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anie_star's review
3.0
received from Netgalley
Boys I Know is the story of growing up, of getting to know your worth outside of what your family demands and of standing up for yourself.
June Chu can never win. She is the younger sister, the less talented one and she hears about it, all the time. Her sister is a very talented violinist and got a scholarship for college because of it. June is pressured to practice 3 hours every day and basically follow the same path. And all of this pressure is starting to break her.
She has kind of a boyfriend. She and her bio partner make out a lot, but he doesn't want to commit. Then she moves on. But the people she hangs out with are not the best for her.
June is not an easy character to like, especially in the beginning. She makes a lot of mistakes, a lot of stupid choices, but that is part of growing up. And the more she grows, the more likeable she becomes.
Boys I Know is the story of growing up, of getting to know your worth outside of what your family demands and of standing up for yourself.
June Chu can never win. She is the younger sister, the less talented one and she hears about it, all the time. Her sister is a very talented violinist and got a scholarship for college because of it. June is pressured to practice 3 hours every day and basically follow the same path. And all of this pressure is starting to break her.
She has kind of a boyfriend. She and her bio partner make out a lot, but he doesn't want to commit. Then she moves on. But the people she hangs out with are not the best for her.
June is not an easy character to like, especially in the beginning. She makes a lot of mistakes, a lot of stupid choices, but that is part of growing up. And the more she grows, the more likeable she becomes.
alzena28's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
judiitm_'s review against another edition
3.0
This book has at its core June Chu, delving into all the aspects of her life and how they connect, influence, and modulate each-other, which is probably the thing that sold me the most about this novel.
Far from being a mono-thematic novel, it digs deep in the romance aspect, seeing how family and friend relations, racism and others affected how she interacted and perceived everyone, by far my favorite aspect of this novel.
Furthermore, thanks to the first person perspective, we can see the whole thought process that June goes through while dating, which particularly enticed me, making it a clear point how we (women) are taught to turn the mere fact of receiving attention from men into something empowering when in reality it is anything but.
Even though this book doesn’t really shy away from many topics, I found it lacking specifically in one of the conflicts presented, Candace's relationship with Dom. I feel like the main lesson that we got from that situation was “Always support your friends” without adding nuance to the debate of college guys dating barely legal girls, which I was hoping it would do.
Overall, Boys I Know is a wonderful novel written with obvious care for the characters and topics portrayed while keeping it accessible for young adult readers.
Far from being a mono-thematic novel, it digs deep in the romance aspect, seeing how family and friend relations, racism and others affected how she interacted and perceived everyone, by far my favorite aspect of this novel.
Furthermore, thanks to the first person perspective, we can see the whole thought process that June goes through while dating, which particularly enticed me, making it a clear point how we (women) are taught to turn the mere fact of receiving attention from men into something empowering when in reality it is anything but.
Even though this book doesn’t really shy away from many topics, I found it lacking specifically in one of the conflicts presented, Candace's relationship with Dom. I feel like the main lesson that we got from that situation was “Always support your friends” without adding nuance to the debate of college guys dating barely legal girls, which I was hoping it would do.
Overall, Boys I Know is a wonderful novel written with obvious care for the characters and topics portrayed while keeping it accessible for young adult readers.
kumomikureads's review
5.0
Wow! I didn't expect to like this book so much. As an Asian, there were some relatable parts that June feels and experienced. I think teens should read this book, especially when it comes to boys. June represents those teens who care more about finding a boyfriend and feeling welcome when they're still in high school and don't care much about studying. In this book, I could see how June grew up to be a better person through her experiences, good and bad. Sometimes her decision was really bad and made me worry about her so much. But she learned, and that's what I like in this book. She learned. She's still not perfect but she's getting better with her family, friends, and even with herself.
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
foleyzac's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
clairadise's review
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A really sweet story about an Asian girl in an American high school. I loved her refreshing and honest POV. The plot and writing are a bit simplistic, but it would be a 5 star read for a younger person. I’m definitely going to give it to my little sister to read!
bunny_herondale's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, huge thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for giving me an e-arc in exchange of a honest review. All thoughts are on my own.
This book felt so real I was annoyed many times at the characters. Because humans are annoying, teenagers fuck up, parents and their high expectations are stressful and the world is full of jerks that have no affective responsibility.
I think I enjoy reading books with Asian representation not only because I enjoy learning of new cultures, but also because I like to find things in common with my own experience and culture, to see how even though we're not from the same culture we struggle with similar things, and I think every teenager in the world should read this book, it's a must read.
We see June grow as a person, how she tries to fit in somewhere, be who she is and try find love and affection, especially when she doesn't find it at home with her parents, sadly, the guys she ends up liking are not a good option at all, and the next one is even worse than the one before.
We also see her struggling with college, her relationship with her friends, her family and herself, and I loved to read this, this has officially become one of my favorite books of the year.
Trigger warnings: minor pregnancy scare, a very uncomfortable first time mild-explicit sex scene (it's the only explicit sex scene though), mention to an adult dating a teenager, cheating (one guy was cheating on his girlfriend with the FMC but she didn't know this until later), underage drinking, mention of drugs.
This book felt so real I was annoyed many times at the characters. Because humans are annoying, teenagers fuck up, parents and their high expectations are stressful and the world is full of jerks that have no affective responsibility.
I think I enjoy reading books with Asian representation not only because I enjoy learning of new cultures, but also because I like to find things in common with my own experience and culture, to see how even though we're not from the same culture we struggle with similar things, and I think every teenager in the world should read this book, it's a must read.
We see June grow as a person, how she tries to fit in somewhere, be who she is and try find love and affection, especially when she doesn't find it at home with her parents, sadly, the guys she ends up liking are not a good option at all, and the next one is even worse than the one before.
We also see her struggling with college, her relationship with her friends, her family and herself, and I loved to read this, this has officially become one of my favorite books of the year.
Trigger warnings: minor pregnancy scare, a very uncomfortable first time mild-explicit sex scene (it's the only explicit sex scene though), mention to an adult dating a teenager, cheating (one guy was cheating on his girlfriend with the FMC but she didn't know this until later), underage drinking, mention of drugs.