Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

I feel like the premise of this is fairly common with a heroine needing money and having to do something but it doesn't mean that this is a tired story! It was a nice, easy read and I found all of the characters interesting. I want more volumes for more characterisation and backstory but I did like this a lot! The art is very nice as well.

Rating: 3.5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes and I want to read more
Would I Recommend it? Yes

Great read! Love the handsome characters and the sweet girl. Would love to read part two. I guess they'll end up together. It's a cliché story, but I love it! Read it in one evening.

File "Those Not-So-Sweet Boys" under the category of "heroines with financial struggles and the rich boys that make their lives complicated" under which the classic Hana Yori Dango also belongs. Sometimes the biggest obstacles to the heroine's life is their own family but thankfully, apart from the debtor father that abandoned her, the heroine's efforts are supported by her mother and younger brother (who rivals the heroine for being the one to root for). I'm not sure how well this premise will hold up in the long run, as the heroin develops the inevitable case of The Feelings, but it's set up neatly by the end of the first volume. The art has pleasing, clean lines, but the character designs feel like they rely too much on different hair styles and colors. It's worth a shot, for a first volume.

I really enjoyed this story! (: It was fun, refreshing and an enjoyable read.

When you read a lot of manga, it's challenging trying to find one that you feel like you haven't read before.

While the story definitely gave me a few My Little Monster vibes, I felt this story stood out on it's own.
Here we have three handsome candidates/future friends that are all charming and sweet in their own right. Our heroine, Midori Nanami, is a lovable one. She's strong, hardworking and doesn't take any handouts. Seeing her interact with the Not-So-Sweet-Boys is a good time. Although weary at first, their outer layer peels off showing us three genuinely sweet boys.
Their blossoming friendship is one that I'd love to read again and I would recommend to any shojo fan out there.
Note: The art style is clean and enjoyable as well!

**I received a free digital copy of this work through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Midori is a hard-working student who is offered a deal by the chairman of her school: get the three troublemakers in her class to come back to school, or face the consequences of her own rule-breaking. This was such a charming story! It may only be volume 1, but I'm completely hooked! Midori is adorable, and the three guys she's tasked with looking after have a surprising amount of depth. I highly recommend giving this a read!

What a great book in classic Shojo manga form.
I really enjoyed this one.
The artwork is wonderful.
The characters are well written.
Midori works part time, even though it is forbidden by her high school. When she is found out by the Chairman, she’s given the choice ... be expelled OR get 3 classmates to return to school. She chooses the latter and the story takes off.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

A huge thank you to this book’s publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Midori is trying to keep everyone happy. Not only is she trying to make it through school, but she is also trying to work in order to bring more income for her family. When she gets caught working at a part-time job she gets assigned (more like blackmailed lol) to bring a trio of (super cute) boys back to school... easier said than done! The poor girl can’t seem to catch a break but turns out one of those boys is one she is interested in..

This was a light-hearted, quick read. The art style was great and followed like a classic Shojo manga. I look forward to reading future volumes... especially since this one ended in a cliffhanger! I hope there is more romance in future novels! I’m rooting for you to get that romance, Midori!

Instantly falling in love with a group of boys seen as dangerous but actually sweet is my speciality.
The main character, Midori & I share the instant attachment to the trio of boys in this cute and heartfelt Manga.

Midori isn't meant to be working a part-timer job while in high school as it is against the rules. Still, when she is offered an alternative to punishment when discover she jumps on it, all she has to do is bring three classmates back to school, what starts as an alternative punishment because a journey of friendship, first love and seeing through rumours and assumptions that people have about a person.
This is only the first volume, but I am super invested, and I cannot wait to add this to my library!

The first volume of Those Not-So-Sweet Boys is everything you want in a cute shojo series! Midori, our heroine, is a practical sixteen-year-old who is trying to do what's best for her family after her dad left them with a mountain of debt. In comes the first day of high school and the unfortunate series of events which will lead to her meeting three questionable classmates. Although they give off the aura of being rough and closed-off, Midori finds herself gravitating toward Rei, one from the group. Midori has to work to help her household, which is actually against school policy, and of course, the chairmen of the school discovers her leaving her job, and then manipulates her into convincing the three guys go back to school after a scuffle and misunderstanding with a teacher gets them suspended.

This first volume had some typical events that happen in most high school shojo manga, like Rei getting sick and a school sports festival, but I think Midori is where the story shines. She's a tough and yet caring young woman who has been dealt a difficult hand. She may be a little hapless, but she's not helpless. In the process, she's gained three new friends and maybe a love interest? I'll have to read the next volume to find out!

So cute without being cloying. Not sure what romance will be in store for this series but I cannot wait to find out

I really enjoyed my read of this swoon-worthy volume! I'm so excited to continue on with this series! For more details about this particular volume, please check out this video, where I go into detail about it, and some other volumes I read recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etfX4yuShBQ

I loved That Wolf Boy Is Mine and Love in Focus so of course I was thrilled to see another story by Yoko Nogiri!!
This first volume was cute. I think this will be a light fluffy read, like Yoko Nogiri’s other stories. The characters and the storyline are interesting. I can’t wait to read the next volume.


Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this a little early! My physical copy is on its way!

#ThoseNotSoSweetBoys1 #NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC in exchange for a honest spoiler free review.

I really enjoyed That Wolf Boy is Mine so when I heard Yoko Nogiri is coming out with a new series, I had to try out Those Not-So-Sweet Boys. I didn't expect much, because I don't usually read slice of life, romance only based series, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.

"Kids can't choose what family they're born into."

It starts off with the "good girl and bad boys that are not actually bad" troupe, but I was glad that the "bad boys" didn't hold for too long and we find out quickly the reasons why the boys do not attend the school anymore.

I'd say it's a pretty cliché read, but it is still enjoyable. It has sweet moments that would make you go "awww /happy face/" or "aww /sad face/". The story is presented in a light hearted manner, despite having a sad background. I don't think you have to worry about it though because it doesn't feel heavy, or at least for me it didn't. But! If the mention of losing a loved one is hard for you to read about, then I'd suggest staying away from the series. I think it is meant to be able to connect, to have a better understanding, or/and to care about the characters more, which it did work for me. I could empathize with both, the female lead, Nanami and the male lead, which I assume is Ichijo. I am curious to find out more about the other two boys as well. AND, I love the corgi! Such cute puppy!

Overall, it was a good start of a series and I like the positive takes it has on life or situations. It gives off encouraging vibes. Since it's a story meant for a younger audience, it teaches them good morals. I always appreciated when series do that.

"But hating him won't pay off the debt. And it's not healthy to get stuck in a negative mindset, you know?'

I am looking forward to reading its next volume because this ends on a cliffhanger.

// TRIGGER WARNING : the mention of losing a loved one.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you both to NetGalley and Kodansha!

Those Not-So-Sweet Boys focuses around high school student Midori. Midori's family is in debt after her father ran away, as a result she has to work part time to support her family despite it being against her school's rules to have a job. One day, Midori is caught by chairman of her school and in return for letting the situation go, she is tasked with getting three boys in her class to come back to school.

This volume was easy-going, fun and focused primarily on the blossoming friendship between Midori and the boys. I really enjoyed the story in this manga, I devoured volume 1 very quickly and was left wanting to pick up the next volume which is a great sign! I enjoyed the characters, in particular Midori. She came across as really genuine and diligent. She had the emotional struggles of a teen which not only made her relatable, but also a believable character. The three boys were also very charming. One thing I enjoyed in particular were the little character profiles placed between chapters in this manga, not only were they fun but they were also informative and made me feel more connected to the characters.

The art itself was lovely, I thought the author's art style was really attractive and really increased my enjoyment and appreciation for the manga. Personally I preferred the second half of this manga to the first, just because introductions had been made at this point and I could appreciate the relationships more. I enjoyed the pacing of Midori's relationship with the boys, watching her relationship with them begin as a platonic friendship and slowly develop into Midori recognising feelings of romantic attraction for them. The relationships didn't feel insta-lovey and I look forward to reading future volumes and seeings how the story and characters develop!


This was really cute and I'd definitely recommend it to my friends to enjoy manga!

What a cute Shojo ! I like the simple drawing, the characters and the story. We already saw things like that, but this one is cool. And I really like the heroine. They often give me headache, but not this one :)

I really enjoyed this manga and I'm excited I have this book already on pre-order!

Out of the manga I have read by Nogiri, I feel this is her most "amusing" one yet as I chuckled/laughed at quite a few different places! It's fun, easy-going, and a beautiful story of friendship blooming.

It definitely gave me some That Wolf-Boy is Mine! vibes (I just finished reading that series before this one), but I feel it has a lot more originality then that one (even if it has similar "beats"). Not saying That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! isn't original (I LOVE that manga!), but I liked the "not-so-sweet boys" and how they all have different backgrounds. Plus, making Midori be there babysitter IS funny!

We have another kind heroine who tends to see the best in others and I absolutely love it! Nogiri writes such sweet heroines! I loved Midori's diligence and persistence in reaching these boys and how much it meant to her when she is called "friend." Also, the importance of family to her made me really happy!

Overall, this is a very solid first volume! It has been me wanting to read book two (even before I KNEW that cliff hanger was coming LOL!) and I'm excited for this hopefully will be romance!

*(I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

Midori works part-time after high school to help pay off her family’s debts, despite it being against school policy. However, she gets caught by the Chairman of her school and he offers her an ultimatum:
Get expelled OR bring back the 3 “delinquents” of her school and keep them there until graduation.

While it is a fun read and I love how genuine Midori is, I didn’t like how quickly feelings were developed with the characters “understanding” them. The boys and Midori are all presented as smart and complex. Midori in particular, is portrayed as emotionally aware of herself and those around her. So the fact that she doesn’t understand what she’s feeling is a bit annoying.

However, if you are a fan of reverse harems, definitely pick this manga up. Midori is a wonderfully cheerful girl who befriends the school delinquents- who aren’t really delinquents!- and helps them reconnect with their classmates.

I received an ARC of this manga from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Shojo then you're going to love this. It's very familiar but it's still unique. It has familiar characters without them being straight copies.

Very typical of the genre but new and interesting enough to be worth a read. I'm very excited for volume 2.

I really enjoyed this book. Very quick read and I need more expeditiously! The book follows Midori who drops her wallet and her new classmate Ichijo swoops in to help. She wants to thank him, but he’s part of a tight-knit trio and none of them are ever in class! In order to help support her family, she has a part-time job, which is against the school rules. When the chairman of the school board catches her leaving work, he says he’ll let it go—but only if she’s up to the task of bringing the three boys back to school. Midori is so optimistic and becomes friends with them and she has a crush on one of the three boys.

I love the high school romance trope and this was a fun and light read. I'm rooting for Midori and I hope she ends up with Rei! Cant wait for Vol 2!

4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was my first ever manga and i loved it so much. It took a little while to get used to but it was amazing and can't wait to read more!