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

I was really looking forward to reading Boys I Know when it was first announced, but this story ultimately ended up being really disappointing to me. While I admire the discussions of June's Taiwanese-American identity, the Asian immigrant family dynamics, and the sex-positive themes, I wish that this book focused more on Asian joy. When I pick up a novel with Asian rep or an Asian MC, the last thing I want is to see Asian characters being mistreated by her white peers, but this book did exactly that. Some of the content was also especially triggering (TW for sex under coercion/peer pressure, grooming, racism, racial slurs) and I wish there were content warnings included in the novel.

I suppose you could say that this book has an HEA as June is able to find her passion in music and mend her relationship with her mother & sister by the end of the novel, but after all the horrible things she had to endure from the boys who mistreated her, it felt strange that she wasn't given an HEA on that front. Asian girls are deserving of respect and unconditional love from their partners, and I wish that was stressed more in this book.

3.5

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release!

First of all, I have to admit I was completely sucked in by the cover - I mean, it is so stunning! I do think that the book has a really great concept, and I loved how June's relationship with her mum is at the centre of the story all throughout. I also loved how it touched on some really important topics such as cultural appropriation, and how white people often look to people of colour to tell them what to do, or to be the advocates of anti-racism, and how exhausting that is for the person of colour. However, the writing was just a bit stilted? There were some points where it just wasn't really flowing. I also got really frustrated throughout by the boys - June really was defining herself by the boys she was getting into relationships with - or even boys she was just acquaintances with, and that was just too annoying for me. I did like how by the end, she was more confident in her own opinion of herself however, and I loved the quote "I refused to be wowed by the bare minimum of not being an asshole" - I think that is one of the best parts of this book, where June learns this life lesson.

I don't usually read YA novels but I did enjoy this book. Not only was it written well, I believe it was a good representation of the life of a teenager. I loved how it handled the concept of being biracial and growing up in a caucasian environment and I think there were some good lessons to learn. Some more depth in the characters would have been good, but overall I enjoyed this book a lot.

Honestly, one of my top picks for 2022!

Anna Gracia has really made the perfect YA book. Asian representation is amazing. The story in short is about a woman attempting to find her place in her culture as she navigates being Asian and American—in the midwest. Also while dealing with typical teen issues, like finding the perfect college, knowing her place with her older sister and getting a boyfriend.

Yes, this book has total To All The Boys I've Loved Before vibes—but, the away Anna writes you can immediately relate and feel and all of the characters feel like real people going through real issues and not just typical YA trope type writing. June feels like a real person and her entire character arc is amazing. I'm going to recommend this book to all of my friends who read in this genre.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the E-Arc, in exchange for my honest review!

Boys I Know by Anna Gracia

Personal Rating: ★★★/5 Stars

Book Statistics:
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Trigger Warnings: Racism, explicit sex scenes, non consensual physical touch, emotional abuse, pornography, bodily waste, toxic relationship, alcohol
Year of Publication: 2022
Pages: 352

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of 'Boys I Know' in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good book although sometimes I wasn't able to continue reading due to the frustration that over weighted me or the bad choices June made.

June, I have to say, is like every other teenager that is trying to cope with the problems in their life, by having wrong people around her and making the absolute worst choices.

Due to personal trauma and the difficult situation with her parents, June is trying to seek validation from boys that shouldn't matter to her but unfortunately she does.

The family problems depicted in the book were really hard to read sometimes and I felt uncomfortable at times while reading other scenes.

Lastly, after all the drama and hardships June went through, she acknowledged her worth and finally found her voice.

Please, if you want to read this book do take the trigger warnings into consideration and don't think that this is a light and fun read. It was good but not light.

I think I went into this expecting a bit of a lighter tone, and ended up finding it somewhat hard to get through. June felt very realistic to me, but it was hard to be inside her head. A lot of her thoughts and experiences were similar to what I remember from high school, and reminded me how glad I am that I'm no longer a young adult.

I thought June's relationship with her mother and sister felt especially real. Those feelings of loving your family members but also feeling like they turn you into your worst self, and the push and pull of appreciation and annoyance, all felt very true to life. The constant battle between trying to be what other people want and expect versus trying to figure out what you want and who you are was portrayed very well here.

I also really liked the way sex was framed, in a somewhat neutral way, as something that can be enjoyable and meaningful but also complicated and unsatisfying. I think the most painful part of the book was June's relationship with the various love interests throughout. Again, it felt real and messy and dramatic in the way teenage relationships are. But OOF. It was also just so hard to read. The guys did feel real, not completely evil or wonderful and perfect, which I appreciated, even while cringing at most of what went on.

June's friendships also felt very real, and provided some of the few lighter moments in the book. It's definitely a more heavy, realistic read. Not a lot of lightness or humor at all.

The majority of the YA books I read are queer, so reading one with no queer characters at all, and a sort of assumption of heterosexuality throughout felt strange to me. Not necessarily unbelievable, since June's friend group is small, but it was still noticeable.

I also don't like the title of the book. It's true that June spends a lot of the book focused on the boys she knows and what she thinks they want her to be, rather than on herself and what she wants. But it does end up being a story of self discovery for June, and I wish the title better reflected that.

I’m very interested in this. I also love the To All the Boys I’ve loved before reference.

So promotes underage drinking- or at least makes it seem like no big deal. Alcohol isn’t good for brains and developmental growth at such a young age. It can also be more addicting and further ruin high schoolers.
This book promotes underaged sex and alcohol consumption or it at least show it in a favorable light.
While I do like the plot of finding yourself in college and the importance of Asian representation. I also think June never trusty found herself. She starts out with a guy and by the end of the book she’s not with one, but the book doesn’t show that not having a boyfriend is ok. It felt lacking. There also was a pregnancy scare scene and it was just distasteful.
Another part of the book that bugged me was June would hook up with guys and be with them for awhile and act normal and “I’m still figuring everything out” and then a chapter or two later she would be so insightful and “ he’s treating me wrong and I’m better than this.” I don’t have that much self awareness to looking deep into the meanings of guys and breakup with them and have little regret. Many if June was in college and went through this, but for a highschooler?

June also was always so negative about everyone. She was contently switching between I really like them and all their choices are horrible. Everyone was doing something wrong in her eyes. She would also randomly have profound thoughts about life. The book was very interesting and the author brought up good points, but it shouldn’t have been during highschool.

If you write a book towards high school students, I don’t think you should show how much fun drinking, drugs, and sex can be at an underaged level. It’s illegal and shouldn’t be promoted.

SO I started the book last night and you might not believe it, but I devoured it in a single night, it's THAT good.

"Identity can be a tricky thing, especially when trying to navigate the inevitable policing of "authenticity", both from those within and the others outside of that identity. But the real fight lies in the amount of representation we are given in the first place"
- Author's Note, Boys I know

June Chu, our Asian-American protagonist, is finding her way around messy relationships, fragile friendships, and her Asian mom, among which the latter is proving to be more challenging. Coming from an Asian household I saw myself in June on every single page. There was not a moment where I couldn't. An Asian-American kid who is questioned from both sides of her community about her real identity, she's never enough, just half, but, either not Asian enough or not American enough. Moving on to the heavy filial piety engraved in Asian culture where you've to listen to the plans of your parents instead of questioning them since they raised you, and it's your duty. It is not just June's parents, but every single household of Asia, the expectations of parents burdened on the shoulders of their children just in the name of a secure future and protection.

AND finally, the messy relationships, falling in love, giving in to the fire of desire even after knowing it'll burn you, getting your hopes and heart shattered, still. June is now one of my favorite protagonist, why you may ask? June is chaotic and messed up like we all are. None of us actually handle life perfectly do we? Seeing June break the stereotype perfect mc agenda made me so happy. June made mistakes, a lot of those, kept getting tangled in messy things, but even after all of that, even after getting her heart shattered, bearing the burden of her family's expectations, she stood by her point, keeping her head high, THAT'S why she is my favorite.

Boys I know, talks about messy relationships, exploring biracial identity which comes with a lot of stereotypes, and about going ahead, prioritizing yourself even if that means leaving behind the things you once loved.

What an excellent book!

Anna Gracia has turned out a young adult book about an Asian young woman attempting to find her place in her culture both as an Asian and an American midwestern resident, all while dealing with selecting a good college, being second to her perfect sister, and finding the right boyfriend.

I loved this book. I found June's voice realistic and I loved her journey. I would definitely recommend this book to high school students, especially young women dealing with being sandwiched between two cultures.

I am not sure if there will be a sequel, but I am hoping for one. I was such a fan of Rhys, and I'd like to see more of him and June.

Absolutely excellent book. The teenagers were very realistic teenagers with standard/normal teenage issues plus the added issue of racism against Asians.
At times it felt like it wasn't a young adult/teen book because of some of the issues it dealt with but it did it in a really good way.

As a second generation biracial Filipina American who grew up in a small town in South Carolina, I loved that this book captured the unique experience of an Asian American girl raised in a predominantly white community, never feeling like she truly fits in anywhere. I could immediately connect with June on that. The voice of June Chu and especially her mother are very distinct and memorable. June is a bit of an unlikeable but totally relatable female character. She doesn’t always make the best decisions, but she’s consistently learning from her mistakes. Her mother’s voice and character is very dominant on the page. Her love is often expressed through nagging and Chinese proverbs. I thoroughly enjoyed their complex relationship that mirrored a similar relationship between myself and my Lola (Grandma in Tagalog). I also enjoyed reading the dynamic between June and her friends. Many of their get-togethers reminded me of the kind of parties we would throw in my small South Carolina town. With that being said, I was really hoping to feel more grounded in the setting. I wanted to be able to see it as clearly as I could see it on the front cover of the book, but felt like I didn’t quite get there. I felt like I got more description of college campuses and less of the setting that’s on the cover which is partly what sparked my interest in the book.

The novel is titled “Boys I Know.” However, I found the title a bit misleading. Does the story take the reader through June’s experiences with a few boys? Yes, but is the story really about her relationships with them? Not really. In fact, a couple of them we only see for a chapter or two and then never hear or see from them again. I found myself wondering what their purpose served in the book throughout majority of the story. You don’t really find out until the end when this lightbulb goes off in June’s head about why she behaves the way she does. Which is fine, but if you’re picking this book up hoping for romance, I don’t think you’ll really find it here. There’s flirting. There’s kissing. There’s an uncomfortable sex scene. But there was an emotional disconnect for me. I didn’t really care about any of these boys from start to finish because it was pretty clear from the very beginning that their roles have little to do with the core of what this story’s really about (at least, that was my experience).

I do think the book could’ve made it through a couple more revisions as there were words that obviously needed to be deleted or replaced and some things that just needed to be brought full circle and connect with the bigger picture. I wish I would’ve felt more grounded in the setting, and that I could’ve seen more of June’s father on the page, and that I could’ve cared for any of these boys and understood why they were relevant much sooner, and that June’s sister didn’t seem stereotypical and sort of flat. However, I did appreciate June’s Asian American experience and I think other Asian Americans could benefit from reading this story which is really more about June’s complex identity and her relationship with her mother. The Chinese Proverbs and June’s mom were probably my favorite part of the book, honestly. I would recommend this book based on June’s unique and diverse experience and her complex relationship with her mother.

*the book cover*🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

I really loved books, it's was really great
When is get e-arc I was so excited to read this book, this book about teenagers and their messy life, whenever I read teen YA book I never related to my awkward teenage life so it's was really great when June's messy life become more messy with studies and boys trouble, book show how typical Asian parents behave with their child and June's Character was really relatable in so many ways, she was messy but I loved her character development as well, this book cover so many topics like Racism, sex, race, never enough American or Asian,
In book boys were also messy I kinda like Brad in starting character but only he was racist and there were few moments
The book was really good and I will definitely love to have hardcover one day in my shelf

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree for the e-ARC copy

June is complex and realistic, and I appreciated the Asian-American representation her character provides. It felt like she is dealing with real issues that confront teenagers today - I think teens will have much to gain from interacting with her character. I would recommend this book for teens 16+.