Boys I Know

Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up

Funny, smart, and achingly real, Boys I Know is a debut contemporary YA where the sharp, youthful voice of Becky Albertalli meets the coming-of-age journey of Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

High school senior June Zhu’s head and heart are saying two different things: Her strict Taiwanese mother wants her to follow in her sister’s footsteps and get a full ride violin scholarship to Northwestern, but June is more interested in figuring out boys than where she’s going to college. 

When her scheme to make her sort-of relationship official backfires, June thrusts herself into the arms of a guy who’s not afraid to tell her how he feels. While dating never becomes easier for a girl who confuses sex for love, June’s determined to live life on her own terms, even if that means coming in third at every violin competition, fraying her relationship with her mother beyond repair, and driving fifty miles to the next Planned Parenthood. 

Debut Author Anna Gracia delivers with a bitingly funny and painfully real look into the life of a high school senior, and a nuanced, much-needed look into the overlap of Taiwanese American identity and teen sexuality.

About the Author

Anna Gracia grew up biracial in the Midwest, spending her formative years repeatedly answering the question, “what are you?” Before finding her way as a YA author, she was a CPA, a public school teacher, a tennis coach, and for one glorious summer, a waitress at a pie shop. She now lives on the West Coast, raising three kids and writing stories about girls navigating a world full of double standards. Visit her at anna-gracia.com. 

Author Residence: San Francisco, CA

Author Hometown: Minnesota

Teen girls searching for stories that explore love and sexuality in complex ways 

Readers of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han who gravitate toward sharp wit and incredible heart 

BIPOC readers, particularly BIPOC readers who feel isolated in rural, predominantly white small towns 

Librarians and booksellers looking to diversify their collections with diaspora Asian voices and characters