Boys I Know is the debut YA novel of Anna Gracia, and it follows the teenage life of June Chu, a Taiwanese American who struggles to find herself in Pine Grove. She feels pressured by her family, who wants her to follow the steps of her sister, Wendy, by going to Northwestern college, and by society in general. Between racist surnames and the fact that she is one of the only Asian Americans in her town, June Chu tries to find a place for herself among her peers, no matter what she must do. But this is not without struggles and wrong beginnings that she experiences the most important steps of her teenage life: boyfriends; friendships; life decisions; every 'yes' is a new risk to take. And perhaps a new facet of herself to discover...

I've wanted to read this book because it's the coming of age story of the "just good enough girl", the girl who is always coming in third and seems to lag a step behind everybody else. Plus, it sounded extremely sex positive, messy, and complicated, which is definitely my kind of book.

1. So authentically teenage - 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, so well.

2. Sex positivity - Though I think I'm way too demi to really get how June feels about sex, this book explores sex in a way that is not clouded or obscured. It's there, and it's not always the mind blowing experience it's made out to be. But, it's an experience that June goes through, and tries to figure out. It shows the realities, even if they aren't always sunny and wonderful, and explores how to really take ownership of the act.

3. Answers aren't always easy - It's a book that looks at life, at what comes after, at what you want to be, and what you really want. There aren't usually answers to these questions, and this book doesn't force there to be any. There is what is best for the very moment, and that is all that can be decided because the future is uncertain. I loved that everything wasn't tied up in a nice pretty bow. It's laid out, and it's there, and it is, and that is life.

4. Messy familial relationships - The complicated feelings between love and obligation and going in a different direction than what your parents want. It's hard and it's painful, but it's done so well.

5. Boys, but their messy too - I did not expect to love the relationships, and I don't love them in the traditional sense, because boy are they messy. I love their messiness, and I love what June takes from them. I love how she grows, and I love how she finds pieces of herself, not through the relationships, but from what she wants out of them and what she wants from herself.

6. June - Oh, I love her. She's messy and trying to find her way and that is so complicated when it feels like life is hit after hit. She's trying, and I love her.

Overall, this was a book that felt like life. There wasn't any pretty wrapping to any of the questions, there was a lot of uncomfortability, but that is where the beauty of this book comes from. It's such a wonderful, authentic coming of age story, and I really, really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a coming of age story that has the FMC experiencing her last year of high school and the relationships she has with third different boys throughout it. It definitely was not what I expected as I thought it was going to be a bit more of a typical romance but it definitely was interesting. While dealing with the relationships, the main characters also navigates the changing of her friendships and relationship with her parents, choosing where she is going to go after high school and dealing with racism.

thank you to netgalley,the publisher and the author for this arc in exchange of a honest review <33
this review is purely based on my own understanding and interpretations of the book.

so…3.75 stars.
this book was pretty chaotic and messy as other reviewers have mentioned, the way June(the main character)deals with all the people around her is honestly a little messed up?until now,I have absolutely no idea how did she suddenly changed her way of interacting with those around her and I’ve no idea if she actually grew up and matured from all of that.

I definitely liked the Chinese representation in the book and how the author managed to capture so many things about how it’s like to be in a Chinese family because I could definitely relate to a certain extent as a Chinese myself.

what I didn’t like was her romance cuz it really was pretty confusing for me.the book started off with Rhys(I think cuz honestly I started quite some time ago so I don’t really remember the starting)as June’s partner and then June was attracted to him and all that.so basically at that point of time,he probably wasn’t the only male that appeared so I didn’t know if he was the main male character in the book and all that and that really confused me.and then ya so they made out here and there I guess but suddenly when they’re apparently officially in a relationship…he’s so cold towards her?and that left June pretty upset apparently towards the end of the relationship.

then boom two other guys appeared and she dated them,then just ran away from her relationships,and escapes from her problem.this definitely wasn’t my favourite part of the book.so when I read till here,I had problems trying to figure out who the main lead was again because she didn’t seem to be interested in going back to Rhys??

and then kaboom anyway so she kinda went back to him and they kinda sorta have a relationship again and June complains about Rhys lack of communication and apparently tommy(Rhys friend)told Rhys something about June that I think wasn’t something good,but that was only mentioned once during their graduation party kinda thing afterwards and the author never addressed it again which left me in question marks…l

I started the book because of the romance plot so im not gonna dive in about her struggling to choose a college but her problems are those I’ve heard about and are thus pretty realistic in my opinion.problems with their own identity and casual racism and all that.

so eh about the friendship and June’s relationship with her family….it’s kinda messed up too but she suddenly matured so good for her i guess?

by the way,I definitely enjoyed the Chinese idioms…(sounds weird) but I liked seeing the Chinese idioms being mentioned and I can proudly say I’ve got no problems understanding them so here’s the additional 0.75stars

i initially wanted to give 4 stars but the ending left me in question marks so….

overall,this was an ok read that i would recommend to my friends,especially if they are from a different race but yep this book’s target audience can’t probably be pass 16years old so this was just about the right time for me to read this book 📖

ok bye

I don’t know if when I started reading this story I wasn’t on my best mood or what but it took me a lot to connect with it, it probably wasn’t the story fault but mine, anyways it was a cute story with some important messages

It honestly took me a while to get into this book. The protagonist June is MESSY. Her relationships with her mother, her friends, the boys in her life and especially herself is strained.

This was definitely one of the more chaotic books I've read. That's because June herself doesn't know what she wants in life. She makes a lot of bad decisions but they make her feel real.
I admit that my teenage experiences can't be compared to June's so I couldn't relate. Somehow Anna Gracia still managed to make me care about this boy-obsessed high school senior. While I couldn't stand her in the beginning, I was rooting for June for most of the book!

Usually I read contemporary YA as a form of escapism. When I started this novel, I expected a lighthearted read... It. Definitely. Wasn't. Starting with the micro aggressions and racism June has to deal with (and accepted) and ending with the toxic boys who mistreated her, this book was actually hard to read.

Besides boy problems, June is going through a lot at home. As the second daughter of Taiwanese immigrant parents, there's a lot of pressure on her to be just like her perfect sister. She feels unloved and looked down upon, thinking she'll never be the daughter her mother wants her to be.
For me, these parts made me sad but I'm glad June didn't give into her parents wishes without questions.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but I think some things could've been better, especially when it comes to June's "friends" . I wish she had more serious conversations with them instead of keeping everything to herself. And her bestie was problematic which was never challenged. Sure, Asians don't have to educate others about their racism but the friends mindset never changed and it was aggravating.

⭐⭐⭐½

CW: grooming, racism, sex under coercion

This book was provided to me free of charge. The views expressed in this review are entirely mine.

This novel was enjoyable, but hardly revolutionary. June is prone to victimization, which made it difficult for me to appreciate her because of my personality.

I enjoy the diversity because it gives me new perspectives. I could understand her family problems, and the events at hand were sufficiently explained. Even though it was not my culture, I could understand what she was saying.

Her road to understanding herself is fascinating, and I can definitely identify to some of the incidents. However, it was nothing new. I wanted she would focus her reflections more on the present moment, even if she did occasionally dwell on her past experiences.

I gave the book three stars since I was about 70% through it. I read the remainder quickly. I believe young adult is a bit of a reach - I'd aim for 14-16 years old.

Sadly I didn’t vibe with this one, the blurb sounded interesting enough so I requested it. Ultimately the plot was lacking for me

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Boys I Know
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Anna Gracia
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA contemporary romance
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Written in first-person POV, we follow the Protagonist, June, as she navigates her way in life, her future, and relationships—family, friends, and of course, boys.


𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• Loved the cover and the synopsis! It sounded so promising.
• Realistic coming-of-age story where the character is makes bad decisions.
• I did appreciate how the book depicts life and culture of Asian parents (particular immigrant parents) and the constant parental pressure, the high expectations, etc.

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
•. For me, it was frustrating reading a character like June. Yes, June is imperfect and makes bad decisions (I usually enjoy that in books) however, it was disheartening seeing her allow people walk over her. I wasn’t satisfied with her growth, it just felt like the book was ending so here you go sudden realisation. I think it would’ve been better if the realisations were gradual throughout the book.
• I found reading this book felt chaotic with things happening and not happening at the same time. I don’t know how to articulate it, but the plot is pretty much mainly June trying to get official with a boy (or get with a boy) and continue to ruminate about her future and be frustrated with her family.
• This book left me wanting MORE. I felt like some things weren’t addressed enough (certain character behaviours, certain resolutions or lack thereof)
• I wanted to love this book! :(

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
✔ Asian American protagonist
✔ messy life, making mistakes coming-of-age story

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: people looking for a messy yet realistic take of a coming-of-age story

TW: racism, pregnancy scare, dubious consent (uncomfortable experience), toxic relationships, age gap in a relationship (why is no one saying anything about a high schooler dating a 20-something/23 year old MAN??)

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦

„Boys I Know“ is the story of June, an Asian-American teenager, who is constantly belittled and berated at home, thus suffering from low self worth. She is average and, due to the dact that she is unsure of her identity and about her future, barely manages relationships with her friends and a sting of terrible boys. The story deals with a lot of pain from Junes part, and if you want to read this, better check out the trigger warnings.

While reading the story I got the sense that it was realistic. There is no sugar coating. June makes her experiences with many horrible teenage boys, something I think a lot of teenage girls can realte to. But the first half of the book kind of threw me off. It felt unstructured. The scenes kept jumping from one moment to the next without any apparent plan.
But, on the plus side, June was a great character. She has an amazing, dry sense of humour and is very well developed, but the side characters were in my opinion kind of flat.
The plot itself was fairly predictable, in my opinion and a lot of the story felt anticlimactic. I kept waiting for something to happen, for some huge event, but maybe my expectations were just too high, because the moment never came. Still, I would recommend this book, because it offers a great sense of humour and a lot of things to think about.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of 'Boys I Know'.

I got an e-ARC through Netgalley, this in no way affected this review.

I really felt like this book had no big plot, just little things the main character was doing to pass the time. At the end, she comes to this big realisation that she’s been thinking of the entire book and it’s just resolved in the last few pages.

I also felt like the characters were so childish. I can’t say too much, but the main character was supposed to be a senior, but the way she thought and spoke about some stuff made me think she was between 13 and 15.

Thank you Netgalley, Peachtree and Ms. Anna Gracia for the advance copy. I do not usually read YA books as I feel I'm not the particular audience it is catered for. This one was well written and fast paced thus easy to finish. I like how it focused on racial identity and not just the usual cheesy stuff. Its a must read for young Asian women finding their identity in a mainly white culture.

Boys I Know by Anna Gracia is a whirlwind of a coming-of-age story. June is a relatable protagonist and her journey of self-discovery was interesting to read. Yet, the plot itself was a bit predictable and rushed at times and parts of the story felt a bit anti-climatic. Let's just say I had higher expectations going into the novel. Nevertheless, I would still recommend picking it up when you need a pallet cleanser as the novel is able to provide a good dose of humor, food for thought, and a gorgeous cover!

Note: do check the content and trigger warnings for this novel if you consider picking up the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtreeteen for providing me with an arc. All opinions are my own!

so this was honestly a chaotic read—confusing af but still fun. The book started out kind of rocky (with the lack of communication, casual racism that was unaddressed until later, etc) but the way the author wrote in a sex-positive book that handled 2nd-child w expectations + immigrant living in a predominantly white area experience was perfect.
I would say the book is as what the blurb says. Exactly. No exaggerations there. Nothing less than there.
Although I, as a reader, frowned a lot upon some of June's decisions, I realised that I had the distance (after many years) to notice some toxic relationships she created or maintained throughout the story. One of which was certainly that with Brad. I could write an entire essay entitled 'How to avoid or not be a Brad in your life' because God knows how uncomfortable and infuriated he made me feel as a young woman.
Boys I Know, on the whole, is very raw and very realistic in terms of how teenagers live their lives: drugs, sex, parties, bad influences...etc. June doesn't avoid that. On the contrary, she experiences them all. Even the worst scenario case, which I won't reveal to avoid spoilers. I thought that, for once, depicting the reality actually gave some originality to the story: Bye-bye cringe romances and bad boys turning good for the sake of their lovey-dovey shy girlfriends, hello indecisive and shitty boyfriends.

I got an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

The blurb sounded interesting to me and that's what got me reading this book. Sadly, I didn't vibe at all with it. I only got around 60 pages in and I couldn't get myself to continue. I really wanted to like this but sadly it was a DNF for me. Maybe I was too old for this book and couldn't really recognize myself in June.
I firmly believe adolescents will like this book so definitely give it a try if you like the blurb.

Boys I Know tells the story of June Chu, a taiwanese-american girl living in the midwest. Starting her senior year of high school, she’s navigating boys, friendships, family and college applications. June learns three lessons from three very different boys along the way, and tries to figure out what she wants for her life after she graduates high school.

This was the kind of book I wish I’d had in my own high school years. June makes mistakes many of us have also had to learn the hard way, and it’s a relief to know that some of us can learn from June instead of finding out first-hand. June was such a compelling character, I couldn’t help but root for her. Rhys, Brad, and Gang all had their qualities to entice June while all having their red flags that had me yelling at the page trying to come to her aid, I was completely pulled into the story!

Theme-wise, the two most beautiful themes in this book come hand-in-hand: that June is the second child, following after her sister, and that June is the “just good enough” always-landing-in-third-place girl at everything she does.

June grows up in her sister’s shadow, leading her to pick up the violin just like Wendy. Her mother expects her to get a full ride scholarship to Northwestern’s music program so that her violin will fund her studies to be a doctor, just like her sister. But what if June never wants to pick up a violin again, never wants to go to Northwestern University, and never wants to become a doctor? A beautiful facet of June’s story is her discovery of what she likes, and what she does simply because it is expected of her (and I almost teared up when she falls back in love with music after years of contention).

The contention comes not only from parental expectations to follow her sister, but also in June’s self-perceived failure when she keeps finding herself in third place. Fearing to fully apply herself in case even her absolute best will still come up short, June never seems to give anything her all. This book beautifully explores June's own mental block and this really struck a chord with me. I felt truly seen on the page. After a reality check (that will remain vague for spoiler reasons), June finally kicks it into high gear and starts applying in earnest to college programs and her character growth in realizing what she deserves was so heart-warming to see. For the contemporary reader, Boys I Know is a definite must-read!

Boys i know, is a beautifully written story with wonderful diversity and very relatable characters but this felt very YA coming of age type of story and although the romance was nice and I was entertained its definitely not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I found the writing to be very enjoyable and I found I could relate to the main character in some ways as many other children of Asian parents might.

Boys I Know is a story following June, an Asian-American girl trying to make her way through high school, her family's expectations, and her romantic troubles. June is dealing with a lot, with her mother constantly comparing her to her sister, Wendy, who was always perfect, always better than June. On the other hand, Rhys, her kind-of-sort-of-boyfriend, is not so keen on their relationship official, and June needs to make some choices, regarding her future, her relationship, and overall her life.

Boys I know deals with a lot of different themes, such as growing up as a child of immigrants, dealing with racism, family expectations, finding the line between love and sex, making choices for your future, etc. For the most part, this was a pretty good book with a great premise, and it did absolutely manage to explore quite a few of these topics. The execution, however, felt a bit shaky at times - the pacing was a bit uneven, there were times where it felt like nothing was happening, and also in the end I felt like there were a few things that were just glossed over.

The book is focused on June, and her journey to figure out what she wants in life. What this also means, is that some of the other characters are a bit less developed, and they definitely feel less rounded than June and her mom, for example. I did really like the portrayal of family in this book, I feel like it was done really well. I liked how by the end everyone was trying their best to understand the other side, but things didn't magically resolve. June's mom accepts her decision, but she doesn't change her entire worldview overnight. June's sister is also an important character here. I like how it was made clear that while neither of them is actually at fault for how their relationship is, both of them carry some resentment and issues. I like how it focused on family not being perfect but still caring about each other.

Besides June's family, the focus is on June's relationships with boys. As I mentioned, June is trying to date Rhys, and when that's not giving any results she turns to another boy, Brad. I liked how this book focused on centering your self-worth in relationships, and how unsatisfying and ultimately pointless it ends up being. There was definitely good character growth from June, I feel like she comes a long way in this book. She definitely comes off temperamental in the beginning, but I think it's important to remember she is a teenager, and I think that's very realistic. I feel like it's to be expected, given that she feels like she needs to fulfill someone else's role, and like nothing she does is ever as good as it should've been.

There is also a lot of talk about racism, and especially casual racism that people of color face every day living in predominantly white areas (this is set in the US specifically). I am white and not from the US, so I will not speak of how accurate it is, but the story did touch on the fact that white people often look at their friends who aren't white to be advocates for anti-racism, and how stupid, unfair and exhausting it is - and I think that is an important point to remember.

While I said I liked how realistic it was that no one changed their entire worldview overnight, I feel like some topics should've been touched a bit more in-depth. Such as the topic of pregnancy scares as a teen, and overall feeling pressured into sex and the matter of consent in such situations. (view spoiler)

All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a quick read, and I enjoyed the writing style even if I found the pacing awkward at times. I will definitely be checking out more of the author's work in the future!

A great coming of age story that addresses Asian identity, sexuality, familial pressure, and the ways they intersect. This was very coming of age, and so sex-positive with a pleasantly frank view on first times and desire!

I throughly enjoyed the story and the characters.

Not an original concept of the coming of age but fresh for the open sexuality of the main character. I’d recommend this for 14-16 year olds who can relate. For an adult reading back, it brings nostalgia. I understand the main character and her struggles but personally don’t sympathize with self victimization that she falls into.