Private Label
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-20 09:52:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kelly Yang
- ISBN：0062941100
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang delivers a heartfelt and powerful YA romance about a Chinese American girl who gets help from the new boy in town to search for her dad after her successful fashion designer mother is diagnosed with cancer。
Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom’s， but for now she’s an intern at her mom’s fashion label。 When her mom receives a sudden diagnosis of pancreatic cancer， all that changes。 Serene has to take over her mother’s business overnight， dealing with ruthless investors who do not think a seventeen-year-old can run a fashion empire， while trying to figure out what happened with her dad in Beijing。 He left before she was born， and Serene wants to find him， even if it means going against her mom’s one request—never look back。
Lian Chen moved from China to Serene’s mostly white Southern California beach town a year ago。 He doesn’t fit in at school， where kids mispronounce his name。 His parents don’t care about what he wants to do—comedy—and push him toward going to MIT engineering early。 Lian thinks there’s nothing to stick around for， until one day， he starts Chinese Club after school 。 。 。 and Serene walks in。
Worlds apart in the high school hierarchy， Serene and Lian soon find refuge in each other， falling in love as they navigate life-changing storms。
Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom’s， but for now she’s an intern at her mom’s fashion label。 When her mom receives a sudden diagnosis of pancreatic cancer， all that changes。 Serene has to take over her mother’s business overnight， dealing with ruthless investors who do not think a seventeen-year-old can run a fashion empire， while trying to figure out what happened with her dad in Beijing。 He left before she was born， and Serene wants to find him， even if it means going against her mom’s one request—never look back。
Lian Chen moved from China to Serene’s mostly white Southern California beach town a year ago。 He doesn’t fit in at school， where kids mispronounce his name。 His parents don’t care about what he wants to do—comedy—and push him toward going to MIT engineering early。 Lian thinks there’s nothing to stick around for， until one day， he starts Chinese Club after school 。 。 。 and Serene walks in。
Worlds apart in the high school hierarchy， Serene and Lian soon find refuge in each other， falling in love as they navigate life-changing storms。
Reviews
Isabelle✨
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How did I not know about this earlier？？ Kelly Yang is auto-read/buy！
BookshelfKeepsShrinking
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Don’t skip this book！ There is no way not to fall for Lian and Serene。 Lian struggles with following his dream and staying true to himself while trying to balance out honoring his parents。 Serene goes through all the high school drama while being forced to grow up and become an adult overnight at the age of 17！ From becoming a caregiver to trying to represent her mom to finding her own voice all while finding out harsh truths about her past。 Together giving each other strength this duo melts you Don’t skip this book！ There is no way not to fall for Lian and Serene。 Lian struggles with following his dream and staying true to himself while trying to balance out honoring his parents。 Serene goes through all the high school drama while being forced to grow up and become an adult overnight at the age of 17！ From becoming a caregiver to trying to represent her mom to finding her own voice all while finding out harsh truths about her past。 Together giving each other strength this duo melts your heart and has you cheering them on every step of the way！Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me read this early release！ 。。。more
Kelly
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Review to come。
Eden
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Private Label was a refreshing story of love， overcoming adversity， coming of age and transformation。Serene has let others label her， her white peers， her moms’ judgmental staff。 All of that changes when her mom is diagnosed with Cancer and Serene is forced to come to terms with who she is and who she is to become。 Lian has always been labeled as the perfect Asian， ignored by his white peers and the aloof Serene， Lian learns to navigate this American culture by perfecting his craft—aspiring come Private Label was a refreshing story of love， overcoming adversity， coming of age and transformation。Serene has let others label her， her white peers， her moms’ judgmental staff。 All of that changes when her mom is diagnosed with Cancer and Serene is forced to come to terms with who she is and who she is to become。 Lian has always been labeled as the perfect Asian， ignored by his white peers and the aloof Serene， Lian learns to navigate this American culture by perfecting his craft—aspiring comedian。 The author crafts a lighthearted story of these two Asian teens helping each other navigates friendships， family and love。 The difference in these two Asian teen experiences gives the reader a glimpse into two worlds that initially collide but with the possibility to meld into something special。 。。。more
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by NetgalleyA very interesting story about a girl dealing with not only her mother's cancer diagnosis， but also her mother's fashion empire。 Readers who love Front Desk and New From Here should be aware that this is a Young Adult title more like this author's Parachutes， with a few vulgarities and discussions of sexual activity。 E ARC provided by NetgalleyA very interesting story about a girl dealing with not only her mother's cancer diagnosis， but also her mother's fashion empire。 Readers who love Front Desk and New From Here should be aware that this is a Young Adult title more like this author's Parachutes， with a few vulgarities and discussions of sexual activity。 。。。more
Emi Kaminari 上鳴 えみ
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I've received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books for this opportunity。 I almost finished this in one sitting。 I loved both of the MCs， Serena and Lian。 Neither are perfect， they each have real people problems。 Despite Serene's family being rich， she didn't feel like a spoiled rich girl。 Trying to navigate through her mother's cancer diagnosis， I felt Serene's reaction were very realistic and approachable， especially with all t I've received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books for this opportunity。 I almost finished this in one sitting。 I loved both of the MCs， Serena and Lian。 Neither are perfect， they each have real people problems。 Despite Serene's family being rich， she didn't feel like a spoiled rich girl。 Trying to navigate through her mother's cancer diagnosis， I felt Serene's reaction were very realistic and approachable， especially with all the other drama she had going on in her life。 As for Lian， oh boy。 We have Overbearing Asian Parents。 Since moving to LA from Beijing just over a year ago， Lian has not been able to be himself。 His parents want him to become an engineer， which he has no interest in。 Even his classmates and renamed him Liam instead of Lian。 Bonding through Chinese Club， both he and Serene figure out who they want to be and the first steps of getting there。 。。。more
Courtney
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3。5 stars I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 Private Label is Kelly Yang’s second YA novel， and her most romance-leaning work to date。 As such， I had high hopes for this one， which it mostly delivered， with Yang exploring the complexities of the Chinese-American parent/child dynamics from the perspectives of two people who find comfort in each other。 Serene has a close relationship with her single mother， and her mothe 3。5 stars I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 Private Label is Kelly Yang’s second YA novel， and her most romance-leaning work to date。 As such， I had high hopes for this one， which it mostly delivered， with Yang exploring the complexities of the Chinese-American parent/child dynamics from the perspectives of two people who find comfort in each other。 Serene has a close relationship with her single mother， and her mother’s cancer diagnosis really shakes her， with Serene having to take over her mom’s fashion business。 In the process， she does carve out a niche for herself， and it’s nice to have a generally positive relationship， to contrast with the other parent/child relationship in the book。 Lian， meanwhile， has recently moved from China to California， and his parents have really intense expectations for his future， which don’t fit what he wants to do， which is to become a standup comedian。 His mother is pretty intense， and she doesn’t seem to grasp that while Serene may be playing a role in helping him come out of his shell， Lian is his own person making his own decisions， rather than a hormonal teen under the influence of a girl。 This book is super subplot-heavy， and at times， I did wonder at the relevance of some of them。 Serene’s quest to find her father felt extraneous， coming up， then being forgotten about when convenient。 The circumstances of the parents’ relationship is a big reveal that pertains to the plot and Serene and her mother’s larger circumstances， but I don’t know if it truly felt like an earned reveal。 I also have really mixed feelings about Serene’s relationship with her toxic boyfriend， Cameron。 At a few points， it seemed like he was strung along in the background for the sake of drama， particularly this one plot point that occurs quite late in the book where things have finally come to a head， and he decides to get revenge。 While I do have some issues， this is a pretty solid book from Kelly Yang。 I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys multicultural YA contemporaries。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
At Reading Rants: http://www。readingrants。org/2022/05/1。。。 At Reading Rants: http://www。readingrants。org/2022/05/1。。。 。。。more
Sara
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Keyword descriptors: contemporary， dramatic， family-centeredFull review soon。
TheNextGenLibrarian
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A powerful story about love， loss and family。🪡Serene has dreamed of following in her designer mother’s footsteps， even working for the company as an intern， but when her mother is diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer Serene finds herself making big decisions sooner than she thought。 Similarly， Lian has recently moved to California from Beijing and is struggling to find his place at an almost all-white wealthy school。 His dream of becoming a stand up comic wars with his parents’ dream of him A powerful story about love， loss and family。🪡Serene has dreamed of following in her designer mother’s footsteps， even working for the company as an intern， but when her mother is diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer Serene finds herself making big decisions sooner than she thought。 Similarly， Lian has recently moved to California from Beijing and is struggling to find his place at an almost all-white wealthy school。 His dream of becoming a stand up comic wars with his parents’ dream of him being an engineer。 When Serene and Lian come together at Chinese Club， they challenge the social hierarchy of their campus and start to fall in love， despite the odds。🪡Oh， my heart。 This YA book was the perfect combination of young love， heartache/loss and finding yourself。 It’s what every good young adult book should be IMO。 I haven’t really read a book for teens about the BRCA gene yet so it was very interesting to see it from a 17-year-old’s POV and know there are adults and teens getting these types of diagnoses everyday。 It’s no secret Yang was born to write everything from picture books to MG & YA。 I’ll read anything with her name attached。 Also—she can write FUNNY！ Lian was hilarious！ Grab this novel May 31。 CW: cancer， leaked nude photos from underage teen， racism， microaggressions 。。。more
Sacha
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4 stars As a devoted Kelly Yang fan， I was thrilled to be able to read this latest YA effort， and while it was （to be totally transparent） not my favorite of her works， it's still a strong YA contemporary with a solid dose of romance and family drama included。 Yang fans， as well as general readers of good YA， will enjoy this experience。 The main character and joint perspective duties are shared by Serene and Lian， who both live in a swanky town， attend the same high school， and come into each ot 4 stars As a devoted Kelly Yang fan， I was thrilled to be able to read this latest YA effort， and while it was （to be totally transparent） not my favorite of her works， it's still a strong YA contemporary with a solid dose of romance and family drama included。 Yang fans， as well as general readers of good YA， will enjoy this experience。 The main character and joint perspective duties are shared by Serene and Lian， who both live in a swanky town， attend the same high school， and come into each other's lives at just the right time。 Serene may be a bit unrelatable for some at first because there is a lot of focus on her mother， a famous fashion designer， and Serene's incredible experience to work at her mother's company。 Between this particularly fortuitous circumstance and the financial means Serene appears to have， it seems like she has it all: too much， even。 However， Serene also has three other factors that provide incredible challenges: a trash bag of a boyfriend， a totally absent parent， and a parent dipping into crisis mode。 Lian's circumstances may be more relatable as he has somewhat recently come to this new town with his family from China， he's having some social challenges， and his parents are utterly overbearing。 Serene and Lian seem like an unlikely pair to be sure， but they grow closer as their circumstances become more challenging， and their journey is one to watch。 As is always the case with Yang， one of the great strengths of this novel is the coverage of so many issues。 The characters struggle with their own internal challenges， but wow does Yang pile on the external factors here， too。 Pick up this book to learn and grow with them。 *Special thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more
Alma
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I absolutely loved this book！ Serene and Lian were believable characters with very real experiences。 As usual， Kelly Yang knows how to write a book that comes from the heart。 Read the full review on my blog to find out why I liked it so much。 Are you following my blog？ https://shouldireaditornot。wordpress。。。。 I absolutely loved this book！ Serene and Lian were believable characters with very real experiences。 As usual， Kelly Yang knows how to write a book that comes from the heart。 Read the full review on my blog to find out why I liked it so much。 Are you following my blog？ https://shouldireaditornot。wordpress。。。。 。。。more
Chris G。
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Serene Lee’s world is falling apart。 Her single mom is diagnosed with stage three cancer so the board wants to sell the fashion company mom has built from the ground up instead of passing it on to Serene。 Serene has worked hard and sublimated her own culture to fit in with her friends at her almost all-white high school， but now that cost feels too high when she sees them mocking Lian， who transferred from Beijing。 Lian’s family expects him to ace an engineering exam and qualify for early entran Serene Lee’s world is falling apart。 Her single mom is diagnosed with stage three cancer so the board wants to sell the fashion company mom has built from the ground up instead of passing it on to Serene。 Serene has worked hard and sublimated her own culture to fit in with her friends at her almost all-white high school， but now that cost feels too high when she sees them mocking Lian， who transferred from Beijing。 Lian’s family expects him to ace an engineering exam and qualify for early entrance to study for a profession in which he has no interest but he can’t figure out how to tell his parents he wants to pursue standup comedy。 Though both teens are carrying heavy burdens， their supportive friendship turned romance provides the strength each one needs to face their futures with honesty。 EARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more
Fon
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Private Label was underwhelming。 The book is marketed as a YA romance， so I expected ✨ sparks ✨ to fly off the pages。 Instead， the relationship between Serene and Lian was surface level。 Throughout the entire book， I felt lukewarm about their relationship and found myself wondering why they were together in the first place。 It felt like their relationship came out of nowhere。 Ultimately， I was more interested in learning more about Serene's mother， Lily， （view spoiler）[who is diagnosed with canc Private Label was underwhelming。 The book is marketed as a YA romance， so I expected ✨ sparks ✨ to fly off the pages。 Instead， the relationship between Serene and Lian was surface level。 Throughout the entire book， I felt lukewarm about their relationship and found myself wondering why they were together in the first place。 It felt like their relationship came out of nowhere。 Ultimately， I was more interested in learning more about Serene's mother， Lily， （view spoiler）[who is diagnosed with cancer。 We learn that Lily founded her own label， Lily Lee， in America using the $250，000 "hush money" Serene's father gave her to get out of the picture。 As context， Serene's father is married and his wife found out about his affair with Lily （hide spoiler）]。 That's not all， we also learn that Lily's first angel investor， Julien Pierre *suggested* Lily to erase her Chinese identity for the sake of appealing to Americans。 "It'd been his "suggestion" that Mom use Lee， just as it'd been his suggestion that Mom start getting highlights and honey-brown eye contacts。 Lighten， lighten， lighten。 It was all part of his rebranding of Mom — an all-American designer for all Americans — which started when I was twelve and never stopped。" While I liked how the whitening and erasure of the Asian-American identity is highlighted in Private Label， I ended up struggling to finish the book。 Private Label has a lot of potential （fashion design and stand-up comedy， need I say more？）， but this was a miss for me。 @movedbyprose's rating system★★★★★: i love everything about this book★★★★✩: notable with minor issues★★★✩✩: mediocre but slightly enjoyable★★✩✩✩: struggled to finish / forgettable★✩✩✩✩: problematic Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher， Katherine Tegen Books， via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。instagram | goodreads | storygraph 。。。more
Whitney Weinberg
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Adored。 This。 Book。 Such a sweet and powerful ya story。 Teen romance told in two person pov with amazing characters that keep you emotionally invested and rooting for them the whole time。 I could not put it down。 Truly wonderful。 Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC。
Carol Youssif
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really like Kelly Yang， but this is my least favorite book of hers。 It was almost。。。 too easy？ Everyone lives happily ever after， and some of the major conflicts are resolved quite well。 Blah！I ESPECIALLY dislike the cover。 Where are Serene's purple streaks in her hair？ What is that floating dress？ It's not awesome， which I was hoping it would be。 I really like Kelly Yang， but this is my least favorite book of hers。 It was almost。。。 too easy？ Everyone lives happily ever after， and some of the major conflicts are resolved quite well。 Blah！I ESPECIALLY dislike the cover。 Where are Serene's purple streaks in her hair？ What is that floating dress？ It's not awesome， which I was hoping it would be。 。。。more
Enakshi J。
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Teenage love stories are not always intriguing because most of them are predictable。 Somehow， Private Label， in spite of being quite predictable， kept me hooked till the very end。 I give the credit to its taut narrative and fast-paced flow of the story。 Private Label is about Serene who aspires to start a fashion brand of her own。 Luckily for her， she has a chance to learn from her mother who already has enough experience in the same field。 But like they say when you already have something， you Teenage love stories are not always intriguing because most of them are predictable。 Somehow， Private Label， in spite of being quite predictable， kept me hooked till the very end。 I give the credit to its taut narrative and fast-paced flow of the story。 Private Label is about Serene who aspires to start a fashion brand of her own。 Luckily for her， she has a chance to learn from her mother who already has enough experience in the same field。 But like they say when you already have something， you value it less， Serene， too， eagerly waits for the doorway of opportunity to begin her very own business in the near future。 Things go out of hand when her mother’s illness takes a toll on Serene’s mental， emotional and psychological well-being。 On one hand， she battles between the choice of leaving behind her past and coming to grips with the present。 As she ventures into the dangerous territories that have secrets about her father and his own reasons for staying out of touch， she gets sucked into the limbo even more。 Enters Lian Chen in her life。 He is a recluse， for he is not able to get along with the people of the town。 Serene and Lian become good acquaintances and then decide to take their relationship even further only to discover that the road is loaded with heartache and unprecedented outcomes。 Teenage love stories are not always intriguing because most of them are predictable。 Somehow， Private Label， in spite of being quite predictable， kept me hooked till the very end。 I give the credit to its taut narrative and fast-paced flow of the story。 Private Label is about Serene who aspires to start a fashion brand of her own。 Luckily for her， she has a chance to learn from her mother who already has enough experience in the same field。 But like they say when you already have something， you value it less， Serene， too， eagerly waits for the doorway of opportunity to begin her very own business in the near future。 Things go out of hand when her mother’s illness takes a toll on Serene’s mental， emotional and psychological well-being。 On one hand， she battles between the choice of leaving behind her past and coming to grips with the present。 As she ventures into the dangerous territories that have secrets about her father and his own reasons for staying out of touch， she gets sucked into the limbo even more。 Enters Lian Chen in her life。 He is a recluse， for he is not able to get along with the people of the town。 Serene and Lian become good acquaintances and then decide to take their relationship even further only to discover that the road is loaded with heartache and unprecedented outcomes。 Read the complete review here: https://www。aliveshadow。com/category-。。。 。。。more
Linda Liu
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This was my first Kelly Yang book I've read。 I enjoyed the story overall。 The targeted audience was for older young adult and I thought for this target audience， the story was perfect。I loved the dynamic between mother and daughter。 Loved how Serene and her mom had such a strong bond since her mother was a single mom。 The struggles of being a single mother and making it into the fashion world was so fun to read。 When their world was turned upside down because of her mom being diagnosed with canc This was my first Kelly Yang book I've read。 I enjoyed the story overall。 The targeted audience was for older young adult and I thought for this target audience， the story was perfect。I loved the dynamic between mother and daughter。 Loved how Serene and her mom had such a strong bond since her mother was a single mom。 The struggles of being a single mother and making it into the fashion world was so fun to read。 When their world was turned upside down because of her mom being diagnosed with cancer was well expressed。 I also thought the dynamic of Serene trying to fit in with the "cool" kids was very representative of a lot of first generation immigrants trying to fit into affluent America。 Being less ethnic and more "white" to fit in was a huge focal point of Serene's high school life。Lian， I loved his character。 Loved how Kelly Yang introduced him and his family dynamic。 I thought she painted a very accurate picture of what it is to grow up in an immigrant house hold， where all that mattered was when your achievement was one upping your mom's friends and family。 What I didn't like about him was that he supposedly moved to the US the year prior from Beijing but understood all the American slang and idealism。 To me， that seemed so unrealistic。 I thought the friendship between Lian and Serene was so sweet and pure。 I hated how their love story seemed so abrupt。The ending was sweet although a bit anticlimactic。 I felt it was a little rushed when there was so much build up。Overall， sweet and fun read。 Would recommend if you're looking for a sweet read。Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Kalyn OByrne
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I really enjoyed this book！ I was able to get an advanced copy by going on the BBBC retreat which was awesome！ I enjoyed both main characters and thought the book had a great mix of fun mixed in with serious issues。 This book was a strong 4。5 for me！
Libriar
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I was excited to read the second book targeted to older teens written by Kelly Yang and it didn't disappoint。 This book is about a Chinese-American high school girl in California being raised by a single mother who is an extremely successful fashion designer。 She attends a high school with very few Asian students。 In an attempt to find out more about her absent father， she befriends the seemingly only other Chinese student at the high school to help her learn some Chinese。 He is struggling with I was excited to read the second book targeted to older teens written by Kelly Yang and it didn't disappoint。 This book is about a Chinese-American high school girl in California being raised by a single mother who is an extremely successful fashion designer。 She attends a high school with very few Asian students。 In an attempt to find out more about her absent father， she befriends the seemingly only other Chinese student at the high school to help her learn some Chinese。 He is struggling with his parents' expectations of going to MIT when he really just wants to be a comedian。 At its heart， this book is a typical teen romance/problem novel but the addition of the Chinese-American issues makes this book more interesting than many。 I still prefer Yang's books for middle grades but I am glad that she is also writing for high school students。 （This one is probably appropriate for grades 8 and up。） ARC courtesy of NetGalley。 。。。more
Brittanica Bold
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This was my first Kelly Yang book and I enjoyed it。 While it may not have checked all my boxes， it was definitely a nice， sweet read。 What I like about the book: 1。 It is well written。 It has an easy flow and it’s entertaining with all of Lian’s jokes。2。 I really like Lian。 He is probably the sweetest male character I’ve ever read， and I want to see more characters like him in the future。 • He respects Serene， • he isn’t some fuccboi who brags about his accomplishments， • he helps his sister This was my first Kelly Yang book and I enjoyed it。 While it may not have checked all my boxes， it was definitely a nice， sweet read。 What I like about the book: 1。 It is well written。 It has an easy flow and it’s entertaining with all of Lian’s jokes。2。 I really like Lian。 He is probably the sweetest male character I’ve ever read， and I want to see more characters like him in the future。 • He respects Serene， • he isn’t some fuccboi who brags about his accomplishments， • he helps his sister to realize her dream on his own dime，• he helps Serene and his sister appreciate their culture，• he carries his coat in case Serene gets cold， • oh my god！ That pendant contract was everything！， • he asked if he could kiss her （that is so high school sweet！）， • he printed and mapped out on his bedroom wall the Great Wall of China so he could “take Serene there” as his grand gesture， and• he is downright hilarious！ Seriously， his comedy is what kept me reading and wanting more of the chapters in his POV。3。 There is a revolving theme of assimilation and not being welcomed because of who you are。 I felt the author did a very good job of highlighting some of the messed-up stuff non-white people go through in America。 I appreciated the deep thoughts around how different people dealt with it and how the strongest character， Lian， helped Serene and others see that being yourself is most important at the end of the day。 What didn’t do it for me:1。 I really wanted to like Selene， but she just fell flat for me。 She had sweet moments， especially when she acted really mature with her mom’s illness and taking care of her。 But there were a couple things about her that bugged me。She spent way too long being in a relationship with Cameron and arranging her life to try to make him/his group of friends happy when she even realized she didn’t really like him all that much anymore。 I also felt she was really hypocritical of her mom。 In one breath she’s pissed that her mom changed her name from “Li” to the more Americanized spelling “Lee”， but then she’s changing everything about herself to fit in at school too。 At the end of the day， be you， not who others want you to be and don’t be a hypocrite。 2。 I felt this book should have had a wide range of emotions and it fell short of that goal。 Going into this book， I wanted to be devastated with her mom’s illness， and I wanted to be in love with Serene’s and Lian’s love story。 Neither of these happened。 While her mother’s illness was a focal point to the story， the points where real emotion could have been interwoven in were highly glossed over。 At no point did I want to cry， and this should have been a book to wreck me。 As for Serene’s and Lian’s love story， it just felt…abrupt。 One second Serene doesn’t know who he is and the next she thinks about kissing him instead of her boyfriend。 It also seemed strange how fast they recognized the other as their “best friend”。 They barely knew each other…Thank you to NetGalley， HarperCollins Children's Books， Katherine Tegen Books， and Kelly Yang for the opportunity to read this ARC。 The opinions expressed above are my own， honest opinions。 3。5 stars！ 。。。more
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
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Getting some major hurt/comfort vibes from this book
Beth
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Serene， the daughter of a fashion mogul and intern at her mother’s fashion house， is being groomed to take over the business， much to the displeasure of her mother’s senior designers。 Lily Lu has terminal pancreatic cancer， and it’s always been her and har daughter against the world， and the white-bred California suburb where they live。Lian is a new immigrant from China who faces micro-aggressions and outright bullying at their high school。 He starts an afterschool club for students interested i Serene， the daughter of a fashion mogul and intern at her mother’s fashion house， is being groomed to take over the business， much to the displeasure of her mother’s senior designers。 Lily Lu has terminal pancreatic cancer， and it’s always been her and har daughter against the world， and the white-bred California suburb where they live。Lian is a new immigrant from China who faces micro-aggressions and outright bullying at their high school。 He starts an afterschool club for students interested in learning Chinese， and Serene joins in the hopes it can aid her in connecting with her estranged father。 Although Serene has a boyfriend， she begins to fall for Lian， who becomes her rock when things are rapidly going south。Both Serene and Lian are coping with what their mothers want for them–and the gap between that， and what they want for themselves。 Racism and sexism meld with fashion and Chinese culture to produce a novel with a lot of depth。 The alternating point of views work well; the teen voices are authentic and unique。 The cover art is lovely。 The cancer details are all too real。 This is a well-written and timely tale about the immigrant experience that will both tug at your heartstrings and have you cheering for the characters。I received an advance reader's review copy of #PrivateLabel via #NetGalley。 。。。more
Acilnty
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Told in multiple POVs， this YA romance had me emotionally invested in a way I have not been in a long time。 I could not tear myself away from Serene and Lian's stories， and finished the entire book in a single sitting （neglecting the rest of my life for a few hours）。 This is definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone I can。Thank you to Harper for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Told in multiple POVs， this YA romance had me emotionally invested in a way I have not been in a long time。 I could not tear myself away from Serene and Lian's stories， and finished the entire book in a single sitting （neglecting the rest of my life for a few hours）。 This is definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone I can。Thank you to Harper for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer Hottinger
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Serene's life is thrown into a craziness no one ever wants to be a part of， she needs someone to understand， and she needs to make adult decisions about the future of her Mom's company all while her heart is breaking。 Lian is trying to find his way in this world while trying to please his Chinese parents。 When their worlds intersect， could it be fate？I LOVE the connection between Lian and Serene-but most of all the love between mother and daughter！ Serene's life is thrown into a craziness no one ever wants to be a part of， she needs someone to understand， and she needs to make adult decisions about the future of her Mom's company all while her heart is breaking。 Lian is trying to find his way in this world while trying to please his Chinese parents。 When their worlds intersect， could it be fate？I LOVE the connection between Lian and Serene-but most of all the love between mother and daughter！ 。。。more
Audrey
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This was fine but it fell a bit flat to me。 Lian and Serene's relationship， just didn't gel on the page。 I could see why Serene fell for Lian， but Lian seemed to be drawn to Serene for her looks。As usual， Yang does a great job， illustrating the Chinese/Chinese American diaspora and how it is not a monolith。 Lian's desire to be a stand up comedian v。 his parent's wishes for him to be an engineer were some of the strongest parts of the book。 Serene and her relationship with her mom and the mom's c This was fine but it fell a bit flat to me。 Lian and Serene's relationship， just didn't gel on the page。 I could see why Serene fell for Lian， but Lian seemed to be drawn to Serene for her looks。As usual， Yang does a great job， illustrating the Chinese/Chinese American diaspora and how it is not a monolith。 Lian's desire to be a stand up comedian v。 his parent's wishes for him to be an engineer were some of the strongest parts of the book。 Serene and her relationship with her mom and the mom's company wasn't as smooth。 There were a bit too many conflicts， from what happened in the past， Serene's search for her bio dad， her mom's illness as well as control of the company。 What did ring true was Serene's mom's erasure of her Chinese identity to make it in the fashion world and Serene's desire to learn the language。Overall a mixed bag for me， but it was still worth reading。I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sarah
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EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus Amazing story- I could not put down this book。 This author’s work does not disappoint， whether it’s middle grade or YA。
Madison
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Faced with the utter upheaval of her world， Serene must support her mother during a terminal diagnosis and continue to steer and fight for the fashion design company her mother built。 Serene faces racism， sexism and must fight against men who think they know better as they try to silence her and her mother。 But Serene is smart and determined and won’t go down without a fight。 Serene knows her future is in the world of fashion， just like her mother who built a fashion company from nothing。 But lo Faced with the utter upheaval of her world， Serene must support her mother during a terminal diagnosis and continue to steer and fight for the fashion design company her mother built。 Serene faces racism， sexism and must fight against men who think they know better as they try to silence her and her mother。 But Serene is smart and determined and won’t go down without a fight。 Serene knows her future is in the world of fashion， just like her mother who built a fashion company from nothing。 But loans and investment partners are trying to force her mother out and when her mother is given a terminal diagnosis， it falls to Serene to fight for her mother， herself and their company。 Serene and Lian are the only Asian students in their school and in a mostly white area。 Serene has survived by conforming and changing herself to fit in。 For Lian， he’d just like kids to pronounce his name properly。 His parents are no better， trying to force him into a career he has no interest in while ignoring his love for comedy and performing。 When Lian forms a Chinese Club at school， a diversion to get his parents off his a case and give him cover to explore stand up comedy， he doesn’t expect to get any members。 Serene joins the club as she needs Lian’s help translating a note she has found from her father。 She wants to reconnect with him and is horrified to learn that her mother has lied to her about their relationship and who her father is。 Dealing with grief， the impending loss of her mother and men who want to control her every action， Serene finds a friend and support in Lian， as their relationship grows。Private Label is a story of strength and determination， standing up and speaking out against discrimination。 A story of love and friendship。 The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes。 All opinions are my own。Find more reviews， reading age guides， content advisory， and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library 。。。more
Dara Yoder
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Such a different book by Kelly Yang！ I enjoyed it and my older MG kids will also！ Fitting in and standing out！ Important messages AND a book for those interested in the fashion industry！ Positive role models！ Loved this one！ #bookposse
Prudence Jarvis
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I loved this book so much。 I’m a huge fan of Kelly Yang and her other YA book， Parachutes was amazing as well。 I loved the two character perspectives！ Serene and Lian are strong characters that you root for from the first pages！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Private Label
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Private Label&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Private Label&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0