Boys I Know is a heartfelt and searing debut. High-schooler June is trying to find the places and people that she fits with. With strict parents who are laser-focused on college, June finds herself wanting to explore relationships and her life outside the violin. Throughout her senior year of college, June experiences several very different relationships and friendships. Along the way she is forced to grapple with questions of cultural identity, family expectations, and must define her goals for the future. 

I read Boys I Know in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down- June is such a great character. She felt very real, like someone I knew in high school and I didn’t want to end my time with her. I loved that June is a messy and flawed human, who is also seeking love and validation. June learns something new about herself and the world as she experiences slices of life with each of the boys. Watching her grow and seeing the final choices she makes was so relatable. I think there is so much about June that readers will connect with- from complicated parent relationships, sex positivity, conflicting expectations, nuanced cultural identity issues, and feeling like you don’t fit in. I recommend this book for fans of Kristin Dwyer- it’s going to rip your heart out, make you cry, wish you could go into the book and yell at the boys, and then want to reread and do it all over again. I can’t wait to get my hard copy for my shelves! 

Thank you so much to Anna Gracia, Peachtree Teen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.