Keeping You A Secret

Keeping You A Secret

By: Julie Anne Peters

As she begins a very tough last semester of high school, Holland finds herself puzzled about her future and intrigued by a transfer student who wants to start a lesbigay club at school.  

summary from goodreads.com

My Rating: 4/5

Keeping You A Secret is a novel that offers a very honest and very real portrayal of a teenage girl who has come to discover that she is gay. I'd never read a novel where a character is coming to discover their sexuality. Sure, I've read novels where characters are gay but they already have known for some time. With Holland, her world is turned upside down when a new girl Cece comes into the picture and shakes the very foundation of Holland's life.


Keeping You A Secret very much reminded me of why I love to read novels that deal with subjects that some people may normally be uncomfortable with. Books such as this one offer the reader an inside look into the thoughts and feelings of different characters and people that normally we wouldn't be allowed access to let alone a firsthand glimpse of what it's like to be them. Keeping You A Secret offers a very personal reality that in turn, I believe helps to open up the minds of others and helps those struggling such as Holland to know that they are not alone. Being on a journey with a character such as Holland gets people to think differently and take a look at the whole picture as opposed to that one little characteristic that produces such judgment. I find that as a society, we tend to put people in boxes. We take one tiny thing about who they are and that becomes their defining characteristic. We forget that human beings are multifaceted entities with depth and in fact, are not just this or that. That's why I think books such as this one are of importance because they illustrate the entire picture.


I appreciated the honesty in this novel. I liked how some characters were supportive of Holland while others were mean and derogatory. Although the later made me upset, I still think it was beyond important to include them because it is true to life. That's what makes Keeping You A Secret so fantastic, the fact that none of it is withdrawn or hesitant to showcase what living life as a gay teen in a semi prejudice high school and town is really like.


Overall: I liked and enjoyed this novel. I think many people can get quite a lot out of Holland and her story. :)