Description

The Devil Wears Prada meets Far from the Tree in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang's powerful love story about two teens searching for their place in the world.

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 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 a 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.

* Junior Library Guild Selection * A Common Sense Selection *

One is shouldering the weight of a fashion empire, the other is just trying to make people laugh. Can they find their own voices while falling for each other?

Opposites Attract: She's a couture heiress taking over a fashion label, he's an aspiring comedian who feels invisible. When they meet at the school's Chinese Club, they discover an unexpected connection that changes everything.
Dual POV: Told from both Serene's and Lian's perspectives, this heartfelt story explores the pressures of family expectations and the courage it takes to forge your own path.
Family Illness and First Love: A powerful story that balances the heartbreak of a parent's cancer diagnosis with the electric, hopeful thrill of falling in love for the first time.
Chinese American Voices: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang comes a poignant look at the immigrant experience, cultural identity, and the universal search for belonging.