What an entertaining book! It’s the perfect combo of Lady bird/the age of seventeen but it’s even better! I loved the mc June; she’s such a realistic teenager i loved watching her navigate her life while discovering her self her goals, her wants, her sexuality and her interests in boys; and watching her develop a sense of pride for her culture. I enjoyed the side characters and the plot but i wish there was more to the ending it felt a bit incomplete. Overall it’s such a fun book and i would’ve definitely given it 5 stars if i read it at 17!

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thank you to both the publishing company, Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

First off. What attracted me to this book was the gorgeous cover. Seriously, the cover is beautiful. I could stare at it for long periods of time and not get bored.
Let us just take a moment to appreciate it.

Secondly, the fact that the protagonist is Asian-American- because, I love diversity of any kind, and an author new to the YA scene.  Awesome! I love to hear fresh voices.
This book was somewhat of a coming of age story. I like how it was a brief window of time in the main characters life versus a formal beginning and end.
I think the storytelling was unique in the way that it let June have huge revalations witnessed (on our end) /moments of self-reflection and the writing style allowed her feelings to be expressed without it turning into rambling. At times she was actually able to logically sort, and make a good deal of sense out of her emotions and situations. If I were to note a very minor thing that bothered me a bit, it would be that it felt that in the first few chapters the main character was finding their voice and the internal dialogue jumped around in emotional intelligence in some paraphraphs.
Also, at times I disliked the character banter. It felt a bit more argumentative in nature than comical and relaxing. It had me on edge for the main character and feeling like at every turn there was someone ready to stab her in the heart. But don't mind me this isn't really a complaint. I do secretly like the angst.

I think the harsh, somewhat verbally abusive way June's mother talks to her will be something, unfortunately many will find extremely relatable. The unraveling of family patterns felt very normal for the age and intense amount of questions and important dialog felt very on target as well. All related efforts and struggles to find her way in the world. Something we all face and go through.
And the way the book dealt with racism felt unique. Acknowledging its presence but also realizing there is no immediate magical "fix" for the problem of racism, and racial discrimination of any kind. Also seeing, colorism for what it is, that it does exist and oftentimes, what someone may consider and write off; begin to minimize as a "joke" is plainly racism.
The author described teenage conversations perfectly. Absolutely nailed them, in all of their stupidity and hurt feelings.
I also want to note that I like how this book didn't linger. It came will a mission and did what it set out to do and left me a great feeling of satisfaction at the end. I think it's important to note that I truly believe this book will help many young people feel less alone in this world and remind them that somewhere someone is going through exactly what you are. I do hope the author goes on to write more! Because I'll be there to read. Bottom line, we need more books like this specifically in the YA category.

I just want to mention the cover first. Its so pretty!

I had mix feelings while reading this book. I think the family pressure that was shown was over exaggerated and it felt a bit cringey. I personally found June to be an annoying character and I struggled to complete the book.

I did enjoy that the struggles of June were not hidden and it shows her growth.

I love this story a lot, and I think its a great contemporary novel for anyone who is looking to see a queer character who does not choose to define their sexuality and gender for anyone but themselves. This was very liberating and inspiring for me.

Witty, charming, and heartfelt, I really appreciated reading about such a realistic main character and following her growth throughout the novel. This was truly such a fun, refreshing experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

(3.5)
Boys I Know is the story of June Chu’s senior year of high school. We follow June as she tries to figure out what she truly wants from her relationships, who she is and where her future lies as college decisions loom on the horizon, all while battling her mother’s demanding expectations and trying to maintain friendships.

First of all, isn’t the cover absolutely gorgeous? I love it.

The writing is pretty standard apart from the occasional pop-culture reference. The references weren’t frequent or direct enough to make me want to gouge out my eyeballs as they tend to do. So that’s a good thing, but we’ll see how it ages.

June is a rather flighty and rash character, which means that it’ll definitely be difficult for some people to read about her. All her decisions felt consistent with her character, no matter how frustrating. The side characters are pretty static but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story.

All the romantic interests were very much flat — they all had a certain way they treated June and maybe a specific hobby and that was it. They were very much vehicles for June’s development; it would have been nice to see them do anything apart from being into June and doing their assigned hobby.

This story is definitely one that would be great for many teen girls out there — learning to stand up for yourself, learning who you are, what matters to you and what you want your future to look like. It has some positive messages about sex, which I don’t think many girls get to see. It was wonderful to see June develop through out the story and struggles would be relatable to many.

My issues with the book are thus: a) it’s very… loaded with messages. It’s the type of book that’s meant to teach you a lesson, which meant that it got pretty formulaic at times. And b) it kind of highlighted everything that was unusual about my teen years, which made it difficult for me personally to relate to June.

In summary: I definitely recommend you check this book out if you are looking for a YA novel which focuses on relationships (but not romance) with a main character who struggles under the weight of maternal expectations, and a lot of pre-college-decision existential deliberation.

Boys I Know follows June as she navigates her senior year of high school and her relationships with boys, friends and her family. This story has crush and boyfriend drama, family pressure drama, and of course, college drama.

Watching June as she dealt with the way she sees herself and the way she thinks other people see her was very thought provoking. I enjoyed how realistically she was written and I think lots of teens would be able to relate to most of the feelings she dealt with in this book. This book kept a great pace and had something interesting happening in every chapter.

I would recommend this book to anyone in high school and also fans of contemporary YA stories, such as books by Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree for providing me with an early copy of this book.

This book is different from any other young adult book I've read and I found the brutal honestly in it really refreshing. The characters and relationships in this book were super realistic and relatable to high schoolers. This book followed June, a Taiwanese-American girl, navigating through college decisions and relationship problems during her senior year of high school. June was a very realistic character and I really enjoyed reading about her and her experiences as an Asian-American in a predominately white town going to a predominately white school. I liked that this book was less about the romantic relationships June was in and more about what she learned about herself from being in those relationships. This book tackled a lot of really important topics like misogyny, racism, and the unique dynamic first generation immigrants often have with their parents. I really liked this book and I think it's one that's really important for teens in high school to read.

Boys I Know was an enjoyable read, at least for me. The book was about discovering self worth and learning to accept yourself and not compare yourself to others, even if other people do. I enjoyed the characters, especially the main character, June, because I related to her. I liked seeing realistic relationships, because everyone knows that family and friendships aren’t perfect and this book shows that. On the other hand, the book seemed very fast paced, as in something would happen to June and immediately she had a huge revelation that changed her outlook on life. This happened several times and it just got annoying after the 3rd time. Overall, this book was enjoyable enough, even if I wouldn’t read it for a second time. I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light, heartwarming, romance read! Huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book!

I have so much to say about this book.

The main character is June Chu, a secondborn Asian American teenager in a family that literally has the epitome of Asian parents. June is potrayed like most teenagers nowadays who are intoxicated with love, self-righterous, and don't want to be controlled. Of course I don't like her but I guess that's the author's point.

BUT, the cause of June's attitude is quite complex. Her parents (especially her mom because her dad's rarely showed up) are:
- always throwing Chinese proverbs at any occasion
- want the full control of their child's life
- always comparing their child with other child they know
- passive agressive
- hard to please, never compliment their child's achievements
- don't care about theit child's efforts, the only thing that matters is the result
- assume all of their child have the same capacity, so if the firstborn is brilliant and multitalented then the secondborn should be like that too

June's older sister, Wendy, set the bar too high for June. So their parents' expectations toward June were excessive. Because of that, June became problematic and ended up seeking validation from ✨jerks✨

I don't really have the knowledge capacity to discuss this further but as far as I know, there's this thing called "attachment style", and the point is that if you are problematic, you will tend to "attract" problematic people too. That's exactly what happened to June.
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I was annoyed by June at first like "please don't be too dumb it's maddening" but the story was interesting and I got the points the author wants to convey. June's social life's surrounded by people who are not so good and often a bad influence.

From her mistakes and after a lot of drama, finally June realized. She finally grows wiser and acknowledges her worth, she knows what she wants, she knows how to say what she wants even to her strict Asian parents.

This book is a YA but it's quite explicit so beware of these trigger warnings:
- non consensual physical touch
- emotional abuse
- pornography, explicit sex scenes
- racism
- bodily waste (vomit)
- toxic relationship
- alcohol

This book is suitable for teenagers who are in the phase of intoxicated by love to the point of sacrificing everything for their significant others.

And also for June Chu and whoever felt related with June please seek professional help ASAP before it's too late.

This digital ARC was provided by NetGalley and Peachtree Teen in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a perfectly imperfect and relatable protagonist, and June certainly hits the mark. She is realistic and genuine, and you can’t help but feel for her as she battles with teenage relationships and not living up to the seamless reputation of her older sister. I love how this story explored June’s identity as Asian American, while also not at all shying away from what simply makes her a teenage girl. Though we come from different backgrounds, I was able to see parts of myself in June and her journey, her complications with familial obligation vs. what she wants. June is authentic and messy as she tries to navigate her reality, and it’s truly a story that everyone can learn from and enjoy.

Boys I Know is pretty outside my usual realm as far as books I read. For some reason this coming of age novel pulled me in from the moment I saw the cover. I absolutely adored that June (the main character) was the person that is always “just good enough” because it feels so relatable for so many readers. The sex positivity (which is so important in formative years) combined with a realistic teenage main character -and Asian representation in this coming of age novel make it a truly great pick for any reading grip.

I will be here anxiously awaiting the July 5th release date so that I can obtain a physical copy of this book to re-read it.

I loved reading this book! One line in the synopsis truly got me, "June doesn’t see the point in trying too hard if she’s destined to fall short anyway." This book felt like a reflection of my own teenage years. How can a character be so relatable and realistic? I enjoyed every single page. So excited for the official release!

June is an Asian American high school senior growing up in small town Iowa. She's constantly being pressured by her mom to be like her perfect older sister, who got a full ride to Northwestern. June spends her senior year trying to figure out boys and sex, where she fits in amongst all her white friends, and what college would possibly want to offer a chronically third place asian violinist a full ride scholarship.

This is a story about a girl trying to find her way without letting her parents down, while also learning that letting herself down would truly be the bigger mistake.

I thought this was a well written story about a high schooler trying to navigate life and also trying to plan for her future. I wasn't able to relate on the High School level, because the pressures of which college to go to and how to get the right scholarship were not things that I had to deal with. However, I could totally see how any high schooler nowadays would be able to relate.

Overall, a good quality YA Fiction book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishers for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

June is a strong, yet messy and flawed main character and I LOVE THAT. I think readers would appreciate how they would see pieces of themselves in June, no matter which part. For me? It was the not meeting your Asian parents' expectations, but June is such a layered character that there are a lot of ways to relate to her character and that's what makes it fun - because June isn't perfect but it makes you want to root for her because you see yourself in her.

I also really liked the sex positive messages and themes in this book, which I think isn't covered as much especially in YA despite us knowing about it, so this book would definitely be a good book to start for those themes.

“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”

Boys I know is a story about June Chu, an Asian-American who navigates around boys, her terrible relationships to them, and finding her identity aside from just being a “good enough” girl.

I’m a sucker for Asian main characters. This book really shows how flawed the characters are especially June. And how typical Asian parents pressures their child to become better without asking what they really want. June was a relatable character. She is messy but her growth and realizations to the end made me proud of her. Not only that, but this book tackles so many themes such as racism,sex, race, pressure and more. I also liked references from “to all the boys i’ve loved before”!

Overall, this book is a relevant and honest story to all and I recommend it to every teenagers especially those who are in high school.

“I know Mom and Dad act like it is not a big deal but this is a milestone. You deserve to celebrate.”

I think there is a relatability in first-generation POC. There is the cultural divide, the assimilation into an environment that varies to the one in your house, the expectation from your parents to not just be more but be better. This book is very much the empathetic shoulder for those who are going through the same circumstances.

However, where this book loses me is the number of ideas and themes it wants to tackle, all very relevant to bring to light and realistic. These themes are brought to the forefront and are resolved so quickly or manifest so abruptly, it feels forced and unnessceary. It often felt like situations appeared only to work i way into other parts of the story in a PSA sort of way, where we are advised what is right and wrong. This can be one of the downfalls of the passive voice but it also an element derived from the story being more plot driven than character driven, which leads to me feeling frustrated as the story is clearly meant to be charcter driven.

But often in the story things would happen, manifest, she would get duped and then there is a PSA, copy rinse repeat. Even when I would often get frustrated with out protagonist, I also related to her. There is an inherent need for validation, ecspecially when you dont recieve it form within the home. There is often the need to seek validation from men or romantic relationships due to the need for accepatnce.

Her choices are ones I understood because, within context, it makes sense. Its just the execution that made me wary to continue. About midway I feel like i started to lose sight of the charcter but I am glad she did grow throughout the book.

I liked the aspect of sex concious narratives that promoted healthy relationships. A little on the nose at times but was based upon great messages for a younger audience.

It was enjoyable overall and the cover is gorgeous,

The book's description is exactly what the book was able to deliver. It had a sense of innocence of high school love and the exploration of their race and high school boys. I related to this novel growing up in an Asian household. It is a perfect coming-of-age novel that all teenagers should pick up. It was funny, explorative, and funny—definitely one day kind of read.

I always enjoy seeing more Asian representation in novels that I read, which hits the spot.

Boys I Know likens itself to the coming of age stories of teenage girls, particularly in my opinion, Lady Bird. I liked how the June, the Chinese/Taiwanese character was different than most portrayals of Asian teenage girls in the media. I just felt like the ending was lacking and her relationship with her family was underdeveloped. The way her race was explored in the context of racism was pretty realistic. I did enjoy the Chinese proverbs and stories but I felt like that was unrealistic and was added as a way to show the main character was Chinese without actually delving into the culture.

While I'm not the target audience (aka a teenager), Anna Garcia managed to make me feel invested in the whole drama of this story. I cringed when I was supposed to cringe, I gasped when I was supposed to gasp. I liked how the author handled the messiness of the first relationships and the complicated feeling MC had concerning her family and culture. I would have liked a bit of more closure with a certain character, but to honest, I was fine with the way the book ended.

**Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.**