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maggies's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There was so much going on in this book—cancer, abandonment, revenge porn, parental pressure, racism and microaggressions, and of course romance. At times, it felt like too much, but most of the time it was handled with remarkable care. Serene and Lian were such sweet protagonists, and the voice actors reading their perspectives were amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, Medical content, Abandonment, and Racism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Bullying
Minor: Infidelity
sambortle's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
“It makes me feel guilty that I’m falling in love while my mom’s chugging liquid dinner. But maybe Lian’s right. Cancer doesn’t hold all the cards.”
Bestselling author Kelly Yang makes her first foray into contemporary YA romance with PRIVATE LABEL, again proving why her voice is one to be reckoned with on both the MG and YA scenes. On the surface, PRIVATE LABEL is an earnest story of first love, but Yang’s skills shine through in the novel’s thoughtful, nuanced explorations of belonging, familial expectations, immigration, assimilation, and the weight of care-taking.
Despite being the only Chinese-American students in their mostly white Southern California beach town, Serene Lee (née, Serene Li) and Lian Chen could not be further apart in the hierarchy of their high school. Serene is popular — the daughter of a self-made, successful fashion designer, with the right friends and the “golden boy” boyfriend. Lian is a nerd — his entire class calls him “Liam,” refusing to learn his name when he moved from China a year ago, and his closest friend is the kid who copies his homework every morning.
Serene dreams of making a name for herself outside of her mom’s fashion empire, but for now she’ll settle for being the intern. But when her mom collapses on a business trip and receives a stunning diagnosis of stage 3 pancreatic cancer, Serene finds herself taking over the business and struggling to prove herself to ruthless investors. Meanwhile, Lian’s parents have their eyes set on his early admission to MIT. This means hours of studying, tutoring, and reaching for perfection on tests that Liam doesn’t care about. His dream of becoming a stand up comic is feeling more and more out of reach, until in a last-ditch effort he starts a “fake” Chinese Club after school… and Serene walks in.
Told in alternating first-person narration, PRIVATE LABEL follows Serene and Lian as their lives spiral out of control and propel them toward each other on a crash-course neither could have predicted.
PRIVATE LABEL is out TODAY, 5/31/22! Thank you to @katherinetegenbooks @harpercollins and @netgalley for the eARC.
Bestselling author Kelly Yang makes her first foray into contemporary YA romance with PRIVATE LABEL, again proving why her voice is one to be reckoned with on both the MG and YA scenes. On the surface, PRIVATE LABEL is an earnest story of first love, but Yang’s skills shine through in the novel’s thoughtful, nuanced explorations of belonging, familial expectations, immigration, assimilation, and the weight of care-taking.
Despite being the only Chinese-American students in their mostly white Southern California beach town, Serene Lee (née, Serene Li) and Lian Chen could not be further apart in the hierarchy of their high school. Serene is popular — the daughter of a self-made, successful fashion designer, with the right friends and the “golden boy” boyfriend. Lian is a nerd — his entire class calls him “Liam,” refusing to learn his name when he moved from China a year ago, and his closest friend is the kid who copies his homework every morning.
Serene dreams of making a name for herself outside of her mom’s fashion empire, but for now she’ll settle for being the intern. But when her mom collapses on a business trip and receives a stunning diagnosis of stage 3 pancreatic cancer, Serene finds herself taking over the business and struggling to prove herself to ruthless investors. Meanwhile, Lian’s parents have their eyes set on his early admission to MIT. This means hours of studying, tutoring, and reaching for perfection on tests that Liam doesn’t care about. His dream of becoming a stand up comic is feeling more and more out of reach, until in a last-ditch effort he starts a “fake” Chinese Club after school… and Serene walks in.
Told in alternating first-person narration, PRIVATE LABEL follows Serene and Lian as their lives spiral out of control and propel them toward each other on a crash-course neither could have predicted.
PRIVATE LABEL is out TODAY, 5/31/22! Thank you to @katherinetegenbooks @harpercollins and @netgalley for the eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Cancer
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
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