I have read the author’s previous book and really loved it. Comparatively I felt this was not as good as the debut. We all want the main characters to be flawed but do hate it when they are 😅 but Ollie was a little intolerable in the beginning. As with the previous book the underlying sexism and patriarchal themes were well written and overall I loved the writing.

Unfortunately I did not get to read this before it expired.. However I really liked Michelle's first book - 'Not Here to Be Liked' and based on this will most likely buy this title in too. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to read and review it once we have the title in stock.
The rating is assumed as I've not yet read the book.

The Boy You Always Wanted is a lovely and charming read, full of heart. It's a book that will leave you smiling once you have finished read it.

this was such an adorable read!! i definitely like this one more than her previous book. the cover design is so so cute, props to the artist!!

A really fun and charming read with an enjoyable premise and gorgeous characters. I would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I did enjoy reading this book, although surprisingly the love story was probably my least favourite element! I loved the surrounding stories of Francine coming to terms with her grandfather's misogyny and her place in her family, and Ollie's journey was also really well-done. The romance element just felt a bit rushed at times for my liking. But I think this book fills a representation hole and YA readers will love it.

I initially read Michelle Quach's debut and really enjoyed it, so this was no surprise. I liked this one even more!

The tension between the two main characters was so interesting and swoony. I loved the slow build up and the writing was easy to follow- the descriptions weren't too heavy and kept me hooked. This author has a way of writing that makes you deeply care about the characters and I had so much fun reading it. I would've loved it if this book was longer because these characters are everything!

Highly recommend!

This book was just OK for me. There wasn't anything I particularly disliked, but I also didn't love it.
I enjoyed Michelle Quach's other book more than this one.
I think a lot of people will like this story a lot, but for me it didn't pull me in the way I hoped it would.

Michelle Quach has surprised me yet again with another wonderful YA novel steeped in romance, equality and empowerment. What an absolute triumph of a book!

Francine loves her grandad, her a gung, but all he wants is a male heir so the right traditions can continue. She used to fancy family friend Ollie but she's got over that and they tend to ignore each other; now she needs to involve him in The Plan to offer him up as a substitute male heir (this is a thing) and make her grandad's last days happier. But while she's buzzing around trying to please everyone and be the perfect child/grandchild, is she forgetting to have feelings and process them? Ollie is irritated by Francine at first, mainly because she reminds him of how to be a decent person. When she tries to help him, he gets annoyed. But he can see the feminist point of view about how the culture preferences males, and slowly he realises how decent and authentic Francine is.

Then ... well, that's fairly predictable but the story is very much lifted by all the cultural information that's carefully but seamlessly woven in (no info dumps) and the two best friend characters with their art and hilarious business ventures respectively. There's LGBTQIA representation, an incidental character who uses they pronouns and information for teenage girls on sex and sexuality.

All very well done, nothing happens to the dog, it was a good read and I learned a lot about a community I'd previously known nothing about.

My review online here today: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2023/08/08/book-review-michelle-quach-the-boy-you-always-wanted/

Unfortunately I didnt enjoy this as much as the author's first novel, it was an easy read and dealt with some pretty difficult topics in a good way but I felt like the romance at the centre had some silly moments

The Boy You Always Wanted is a stellar example of YA contemporary at its finest. Michelle Quach has just become an auto-buy author for me.

With this and Not Here To Be Liked, Michelle Quach just hits that sweet spot of YA contemporary romance and coming of age narratives that I adore. She just gets it. There is an authenticity and an aching honesty that informs her work. Her characters are fallible and facing the challenge of finding their place in the world.

For Francine, that involves finding her place in her family and particularly shouldering the legacy that her a gung has placed upon her shoulders. The way that impacts her and her relationships with everyone around her is a key tension of the book. Quach allows for nuance and depth in this discussion, providing no easy answers. This is an ethical dilemma that just leads to more and more.

The core themes of family and legacy are ones filled with questions around tradition and the continued relevance of it in the modern age. This is particularly challenging with Francine’s family history and the cultural erosion she feels, ostracised from all sides. Quach opens up an important dialogue here around shouldering the legacy of your forebearers and the rising levels of expectations placed upon generations of those who have been squashed by the world. In particular, the experience of immigration really shapes that legacy.

At the same time, this is also a heart-warming and sweet romance tale. I loved watching their dynamic fluctuate and their chemistry grow. Quach just writes those moments so well. You can feel your heart melt and just root for these characters to wake up and realise what they have in front of them. Like the rest of the book though, this is not without its own challenges and heartbreaks.

The Boy You Always Wanted takes a slow-building, chemistry-filled romance and combines it with a poignant exploration of family and legacy.

I loved the family dynamics in this, but it wasn’t really for me. I’ll be likely to give it a read post publication to try again!

This was a touching, warm-hearted read with likeable (and flawed) characters - and the food descriptions were mouth wateringly good!

Having loved "Not Here to Be Liked" , I approached thid latest book by Michelle Quach with trepidation and I was not disappointed. While the book centers around Francine and Ollie and their relationship, it touches on many themes, often with humour, always without parti pris. Her characters are smart and loveable but never one dimensional or without flaws. They try their hardest to navigate life as first generation Americans, torn between the old traditions their families hold dear and their life as young adults, which are often at odds. Francine and Ollie have very different experiences of their Chinese Vietnamese heritage but their relationship allows them to learn from each other.
It is sometimes heartbreaking, particularly at showing how family and tradition mould us and impacts our relationships with others. But the slow burn romance at its heart is wonderful., and altogether this creates a pretty perfect YA contemporary romance!

I loved Michelle Quach's first book Not Here to Be Liked so I had very high hopes and it did not disappoint!

The Boy You Always Wanted follows Francine, who believes she can grant her dying grandfather his last wish, and Ollie, her former childhood crush who Francine is convinced can help. There are so many topics touched upon that were powerful to read: the differing family dynamics shown in both Francine and Ollie's families, the power of friendship, ingrained misogyny and sexism, the fear of our own mortality and the vulnerability in opening up to those close to you. I felt like I really learned a lot whilst also being entertained and touched by the various storylines in the book.

It was really interesting learning about Chinese Vietnamese culture and the responsibility that is placed on families to honour their past generations whilst ensuring that their future is also well looked after. It was beautiful that Ollie and Francine bonded and taught each other so much through this like looking after and caring for their families, but remembering also to not forget themselves.

I have so much more I could say about this book but because I don't want to go on and on forever I'll keep it simple - I loved it and Michelle Quach is now on my auto-buy authors list!

Thank you for letting me read The Boy You Always Wanted!

I really thought that I was going to like this book as I enjoyed Not Here To Be Liked, but, unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

The premise was interesting, with Francine recruiting Ollie to be an honorary male heir to please her dying grandfather, but the execution didn't really work for me. I expected there to be more of a discussion of sexism and outdated views, but this didn't really happen and was all very surface level.

I also didn't really care for the romance between Francine and Ollie. It didn't feel like there was much chemistry between them, and most of their time spent together was with Francine's grandfather so I don't think that helped. Also, I didn't find either of the two main characters that interesting.

There was an interesting twist towards the end, but it felt like this was moved on from much too quickly and should have been addressed a lot more. The ending also felt very rushed after the book was slow to get going.

I did like the side characters though. Rollo, Jiya and Dexter the dog were great additions and made scenes more interesting.

As someone who has grown up in a South Asian culture, and is all too familiar with the ugliness of misogyny in its many and varied forms, I am very grateful to have been born into a family where I was never made to feel inferior for being a girl child. But my cultural references are one reason why I found the premise of this book interesting.

Francine adores her grandfather and would do anything to please him. When she discovers his thwarted longing for a grandson, she comes up with the idea of initiating a family friend into the clan as an adopted grandson for her ailing grandfather.

Ollie, The Chosen One, is less than thrilled at the prospect. But as he gets to know - and like - Francine, he find himself increasingly drawn into her machinations.

The book has a really interesting twist at the end, and the Vietnamese- Chinese angle was new to me. Also I related quite strongly to Francine and her over-developed sense of responsibility.

It was easy to love Rollo and the canine sidekick. But the romance between the two main characters lacked seasoning, perhaps because the grandfather was there as a third wheel so much of the time. Whatever the reason, I did not like the book as much as I expected to.

But having said that, it does have some interesting insights to offer, so it would probably work best for those who are interested in other cultures, and those who tend to read a lot of YA romances.

Unfortunately not my favourite - 2.5 star rounded up.

While the book has a great concept, I really thought it would delve deeper into the issue of sexism in Asian culture. I really wanted to learn more about this topic. I had issues with the pacing of the story and craved more depth and substance. I want to feel all the feelings while reading this and just didn't.

A much more light hearted read than I was anticipating. I'm sure many out there will really enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the very best of luck to the author in their future career.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!