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l_u_c_y_'s review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
A high school senior navigates an overbearing and judgmental mother, a string of relationships and a looming future with no clue of what she wants to do.
kthornette's review against another edition
DNF @~28%
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
I'll be real, I love the plot of the book and the parts I read that delved into Asian culture were super relatable for me ... but at nearly 30% in, there was no plot. I would make myself read chapters to get somewhere since there are so many great reviews for this book, but I really didn't want to continue.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!
I'll be real, I love the plot of the book and the parts I read that delved into Asian culture were super relatable for me ... but at nearly 30% in, there was no plot. I would make myself read chapters to get somewhere since there are so many great reviews for this book, but I really didn't want to continue.
daenknight's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
les_contes_de_jade's review against another edition
4.0
Ici, on retrouve June, une lycéenne Asian American. Je l’ai trouvé attachante et assez réaliste. Elle n’est pas parfaite, elle fait des erreurs, à des défauts mais fait du mieux qu’elle peut.
On la suit à la découverte de son identité, de la sexualité et l’amour avec tous les désagréments qui vont avec.
Elle subit la pression familiale, pour qu’elle devienne aussi bien que sa grande sœur, qu’elle fasse comme elle.
Le racisme est également abordé : elle n’est pas assez asiatique pour certains et pas assez américaine pour d’autres.
J’ai beaucoup aimé cette histoire, même si il m’a manqué un petit plus, peut être plus d’émotions.
J’ai aimé la voir évoluer, grandir, se tromper et continuer à avancer.
C’est du YA, l’anglais est donc abordable!
C’est un roman tout doux qui abordent des thèmes intéressants avec légèreté et humour.
Je ne peux que vous le recommander malgré un petit truc manquant qui aurait fait qu’il était parfait !
On la suit à la découverte de son identité, de la sexualité et l’amour avec tous les désagréments qui vont avec.
Elle subit la pression familiale, pour qu’elle devienne aussi bien que sa grande sœur, qu’elle fasse comme elle.
Le racisme est également abordé : elle n’est pas assez asiatique pour certains et pas assez américaine pour d’autres.
J’ai beaucoup aimé cette histoire, même si il m’a manqué un petit plus, peut être plus d’émotions.
J’ai aimé la voir évoluer, grandir, se tromper et continuer à avancer.
C’est du YA, l’anglais est donc abordable!
C’est un roman tout doux qui abordent des thèmes intéressants avec légèreté et humour.
Je ne peux que vous le recommander malgré un petit truc manquant qui aurait fait qu’il était parfait !
tazisbooked's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit of a roller coaster for me – I went in with high expectations and expecting a light and fluffy story. The book started off jarringly with instances of casual racism and lack of communication between characters. Yet the more I sat with that, the more I felt it did make sense.
One thing I want to get out of the way first is that I feel like this was marketed as a rom-com and that’s not the case at all. I also wish there had been trigger warnings (sex due to coercion/peer pressure, racism and grooming to name a few). That being said, the point of the book is about being BIPOC in the Midwest. I’ve never lived in the Midwest, but I have lived in Central PA and let me tell you – the microaggressions that June constantly faces is an experience that mirrored my last two years of high school. I wish the book had been more upfront about this and therein lies my problem with the marketing of this book.
I really liked this book because it encapsulated how messy and chaotic teenage girls are. They can be mean, they can be selfish and self-absorbed, argumentative, and boy-crazy and make very stupid decisions. In short: teenage girls are human and since, like, the dawn of time, teenage girls have always been expected to contort themselves to fit a narrative for other people. I love that June is messy because it makes her feel like a realistic teenager on the cusp of great change and with zero clue on how to handle that.
I can’t speak to the Taiwanese representation in the book, but I loved reading and learning all the Chinese proverbs featured in this book. Like June reflects, there’s something so waxing poetic about proverbs and I will never not delight in that aspect of a story. BOYS I KNOW was also a story about family expectations and that was something I COULD relate to. Though I did relate more to Wendy as an elder sibling myself, June was an incredibly self-aware person who is also incredibly emotional. I liked that she mended her relationship with Wendy and her mother (her father being a nonconfrontational person and thus an absent figure was also something I chortled).
The boys in this story are one dimensional. I don’t have much to say about them and the “romance” of the story because this was less a romance and more how these boys mistreat June. I did like how June was able to reflect that she chased these boys hoping for the acceptance she felt she wasn’t getting at home.
Overall, this book sat heavy with me, and I understand the niche it’s filling, having been that one BIPOC girl at school with all white kids. On a personal level, I’d rather read the rom-com.
Special thanks to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions!
One thing I want to get out of the way first is that I feel like this was marketed as a rom-com and that’s not the case at all. I also wish there had been trigger warnings (sex due to coercion/peer pressure, racism and grooming to name a few). That being said, the point of the book is about being BIPOC in the Midwest. I’ve never lived in the Midwest, but I have lived in Central PA and let me tell you – the microaggressions that June constantly faces is an experience that mirrored my last two years of high school. I wish the book had been more upfront about this and therein lies my problem with the marketing of this book.
I really liked this book because it encapsulated how messy and chaotic teenage girls are. They can be mean, they can be selfish and self-absorbed, argumentative, and boy-crazy and make very stupid decisions. In short: teenage girls are human and since, like, the dawn of time, teenage girls have always been expected to contort themselves to fit a narrative for other people. I love that June is messy because it makes her feel like a realistic teenager on the cusp of great change and with zero clue on how to handle that.
I can’t speak to the Taiwanese representation in the book, but I loved reading and learning all the Chinese proverbs featured in this book. Like June reflects, there’s something so waxing poetic about proverbs and I will never not delight in that aspect of a story. BOYS I KNOW was also a story about family expectations and that was something I COULD relate to. Though I did relate more to Wendy as an elder sibling myself, June was an incredibly self-aware person who is also incredibly emotional. I liked that she mended her relationship with Wendy and her mother (her father being a nonconfrontational person and thus an absent figure was also something I chortled).
The boys in this story are one dimensional. I don’t have much to say about them and the “romance” of the story because this was less a romance and more how these boys mistreat June. I did like how June was able to reflect that she chased these boys hoping for the acceptance she felt she wasn’t getting at home.
Overall, this book sat heavy with me, and I understand the niche it’s filling, having been that one BIPOC girl at school with all white kids. On a personal level, I’d rather read the rom-com.
Special thanks to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions!
syrianaramos's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you thank you thank you NetGalley for the arc!!!
Before I start, I have to talk about the cover, it’s GORGEOUS, the colors, June, I’m even in love with the font, it definitely caught my attention when I first saw it.
I’m still kind of new to reviews, so I’m going to try my best to summarize my thoughts.
The story progression first, June’s evolving, in short words I loved it, June was growing and evolving all throughout the book and not just in the last chapters, it was “natural” to put it in one word.
All the characters in general felt real, like actual people you interact with everyday, they weren’t perfect, I mean, they were teens. And i also really liked that, throughout your life you have to deal with good and bad people and the book presented that well. Though I wasn’t really interested in any of the boys
Before I start, I have to talk about the cover, it’s GORGEOUS, the colors, June, I’m even in love with the font, it definitely caught my attention when I first saw it.
I’m still kind of new to reviews, so I’m going to try my best to summarize my thoughts.
The story progression first, June’s evolving, in short words I loved it, June was growing and evolving all throughout the book and not just in the last chapters, it was “natural” to put it in one word.
All the characters in general felt real, like actual people you interact with everyday, they weren’t perfect, I mean, they were teens. And i also really liked that, throughout your life you have to deal with good and bad people and the book presented that well. Though I wasn’t really interested in any of the boys
torithelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Oof this was super hard to rate. I really liked some of the stories within the book and adored June’s growth and the ideas presented about relying on yourself and finding your worth from within. I think that’s especially important for young adults. Overall the book felt a little too long and a little too clunky but I still enjoyed it.
madiclown's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and the dynamics that you see play out through al the characters. I was rooting for June the whole time. The author does a great betrayal of what it feels like around that age. I relayed a lot to some of June struggles especially around being “good enough” so that was really nice to read a character going through that and how they navigate it. Some of June’s decisions weren’t always right but also at that age most teens would probably do the same things so U found that authentic. I enjoyed the rep in this story a lot. Definitely recommend this book to YA readers!
aiyiu's review against another edition
4.0
arc provided in exchange for an honest review, thank you peachtree + netgalley!
so... that was a trip
solid 3.75/5 stars tbh
i did really enjoy this book, i think it was highly relatable
the main character goes through multiple realizations about herself and her wants in a high-pressure asian household which hit a little too close to home
my one problem with the book is that the ending felt way too open-ended in the way that nothing really happened. we are never really shown the aftermath of her decisions or realizations in an attempt to better herself
one thing i really did like, though, was how the messy guys were left behind. june goes through a string of relationships and guys, but then realizes that they are all trash and she deserves better (as she should)
i did like the relationship and the learning moment that happened between june and her sister; i thought that was really sweet
overall a great read, though! (+1 for the wonderful cover)
so... that was a trip
solid 3.75/5 stars tbh
i did really enjoy this book, i think it was highly relatable
the main character goes through multiple realizations about herself and her wants in a high-pressure asian household which hit a little too close to home
my one problem with the book is that the ending felt way too open-ended in the way that nothing really happened. we are never really shown the aftermath of her decisions or realizations in an attempt to better herself
one thing i really did like, though, was how the messy guys were left behind. june goes through a string of relationships and guys, but then realizes that they are all trash and she deserves better (as she should)
i did like the relationship and the learning moment that happened between june and her sister; i thought that was really sweet
overall a great read, though! (+1 for the wonderful cover)