The Boy You Always Wanted
*A Junior Library Guild Selection
A girl, a boy, a grandfather and a plan.
The girl: Francine. Model teenager, dutiful granddaughter, absolutely no chill.
The grandfather: Francine's beloved a gūng. He has one final wish, a male heir to carry on the family traditions. It's an outdated idea, but Francine loves him, and she has a plan to bring him the boy he always wanted.
The boy: Ollie. Family friend, former crush, no idea how Francine has convinced him to get mixed up in her off-the-wall, and totally sexist, honorary grandson plan.
The plan: might work. But as Ollie and Francine's worlds collide, their secrets get tangled, and so do their feelings. Sometimes what you really want, isn't at all what you expected.
Available now in the US and Canada (HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen) as a hardcover, audiobook, and ebook. Also available now in the UK (Usborne) as a paperback.
Translated editions from Wydawnictwo Literackie (Polish) and Ullstein (German) are forthcoming.
PRESS & RECOGNITION
PRAISE
“Insightful and emotionally resonant.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Quach spins, via Francine and Ollie’s alternating perspectives, an emotionally raw portrait of two seemingly opposite teens as they come together to help alleviate each other’s personal challenges and grow romantically closer in the process." —Publishers Weekly
"Quach does a good job with her empathetic characters as their perspectives alternate, and the seamless introduction of elements of Chinese Vietnamese culture is a bonus." —Booklist
"Michelle Quach’s effortlessly flowing prose is steeped in love and kindness. Readers will rejoice as they witness Francine and Ollie movingly come to accept their families, each other, and most important, themselves. Totally in love with this novel.” —Loan Le, author of A Pho Love Story
"Quach shines with this fresh and layered story that is both a coming-of-age journey and a first-love romance. Themes of familial obligations and filial piety are prevalent and are handled with humor, deftness and care. A page-turner from start to finish!" —Suzanne Park, author of Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous
“Adorable! Love how Ollie and Francine bring out the best sides to each other and the slow burn is one hundred percent swoon worthy.” —Abiola Bello, author of Love in Winter Wonderland
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
