June's life is complicated, just like for anyone her age. Being a senior in high school means navigating a multitude of things concurrently, including school, family, friendships, and relationships, while being told to make decisions about the future right now--where to go to college, what to study, and what career to pursue. I immediately saw some of myself in June, recalling being just as confused and unsure at that age. I wanted to yell at her for some of her choices, but I also understood the reasons behind them. June is imperfect, which makes it easy to be exasperated with her, but it's also what makes her a relatable character.

Because June's emotions often lead the way, it's only after she has already rushed ahead that she has epiphanies. Hindsight is often 20/20. She made my head and my heart hurt, but that's part of what made her feel like a real teenager straddling this middle place where she isn’t a kid but not quite an adult. It's a realistic depiction of how hard it is. Not every decision will be the right one, and it sucks, but the best we can do is learn from them. June's introspection is where she displays her growth. This is how the boys she knows each play a role in her life. They serve as stepping stones, helping to pave the way to figuring out who she is and possibly who she wants to be.

June's authenticity comes across effectively because Gracia doesn't romanticize the experience. The story is complex. It is raw and messy, filled with the complicated feelings of growing up and pushing forward. I enjoyed the book immensely, but I was also a mix of emotions throughout. After I finished the book, my first thought was, "what happens now?" This is a measure of how much I liked the book, because I rarely feel this way after I finish reading. I had become invested in June and wanted to share in her new experiences, to discover if she was learning to be more comfortable in her own skin. Most of all, I wanted to know that everything turned out okay.

This was a quick read, and had a very realistic outlook on how much pressure and danger there is for teenagers, but I struggled with the pacing and structure of the book. The characters were also difficult to relate to, or even support, as they were all very unlikable. I liked the premise of the story, and the character development, but I felt the story was rushed and underdeveloped in places.

June Chu just wants to be everything her parents want her to be, she wants to live up to the expectations of a perfect student, good enough violin player, and the ideal girl boys would want to the date. Growing up in the mid-west as a Asian American, June is not exposed to her culture/customs outside of her home, making her feel out of place when she is around other Asians.

This book reminded me of 'To all the Boys I've Loved Before' but a more realistic version where things get hard and don't always work out the way you want them to. The reality of a teenagers life (drama, uncertainty, and stress) are very much emphasized, which was nice.

One of my favorite things about this book is the use of Taiwanese proverbs because it reminded me of 'dichos' which are Mexican saying that can be applied to different situations like proverbs.

My favorite quote : "I refuse to be wowed by the bare minimum"

** Thank you to NetGalley to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great debut. June, the second daughter of demanding parents especially her mom, always feels like she is falling short of others expectatons. She is good at school but not a top students. She is a strong violin player but, unlike her sister, typically does not win competitions. And her lab parter seems to like her, but not enough to be her "official" boyfriend. As June moves through her senior year, she navigates parental expecations, relationships, friendships, and school -- and tries to figure out what she, as oppose to those in her world, wants for her future.

This was a well-written, highly engaging story, full of compelling, complex characters. I'm excited to see what comes next from thie author.

Highly recommended!

June is a Taiwanese-American navigating her last year of high school from boys, her parents and college, trying to find herself. I had a difficult time getting into this book. I found June to be whiney and rude. She'd let people walk all over them then get mad about somethings and not say anything. When someone called her China and didn't correct them because it's easier than causing problems or drama, but then was upset that they kept calling her China and that they didn't know thr difference of China and Taiwan. She never told the person her nationality. I did find it nice though that when racial or cultural appropriation was brought up with her friends that June DIDN'T feel like she HAD to be the one that said something, that it should be more than just a BIPOC person's responsibility.

“Boys I Know” is about June Chu, a Taiwanese American teenage girl, and her journey to eventually living life on her own terms. While June isn’t a likable protagonist, her story and relationships throughout the novel feel authentic. She deals with the pressure to meet expectations, and eventually realizes that she is pressuring a friend in the same way because she is internalizing those same expectations. The references to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before show how June’s story is so different - this is not a romance.

Although I liked this book, at first I didn’t understand where it was going and the story did not feel cohesive. But I think this helps convey the chaos June is experiencing while making major life decisions and dealing with the pressure of never being good enough.

Thanks to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

boys i know is a story that explores the different chapters of love, friendship, family, and future that comes with being a senior in high school. it doesn't shy away from the messiness of teenage decisions and the pressures of social and familial expectations. while june and i don't have many similarities beyond our asian american background and interest in music, her story feels incredibly personal and relatable. for all the chaos that she goes through, june comes out stronger and with a better understanding of who she is.

DNF at 22%

June Chu is sick of living up to what everyone else wants her to be. On a journey of self discovery, she learns more about sex, love, and her own identity as an Asian American woman.

The premise of this book is more interesting than the book itself by a long shot. Almost 25% into the book there hasn't been any plot, and what there has been plotwise is either still boring or super cringy. I stopped right after June is desperately trying to have sex with Rhys. Just reading that part gave me the ick for no particular reason other than just June acting like she was entitled to have sex with him. It was not fun to read... at all.

The main issue I had with this book though is how much I hate June. She is INSUFFERABLE. I get that she's a teenager and that she wants to fit in with the cool kids, yada yada yada, I don't care. June was about one sentence away from driving me to gauge my eyes out. I mean, seriously. She was annoying all the way around.

From the get-go June seems like she would 100% pick her "almost boyfriend" (don't even get me started on that) over her friends. And then she kinda does! Unsurprising. I'm sure if I had gone farther into the book there would've been some kind of fallout between her and at least one of the other girls in the trio. One excerpt I would like to bring up as proof is this:

"Savannah was Liz's next-door neighbor, whom Candace and I had been friends with since middle school. When Liz moved next door to her, we all became close friends-- until Savannah got her braces off, made the cheerleading squad, and became obsessed with things like football games and spray tans. I'd always assumed Liz stayed friends with her out of convenience because she relied on Savannah for rides to school, but who knew why any friendships worked."

Maybe Savannah doesn't want to be friends with you anymore because you judge her based on her interests? I don't know, just food for thought. Friends grow apart for sure but there was no reason for this to be brought up at all other than to keep June up on her high horse assuming that she's better than anyone else. It doesn't even say that Savannah did anything wrong. I could understand June's perspective if June wasn't trying to fit in with Rhys' friends so much that she allowed them to make racist jokes at her expense.

June's mother even does her laundry for her (very thoughtful!) but June gets mad at her for it because she doesn't do it quite right. Girl. She did your chore for you. At least be a little grateful.

Can you tell I hate June?

All in all, this was not an enjoyable experience. I'm surprised I made it as far into the book as I did, to be quite honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and PeachTree Teen for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Boys I Know is the book I needed when I was in high school. It follows June Chu, a Taiwanese American senior as she navigates unhealthy relationships, forever seeking someone to love her the way she wants and deserves. With this book, Anna Gracia is able to shed light on growing up Asian American in a predominantly white town, racism, and complicated familial relationships. What I love about Boys I Know is that it is unapologetically raw and realistic.

While reading, I found myself imagining June as the younger sister I never had. There were moments that I literally wanted to scream "No, June that's a bad idea!" and times where I just wanted to give her a hug. Although my relationship with my parents differ from June's relationship with hers, I related to the immense pressure she felt from her parents and the lack of words of affirmation and physical affection. For me, it felt validating to see these experiences written on paper.

Congratulations @grahseeya on this amazing debut that publishes July 26! I would definitely recommend adding this emotional, coming of age novel to your TBR. Thank you so much @peachtreeteen, @coloredpagesblogtours, @netgalley for this #gifted ARC.

✨Boys I Know by Anna Gracia - Colored Pages Book Tour✨

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After speaking with Boys I Know author Anna Gracia at YallFest 2021 I knew Boys I Know was going to be a new favorite contemporary and I was correct!
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Boys I Know follows June Chu as she navigates her way through a rollercoaster senior year. The book covers many topics like race and culture, sex positivity, and relationships with friends and family, it is all in the book, and while that sounds like a lot for one contemporary rom-com, Anna Gracia writes June’s story in such a way that it all flows seamlessly together creating a realistic story of the high school experience.
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June’s story is very much told with the underlining narratives of wanting to feel good enough, feel loved, feel wanted, and feel validated and that is what is at the heart of this story. That narrative is the part of Boys I Know that I connected with the most. I think most readers no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual experiences has at some point in their lives felt that way and following June’s character arc takes you on a journey of self-identity and being able to know that you are enough just the way you are and that you can choose what is important for you and your passions and your life. A lesson all of us need to be reminded of once in a while. 
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I do want to note that I am not able to speak directly on the Asian-American perspective of this book, so please look at other reviews within this tour as well as on other platforms as they appear after the book’s release to get a full review of this book from all angles.
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Overall, I highly recommend checking out, the debut novel, Boys I Know from author Anna Gracia available July 26th! And stay tuned to my youtube channel tomorrow for a full reading vlog feat. Boys I Know!
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Thank you to @grahseeya @peachtreeteen and @coloredpagesblogtours for letting me enjoy this book early and be a part of this book tour!
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At first, I didn't think that this book was all that bad. However, as the story continued, I found myself getting annoyed with the main character and growing bored with the plot line. It was repetitive and predictable, so I ended up DNF the book with a little less than 100 pages left. I likely will not be coming back to this one, it wasn't for me.

Boys I Know is a title I expected a rom-com from, truthfully. Something fluffy, with a generous dusting of children-of-diaspora feels, topped with a mix of insight into teen sexuality and Asian American identity. The synopsis left me anticipating a love triangle, messy relationships in the way of teens muddling through love and sex, which we get. But June Chu's story is much more complex and wonderful.

June is messy in the way any teen can be; she makes poor choices on her way to finding her place. But her actions also result from the specific experiences of being a Taiwanese American growing up in a predominantly white town in Iowa, as a daughter of immigrants who have immensely high expectations of her, of growing up in the shadow of a practically perfect older sister. She struggles to separate her desire for freedom from the need to please her family, and she craves validation.

See, the boys June knows are largely just points along her desperate search for the feeling of being loved and wanted and respected as herself. She tries to find refuge in these boys because all she feels from her family is the pressure to fit into their vision for her future. Fundamentally, Boys I Know is a meditation on being "good enough" (or, conversely, "not good enough").

Boys I Know works because the writing is straightforward, the narrative is authentic, and the emotions are raw. Anna Gracia clearly understands how difficult it can be to KNOW and BE yourself and makes space for the convoluted journeys we must sometimes make to parse out what we want. The evolution of June’s relationships with her mom and her sister, Wendy, are evidence of this understanding. I only wish the author addressed some of the conflict around the characters' casual racism, cultural appropriation, and dubious consent more fully. Still, this was a solid character-driven story and I hope it finds the people who need it. I, for one, am glad I read it.

I was extremely interested in this book after reading the description. I am all about indie books and such! The characters were so well written and I fell in love. I’d definitely recommend this book to all of my friends! I am obsessed with it, and the journey the main character goes through. I enjoy a good plot, but the characters are what makes it breaks a book for me. If the characters are not realistic or well written then I do not entirely enjoy that book, but “Boys I Know” does it right!

In the vein of Cameron Lund's sex positive book The Best Laid Plans, this title explores how a young woman can take control of her life and her body. I loved the feminism included in this book and how the main character bucked traditions, living her life the way she wanted to.

I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed following June on her journey. She was so relatable and realistic. I was desperate for her to find herself despite all of the things going on in her life, from her strict Asian mother imposing her own wants on top of her, living in the shadow of her 'perfect' older sister, relationships with her friends changing, her love/hate relationship with the violin and music, and her romantic relationships. It was great watching her come to terms with so many things throughout the book and finding out what she wanted to do on her own.

This book deals with a lot of different areas such as, finding who you are in a world that's determined to tell you who are, parental pressure, relationships, sexuality, identity and so much more. I feel like this is a great book for teens who are going through similar things as June.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was not bad but not good, the premise of the book seemed interesting and it was, but the style of writing and the way some subjects were handled really threw me off. I wish the writing style were more loose and flowy, I do think this book can be really enjoyable for other but I just didn't feel that spark.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was an enjoyable read. I really appreciated the Taiwanese American representation as I have not seen much of it. June’s story of finding and accepting herself was raw, honest, and relatable. I saw a lot of myself in her. This book is definitely worth the read!

Boys I Know follows an Asian American who is just trying to navigate life with boys and relationships mixed in there. I found this book to start out slow and wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But then it picked up. I will say so much happened, that there were points where I lost the plot and was confused as to what was going on. But even though that was the case. I can see people really enjoying this book. Especially being a debut.

One of the most confusing reads ever. I couldn’t fully get myself into the book unfortunately but I did enjoy it somewhat although I’m not sure if I’d recommend it to anyone since it wasn’t as groundbreaking as I thought it would be.

Boys I Know by Anna Gracia is a wonderful debut novel!

A fun, light coming of age story.
This is a book to read in just a few sittings. I can guarantee that you don’t want to quit reading when you dive into the story.
Young Adults or any readers of any age will just love this sweet story.
The writing is phenomenal.... It makes you fall in love with the characters and the story. It's kind of hard to believe that this is actually a debut, because of how good it is.
You can tell the author had a story to tell and put all her love into it.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”


Peachtree Teen,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!