It was kinda boring and I could not get into the story because of the writing style. I liked the idea and I am sure that others could empathise with the main character but it was not the book I looked for.

Boys I Know is a story about self-discovery but touches upon heavier topics of parental mistreatment, racism, teen pregnancy scares, and more. It's a real and poignant story about teenagers and what they might be going through. I personally was a not a big fan but the story itself was fine.

A modern Judy Blume meets Jenny Han, Boys I Know is a raw and realistic look into the lives of teen girls, examining the complex overlap between teen sexuality and Asian American identity. A sharp and unflinchingly honest journey of self-discovery.

June Chu has always been the "just good enough" girl. Good enough to line the shelves with third-place trophies and steal secret kisses from her AP Bio partner, Rhys. But not good enough to meet her mother’s unrelenting expectations, or get Rhys to commit.

While June’s mother insists she follow in her (perfect) sister’s footsteps and get a (full-ride) violin scholarship, June doesn’t see the point in trying too hard if she’s destined to fall short anyway. Instead, she focuses her efforts on making her relationship with Rhys "official."

But after her methodically planned, tipsily executed scheme explodes on the level of a nuclear disaster, she flings herself into a new relationship with a guy who’s not allergic to the word girlfriend.

As the line between sex and love blurs, and pressure to map out her entire future threatens to burst, June will have to decide on whose terms she’s going to live her life—even if it means fraying her relationship with her mother beyond repair.

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SO excited when I received the copy but sadly, it's not as good as what I thought it's going to be. Look at those cover! it's so gorgeous. June is so relatable sometimes i feel bad for myself. She reminds me a lot of myself.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

Boys I Know is a sweet story of self-discovery; of finding out why you are striving for certain things, of trying to figure out what YOU want from your life, of falling in love and falling out of love, cause sometimes our ideas of someone are just that - ideas. The book also deals with some heavier topics like racism, parental mistreatment, pregnancy scares, and alcohol and drug use, so I do advise you to check out the trigger warnings before starting it.

I enjoyed this quick and sweet read, but it didn't particularly stand out for me.

This book! This book is perfect for people who want something with more realism for teens. Great to recommend not just to teens who want some reality with their messy romance, but for parents and other adults shopping for teenagers as well. A good coming-of-age rec.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start off by saying this is a genuine story - which is very high praise, as it can't be said about most books these days. It's not up to me to say if this was an accurate depiction of growing up in an Asian household and all the experiences that come with it, so I won't comment on that aspect, but the dynamic between June and her mom was incredibly interesting and you could tell the author put a lot of effort in it. My main issue with this story is that it didn't feel very cohesive, and I wish there had been more of a point to it ultimately. I also suggest checking trigger warnings beforehand, which I think should have been mentioned.
Overall, I'm glad I read Boys I Know, and I can see the reasons why other people will too.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Peachtree teens and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me some time to articulate my thoughts on this book. It was underwhelming to be short.

The book tells the story of June, living her normal teenage life as the daughter of immigrants, understanding herself, her body, her culture, her sexuality and so on. To start with I loved how all issues you face as a teenager and are often forgotten is presented in the book messy and all, with absolutely no sugar coating. I appreciate how June makes mistakes again and again, and how we see the conflict between her and her traditional parents. We also get to see how second gen immigrants deal with racism and sex and everything related to growing up in its raw form, again no glossing over. The way June goes from being uncertain about sex and her body to take responsibility of her body was brilliant. Also loved how important conversations about, condoms and morning after pills happened on page.

As a teenager, I have always felt that the struggles go unseen in spite of the fact that all adults around us were teenagers once, its as if once you become an adult, that part of your life is completely blacked out. Another reason why the cover and the blurb got me so excited! I will say this, I felt seen in this books, which as the author talks about in the preface is the main point of a book like this. And as you would expect, this is the best part of an own voice book. For me the most significant part of this book is how June's relationship with her elder sister grows. As an South Asian immigrant who is also the elder daughter of the family, I understand the pressure of being the perfect daughter and also how this affects your relationship with your younger sibling. The conflict of sticking to your good perfect daughter façade or to be a supportive sibling to a younger sibling is real! no kidding!.

Now the issues, I had with the plot, first and foremost, I hated all the boys lol, they were all little sh*ts and so were a few of June's friends. The second one is that the story felt incomplete. I felt like I was kicked out of June's life with no satisfaction of understanding where she is at her life right now. The ending felt very abrupt and had me sitting like: "That's it??

CWs: Questionable consent, pregnancy scare, microaggressions, racism, parental pressure, injury

I'm not overly fond of this protagonist nor do I find her especially sympathetic. Her choices are incredibly destructive. But I acknowledge that she is a pretty realistic portrayal of a teenager. The secondary characters are strong as well. While I don't especially like this book, I find it's aims and conclusions admirable.

It took me awhile to get my thoughts together for Boys I know which is why the late review. I know how hard it is to be a teenager, I was one once 😂 I was really excited when I read the premise of this book, but honestly I wound up quite a bit disappointed. There were so many times in the book that I wanted to yell at June, and others when I wanted to give her a hug and tell her life would turn out okay. While the emotional pull with June is there, everyone else fell a bit flat making the entire story just, okay.

Boys I Know is the book I wish I'd had as a teen girl navigating relationships—Gracia's characterization is respectful to the complex thoughts, feelings, and relationships of teens, showing all the mess but all the good intentions. Her characters feel real, and the learning/catharsis by the end of the novel is earned and heartwarming. The sex-positive, empowering message is one that will change some girls' lives. (And it's funny and page-turning, too!)

LET US BE HONESTY, Boys I Know caught my attention because of the cover.
I actually really like that it doesn't avoid the difficult subjects that teenagers deal with, including racism (along with the problems that come with being biracial) and sex.
Although the character did end up evolving in the second part of the book, there were still some loose ends. I really appreciate how Asian American culture is presented. I just hope that it's a little bit better organised because, to be honest, most of the time, it was just disorganised.

I don't even know my stance on this book so I can't say about recommending it to anyone, but if you like YA consider reading this book and see for yourself!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.

My interest was piqued by Boys I Know due to the cover and a brief scan of the blurb. I didn’t entirely expect the book would be so hard-hitting, much less controversial, but indeed it is, per Anna Gracia’s Twitter, with it being on a list of books that are being heavily scrutinized in the wake of book bans in the US.

But upon finishing it, I actually really appreciate that it doesn’t shy away from tough topics teens are navigating, like racism (along with the identity issues that come with being biracial) and sex. And she depicts these issues in all their messy glory, without sugar coating anything; it’s not overly explicit, but it’s blunt and to-the-point, instead of dancing around them. Like many of the characters, this book is unapologetically itself.

I appreciate that June is messy and is allowed to make mistakes. A large part of the book is occupied either by her complicated relationship with her identity, which really resonated with me, and the messy, sometimes toxic relationships she has with boys. As for the former, I really loved her relationships with her family, especially her mother, who has a vibrant personality, all her own.

As for the latter: This is absolutely one of those books where you’ll either love or hate June for how she navigates love and sex, but I’m glad we’re pushing back on purity culture by allowing young women to be able to make mistakes (sometimes multiple times) on the road to finding themselves. I especially love the way she took charge of her sexuality and reproductive agency when a condom broke, procuring and taking a morning-after pill. Interestingly, this may be the first time I’ve ever seen emergency contraceptives used on-page, and as much as I love the representation here, I find that fact simultaneously disappointing.

I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries with flawed protagonists.

CWs: dubious consent, pregnancy scare, racism/microaggressions, toxic relationships

June is an Asian American high schooler trying to navigate big life choices--where to go to college, who to date. Though June is a likeable enough character, I really struggled watching her being treated so poorly by the men in her life. A couple of her "friends" call her racist nicknames regularly, and she just puts up with it. I found this so frustrating! She deserved better!!

Unrelated but where even was her dad?? He's mentioned constantly when she's talking to her mom, but we never see him.

I did not finish this book but I think there is a likely chance I may eventually come back to it. Some of the decisions that the main character made, as well as, the boyfriends written about in this book made it hard for me to continue. However, I feel for this character and I feel for this story.

I did feel slightly old while reading this book. There were lots of serious themes mentioned in the book, yet I wasn't able to connect to the main character.

Boys I Know is one of the most interesting and moving debut I've read this year. It told the readers (especially the young Asian girls) to be unapologetically themselves and confident of what they truly are. It's rare to see an Asian American literature with a protagonist or heroine who isn't 'meek' or soft and confident in her skin and Boys I Know is certainly one! The heroine isn't afraid to explore her teenage self. Anna Garcia needs thumbs up for this book.

Boys I Know is a young adult book set during the period of time of high school ending and real life beginning. Or at least what is perceived to be real life. It is a messy part of life for some. June Chu is a character who fulfilled the role of messiness during this transitional period of time. She is trying hard to live up to everyone's expectations while also trying to just figure her life out.

Right from the beginning the reader is thrown into the roller-coaster of June's life. She is filled with so much angst. She feels like she doesn't fit in especially being an Asian American in a small town. She has her own ambitions but has people telling her what she should do. She desires love but desires her independence too. June is a complex character and while I appreciated what the author was trying to set up with her, it also felt like complete overkill.

There is so much going on with June and it just keeps getting piled on. This is where I really felt like it was being overdone. It all felt disorganized to me. It was almost as if the author was afraid that a point was going to be missed so it is all put together in one massive ball of information. Now I can't speak for the author but, if the intention was to make the reader as high strung as June, I would say mission accomplished. I just wish I had more of a resolution in the end though.

June is able to comes to terms with the transition in her life. This felt both realistic but also a little bit of a let down. I felt like there was so much still unsaid which makes sense she is a young adult. Yet it felt undone and like there were so many things left unsaid. Personally as a reader I felt disjointed by the end. Part of me was grateful that the ending was there but a larger part of me was still trying to figure out all the information that was dropped on me.

Boys I Know tackles several themes that are point to young adulthood. These include love, sex, relationships, friendships, community, education, and parental expectations. I feel like something something but likely that is because there was so much presented to me as the reader. I liked that this book was so sex positive but, also felt that June was using sex as an escape. Not that there is anything wrong with that but for me it felt like it was a way to not have character development. The second half of book did wind up developing the character but as mentioned before there were loose ends. I also like the presentation of the Asian American culture and conflicted with immigrated parents. This is something that is much needed within the young adult genre and hope to see more from author Anna Garcia. I just also hope its a bit more organized.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book will absolutely tug on your heartstrings. I loved it from start to finish. It's raw and honest and truly captures the spirit of what it means to grow up and learn who you are. It's a refreshing take on a coming of age novel -- and I think Anna Gracia did a phenomenal job. I loved it!

Imaginative and hilariously funny, Boys I Know explores the reality of being an Asian-American teenage girl in a judgemental society. I really loved the rawness and grit woven into each piece of this story, as well as the fact that Anna Gracia was unafraid to discuss important topics. In spite of this, I felt disconnected from the main character and though I enjoyed parts of it, the overall story was largely forgettable.