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Long Island Girls
An unforgettable novel of love and belonging, set in the indie music world of the early 2000s.
The only thing Susan loves more than music is Eliza, and both keep breaking her heart.
The first time Susan and Eliza meet, it's 2005, and Susan is barreling down the Long Island Expressway driving a group of friends to an indie rock show. Eliza is a surprise addition to the backseat, and she doesn't quite fit in; she's a little too pretty, and she doesn't know anything about music, but Susan is drawn to her anyway. Their flying sparks lead to combustion when Susan recognizes Eliza as the girl from a nude photo boys have been sending around. They part ways, and Susan assumes that’s the end of it. Susan goes off to college and onto a career in Brooklyn's indie music scene, where she navigates a toxic job at a small record label and learns hard lessons about who exactly has the privilege of making art under late-stage capitalism.
In 2015, in her twenties, Susan has a chance run-in with Eliza on a dating app, and they finally embark on a relationship. But Eliza is plagued by her traumatic past, which involves people Susan is still involved with, and that's where it all falls apart again. Over the next few years, Susan's career takes off, she helps dismantle a predatory work environment, and meets someone new who might actually be good for her. Yet she can't stop thinking about Eliza. What might have been, if things had gone differently? And who might Susan become if she could only let Eliza go?
At once a hilarious-yet-tender coming of age story; a steamy, complicated romance; and an authentic celebration of queer joy, Long Island Girls is for anyone who has ever struggled to stop getting caught up in "what-ifs" and start appreciating what is.
The only thing Susan loves more than music is Eliza, and both keep breaking her heart.
The first time Susan and Eliza meet, it's 2005, and Susan is barreling down the Long Island Expressway driving a group of friends to an indie rock show. Eliza is a surprise addition to the backseat, and she doesn't quite fit in; she's a little too pretty, and she doesn't know anything about music, but Susan is drawn to her anyway. Their flying sparks lead to combustion when Susan recognizes Eliza as the girl from a nude photo boys have been sending around. They part ways, and Susan assumes that’s the end of it. Susan goes off to college and onto a career in Brooklyn's indie music scene, where she navigates a toxic job at a small record label and learns hard lessons about who exactly has the privilege of making art under late-stage capitalism.
In 2015, in her twenties, Susan has a chance run-in with Eliza on a dating app, and they finally embark on a relationship. But Eliza is plagued by her traumatic past, which involves people Susan is still involved with, and that's where it all falls apart again. Over the next few years, Susan's career takes off, she helps dismantle a predatory work environment, and meets someone new who might actually be good for her. Yet she can't stop thinking about Eliza. What might have been, if things had gone differently? And who might Susan become if she could only let Eliza go?
At once a hilarious-yet-tender coming of age story; a steamy, complicated romance; and an authentic celebration of queer joy, Long Island Girls is for anyone who has ever struggled to stop getting caught up in "what-ifs" and start appreciating what is.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 424 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a way to end 2025(I'm writing this on the 31st)!
I got this ARC on a whim, I don't know the author and it sounded intriguing but I didn't even check if it was romance of litfic or what, I just read “indie music world” and requested it. I'm so glad I did.
This is a fantastic book, an easy 5 star read. It was so beautifully written, I could see everything described and felt like I was there. It helps that I grew up partially in the era described here, so it was really nostalgic. But when we're moving through the years I was surprised to see how a movie was going in my mind of what happened during those years and it made the experience of reading this book just absolutely perfect.
This was a hard read at times, definitely check trigger warnings, but it was so beautiful and a little cathartic. From growing up queer in a time where it wasn't as nice out there, to having anxiety and not knowing what is the right decision, navigating adult life when you have no clue what you are doing and feeling like you were supposed to still be a kid. There's a line about chance that really stuck with me, I'm very set in my own ways and I just don't know how to handle things changing. I'm much like the main character in that way, it freaks me out and I just can't function.
During that ending I had chills all over my body, that was POWERFUL. I wasn't really sure where we were going with this, the beginning led me to think this was one thing but it was a completely different story, and I loved that.
I felt seen in many ways, and in different parts of the book. It was just a great time and I couldn't ask for a better way to end the year.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!
I got this ARC on a whim, I don't know the author and it sounded intriguing but I didn't even check if it was romance of litfic or what, I just read “indie music world” and requested it. I'm so glad I did.
This is a fantastic book, an easy 5 star read. It was so beautifully written, I could see everything described and felt like I was there. It helps that I grew up partially in the era described here, so it was really nostalgic. But when we're moving through the years I was surprised to see how a movie was going in my mind of what happened during those years and it made the experience of reading this book just absolutely perfect.
This was a hard read at times, definitely check trigger warnings, but it was so beautiful and a little cathartic. From growing up queer in a time where it wasn't as nice out there, to having anxiety and not knowing what is the right decision, navigating adult life when you have no clue what you are doing and feeling like you were supposed to still be a kid. There's a line about chance that really stuck with me, I'm very set in my own ways and I just don't know how to handle things changing. I'm much like the main character in that way, it freaks me out and I just can't function.
During that ending I had chills all over my body, that was POWERFUL. I wasn't really sure where we were going with this, the beginning led me to think this was one thing but it was a completely different story, and I loved that.
I felt seen in many ways, and in different parts of the book. It was just a great time and I couldn't ask for a better way to end the year.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!
July 15, 2026
Here I go again... on the outlier train. Choo!Choo!
Long Island Girls was angsty. The protagonist is Susan, whom we first meet as a teen living in Long Island and follow into adulthood as she struggles to become comfortable with her identity. It is in that high school life that she meets Eliza, fiery, spirited, and different than anyone Susan has ever met. Years later, when Susan is working in the indie music scene in New York City, the two women meet again and begin a passionate relationship. But does Eliza belong in her past or her present? Do they have a future?
So.... Susan is an overthinker. I am an overthinker. One would think that I would be able to ride the wave of anxiety with her. Because I DO remember that my 20's were filled with angst and uncertainty, but I think I became a little judgmental of poor Susan. Not sure she deserved it. But I wanted her to get a backbone a little sooner in this story. On the other hand, perhaps Eliza deserved my judgement more than Susan. That whole trip to L.A? Shaking with wrath, I am, my fellow readers. However, by that point, Susan had started making some good decisions, so she did show me she had grown up. I loved the 2000s nostalgia and found myself playing some Death Cab for Cutie in the background as I read.
But I wouldn't feel genuine if I held back in my review, as it just didn't click with me. While I appreciate that Gabrielle Korn realistically portrays how two people can fall in and out of love, it prompted so much personal introspection that I found it difficult, and I couldn't lose myself in Susan's story.
Overall, there were lots of good qualities about this novel, but I must be the anti-hero in this review.
Publication Date 23/06/26
Goodreads Review 24/06/26
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Long Island Girls was angsty. The protagonist is Susan, whom we first meet as a teen living in Long Island and follow into adulthood as she struggles to become comfortable with her identity. It is in that high school life that she meets Eliza, fiery, spirited, and different than anyone Susan has ever met. Years later, when Susan is working in the indie music scene in New York City, the two women meet again and begin a passionate relationship. But does Eliza belong in her past or her present? Do they have a future?
So.... Susan is an overthinker. I am an overthinker. One would think that I would be able to ride the wave of anxiety with her. Because I DO remember that my 20's were filled with angst and uncertainty, but I think I became a little judgmental of poor Susan. Not sure she deserved it. But I wanted her to get a backbone a little sooner in this story. On the other hand, perhaps Eliza deserved my judgement more than Susan. That whole trip to L.A? Shaking with wrath, I am, my fellow readers. However, by that point, Susan had started making some good decisions, so she did show me she had grown up. I loved the 2000s nostalgia and found myself playing some Death Cab for Cutie in the background as I read.
But I wouldn't feel genuine if I held back in my review, as it just didn't click with me. While I appreciate that Gabrielle Korn realistically portrays how two people can fall in and out of love, it prompted so much personal introspection that I found it difficult, and I couldn't lose myself in Susan's story.
Overall, there were lots of good qualities about this novel, but I must be the anti-hero in this review.
Publication Date 23/06/26
Goodreads Review 24/06/26
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 8, 2026
This was mid but sweet! The story is a nice tangle of coincidences, self-second-chances and flashes of nostalgia (that I wish lasted longer); but for some reason I can't pinpoint, the book and I never launched. I didn't love it past its first chapter. I kept waiting for it to take me somewhere — not sure exactly where; I think I wanted to feel the intensity and passion that Susan, the main character, feels about everything about her life but that I never felt translated back to me — and I just stood in place. I didn't dislike it either, though, and I think this will be a nice, inevitable film or tv adaptation someday. I can see this book resonating with a lot of (probably younger) people, both for its underlining debate about technology as well as for its depictions of queerness, gender, the constant back and forth of it. This is a solid story but I wish had more magic to it. ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
June 23, 2026
Long Island, 2005: Susan feels awkward and out of place in her teenageness. A chance encounter with Eliza leaves her reeling—both because of her own inadequate reaction to revelations about Eliza's experiences and because Eliza awakens something in Susan that she hadn't really been aware of. It goes nowhere. And for years after, Susan wonders: Was she the one?
It's so odd to be old enough that formative periods of my childhood are now historical fiction. Long Island Girls doesn't stay in 2005—every so often it jumps forward, and Susan ages, and the historical context changes. Susan is involved in the music scene, parts of which go a bit over my head (I skipped the whole pop culture thing when I was a teenager), but her understanding of what is normal and what is okay in the music scene changes as she ages and as cultural understandings change.
Susan thinks: I'm just learning a lot about who gets to make art in this city. (loc. 930*)
A number of themes run through the book, but one of the ones with the most sticking power is Susan's nonrelationship with Eliza. Their first interaction is something fleeting, but over the years they run into each other again, and again, and each interaction rewrites what Susan knows about Eliza, and sometimes what she knows about herself.
"You're not going to want to hear this," he says, "But I don't think we ever really get over the things that end before they begin." (loc. 2647)
At times I wished Long Island Girls had stayed in the 2000s, just because it felt so strange and specific to read about my own teenaged years—I turned 17 and graduated from high school in 2005—through the lens of historical fiction. The book wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things it is doing without spanning decades, though. I'm so curious to see how this will land for people from different generations—from we millennials (nary a mention of avocado toast, I should note) who remember a time when landlines were the norm to those who have grown up with and on social media.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.
It's so odd to be old enough that formative periods of my childhood are now historical fiction. Long Island Girls doesn't stay in 2005—every so often it jumps forward, and Susan ages, and the historical context changes. Susan is involved in the music scene, parts of which go a bit over my head (I skipped the whole pop culture thing when I was a teenager), but her understanding of what is normal and what is okay in the music scene changes as she ages and as cultural understandings change.
Susan thinks: I'm just learning a lot about who gets to make art in this city. (loc. 930*)
A number of themes run through the book, but one of the ones with the most sticking power is Susan's nonrelationship with Eliza. Their first interaction is something fleeting, but over the years they run into each other again, and again, and each interaction rewrites what Susan knows about Eliza, and sometimes what she knows about herself.
"You're not going to want to hear this," he says, "But I don't think we ever really get over the things that end before they begin." (loc. 2647)
At times I wished Long Island Girls had stayed in the 2000s, just because it felt so strange and specific to read about my own teenaged years—I turned 17 and graduated from high school in 2005—through the lens of historical fiction. The book wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things it is doing without spanning decades, though. I'm so curious to see how this will land for people from different generations—from we millennials (nary a mention of avocado toast, I should note) who remember a time when landlines were the norm to those who have grown up with and on social media.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.
Want to Read
October 15, 2025"The only thing Susan loves more than music is Eliza, and both keep breaking her heart."
#BEENTHERE
#BEENTHERE
August 13, 2026
I am DNFing this book due to centrist and neutral conversations around the state of Israel. to be clear this scene takes place in 2017 before this has become a strongly felt public opinion
This book is supposed to be aimed at a millenial nostalgia lesbian coming of age story and i had a very difficult time relating to any of these aspects. I understood the references when they were pointed out but I was far too poor to ever be in these circles as a teenager in 2005 or 2010
in the chapter for 2010 Susan is living rent free with her parents because she can't afford to live in the city with the money she makes working as an assistant. her parents clean out the garage because they're going to turn it into a studio apartment to rent. Susan asks if theyre poor and her parents say no but she disbelieves them. considering this is 2010 and its 2 years after the housing crisis and they not ONLY have a house, they have a house big enough to have a studio apartment they rent out. Susan: learn what being poor ACTUALLY means. christ.
I was annoyed with the treatment of butch and femme as aesthetics in this book when they very much are NOT aesthetics and serve a socio-political AND relationship role within a lesbian relationship, as well as being lesbian gender identities
While the character is a lesbian, and one of her best friends is a gay man, its pretty clear this is not a lesbian who is *in* the queer community. There's a blink and you miss it conversation between Susan and Angie who says she thinks she's nonbinary and doesn't feel like a woman the older she gets but she doesn't have different pronouns or anything. I was really hoping to see what the queer community looked like for a lesbian in New York but we don't really get that beyond "there's 10 lesbians in New York and they've all dated each other"
Susan's character is fairly mild despite having her whole slight alternative aesthetic and a mullet in the Indie music scene
I get to the scene that made me DNF where Susan goes to visit her parents who are apparently getting new appliances because "trump is good for the economy". Her parents say that they don't "agree with his policies" but that he is ALSO good for Israel
Susan points out the Nazi rallies and that he only supports Israel because of his hatred for Muslims. As this takes place in 2017, the strike from Hamas has not happened yet as that happens October 7th 2023, but Israel has been an oppressive force against the Palestinians since the 40s. The author takes a neutral stance here despite being vocally anti trump and reads as liberal, centrist zionism apologism to me
earlier in the book the main character says shes jewish but that organized religion is "a cult". I do not think this is an endorsement or a condemnation of the state of israel either way, but i don't particularly like it either and do not wish to continue this book
This book is supposed to be aimed at a millenial nostalgia lesbian coming of age story and i had a very difficult time relating to any of these aspects. I understood the references when they were pointed out but I was far too poor to ever be in these circles as a teenager in 2005 or 2010
in the chapter for 2010 Susan is living rent free with her parents because she can't afford to live in the city with the money she makes working as an assistant. her parents clean out the garage because they're going to turn it into a studio apartment to rent. Susan asks if theyre poor and her parents say no but she disbelieves them. considering this is 2010 and its 2 years after the housing crisis and they not ONLY have a house, they have a house big enough to have a studio apartment they rent out. Susan: learn what being poor ACTUALLY means. christ.
I was annoyed with the treatment of butch and femme as aesthetics in this book when they very much are NOT aesthetics and serve a socio-political AND relationship role within a lesbian relationship, as well as being lesbian gender identities
While the character is a lesbian, and one of her best friends is a gay man, its pretty clear this is not a lesbian who is *in* the queer community. There's a blink and you miss it conversation between Susan and Angie who says she thinks she's nonbinary and doesn't feel like a woman the older she gets but she doesn't have different pronouns or anything. I was really hoping to see what the queer community looked like for a lesbian in New York but we don't really get that beyond "there's 10 lesbians in New York and they've all dated each other"
Susan's character is fairly mild despite having her whole slight alternative aesthetic and a mullet in the Indie music scene
I get to the scene that made me DNF where Susan goes to visit her parents who are apparently getting new appliances because "trump is good for the economy". Her parents say that they don't "agree with his policies" but that he is ALSO good for Israel
Susan points out the Nazi rallies and that he only supports Israel because of his hatred for Muslims. As this takes place in 2017, the strike from Hamas has not happened yet as that happens October 7th 2023, but Israel has been an oppressive force against the Palestinians since the 40s. The author takes a neutral stance here despite being vocally anti trump and reads as liberal, centrist zionism apologism to me
earlier in the book the main character says shes jewish but that organized religion is "a cult". I do not think this is an endorsement or a condemnation of the state of israel either way, but i don't particularly like it either and do not wish to continue this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2026
Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn is criminally underrated!!! Ahhh!!! I JUST finished this audiobook and I had to run to Goodreads immediately to rate it five stars! Everyone needs to read this book and listen to the audiobook! This book wasn't only incredible because of the nostalgia. Which was just impeccable. But I am so impressed by the realistic depictions of what women experienced as the internet and social media were growing in the early 2000's. And the dangerous impact that it had on young people specifically.
There is great beauty in this book and the way Korn writes about loneliness, unrequited love, and queerness. I think Korn is exemplary at explaining the millennial experience. This book read like action and poetry all at the same time. So much happened over a long period of time. But it was also extremely introspective. Hands down one of my favorite books of the year! Absolutely incredible!
I never wanted this audiobook to end. Bailey Carr narrates with perfect emotion and passion. I enjoyed every character and loved the tone of her voice. Bailey Carr is definitely one of my new favorite narrators!
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
There is great beauty in this book and the way Korn writes about loneliness, unrequited love, and queerness. I think Korn is exemplary at explaining the millennial experience. This book read like action and poetry all at the same time. So much happened over a long period of time. But it was also extremely introspective. Hands down one of my favorite books of the year! Absolutely incredible!
I never wanted this audiobook to end. Bailey Carr narrates with perfect emotion and passion. I enjoyed every character and loved the tone of her voice. Bailey Carr is definitely one of my new favorite narrators!
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 29, 2026
Long Island Girls begins in 2005–which is apparently long enough ago that the book can qualify as (gags) historical fiction. “2005 wasn’t even that long ago”, I scream from my wheelchair as the orderlies gently escort me back to the nursing home.
Gabrielle Korn's latest follows Susan, a moody, music-obsessed teenager who definitely shopped at Hot Topic before heading into the city for local shows. On her way to see her favorite band, ?? (pronounced What What), she meets Eliza, and the two have the kind of instant connection that feels destined to change your life… until a misunderstanding sends them off in opposite directions. Over the next 2 decades, chance encounters keep pulling them back together, each reunion arriving after they’ve had time to grow, backslide, reinvent themselves, and pick up right where they left off. Long Island Girls is the older, gayer sibling of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist with the same reflective, emotionally-grounded tone of Deep Cuts.
The atmosphere. Oh my god, the atmosphere. Dive bars. Grimey local music scene guys. Cheap beer. The internet before it became five sites all owned by the same fucking guy. Korn perfectly captures that specific mid-2000’s feeling without turning it into a nostalgia parade. As the years move forward, so does the music scene, the internet, and the cultural conversations happening around Susan. I felt like I was watching her grow up in real time.
I loved the push and pull between Susan and Eliza, but what surprised me most was where the novel finds its emotional center. Eliza isn’t ONLY Susan’s love interest, she's the yardstick that Susan measures her whole life against. I found myself way more interested in who Susan was when Eliza wasn’t around. Watching her slowly grow into herself from the off-beat teen music nerd ended up being more satisfying than the novel's biggest romantic beats.
A time capsule and a love letter to the early 2000s indie sleaze. Now, if you’ll excuse me, this book made me crave 3 barely cold PBRs and a drunk ciggie.
Thank you to Dutton for sending an advance copy <3
Gabrielle Korn's latest follows Susan, a moody, music-obsessed teenager who definitely shopped at Hot Topic before heading into the city for local shows. On her way to see her favorite band, ?? (pronounced What What), she meets Eliza, and the two have the kind of instant connection that feels destined to change your life… until a misunderstanding sends them off in opposite directions. Over the next 2 decades, chance encounters keep pulling them back together, each reunion arriving after they’ve had time to grow, backslide, reinvent themselves, and pick up right where they left off. Long Island Girls is the older, gayer sibling of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist with the same reflective, emotionally-grounded tone of Deep Cuts.
The atmosphere. Oh my god, the atmosphere. Dive bars. Grimey local music scene guys. Cheap beer. The internet before it became five sites all owned by the same fucking guy. Korn perfectly captures that specific mid-2000’s feeling without turning it into a nostalgia parade. As the years move forward, so does the music scene, the internet, and the cultural conversations happening around Susan. I felt like I was watching her grow up in real time.
I loved the push and pull between Susan and Eliza, but what surprised me most was where the novel finds its emotional center. Eliza isn’t ONLY Susan’s love interest, she's the yardstick that Susan measures her whole life against. I found myself way more interested in who Susan was when Eliza wasn’t around. Watching her slowly grow into herself from the off-beat teen music nerd ended up being more satisfying than the novel's biggest romantic beats.
A time capsule and a love letter to the early 2000s indie sleaze. Now, if you’ll excuse me, this book made me crave 3 barely cold PBRs and a drunk ciggie.
Thank you to Dutton for sending an advance copy <3
October 26, 2025
“Everything is changing all the time, regardless of our feelings about it.”
One of my favorite quotes from the book is also exactly a perfect reflection of its best themes. The book follows Susan and has a few snapshots from her life. Sort of like how the memories on your phone hit you hard sometimes… it’s incredible how not much seems to change day to day but a snapshot from 2019 can really knock you off your stool.
Starting in 2005, Susan doesn’t know who she is and has typical self-centered teen relationships. She comes across Eliza briefly but immediately loses track of her and sees her as the one that got away.
The first chapter is rife with early 00s nostalgia, you’ll be surprised at things that have since faded away that were so entrenched in the every day. The Lancôme juicy tubes and downloaded punk rock.
The subsequent chapters jump and while you miss Susan’s coming out, her career start, I love the way this book skips the “big event” scenes and just cuts to a sort of a normal day. Just as in real life, people who are main characters in one phase of your life become a forethought in the next.
All throughout, Susan sort of romanticizes Eliza although she truly doesn’t really know her. It’s less of a Romance than a coming of age LitFic character study. It is solidly Susan’s POV and shows a jump in her maturity and a loss of innocence and a growth with each passing year.
“Maybe love is trusting how someone feels about you.”
You’ll highlight several sentences.
Thanks to NetGalley and st martins press for the ARC. Book to be published June 22, 2026.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is also exactly a perfect reflection of its best themes. The book follows Susan and has a few snapshots from her life. Sort of like how the memories on your phone hit you hard sometimes… it’s incredible how not much seems to change day to day but a snapshot from 2019 can really knock you off your stool.
Starting in 2005, Susan doesn’t know who she is and has typical self-centered teen relationships. She comes across Eliza briefly but immediately loses track of her and sees her as the one that got away.
The first chapter is rife with early 00s nostalgia, you’ll be surprised at things that have since faded away that were so entrenched in the every day. The Lancôme juicy tubes and downloaded punk rock.
The subsequent chapters jump and while you miss Susan’s coming out, her career start, I love the way this book skips the “big event” scenes and just cuts to a sort of a normal day. Just as in real life, people who are main characters in one phase of your life become a forethought in the next.
All throughout, Susan sort of romanticizes Eliza although she truly doesn’t really know her. It’s less of a Romance than a coming of age LitFic character study. It is solidly Susan’s POV and shows a jump in her maturity and a loss of innocence and a growth with each passing year.
“Maybe love is trusting how someone feels about you.”
You’ll highlight several sentences.
Thanks to NetGalley and st martins press for the ARC. Book to be published June 22, 2026.
December 19, 2025
Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn. Thanks to @stmartinspress for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Susan met Eliza one night in 2005’s and hasn’t stopped thinking about her since. As Susan comes into her identity, dates, starts a career, she’s always thought of Eliza. Now their lives are about to come back together.
A great coming of age story that shows what it was like growing up in the early-mid aughts. I was in college by then and reading the book I could see how dangerous of a time it was to be a teen. Not only does the book show the perils of the time period, but it’s a terrific coming into gay story as Susan grows into her identity as a lesbian. I also loved how the story shows the strong connections we make with certain people, and how we become infauted, not necessarily because of that person but because of circumstances around the relationship.
“We had the entire world at our fingertips. Something no generation had before ours. And what did we use it for? We used it to torture each other.”
Read this book if you like:
-NYC settings
-Coming of age stories
-Queer identity treks
-Sexual assault recovery tropes
-New adult timelines
Long Island Girls comes out 6/23.
Susan met Eliza one night in 2005’s and hasn’t stopped thinking about her since. As Susan comes into her identity, dates, starts a career, she’s always thought of Eliza. Now their lives are about to come back together.
A great coming of age story that shows what it was like growing up in the early-mid aughts. I was in college by then and reading the book I could see how dangerous of a time it was to be a teen. Not only does the book show the perils of the time period, but it’s a terrific coming into gay story as Susan grows into her identity as a lesbian. I also loved how the story shows the strong connections we make with certain people, and how we become infauted, not necessarily because of that person but because of circumstances around the relationship.
“We had the entire world at our fingertips. Something no generation had before ours. And what did we use it for? We used it to torture each other.”
Read this book if you like:
-NYC settings
-Coming of age stories
-Queer identity treks
-Sexual assault recovery tropes
-New adult timelines
Long Island Girls comes out 6/23.
May 24, 2026
3.5
Im finally at that age where I can truly appreciate a story where characters come in and out of each others lives years apart as different versions of themselves. It was fun to go along this journey w Susan. Definitely loved how nostalgic this book was, unlocking memories I completely forgot I had.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this e-book ARC.
Im finally at that age where I can truly appreciate a story where characters come in and out of each others lives years apart as different versions of themselves. It was fun to go along this journey w Susan. Definitely loved how nostalgic this book was, unlocking memories I completely forgot I had.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this e-book ARC.
October 28, 2025
She wonders if she could flush her whole body down the toilet, disappear forever into the sewer, join a family of rats, eat garbage.
July 14, 2026
This was an absolutely beautiful book and probably my favorite read of the year so far. I loved how distinctly millennial it felt, from the early days of social media and pop culture to the music and world events that shaped this generation.
What I loved most was watching these deeply layered characters evolve over time in their relationships, identities, politics, and perceptions of themselves and others. The book really captures the experience of getting older and realizing that parents, friends, and partners are flawed, complicated people. Sometimes growing up means letting go, forgiving, and extending grace without pretending the hurt never happened.
I also appreciated how the book addressed the Me Too movement, misogyny, and women reaching the point where they are simply tired of accepting crappy behavior and ready to reclaim their power.
This was a thoughtful, compassionate, and deeply millennial story about growing older, changing, and learning to see people and yourself more clearly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved it!
What I loved most was watching these deeply layered characters evolve over time in their relationships, identities, politics, and perceptions of themselves and others. The book really captures the experience of getting older and realizing that parents, friends, and partners are flawed, complicated people. Sometimes growing up means letting go, forgiving, and extending grace without pretending the hurt never happened.
I also appreciated how the book addressed the Me Too movement, misogyny, and women reaching the point where they are simply tired of accepting crappy behavior and ready to reclaim their power.
This was a thoughtful, compassionate, and deeply millennial story about growing older, changing, and learning to see people and yourself more clearly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved it!
July 4, 2026
Received a copy from NetGalley with approval from St. Martin's Press. Also was approved for the audiobook with approval from MacMillan Audio.
Both were great!
I read along with the audiobook and was able to get into the story quite easily. The story of a millenial woman, Susan, who was obessesing on a girl from her past, Eliza. . She has a girlfriend, who dumps her, and then believes she sees "her girl" while on the subway. Fast forward a few more years and they meet again, actually dating for a bit, but then Eliza says she can't be around anymore, because someone she believes was her abuser is a part of Susan's life. It's fell of angst, existential dread, and a main character who doesn't now how to feel about being an only child and having aging parents. Parents that have different political views. Was absolutely a relatable book, and quite a great representation of what it felt like growing up in the mid 2000s before the teens. Will for sure buy a physical copy of this book for my shelf.
Both were great!
I read along with the audiobook and was able to get into the story quite easily. The story of a millenial woman, Susan, who was obessesing on a girl from her past, Eliza. . She has a girlfriend, who dumps her, and then believes she sees "her girl" while on the subway. Fast forward a few more years and they meet again, actually dating for a bit, but then Eliza says she can't be around anymore, because someone she believes was her abuser is a part of Susan's life. It's fell of angst, existential dread, and a main character who doesn't now how to feel about being an only child and having aging parents. Parents that have different political views. Was absolutely a relatable book, and quite a great representation of what it felt like growing up in the mid 2000s before the teens. Will for sure buy a physical copy of this book for my shelf.
July 9, 2026
I couldn't put this down. I read it every chance I got - even if it was just a few pages. It made me feel nostalgic in the best ways possible and was written BEAUTIFULLY. I'll never stop raving about this book. EVER.
July 14, 2026
This book so desperately wanted to talk about everything (queerness, Me Too, Trump, Israel, Covid, indie rock, obsession, toxic relationships, early aughts nostalgia) that it wound up talking about nothing. For all of the heavy hitting subject that Susan, our main character who spent decades infatuated with a girl she met one whole time in high school, encountered, none actually developed beyond a few blandly written paragraphs. Here's a tip: if you have nothing further to say about a topic, other than some basic, one line little quip about boomers going from hippie to anti-vaxx or how Trump is good for Israel, maybe don't put it in your book in 2026.
The best part of the entire book was when a tree fell on Susan's car, because that is exactly what she deserved.
The best part of the entire book was when a tree fell on Susan's car, because that is exactly what she deserved.
June 30, 2026
thank you smp for the arc and libro.fm for the alc!!!
2.5 rounded up
this was good!! honestly it was just your standard book. i didn't feel any particular way about anything or anybody tbh. the characters were okay, and i never really bought into susan and eliza's relationship. it felt extremely forced. i also feel like most of the topics the novel introduced glazed right over them... idk it just didn't really go into depth about anything. the more i think about it the more i realize this book is a whole lotta nothing... a complete nothing burger if you will. very surface leve lon everything, typical, basic, and distant dialogue.
2.5 rounded up
this was good!! honestly it was just your standard book. i didn't feel any particular way about anything or anybody tbh. the characters were okay, and i never really bought into susan and eliza's relationship. it felt extremely forced. i also feel like most of the topics the novel introduced glazed right over them... idk it just didn't really go into depth about anything. the more i think about it the more i realize this book is a whole lotta nothing... a complete nothing burger if you will. very surface leve lon everything, typical, basic, and distant dialogue.
August 8, 2026
** July 2026 Aardvark **
3.5 stars
There were a lot of things I really liked about this book such as the focus on the music industry, the early 2000's timeline at the beginning, and the LGBT theme.
What I disliked were the main characters, Susan and Eliza. Susan didn't have enough redeemable qualities for me, and Eliza was toxic, but in all fairness, Eliza struggled with addiction after a traumatic experience.
There was a nice mix of characters, but my favorite characters didn't have enough page-time. I didn't understand what Susan saw in Eliza even though the reasons were explained towards the end when she had a conversation with someone.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with this story, but it's not one that will stick with me.
3.5 stars
There were a lot of things I really liked about this book such as the focus on the music industry, the early 2000's timeline at the beginning, and the LGBT theme.
What I disliked were the main characters, Susan and Eliza. Susan didn't have enough redeemable qualities for me, and Eliza was toxic, but in all fairness, Eliza struggled with addiction after a traumatic experience.
There was a nice mix of characters, but my favorite characters didn't have enough page-time. I didn't understand what Susan saw in Eliza even though the reasons were explained towards the end when she had a conversation with someone.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with this story, but it's not one that will stick with me.
July 5, 2026
Molt guaiii (｀・ω・´)
Radiant. Queer,
unes vibes tant maquesss….
☆彡
Radiant. Queer,
unes vibes tant maquesss….
☆彡
June 23, 2026
Wow. Just absolutely WOW. I did not expect this book to hit me as hard as it did.. the emotions within the book and the emotions it brought out for me.. a book hasn’t been able to do that in a long time. The nostalgia in this book is so bittersweet. I resonated with Susan so much. The writing was incredible and I really can’t wait to read more by Gabrielle Korn. Might have to reread this next time I need to feel something lol.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book had a lot of promise examining the toxic music industry in New York City and a sapphic obsession spanning a decade but it didn’t quite work for me. The writing style is very simplistic and there was a lot of cheap feeling nostalgia bait, especially with the chapters set in the early 2000s.
I felt a lot of distance from Susan, the main character. Things just work out for her like the lead singer of a band immediately clocking she’s queer and kickstarting her career at an indie record label. Even the central conflict around men in positions of power taking advantage of young women feels really distant from the main character, never really impacting her.
She’s got that ‘not like other girls’ thing going on, we’re often told she’s conventionally attractive but she doesn’t feel that way because her childhood friend is prettier than her. She’s selfish and self-absorbed while also having low self esteem which makes for a protagonist I’m not super compelled by.
I did like how this explores her fixation on Eliza, a girl she met as a teen and met again as a young adult, and how both women have idealised each other in a dehumanising way. There’s also some interesting commentary on how the culture of the early 2000s impacted young girls, but again this felt a bit too surface level for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
I felt a lot of distance from Susan, the main character. Things just work out for her like the lead singer of a band immediately clocking she’s queer and kickstarting her career at an indie record label. Even the central conflict around men in positions of power taking advantage of young women feels really distant from the main character, never really impacting her.
She’s got that ‘not like other girls’ thing going on, we’re often told she’s conventionally attractive but she doesn’t feel that way because her childhood friend is prettier than her. She’s selfish and self-absorbed while also having low self esteem which makes for a protagonist I’m not super compelled by.
I did like how this explores her fixation on Eliza, a girl she met as a teen and met again as a young adult, and how both women have idealised each other in a dehumanising way. There’s also some interesting commentary on how the culture of the early 2000s impacted young girls, but again this felt a bit too surface level for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
December 16, 2025
‘Long Island Girls’ is a your typical LGBT+, coming of age novel. Very easy to read, and in most parts, droll from recycling the same cliche LGBT+ tropes in most other queer fiction. From obsessions with ex’s, heavy hand social-political convos with parents, and general queer issues, the writing and plot really doesn’t add anything to the literally landscape that didn’t already exist. I will say, I have read this authors ghostwritten work, and it was the same struggle then, the lesbian girl crush obsessions, miscommunication, and explanations about queer culture that are too heavy handed. She also tends to do a lot of describing with little showing which can lead to things dragging out- I’ve learned my lesson that these books are just not for me. But if you’d like a Renee Rapp style fever dream, this is the perfect book for you.
November 14, 2025
The nostalgia. The self discovery. The millennial girlhood. 🥹♥️
As a girl who grew up in the 90s/2000s, I loved Long Island Girls! It is such a unique yet relatable story. Gabrielle delivered lovable complex characters, real life trauma and struggles, and a deep dive into relationships, both intimate and platonic.
So good. Highly recommend!
As a girl who grew up in the 90s/2000s, I loved Long Island Girls! It is such a unique yet relatable story. Gabrielle delivered lovable complex characters, real life trauma and struggles, and a deep dive into relationships, both intimate and platonic.
So good. Highly recommend!
Did Not Finish
August 7, 2026dnf @ 51%
parts of the first chapter were so compelling and the vibes were immaculate, but it was all downhill from there. i think i just really wanted a book focused on the 2005 indie music scene, and this book is more of a character study of one particular girl/woman who grew up in it and who i grew to resent more and more with each chapter. the time skips really weren’t working for me because every time i would get mildly invested in a plotline, the book would switch to a different one. i already said i grew to dislike the mc but also didn’t care for eliza at all, either as a person or as a character. i think in order to properly enjoy the book you have to be on board with the intense infatuation/obsession between the two of them and the entire time i was just confused by it. i didn’t see what susan saw in eliza and i think it’s partially thanks to the way she was written. by the 50% mark i realized i was actively forcing myself to continue and i’d rather not spend my time reading a book i’m not enjoying, especially with my extensive tbr. i really wish i could have enjoyed my time with this book more and i think this cover is absolutely gorgeous but alas. i’m also realizing that i’d rather read about artists and musicians over someone just working in the industry.
parts of the first chapter were so compelling and the vibes were immaculate, but it was all downhill from there. i think i just really wanted a book focused on the 2005 indie music scene, and this book is more of a character study of one particular girl/woman who grew up in it and who i grew to resent more and more with each chapter. the time skips really weren’t working for me because every time i would get mildly invested in a plotline, the book would switch to a different one. i already said i grew to dislike the mc but also didn’t care for eliza at all, either as a person or as a character. i think in order to properly enjoy the book you have to be on board with the intense infatuation/obsession between the two of them and the entire time i was just confused by it. i didn’t see what susan saw in eliza and i think it’s partially thanks to the way she was written. by the 50% mark i realized i was actively forcing myself to continue and i’d rather not spend my time reading a book i’m not enjoying, especially with my extensive tbr. i really wish i could have enjoyed my time with this book more and i think this cover is absolutely gorgeous but alas. i’m also realizing that i’d rather read about artists and musicians over someone just working in the industry.
July 11, 2026
4.5 star rounded up.
This book felt like something a friend wrote. Although I grew up a few years earlier than when this took place, it was pretty much the same. The beginning of the digital age. How important music was to all of us as teens. How self serving we were but also how important friends were and placement within our social scenes. There was so much nostalgia in this book and I felt like I didn't need to read it fast because I kind of just wanted it to drag out so it wouldn't be over. Haley Jacobson said it best when she described it as "a dizzying triumph of queer millennial nostalgia." Perfection. I can see myself reading this again or passing it onto my daughter when she is older.
This book felt like something a friend wrote. Although I grew up a few years earlier than when this took place, it was pretty much the same. The beginning of the digital age. How important music was to all of us as teens. How self serving we were but also how important friends were and placement within our social scenes. There was so much nostalgia in this book and I felt like I didn't need to read it fast because I kind of just wanted it to drag out so it wouldn't be over. Haley Jacobson said it best when she described it as "a dizzying triumph of queer millennial nostalgia." Perfection. I can see myself reading this again or passing it onto my daughter when she is older.
July 15, 2026
This gorgeous, captivating book perfectly captures the way one can be haunted by what might have been or almost was, and then realize it was fiction all along.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
August 6, 2026
Irresistibly bittersweet and achingly nostalgic.
July 14, 2026
there's nothing worse than a book with an excellent premise that fails to deliver over and over again. the plot of long island girls is absolute catnip to me--i'm around the same age as susan, i grew up going to shitty indie shows, i also let brooklyn chew me up and spit me out--but i was let down by this book at every single turn.
susan is deeply, profoundly unlikeable. and i like a terrible, unlikeable narrator, but she's just sort of blandly shitty. she's a bad friend in a million ways, all in the name of this mysterious and elusive girl that she's in love with. but we never really get a good reason for the love? the obsession feels so baseless. maybe the point of eliza being almost a ghost is so susan has room to project whatever she wants on her, but it just didn't land. it felt lazy, like gabrielle korn couldn't bother to develop her character beyond mysterious pretty girl from long island.
korn couldn't bother to develop the plot in a satisfying way either. every time things started to get interesting it felt like we were skipping to a new scene, jumping forward in time, glazing over the difficult stuff. and any time people did manage to have a difficult conversation, the language was unbelievably stilted. so much therapy speak! nobody talks like that! i suppose you can have an exception for graham at the end, but even then. come on.
i could genuinely go on and on about how much i disliked this. 2 stars because there's such a beautiful and interesting kernel of a story at the core of this, and because against all odds, there were some characters on the periphery of the story that were interesting. (justice for angie and jonny!) it's so frustrating to have been so excited for this book, only to end up spending my entire time reading it fantasizing about all the ways it could have been better. what a letdown.
edit: knocked off a star because the more i thought about it, the more i hated it. enormous bummer, enormous letdown.
susan is deeply, profoundly unlikeable. and i like a terrible, unlikeable narrator, but she's just sort of blandly shitty. she's a bad friend in a million ways, all in the name of this mysterious and elusive girl that she's in love with. but we never really get a good reason for the love? the obsession feels so baseless. maybe the point of eliza being almost a ghost is so susan has room to project whatever she wants on her, but it just didn't land. it felt lazy, like gabrielle korn couldn't bother to develop her character beyond mysterious pretty girl from long island.
korn couldn't bother to develop the plot in a satisfying way either. every time things started to get interesting it felt like we were skipping to a new scene, jumping forward in time, glazing over the difficult stuff. and any time people did manage to have a difficult conversation, the language was unbelievably stilted. so much therapy speak! nobody talks like that! i suppose you can have an exception for graham at the end, but even then. come on.
i could genuinely go on and on about how much i disliked this. 2 stars because there's such a beautiful and interesting kernel of a story at the core of this, and because against all odds, there were some characters on the periphery of the story that were interesting. (justice for angie and jonny!) it's so frustrating to have been so excited for this book, only to end up spending my entire time reading it fantasizing about all the ways it could have been better. what a letdown.
edit: knocked off a star because the more i thought about it, the more i hated it. enormous bummer, enormous letdown.
June 6, 2026
Thank you, St. Martins Press and Netgalley for giving me access to this eARC!
I ate this book up! As a millennial only 2 years younger than the main character of the book, I felt so much nostalgia while reading Long Island Girls. I loved how raw the emotions and limerence projection came across on the pages, especially from a sapphic lense.
We follow Susan from the age of 17 to 37 as she lives her life with an invisible string tying her to Eliza. Upon first meeting while attending an indie rock show, there’s an instantaneous pull between them both, sparking a gay awakening in Susan, who comes out as a lesbian three days later. But it isn’t until Susan moves to Brooklyn after college that she is reminded of Eliza, when she happens to see her on the subway.. leading to a sporadic entanglement between the two, constantly craving one another without really knowing why.
As a former music snob who grew up going to shows at clubhouses, churches and random scenester’s houses, the timeline for the millennial liberal hipster was spot on. I also really appreciated the development of Susan, especially in the last third. It was a very realistic and refreshing take on the invisible string trope.
Pub date: 6/23/26
I ate this book up! As a millennial only 2 years younger than the main character of the book, I felt so much nostalgia while reading Long Island Girls. I loved how raw the emotions and limerence projection came across on the pages, especially from a sapphic lense.
We follow Susan from the age of 17 to 37 as she lives her life with an invisible string tying her to Eliza. Upon first meeting while attending an indie rock show, there’s an instantaneous pull between them both, sparking a gay awakening in Susan, who comes out as a lesbian three days later. But it isn’t until Susan moves to Brooklyn after college that she is reminded of Eliza, when she happens to see her on the subway.. leading to a sporadic entanglement between the two, constantly craving one another without really knowing why.
As a former music snob who grew up going to shows at clubhouses, churches and random scenester’s houses, the timeline for the millennial liberal hipster was spot on. I also really appreciated the development of Susan, especially in the last third. It was a very realistic and refreshing take on the invisible string trope.
Pub date: 6/23/26
July 3, 2026
I loved this book. Partially because it’s queer and about my era of indie hipster urban sleaze, but mostly because it’s very well written with great ideas and characters. It’s the book Deep Cuts tried to be.
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