Young adult memoirs are a fickle and difficult genre. It's kind of niche, and YA in general is subject to what adults think teens want, not what teens actually want. (Not that I know what teens want, either, but I can postulate about some things they might not want.) I think for the most part, Johnson recalls being a teen better than most adults, and he's franker with teens than most adults are willing to be. I respect this honesty and directness from him, I like that All Boys Aren't Blue tackles CSA, sexuality, gender, abuse, racism, homophobia, death, and toxic masculinity without shying away from them, and with empathy and nuance without making excuses for abusers. At times, he does come off a little stiff and lecturey, but he's above average for the genre. And his anecdotes are well-chosen and well-connected.