get out of a YA novel. But that's not what this book is, and that's not a criticism. June can be extremely frustrating, but she is a teen girl who is grappling with life and making mistakes and rushing to judgement. As a reader, you want her to have answers to every question but that's not necessarily what life will actually give you.

That does sometimes make this feel a little abrupt, especially at the end, but Boys I Know feels very much like a slice of life at a very particular time in June's life and how she can cope with it. It's raw and refreshing, even if it isn't entirely satisfying.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, i would just like to say that this book speaks a lot about RIGHT NOW conditions of young adult kids. As one of those Young Adults, at age 18 i was struggling with choosing what i want for my future, what i want to do with my life. while also, enjoying my high school life, dating these few boys and breaking up.

As a second child from a chinese family, i TOTALLY relate with June, she was constantly being "compared" to her sister and other chinese kids. which is NOT a foreign things to me. Although, my mom wasn't like June's Mom, she literally had a whole plan out for June and what she had to do with her life to achieve that plan. My mom really support me in what i want to do which i'm totally grateful for.

Moving to the other characters of the books, few that i found really loveable beside June was Rhys and Candice. I would love to have a best friend like candice, i think she would always help me keep myself in line but also would go out of the line with me. Then, there's Rhys, in my opinion i think of June and Rhys relationship as one of the first loves relationship, where you'll always have him and remember him in your heart. But, he is a right person at the wrong time and will always just be THAT person you'll love all your life.

The Author mentions about "messy boys + messier relationships" in the synopsis and I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. This book is literally what was written in the synopsis. and the main focus on this book is self growth, all the characters development was written well and plan beautifully. This book needs to be consumed slowly and while I DID get a bit bored in the middle of the book, i can't put down the book BECAUSE i just feel the need to know what happen next? what will she do? and so on.

NetGalley Review: In all honesty this was refreshing. Even if you haven’t encountered many of the situations in this book, relatability can be found in here for everyone. I felt that bits and pieces of all the relationships were relatable to me. As someone that’s been found cute by guys, but could never find the right way to be myself in a relationship hit differently with this book. I also appreciated how the romance was decentralized and wasn’t something the book could be recognized for, I don’t think there’s enough coming of age books that allow for the MC to stay single and find their own way. I would also say though that I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. All the plot points for the most part were wrapped up, but many of them seemed like they were quickly wrapped up. They weren’t wrapped up in a haphazard way, but it also didn’t feel completely satisfying. Overall though I found bits and pieces of myself in this book iand it was an honest and awkward read in a good way.

Thank you to NetGalley and PeachTree for this e-ARC!

(4.5 rounded down)
Boys I Know was a complete emotional rollercoaster of a book and I loved every moment of it. First off, June Chu has my whole heart. She completely stole it in this book. She’s such a realistic and comforting character, and the journeying through the messiness of her life with her made me laugh and gush and yell in frustration. When I say it was an emotional rollercoaster, I really mean it. I felt happy, sad, confused, annoyed, all the emotions, at so many points of this story. I really feel that it so accurately represents the feelings of many teens. Would definitely recommend especially to older teens. (also I LOVE THE COVER FOR THIS BOOK, IT’S STUNNING)

This book was a lovely mirror into what it feels like to be a teenager trying to figure out who you are and how to be independent. I really appreciated the exploration of not being “Asian enough” and the cultural aspects that were explored throughout.

I would say the book is as what the blurb says. Exactly. No exaggerations there. Nothing less than there. And I am so glad the book delivers as it promises.

Thank you, Peachtree, for the advance reading copy.

Will I keep looking at the cover of this book again and again?

Will I keep thinking about the characters again and again? Hello, June. Hello, Rhys. Hello, June's Mom. Yes, the other characters too. But these characters will live in my mind rent free forever.

And yes, yes to these questions! I love the cover so much!

The book is as it is. The plot is as it is. What I loved the most is how genuine the characters are and how effortlessly they have been developed and given a wholesome place in the plot.

I find the character of June so genuine and realistic that it's impossible not to keep on reading as to know what happens to her and who she chooses ultimately. The characters are not perfect which I truly appreciate reading about. We meet the good, the bad and the ugly guys. June, you deserve the best.

One character stood out for me. It's June's mom. Only Asian kids know how it is with Asian families and Asian parents. It's a lot. A LOT I would say. We are used to it. But no one can make fun of it.

I would say take your time with this book. Try to know and understand June keeping her age and situation in mind. You will enjoy it the most when you accept the characters as they are at the earliest.

it's official. i am in love with YA contemporary and more importantly, with june chu. it really brought me back to a younger me who was struggling with the multitudes of confusion that high school and being on the cusp of adulthood brought me. but this book really made me look back to four years in the past and if i could give high school self one thing, it would be a book like this. these characters were so real and achingly human and her journey was something i will hold so dear to my heart because it tackles so well themes and subjects like sex, college, race and her own sense of belonging in the world and how much of that she can actually control. it was so, so wonderful and i can't wait to read more of anna garcia.

Despite growing up with a much different background from our protagonist June, her story resonated deeply with me: her struggle with living in her perfect sibling’s shadow and how she felt as though she could neither excel nor be mediocre, that she was “just good enough”, both in school and with the violin (which I also played when I was younger) was so very special to me. But besides my personal connection to it, stories like June’s matter. Whether it’s the pressure of her parents’ expectations and goals for their kids, or the helplessness she felt when dealing with her peers’ not-so-subtle racism and microaggressions, or even just her so very human desire to find love, everyone can find a piece of June they can see themselves in.

I will however say this: while the editor’s note at the beginning of the book says this story has “all the ‘com’ of a rom-com”, I personally found the tone of this novel to be more serious, deeper, not as humorous as it was advertised, which I reckon to be appropriate and consistent with the theme of Anna Garcia’s novel. There is a slight shift towards the end where it picked up an unequivocally rom-com-like style; that confused me, almost to the point where I started wondering if maybe all of June’s journey and development was to be for nothing, but in the end it only lasted a couple of chapters.

Overall, Boys I Know was an enjoyable as well as meaningful read. Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing an arc for review.

I sat down and read this entire thing in one sitting, so I think it's safe to say this book definitely exceeded my expectations. it's wonderfully paced, engaging, and honest, discussing a lot of important issues and also just providing an amazing glimpse into the mind of someone who doesn't have their life together, and who learns to be okay with that. I especially appreciated the way this felt like a character study-- june was a wonderful narrator with an inner dialogue that was funny, genuine, and a lot of times hit a little too close to home. reading about her decisions, family pressures, experiences, and character development was a really great experience.

I also appreciated how this book kind of tossed aside the typical "YA couple endgame" in favor of messy, realistic high school relationships where nobody's perfect. it actually sidestepped a lot of YA tropes in favor of honesty and realistic experiences, which made it both hard to read and also really elevated the story. I was really rooting for june the entire time, and I loved seeing her discover who she was over the course of the book.

this is an important story. the friendships, the choices june is facing, the way she learns how to put herself first, the relationships we see her in and how she processes them. it was really amazing and such a new and unique take on the typical YA contemporary romances I've been used to reading. I hope this book gets the hype it deserves because it really does deserve it.

I really enjoyed this book !June was splendid character who went through a lot but I thought that she was a realistic teenager so that was really nice! Overall Boys I Know was poignant, interesting, sweet, sassy, entertaining and thoughtful.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded down.

Boys I Know was a stunning debut by Anna Gracia. It was a solid read that I really enjoyed.

June Chu is messy. She makes mistakes, she's trying to live up to impossible standards, and sure, maybe she's a little bit of an asshole sometimes. But she tries. As soon as I started, I knew June was going to get a great character arc, one where she learns and experiences some growing pains, and gets to fuck up once - or a lot of times. Her growth and journey felt realistic and at a perfect pace, and that deserves some kudos.

June also was unapologetically herself when it came to expressing her sexuality. I think more YA books should share the awkward, uncomfortable, messy parts of sex. We don't need to skip from YA novels with barely a kiss to an Adult novel full of smut; teenagers deserve to see their sexualities referenced on-page.

There were some times when I was confused with the timeframe of what was happening, but it was a minor complaint. I also wanted more of an on-page understanding that 23-year-olds and graduate students should not be dating/having sex with high schoolers, as I feel that is an important message for any teen to understand.

I would recommend this book to people, especially current high schoolers. It's okay to not have all the answers right now.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic read for me. THE COVER. THE ART. The background, the colours, the car, and the BOOTS. BEING QUEER AND ASIAN. I adored June's voice, but I was especially taken with the story's pacing. Sometimes in contemporary books, the last few chapters feel like the character finding out their life lesson in one go to wrap it up, but June's character growth and realisations felt very genuine, and quite realistic. It's a very fresh and relevant novel that tackles a number of important topics in a very sincere and lived-in way. And, as previously stated, I adore June.

Overall good YA story, I enjoyed but it wasn’t all that but a solid 4 star review! I really enjoyed the main character.

A YA rom com that I ddin’t really care for that I ended up DNFing because I didn’t care for the characters.