potential of this book to be great was there; however, it fell flat. writing about such deep topics can either seem trope-y, insincere, or it can be really good.

unfortunately it was not the latter

This book started our really slow for me. The main plot point that the synopsis advertises doesn't happen to more than half way through. However, after this "thing" happens, I found the book to be a very interesting exploration of the complicated feelings one feels after something like this. Believing it's your fault and not understanding fully why this "thing" that happened was so wrong. I have not ready many YA books that explore this topic, and I'm glad it was written for anyone that needs it.

Private Lessons is a coming of age story about a girl named Claire Alalay that essentially follows her as she navigates through music, depression, sexual awakening, assault and her teenage life. I did appreciate the author's take on a teacher-student relationship. It's manipulative and that's exactly how they portrayed it, so kudos to them for that.

It was very sad how wrapped up Clarie became in Paul and how he overstepped his boundaries against her. She worked so hard to please him and ended up pushing so many away and attacking her mother. I really hated how Paul was, and it felt like he blamed her for everything.

This was an interesting and thought-provoking book. This book deals with some heavy topics, especially the #MeToo movement, which means that the book can get a little uncomfortable at times but it's still an important book. It was not my favorite, but it was still a good read.

An excellent coming-of-age young adult novel! Cynthia Salaysay has written a hard-hitting and thought-provoking book focusing on societal pressures, cultural issues, sexuality, and more. Very curious to see what this author writes next!

DNF. Interesting premise but poor execution. The voice doesn't pull me in as much as I want it to, and am not sure what the stakes are. As someone who grew up in the piano world, I was engaged at the start. But there's so much I didn't get: why did she like Lee? We get no likable attributes or feel any physical attraction to him through the writing. Why did she have sex with him, when it's so obvious he doesn't care? It was so sad, uncomfortable and painful to read. I get that the MC is desperate for approval and attention but it's a little too obvious and hard to see from her POV. I'm so confused because I thought this book was about an abusive piano instructor? Yet I got more than halfway through and there was almost nothing about him being remotely abusive. I wasn't sure what the plot was, or what was pulling us along. I really wanted to get this book. I was a piano kid, and loved that being a premise. I really liked that she lived breathed piano, to the point of not really knowing how to be a “normal” kid. I just wish she had a little more personality, and that there was a bit more narrative tension/stakes with her teacher, friend Julia, and her crush. It just feels like nothing is happening.

DNFed at 43%

I DNFed because I realized nothing had happened in the book really up to this point and it was a chore to keep reading. Claire has a mom, her dad died of cancer and she take piano lessons with a competitive teacher in the city. That’s pretty much the story. She loses a best friend that the reader doesn’t really get to know behind how committed she is to playing the piano. And she meets a new friend Julia who seems to be all over the place. She’s pretty, she does ballet, she plays piano, she’s got tons of gowns and she’s into fashion. Julia has more character traits than Claire does and Claire is the MC. Maybe it’s the classical references that kept me out of the story because I didn’t know any besides the obvious ones.

DNF - did not finish. I decided to not finish this title. It was not for me. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the early copy.

Private lessons
🎶 BOOK REVIEW 🎶
[content warning for coercion, rape, and sexual assault]
Synopsis: After seventeen-year-old Claire Alalay’s father's death, only music has helped her channel her grief. Claire likes herself best when she plays his old piano, a welcome escape from the sadness — and her traditional Filipino mother’s prayer groups. In the hopes of earning a college scholarship, Claire auditions for Paul Avon, a prominent piano teacher, who agrees to take Claire as a pupil. Soon Claire loses herself in Paul’s world and his way of digging into a composition’s emotional core. She practices constantly, foregoing a social life, but no matter how hard she works or how well she plays, it seems impossible to gain Paul’s approval, let alone his affection.

Review: I started this book some months ago, and recently picked it up again at 33%. The second attempt at reading this book was much more enjoyable than the first. It took personal growth in me as a reviewer to appreciate what I was reading, and that took time. I don’t regret that time at all as my review would probably look different had it not taken it. This book has themes of familial expectations, race, acceptance, and societal pressures. I found the writing style to be quite slow moving, so it took some time to grasp my full interest, however the musical descriptions are completely accurate and so wonderfully descriptive that it’s what kept me gripped to the story for the most part. Salasay also raises the topic of what is defined by “rape” and I think it’s an important conversation that needs to be had once the book has been put down.

My sincerest thanks to @netgalley Cynthia Salasay and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I personally find so hard to get into. Maybe because my judgement has been clouded already. But not giving it a low rating just because I DNFed it. Sorry. Thanks for the copy though.

I enjoyed reading this one. It is not the best novel in this category but I do like the story. I have to say though that I did not really feel attached to the characters. But other than that I think it was a good read.

I'm not sure what to say about this book--I've been ruminating on it for a while. On the one hand, it's a perfect description of how a predator grooms a victim. And since it's aimed at YA readers, I think it can do some good to open up dialogues about consent and power dynamics. At the same time, the most triggering scene was both described in icky detail as well as not fully explained in terms of character development later with how the heroine comes to see it as rape. And the heroine herself is kind of a blank, often just reacting or letting the things that others say define how she views the world. But the depiction of goals and drive and parental sacrifices was moving and relatable.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book is eye-catching.
The characters are well-developed and easy to relate to and/or like.
The storyline was easy to follow and pretty unique. I personally have never read something like it.
This book was raw and emotional. I really did enjoy it.


I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

This ownvoices novel really brought tears to my eyes. I knew music is key to a good life, but through Claire I could learn more about it. Also it had a great perspective on the situation young girls can accidentally fall into..

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a honest review on this book, where do I start with this one it was so raw and emotional and as a adult reading Ya this hit different. I connected to the main character because she lost her father and my mother passed away if you read this you need some tissues near by, this book was an emotional roller coaster and you should read it I enjoyed it!

My sincere apologies that I didn't review this book closer to it's publication. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book is excellent. It does such a good job of illustrating why no relationship (sexual or romantic) with power dynamics at play can be consensual. This book wasn't what I was expecting and it's not a book everyone can read, but it is amazing and will be so helpful to some. In addition to dealing with sexual assault, it also explores the constant microaggressions Claire faces.

Salaysay states "I wanted to communicate with girls about how confusing it is to be in love with an abusive person, how difficult it is to see through them, and how sharing intimacy and affect you. I want girls to know it is survivable and that despite the pain of the experience, you still have worth. You still have your voice and your spirit". And she succeeded.

— Thank you to Cynthia Salaysay and NetGalley for providing me a copy to review! —

TW: Sexual assault, rape

In order to stand out on college applications, you have to set yourself apart from the rest, and trust me, I can totally relate. Cynthia Salaysay paints the unwinding story of Claire Alalay in her novel, Private Lessons. Claire decides she wants to take things to the next level and she looks into a private piano instructor, Paul Avon, who is completely out of her league and budget. Despite her current economic status — her living with her mother in Fremont — she books Paul, who’s all the way out in the city of San Francisco.

Claire is easily sweeped into Paul’s world, finding the shiny parts about the conservatory where he works and his house and his piano. It’s clear that she isn’t the only one who is swayed by Paul’s atmosphere; so is Julia, another student who Claire gets to know over the course of the book. As she also meets Lee from the conservatory, Claire’s feet are only starting to get dipped into murky waters.

When Claire starts tiptoeing around her mom so she can find ways to be with Lee and Julia, this is when she starts to slip into their world and forget who she is. Eventually, Claire gets too caught up in trying to please Paul that she gets herself into a situation that may not be comfortable for people to read. This is the pinnacle of the story and Claire begins to find her true self, taking what she has learned through her experiences with Paul, Julia, and Lee’s worlds and bringing it into her present-day self.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found Claire to be a strong character, despite all of her missteps. It’s evident that she is a hard worker because Claire initiated some very difficult decisions all on her own, such as seeking out Paul to be her piano instructor. While she did have her breaking point, it is important to know that she grew into her present-self with more courage and determination. Additionally, the characters around her prompted Claire to work harder and become better, and I liked that aspect of the story. Both Julia and Lee’s musical presences are both great in the sense that just through knowing them, Claire wanted to become a better musician. Despite all the good in the book, even the antagonist could be considered as a plus. Cynthia Salaylay pushes forward the notion that Paul Avon is a talented piano teacher who just wants to make his students better. Paul is likable, and that’s the point. Even though he grooms his students — and we only see Claire’s perspective, what else other students — he remains in business and in power. A character like Paul makes you wonder who else in our lives could and would get away with something like this. Overall, the story is fairly paced and continues to reel you in as Claire falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

There were some parts of the book that I did not like. I didn’t like the fact that the ending felt flat, especially with all of the build up to the climax. The collapse to the last part of the novel didn’t feel fully resolved. Claire’s confrontation with Paul was very quick and you could seriously blink and miss it. However, my biggest problem with the ending was the transition between Claire’s life including Paul, Julia, and Lee to her life without them was that it felt forced. The reader is almost immediately pushed back into Tash and Claire’s mother. Additionally, I got very annoyed with Claire when she essentially bossed around her mother during some parts of the story. Of course family dynamics are not black and white or cut and paste, but as a Filipino, I think Claire should have had more respect for her mother. Perhaps that’s the author’s intention though!

This book is unique because the world needs more stories that are pushing the envelope. Yes, it’s the story of another Bay Area kid who’s trying to get a piano teacher, big whoop. That’s true, but she’s Filipino. I honestly don’t remember the last time I read a book with a Filipina lead. In addition, this novel discusses the grooming and the #MeToo that people should keep their eyes out for. The more we bring things in that are uncomfortable, the more we need to make noise about it. Salaysay also covers topics like racism, rape, and death in this novel as the ambitious author that she is. I’m looking forward to more of Cynthia Salaysay, as Private Lessons is her debut novel. I am a fan of strong writers and Cynthia Salaysay is no exception!

I rate Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay an 8/10. This novel was published

This book was a lot of things, and extremely heavy to read. It held a lot of information about abuse and rape, topics that require education, which I felt was done well. I liked the book but I didn't, unfortunately, love it. I'm not much aware of music or classical music, but I adored the way it was described, and loved that it was a Filipino mc. The hard hitting themes explored in PRIVATE LESSONS were kind of uncomfortable to get through, but I guess that's why it was included, to start a conversation on it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC digital copy. I have not been compensated for my opinion and this is an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this ARC digital copy before needing to switch to other books that were being archived. The book is no longer on my Goodreads "want to read" list, but I will update my review to reflect an updated opinion if I decide to finish at a later date.