Long Island Girls

by Gabrielle Korn

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.

Genres: Lesbian, Queer, Fiction, LGBT, Contemporary, Music, Adult

Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 23, 2026

Reviews

[talia ♡]

"The only thing Susan loves more than music is Eliza, and both keep breaking her heart."

#BEENTHERE

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“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.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kate Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabrielle Korn always manages to write beautiful queer stories.

In 2005, Susan meets Eliza on a trip to a concert and realizes she likes women, and this one specific one a lot. When Susan recognizes Eliza from a picture the boys, they go to school with have been passing around, Eliza gets uncomfortable and the two lose touch. In 2015, Susan is working in the music industry and has embraced her sexuality when she and Eliza match on a dating app. However, the past may come to haunt them again. Told in four periods of time, this story follows Susan throughout her life, with Eliza making her appearances. A meditation on self and the different kinds of love.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Kelsey Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

She wonders if she could flush her whole body down the toilet, disappear forever into the sewer, join a family of rats, eat garbage.

[Olivia Evanow · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Rikki Ziegelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only did I really enjoy this book, but I really related to it. As a lesbian that grew up in Staten Island during the 2000s/2010s, this book felt like a time-capsule filled with moments and memories that I felt so near and dear to my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dare I say that most people can probably relate to romantizing something, and building it up in their head to be quite different from what it actually is.
The human nature of wonder, yearning for things we don’t have, and believing that life would perfect if we could grab hold of that thing that is just ever so out of our reach.

That is essentially what this book is.
Susan is endlessly chasing that high of one that got away, no matter how many times it ends in heartbreak.

I feel like I have really just gone on a journey with this book, and with Susan.
From early 2000s teen girlhood, to the life of a struggling recent-college graduate, to still trying to figure out life in her late 20s, all the way to new feelings, maturity and new beginnings in her 30s.
Theres a lot of ground getting covered here.

I think that’s pretty fun, with quite a bit of depth, naturally.
Also, slightly unnerving! But thats probably just me. There is something scary about watching all of that time pass by in a short 300 pages.

I didn’t really connect with Susan as much as I would have liked to, and I’m not really sure why.
Not that she was unlikable, it’s just one of those stories where I feel like there is some distance between the reader and character.
Though, I liked reading her story and watching her grow into herself.

I think women’s fiction can be a little bit difficult to review sometimes, because I think that everyone will probably have a unique experience with it.
What things you relate to, what characters you can see yourself in, what exactly the story means to you (if anything), and if the messages are something that you have already come to learn-or if you’re still working on it.
But, I can say that I thought this was nice, enjoyable, and probably contains something that a lot of people have felt in some way, at some point in their life.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and author Gabrielle Korn, for providing me with the eARC of “Long Island Girls”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: June 23, 2026

[cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was unlike anything i’ve ever read and i could not put it down. If i wasn’t so busy I would’ve finished it in one sitting. The story leaps off the page and all the characters feel so real that it’s endearing. I would read thousands of pages of what happens to each character of his book and that’s saying something because I don’t really like character driven stories. The timeline can get a bit jumpy and points but it didn’t bother me too much. The long span of time this book covers allows for the characters to grow and mature without making the book longer than it needs to be. Seriously check this one out next year.

[amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I from Long Island? No. Have I ever been to Long Island? No. Am I a girl? Yes!!!!! I am a girl and I love lesbianism and queer literature and I love this book!!! I am ecstatic for this release so I can share my adoration of this story with everyone who will listen (and everyone who will not.)

[Syndrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the times when I think the book blurb really nailed exactly what the novel is—this is really a story about relationships (both platonic and romantic), life changes, and just growing up in general. And even though this is most definitely a queer novel, I think it's the kind of story that even non-queer readers will be able to easily relate to. From intense crushes to worrying about employment to wondering if your closest friends are drifting away, many readers are sure to have experienced at least one of the situations that show up in this novel.

I really liked how this was set up so each chapter is a new year in our main character's life. The reader really gets to see Susan at all her most important milestones—both the good and the ugly. Although at times I wanted to knock some sense into her, Susan felt like a real person that you could meet in real life and that was nice to see. I enjoyed reading her story and I really wanted to see her manage to succeed.

I would definitely recommend this novel to people who enjoy reading coming of age stories—especially if you're looking to get a little early aughts nostalgia in as well!

(Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an advance review copy via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Abbey Dufoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay wow Gabrielle I love you. How do you capture humanity exactly the way it should be captured???

This coming-of-age queer novel set in 2005 Long Island is an honest portrait of relationships (to people and technology) at that time. Korn captures the suburban world of record stores, "garage band" shows, family pressure, and aching uncertainty with incredible authenticity. The relationship between the characters (specifically Susan and Eliza) throughout their lives feels extremely authentic to the queer experience —messy, electric, and full of possibility. The story balances nostalgia with emotional depth, rage, and devastation, reminding us how transformative our first relationships can be. This novel lingers long after the final page, As with all of Korn's novels. Well done!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Anushka Bagde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to those at St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Gabrielle Korn for this ARC! I was preselected for this ARC and it was an interesting read. I haven't read a lot of books with this setting, starting in the 2000s and coming to 2025. It was fascinating to see all the characters as they grow, especially Susan and Eliza. There was so much angst, which isn't always my cup of tea, but I loved the women empowerment that was there throughout the book. It was nostalgic in terms of women going for what they want and getting it. That was my impression by the end of the book and hope for the characters as they continue to live their lives. Overall, nice read!

[abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read an ARC of Long Island Girls! I was so invested in Susan and Eliza’s stories as they changed over the decades. I loved how that even though there is a romance in it, it is truly a coming of age story that focuses on Susan, and the ups and downs of her personal and professional life. Many of the themes really resonated with me. I felt at times there were certain plot elements that felt unnecessary, but overall I really enjoyed sapphic yearning and maturing alongside Susan.

[Tyler McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Gabrielle’s writing, and I’ve loved her other books, but LONG ISLAND GIRLS is her best yet. I lived a different life than Susan in so many ways but I still felt like I knew EXACTLY where she was at in every stage of her life, not just because of the millennial nostalgia tinging the pages but because Gabrielle made her so crystal clear that Susan feels like a long-lost friend. A gem of a book.

[Olivia Koscik · Rating 4 out of 5]

always love to read more lesbian coming of age stories. the third person POV story telling wasn’t my favorite but it is a debut. I enjoyed the full arc from young teens to late queer adulthood. While i wouldn’t have made the choices susan did and would recommend a therapist i enjoyed the book overall!

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic story of millennial girlhood, coming of age, coming out, and 20 years of bumping into people you have feelings for. I could not put this book down. I absolutely loved Susan’s character and each of her connections with the other characters. There is so much nostalgia for me as a millennial throughout this book and I love that it follows the characters from 2005 up till 2025. Beautiful writing, interesting character personalities, and a relatable and captivating plot! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sarah Lodder · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘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.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGally, St. Martins Press and author Gabrielle Korn for this ARC. I am leaving my honest review.

I was immediately captivated by the blurb to this book and it was a detailed and entertaining read. Although I had assumed this would be a love story following Susan and Eliza, it was much more of a coming of age and growth story. This was not what I was expecting but I did enjoy it. Long Island Girls is a fun and engaging deep dive into a queer woman's journey through the early 2000s full of emotion, humor, depth and the messiness of real life.

The entire story is told from the POV of Susan and while I worried that might leave the story a bit one sided, it really worked well. Afterall, this is the story of Susan and her journey from anxious teen, to struggling 20’s and eventually confident 30’s. Susan's build up of Eliza as the idealized partner does plague her throughout her life but it is a sentiment that many can understand and sympathize with. This sort of magnetism between Susan and Eliza is a central theme and Susan can’t help but think of her and compare other relationships to her. There is this strange gravitational pull toward Eliza that never really fades.

I really enjoyed this in depth, messy and emotional story of Susan and her journey toward becoming who she is. This book combines a sort of complicated love story with a much bigger exploration of self and the crazy, messy, painful adventure of identity discovery and personal growth. Susan grows up right before our very eyes and becomes a badass queer woman that I would love to be friends with. Each chapter delves further and further into Susan, her relationships both platonic and romantic and her growth as a queer woman. She struggles with self worth, desire, regret, forgiveness and everything that many of us have had to navigate through. I loved the time period and the throwbacks. THis was largely my time period and I appreciated the nostalgia.

I found myself incredibly intrigued and more invested the longer I read. This was such a satisfying read and a wonderful exploration of a lesbian woman coming into her own. I know that the infatuation with Eliza was sort of a cautionary tale of sorts and Susan's true peace comes from letting her go. But I can't refute how important she was to the overall journey. Korn’s writing is wonderfully descriptive and fabulously blends together a sort of frank humor and tender emotion. She writes about a messy world and invites us to dissect the life of a realistically flawed woman. I found the careful weaving of trauma and real life healing to be believable and enjoyable. This story is written over a decade and the pacing helps to highlight all the positives and negatives that come with a life well lived. Though at first I was kind of disappointed that this wasn't an easy romance, I later came to appreciate how powerful this story really is.

Overall, this is a book that will linger in my mind and that is a huge compliment. I read a lot and stick to sapphic stories because they matter most to me. All of the side characters were written with care and aided the story along. I enjoyed Susan's story a great deal and won't soon forget her. I very much recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate an authentic and tender story of queer womanhood. A story about the hard won clarity that can really only come from growing up. This book offers so much and will quickly become a new favorite.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story to the early 2000's (especially the music scene,) to sapphic yearning and Long Island/New York. Now I don't know anything about Long Island/New York but the nostalgia around the early 2000s, the passion for music and the sapphic journey was real in this book.

The story follows Susan from her teenage years growing up kind of sheltered on Long Island. Everything feels normal until, one day, she is introduced to a new girl, Eliza. From that night, Susan has an awareness that she is attracted to women and Eliza feels like the pinnacle of her desire. Eliza is kind of the one who got away and Susan spends the next several years trying to figure herself out but also trying to find a woman who makes her feel like she did that night with Eliza. Susan has always been a little obsessed with music and is grinding away in New York working for a kind of obscure label as social media is starting to emerge. The culture of the label is completely toxic but Susan also feels like she just has to kind of accept it to keep a job in the industry. She has hook ups but no one makes her feel like Eliza did. One day, the magic of dating apps brings Susan and Eliza back together for a whirl wind time that really only confuses things more. The two separate again and continue trying to figure themselves out separately, much to Susan's dismay. Both experience growth and, the next time they come back together, that growth is in evidence.

A theme throughout this book is following kids who grew up mostly without the internet to teens navigating the early days of internet connectedness to the emergence of social media. It feels like that journey speaks to a very specific few years of human experience. We get glimpses of AIM away messages with emo song lyrics, we get discussions of how access to digital media and photos had sometimes disastrous consequences for young people and we watch how social media changes the world. I thought Korn showed the experience of that time well. I also thought she did a good job of exploring how teen girls can really struggle when beginning to understand their sapphic identity with questions of do I want to kiss her? Do I just want to be her? And the kind of universal experience of putting a teenage crush on a pedestal and chasing the idea of that person around for years. I enjoyed my time with this book and will continue to read what Korn puts out next.

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

received this arc from the publisher on netgalley, much appreciated!

Going to use Proper Grammar (ish) for the serious review this book deserves. When I first started reading Long Island Girls, I told my book club that I think I'm about ten years too young for this book. It pulls so hard and builds so strongly on the person Susan was and the way the world was in 2005, and I have none of that nostalgia. But in a way, I think I'm the perfect age to read as what I am now going to consider as The Coming Of Age Novel going forward? Or maybe it's always the right time to read a book about growing up and being messy and not figuring it out just yet.

This book is gay, in a way I really, really get. And it thinks about gender in a way I am not lucky enough to see often. It's so compulsively readable, the only reason I didn't finish it in a day is that I hate reading on my phone and that's where all my arcs live. But I read sixty percent of it today, and I worked all day too.

I love the way Gabrielle Korn has written and sectioned Long Island Girls, and how the book spans twenty years but I felt like I saw all of it. It didn't get stuck anywhere that wasn't necessary. I get really annoyed when people on social media talk about core memories, because how do you know what's going to stick, but this book was a recollection of Susan's core memories and it worked really well.

The characters here all felt real. Not always likeable and often frustrating but I have read a lot of books where characters are simply Too Perfect And Understanding and that always pisses me off so I loved it. I've only mentioned Susan because she is the protagonist but there are so many journeys and they all felt deeply realistic to me.

The only thing I didn't like but that I should have known would be here is that this book takes place in a Covid-universe. Which I mean, obviously it does. But still, I hate it. I like my media in an alternate universe, sorry to say. I got over it though, because I can be an adult sometimes.

I don't know enough about music or the early days of social media to comment on that stuff but it felt right to me?

I think this will be so relatable to lots of people. Not me, because of being too young and never being in love with New York and probably loads of other reasons. But hey, you don't have to relate to something to get it so trust me when I say this is a good book and you will like it if you have good taste. The end!

[Doc Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book drew me in when I started reading and I found it very hard to put it down, until I was done. I'm not fond of sharing too much about the story because I hate review that tell me too much, but suffice it to say that this book is a serious coming of age story about a few characters. Long Island Girls details the lives of Susan, Katie, Johnny, Kyle, and Eliza, teenagers growing up in suburban Long Island, as they progress from high school in 2005 to adulthood in 2025. It chronicles how their lives bob and weave and how they, in some cases, lose touch and reconnect, but as adults, no longer adolescents. I found this book incredibly easy to read and the characters well developed but not totally predictable. I found myself reading late into the night because I just didn't want to stop knowing what was going on with each character, and I am long past my twenties, but still felt a pang of connection and recognition to what these young people were experiencing. I was truly sorry to see the book end. I highly recommend this book to anyone from LI (it was a trip down memory lane) and for anyone who came out and/or had to try to navigate melding their attractions with their fears and fantasies of who they were becoming.
As someone who also grew up in suburban Long Island and left in my mid-twenties, (albeit 20 years before this book is set) this story provided me with a trip down memory lane, from the locations/streets/towns referenced, to the overall sense of not knowing who you are at 17, to finding out who you are down the road. This book takes you on a journey as one character confronts her past trauma, another character faces her sudden queer awakening, and another couple face college and eventually marriage and kids. It delves into the confusing and often painful aspect of nostalgia for our youth and hometown, as well as asking the question, "was our childhood truly as we remember it to be?" As the characters age and pass through developmental stages of life: high school, college, first jobs, first loves, first heartbreaks, first bosses (good and bad), aging parents, and finally, waking up one day and realizing that their parents and friends are actually just normal human beings, and that things and people change, including ourselves!
I have to thank NetGalley for a ARC of this book. It was incredible.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

this was an interesting read that starts with a teen, Susan, who's just slowly figuring life out... and realizing her sexuality after meeting Eliza. it was a brief moment after a rock show that becomes a pivotal moment for Susan, which brings her to the question of 'what if?'
what if things happened differently?
what if she kissed me?
what if i kissed her?
what if we ended up together? etc. etc.

i don't want to spoil the story, but for those who experienced the early 2000s in any capacity... (hey millenial besties!)... you'll enjoy the nostalgia this novel brings. from the pirated music, burnt CDs, indie bands, clothing, stores, MYSPACE, etc. it really brought me back. the writing style is so easy to follow and paints a vivid picture for the reader to step into Susan's world. but it isn't just about Susan, the music, or even Eliza... it's about life as a woman and, notably, a queer woman navigating a world where she simply wants to belong.

highly recommend! i think so many people can relate to Susan in one way or another, queer or not. her journey through the music world, her friendships, relationships, workplace, sense of self, etc. is beautiful and poignant. it felt like pieces of my youth strung together for me to read. it made me appreciate my own chaotic expedition through life.

thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy via NetGalley. i leave this review of my own volition; all thoughts and opinions are mine.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long Island Girls follows multiple points in Susan’s life, from 2005 to 2025. A chance encounter with a popular girl named Eliza leads to Susan discovering that she is queer. When an almost-romance is derailed by a touchy subject that Susan brings up, they part ways acrimoniously. Over the next twenty years, we discover how their paths cross several times as Susan’s life gradually changes when she moves to New York City and starts working for a trendy indie record label. I absolutely loved this book. The character of Susan in particular feels so well realized and authentic. It’s not often where a main character in a book truly feels like someone that actually exists in almost every way. The way that we move forward in time throughout the book really worked for me. It was an opportunity to see how the characters grew, as well as the ways Susan was still stuck in the past. I also really enjoyed the exploration of the indie music scene, and the ways the film and music industries run in general. That, combined with Susan and Eliza’s nuanced relationship made for a compelling read that I felt invested in. I look forward to reading more from the author and have already recommended this book to someone.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long Island Girls follows Susan, a girl from Long Island through several snapshots of her life, beginning at a grungy concert in 2005 where she meets Eliza. Eliza is a meteor to Susans life, possibly the one that got away and certainly the one that set off the queer trajectory of Susans life. She always wonders about what happens to her.
I loved the nostalgia that weaves its way through the entire book. It has heavy 2000's millennial vibes, the punk scene and the music that people keep coming back to.
Susan looks back so fondly on her time with Eliza that when they run back into one another as adults, it's magnetic and explosive and a mess.
I read most of this as a coming of age/coming of self lit fic. I loved the self discovery of her queer identity, the growth, the side characters (though the best friend did fully check out once she got married and had kids and that sucked.
“What we gained in physical intensity, we lost in time” from Annie Erneaux’ Simple Passion hit me. I felt the ties that Susan holds to Eliza, even if it wasn't the right place and the right time.

Long Island Girls will be published June 23, 2026 and I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

[Tygre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been so excited about Gabrielle Korn's transition into litfic and this did not disappoint! There's the music industry, there's New York, there's friendship & queer love & coming out & unrequited love, and it all melds together gorgeously. There were so many aspects I didn't even realize would become an integral part of the story, like a situation involving consent and what conversations around this look like in the internet age and then it showed back up in the story so seemingly in a way that echoes what real life is like so well - how you can't always pinpoint what will stay with you until it has. It also just really felt like a full life depicted in this story. We're seeing the main character find her dream career and navigate its changes. We're watching her date and sleep around, and then get hung up on one specific woman. We're considering what art is and who gets the privilege of making it. I guess what I'm saying is this book covers a huge breadth of topics, and if any of those things sound interesting to you, you might like it as much as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming-of-age story spanning 20 years, this was rich with character development, delightful commentary on the New York indie music scene, and general queer messiness.

I quite enjoyed this book, but I don’t think its cover summary does it justice. The romance elements emphasized weren’t as central as I anticipated. This wasn’t a bad thing for me – I was more than happy with the attention that was provided to Susan’s friendships, career, and individual growth; however, I’d imagine it might be a let-down for someone who was drawn in by that promise of romance.

This was a fun read, nostalgic but simultaneously critical, full of messy but likeable characters. The flow through time was smooth and easy to follow, impressive given how many years the story spanned, and it gave the characters a lot of opportunity for realistic growth. Worth reading if you like indie music, lesbians, and/or character-focused stories.

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The official release date for this title is June 23, 2026!

[Jessica J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely beautiful. It was outside of my typical genres, but I adored The Shutouts, so I couldn't pass up an opportunity for this ARC. It was nostalgic and painfully relatable. I'll have to come back and add quotes because there were many wonderful ones. There were things that I needed to hear. I felt all the feelings! It not only kept my attention with every page turn, but it gave me a sense of clarity and peace with experiences of my own. I'm stunned by the emotions this book pulled out of me, and I already wish I could read it again for the first time. One thing is clear - I will now read absolutely anything Gabrielle Korn writes! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my copy of Long Island Girls. It is one I will not forget.

[chelsegoose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.
Long Island Girls follows Susan as she grows up in the indie music scene of the early 2000s and her connection with a fellow Long Island girl named Eliza. Their connection waxes and wanes throughout the years as we follow them to the present day.
I flew through this book. I enjoyed following Susan thought out the years, although I found myself missing some of the previous eras after the time jump. I think I would have enjoyed this book even more if I was a bit older and had the nostalgia factor to connect to. Overall, a good book and I particularly enjoyed the conversations around queerness.
“Not to sound too earnest, but realizing you’re queer is like being granted access to multiple parallel universes.”