ARC Review: The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach
10:00
Series: None
Author: Michelle Quach
Published August 1st 2023 by Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Francine always has a plan. Ollie wants no part of it.
Francine loves her grandfather, but their time together is running out. He has one final wish: to see a male heir carry on the family traditions. Francine knows his ideas are outdated, but she would do anything for him. Her solution? Ask Ollie Tran, a family friend (and former crush, not that it matters), to pretend to be ceremonially adopted and act like the grandson A Gūng never had.
Ollie generally avoids the odd, too blunt (and fine, sort of cute) Francine, whose intensity makes him uncomfortable. So when she asks him to help deceive her dying grandpa, Ollie’s not down. He doesn’t get why anyone would go to such lengths, even for family. Especially with a backwards (and sexist, Ollie keeps stressing) scheme like this.
Francine, however, is determined to make it happen, and soon Ollie finds himself more invested in her plan—and in her—than he ever thought possible. But as the tangled lies and feelings pile up, Francine must discover what exactly she needs for herself—and from Ollie. Because sometimes the boy you always wanted isn’t what you expected.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Family means everything to Francine, so even if she is a staunch feminist, she'll find her grandfather the boy he's always wanted to be heir before it's too late. Asking a family friend, Ollie, to agree to be adopted and act like a grandson to A Gūng is harder than she expected, especially when he puts up a fight. Olly and Francine used to be close, but age separated them, and they've got very different personas. Francine is not a quitter, and soon she wears Olly down enough to agree. But as they are forced together more and more, with the lines between friendship blurring at every step, it's hard for them both to fight their feelings.
I loved the insight into how important family is in Asian-American culture, and the dual POVs really helped to see different sides to the same story. Francine and Olly were complete opposites - Olly was easy going and friendly, whereas Francine was more stuck up and prickly. They had known each other since childhood, and their families are really close, but as they grew up they just drifted apart. Francine had also had a strong crush on Olly, which complicated matters. I think because I'm not from the same culture as the characters in this book I didn't understand why it was so important for A Gūng to have a male heir, but it was explained further in to the story why it was such a big deal. One of the plot lines was a little distasteful for me, which is why I rated this 4 stars rather than 5 stars.
Dates Read:
November 20-24, 2023
Rating
4 Stars
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