Reviews

Keeping Long Island by Courtney Peppernell

millexpresses's review

5.0

So good

Such a good book. I can't believe it took me a while to read it. I would totally recommend this to everyone.

sleepysamreads's review against another edition

4.0

You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!

Actual rating 3.5 stars

I didn't expect too much going into this. Sadly, queer books tend to lack a lot. Especially f/f books. This one surprised me though!

The way Kayden talked about her sadness and grief felt so incredibly real. Her sadness is written in such a way that it almost feels like it's own character, which I loved. It made it feel so real. 

I love the format. It is written in journal entries. I felt like it worked well for this type of story. I also like Kayden's narrative. It helped us learn more about her. 

I think it's important to note that while I'm really glad that

Spoiler

Kayden's mother came around in the end about Kayden's sexuality,

that isn't always how it happens. That being said, I do feel like it happened in a really natural way and that it worked with the story. 

I adored Alex and I'm glad that the author wrote a (couple) bi character(s). So often in f/f books it's just lesbians. Not in this book! There's a lesbian, a bi girl, a bi guy, and a trans guy! It made me happy seeing the representation. 

It's was a good book, maybe even a great one if you compare it to others in this genre. I definitely enjoyed it, though I don't think it was anything spectacular. 

hsinjulit's review

5.0

Wow.

This book deserves so much more attention! I finished it in less than a day and was left feeling very, very loved. It was written in a similar format as The Perks of Being a Wallflower was, as both protagonists dealt with mental health issues by writing letters to strangers, but that is not to say that these books were at all alike in contents.

Keeping Long Island was a very emotional read, but in a good way, and there were bits of humour scattered across the pages, too. Through Kayden’s letters, readers are constantly reminded of their own validities, and that it is okay to be sad sometimes.

I’ve seen my dad cry before, big heavy sobs, and every time he does, I want to tell him that it makes him braver.

I think this book speaks so much to me, especially at a time when I am trying very hard to understand myself and want to feel valid and cared for, and also making sure that all the wonderful people in my life are getting their deserved share of love from me.

Yes, I know this is not a perfect book because there were a few spelling errors and missing words here and there, which normally annoys me. There were also occasions of implausible writing timing of a letter

Spoiler

, like when Alex was in lingerie in the doorway and Kayden still took the time to write about it before finding her

. And some parts of the story were just too coincidental. Nonetheless, that I love this book is by no means stating flawlessness, and while it might not be for everyone, I truly love how it made me feel. Kayden seemed to trigger some emotional richness, even though she only used short and straightforward sentences in a rather flat tone, as if she tried to detach herself from all feelings while writing. Emotions still brimmed in words though.

There were times when Kayden was not exactly reasonable

Spoiler

, such as pushing Alex to follow her cross-country and buying the plane ticket anyway when she refused

. But who isn’t sometimes? Rather than making things weird, the story became more relatable. With Kayden, Alex, and all the other good characters being so genuine, it was hard not to love them all.

If you feel something and it’s real to you, then nothing else matters. (Alex)

This book sits on a blurred line of fiction and self-help, as it is on love, self-love, and dealing with sadness. I felt revived several times during the read. Keeping Long Island is definitely the book I would revisit when I need love and affirmation. It is the kind of book that reminds me of all the kindness in this harsh world, and that being soft isn’t bad.

Thank you, Courtney, for publishing this story that meant to heal the world.

maxwell_alyssa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rainbow_grace's review

5.0

This book was wonderful. I usually don't like the conceit of a book written in diary entries, but wow. This one was so well done. Kayden is a broken young woman whose therapist suggested she keep a diary to help her learn how to share her feelings. She writes each entry as if she were talking to someone she calls "Keeper" as in Secret Keeper. And it felt like she was talking to me.

I haven't highlighted so many passages in a Kindle book before in my life. There are awkwards turns of phrase, but that feels authentic to Kayden's voice.

I was afraid that the immediacy of the story would be lost as we are reading about it "after the fact" so to speak, but that didn't happen. And Kayden's friends and family felt real to me.

There is little action here. This is a book about feelings, about sadness and depression and love and happiness. It's about family and friendship. It's slow paced and thoughtful. It's amazing.

gizmoto16's review against another edition

4.0

I like the style of this book as journal entries. And it's a really great read for someone dealing with sadness.

arpa_m's review against another edition

5.0

I loved the book so much. I really needed this. I cried everytime Kayden wrote directly addressing me. It was like she was sharing all her secrets to me and she trusts me. At one stage I felt like I was her keeper. Exactly the book I needed at this time of my life. Thank you. Loved it❤️

romaverse's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

andrea_f's review against another edition

4.0

Hacía bastante tiempo que no leía nada en el formato de cartas/diario y la verdad es que había olvidado lo mucho que me gustaba.

Esta es una historia de duelo. Vemos a la protagonista lidiando con el duelo, superándolo y aceptando la muerte de un ser querido. Lo mejor es que es una historia llena de esperanza. Me ha gustado ver esto en una novela en la que pasan cosas tan negativas.

La protagonista es lesbiana y su madre no se toma bien su salida del armario. Por tanto, vemos cómo eso la afecta pero también vemos que tiene a gente, como su padre, que la apoya y está a su lado pase lo que pase. Eso no se ve muchas veces en este tipo de trama. Normalmente, los dos padres se ponen en contra de la persona que ha salido del armario y la echan de casa o algo así. En este caso, los padres se acaban divorciando y la protagonista tiene el apoyo total de su padre. Es importante que historias como esta se vean más en novelas dirigidas a una audiencia más joven. Además, también vemos que hay otros personajes que están fuera del armario y que tienen el apoyo de familiares y amistades. Me gusta ver que hay historias que dan esperanza.

Otra cosa que también me parece importante es la forma en la que se trata la depresión. Es cierto que la protagonista dice que no le gusta decir que tiene depresión sino que está triste. Habla de esa tristeza de una manera bastante personificada. Eso me ha parecido interesante porque da pie a que se hable de la depresión como de una cosa que está contigo pero que no eres tú. En esta novela, vemos cómo la protgonista va avanzando poco a poco. Es verdad que le cuesta pero eso hace que sea mucho más realista. Además, tiene momentos en los que acaba retrocediendo y eso se trata como algo normal y natural en estos casos. He de decir que esta es la parte que más me ha gustado de toda la trama. Aunque el tipo de depresión que yo tengo no es el mismo que tiene la protagonista, aprecio mucho que se hable del tema de esta manera tan personal y realista, en la que tienes días buenos y malos y en la que en cualquier momento un día bueno se puede convertir en malo. Esa es la realidad de una persona con depresión. La tristeza siempre puede volver.

Hay otra cosa acerca del trato de las enfermedades mentales que me parece muy interesante. La protagonista va a terapia y eso no se trata como si estuviera haciendo algo muy fuera de lo normal ni nada por el estilo, sino que se dedica a normalizarlo. La autora nos muestra una situación en que se debería pedir ayuda y da un ejemplo del tipo de ayuda que mejor puede venir. Ir al psicólogo cuando se pierde a alguien cercano no debería ser visto como algo fuera de lo normal, sino como una forma sana de vivir el duelo.

Esta historia me ha llegado. Aunque sí que he de decir que no es un libro para todo el mundo.

isabella_reads's review

5.0

"Keeping Long Island” ist ein trauriges, melancholisches Buch, aber auch eines voller Hoffnung. Die Protagonistin, Kayden, kämpft schon so lange mit ihrer Traurigkeit, dass sie fast zu einem festen Bestandteil ihres Lebens geworden ist. Eine Tragödie in ihrer Jugend hat eine Narbe auf ihrem Herzen hinterlassen und dazu geführt, dass sie auch in ihrem letzten College-Jahr vor allem damit beschäftigt ist, nicht auseinanderzufallen. Die Geschichte ist traurig in dem Sinne, dass es darin um Trauma und Traurigkeit geht, aber auch herzerwärmend, weil wir die Protagonistin auf ihrem Weg der Heilung begleiten. Weil Kayden von all dem, was sie nicht aussprechen kann oder will, niedergedrückt wird, schlägt ihre Therapeutin ihr vor, Tagebuch zu schreiben. “Keeping Long Island” besteht aus genau diesen Tagebucheinträgen - eine besondere Erzählweise, die gründlich schief gehen kann, hier aber sehr gut gelungen ist. In der Geschichte geht es so viel um Emotionen und das Innenleben der Protagonistin, dass alles andere als die Ich-Perspektive keinen Sinn gemacht hätte. Ich habe Kayden von Anfang an liebgewonnen. Die Protagonistin ist sensibel, introvertiert und hat ein Herz aus Gold. So oft habe ich mir gewünscht, durch die Seiten greifen und sie umarmen zu können. Berührend fand ich auch ihre Liebe zu Seetieren und insbesondere zu einem Rochen namens Mahala. Das Aquarienhaus in dem sie arbeitet und die Menschen ebenso wie die Tiere darin spielen letztendlich eine große Rolle bei ihrer Heilung.

Kaydens Leben nimmt eine Wendung, als sie ihr Tagebuch in der Bibliothek vergisst und beim Zurückkommen einen Brief von jemandem namens Alex darin findet. Schon bald wird Alex (die Kayden zuerst für einen Jungen hält) zu ihrer besten Freundin und dann noch mehr. Die Liebesgeschichte hat mir auch unheimlich gut gefallen, weil ich der Autorin tatsächlich abgekauft habe, dass die beiden gut zusammenpassen. Als Leser wird einem nicht einfach erzählt, dass die beiden jetzt auf einmal verliebt sind, sondern es wird wirklich spürbar, warum Alex Kaydens fehlendes Puzzleteil ist.

Fazit

“Keeping Long Island” ist ein berührendes, herzerwärmendes Buch über Traurigkeit, Depression, Liebe, Familie und Glück. Leseempfehlung!