A review by sweetsxrrxw
The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

despite my star rating, i must say this book was actually nice to read. the characters are (eventually) loveable, the chapters are relatively short, there's a dual pov, and the story deals with a bunch of different but relevant topics. 
i think my main problem with the book is that, because there are many themes, the author couldn't really develop all of them properly and some got overlooked. and also i felt like the last 25% of the book was pretty rushed :/ if it wasn't for this two things i would have probably rounded up the rating to 4 stars, tbh. 

but let's go back to the positive things. i don't have much to say about the plot because this is more a character-driven book, so i'm just gonna focus on them.

i could relate to both main characters in different ways.
francine is definitely a chronic people pleaser. she spends her whole life trying to make everyone happy and pleased with her,
making herself smaller in order to "feel less"
and, honestly, i could see myself in her. plus, i'm sure people also thought i was this smart but weird girl in school, lmao.
on the other hand, i had a soft spot for ollie almost as soon as his pov starts on the first page and he explains how he cried to a movie because of the violence and the way it made him emphathize with his family. of course there were parts where i didn't really like him or understand him. but, of course, i could also relate to him being an indecisive person who usually tries to stay away from conflicts.

using a dual pov was a great way to show the juxtaposition of the two of them: their family dynamic, their friendships, their personalities... it was interesting to put myself in their shoes, understand their situations and watch how they managed themselves through them. i just wish the ending didn't feel so rushed and that some things
such as if ollie and francine are in a situationship or they're actually dating, or get to see how francine's a gūng reacts to it, or francine's relationship with her mom after knowing the truth about her
had been more developed.
so yeah, it's not one of the best books i've ever read, but i could definitely recommend it.

ps: i hope i was not the only one who spent like 60% of the book thinking if "fōng" meant something like "honey" or "sweetie" lmao.


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