Rating: 
Summary: Slow down...
Review: My disappointment with this book could somewhat be a result of expecting too much from it. I felt the story was extremely rushed, and there was not enough time taken for character development. It was hard to take any of Holland's friendships or relationships seriously - they just didn't seem realistic. All of the characters seemed "black or white."
This book did do a nice job of communicating to the reader the pain of coming out as a homosexual. But I personally feel the entire book could have benefited if Peters had slowed down and let things develop naturally.
Rating: 
Summary: Keeping You A Secret
Review: Now that her senior year has arrived, Holland Jaeger finds life is not so simple. Her mother is pressing her to go to law school. This is not Holland's dream, however her mother seems intent on living vicariously through Holland's life. She wants only the best for Holland. Therefore it is up to Holland to get the best grades, apply to the best schools, and meet everyone's expectations.When Holland finds herself attracted to a new student, she realizes she's going to have a very serious problem with her current boyfriend; he's too needy. Since they began having [a relationship], that is all he seems to want to do. The new student, Cece, is an 'out-and-proud' lesbian, and Holland finds herself in the greatest relationship ever. What price will she pay when she decides to follow her heart? KEEPING YOU A SECRET tackles a tough subject in a lighthearted manner. Now there is a lot in this book to which I cannot relate. My parents did not force me to follow their dreams and, as a heterosexual woman, I have no experience with the discrimination that lesbians face. I know when I was in high school there were no [guys in relationships] or lesbians that I knew of. In retrospect now that some of them have "come out", I am surprised that they did manage to keep it hidden so well, and saddened that they felt they had to hide the essence of who they were. Those issues aside, I found myself intrigued with Julie Anne Peters writing. Her views are honest and handled well. Teen [relationships are]not ignored; instead it is handled honestly with both the pros and cons taken into consideration. Birth control is discussed without being preached. All of these were issues we hated listening to as kids, but they are important nonetheless. I honestly cannot say this book will appeal to every teenager. But I do hope that those with an open mind will read it and take the message to heart. In the end, it's your decisions, the ones that change your life, that are the most important.
Tracy Farnsworth
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, with some unrealistic aspects...
Review: Peters' second novel, Keeping You a Secret, shows undeniable skill in writing and plot, yet does not live up to her previous effort, Define Normal. Protagonist Holland Jaeger seems to have what every teen girl wants in life, seems to be on the right path to a somewhere. Then, new girl Cece Goddard arrives, and Holland's seemingly perfect world is turned upside down - and not for the worst. She feels something for Cece, feels love for her, feels understanding, feels compassion for the torment she deals with due to being an out-and-proud lesbian. Having no shame whatsoever, she incessantly dons t-shirts bearing out of the closet messages: IMRU? Just Do It (With Girls). Holland realizes these new feelings, this brand new awakening, cannot be ignored. She also sees, that while the road will tough and rugged, life filled with obstacles that weren't there before. Still, she knows it will be worth it to be with the girl she loves, to be herself. Though Peters' paints a picture of an issue becoming more and more a staple in today's high schools, the character of Cece Goddard is unrealistically out-and-proud. Being yourself is one thing. Begging to be heard is another - her t-shirts are a desperate and pathetic move. We straights don't prance around with t-shirts proclaiming our sexuality. Peters', instead of making it so that all sexualities are seen as equal people, plain and simple, writes the novel so that the unfortunate outcast position is evidently there - it needn't be.
Rating:
Summary: Solid title for queer and questioning teens
Review: Peters, Julie Anne. Keeping you a Secret. (2003). New York: Little Brown.
Holland Jaeger's mother did not get the life she wanted, so she has decided to help her daughter live her life. So far Holland has the boyfriend, friends, and a stack of college applications which weigh her down but please her mother. But when Holland eyes Cece, an out and proud recent transfer to Holland's High School, she begins to have her own expectations and desires. Julie Anne Peters gives readers a love story that will keep them turning the pages to see what happens. More importantly, she goes into life in the post-Columbine High School, where there are rules against bullying, but when it comes to gender and sexual identity, people are still uncomfortable. Peters is able to capture in a very realistic voice the pain, anger, and fear of being an openly gay teen. Peters does not romanticize people's reactions, particularly a parent's, to the possibility that their child is gay. As more and more gay teens experience violence and hate crimes, Keeping You a Secret is both a hopeful love story and an honest reminder of the consequences of coming out.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply a Great Read
Review: So this book wasn't the most literary or most unpredictable lesbian read...So what if it was a 'high school' novel? It was fabulous nonetheless. For everyone who's ever come out, every LGBTQ person who knows what it means to have the support of their family and what they are without it, every woman who's ever had a crush on a girl, everyone who's ever fallen in love, questioned their future, or questioned who they really are...this book is well worth a weekend spent curled up with a cup of coffee, a donut, and the Dixie Chicks on the radio. And careful girls...you might just find yourself falling in love with Cece Goddard.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea, mediocre writing
Review: The themes in this book are important for all people to read about (weither you are gay or straight), but the writing in this book is mediocre at best. The story is a compelling one, about two girls who fall in love at highschool, and have to help eachother through the homophobic world they live in. The writing however is not very compelling. It seems rushed, and the main charicters are very two dimentional in all areas except their sexuality. The book seemed to be overly moralistic, and to be trying too hard to get a message across, which distracted from the story-telling aspect of the book. There are many other books available that deal with the same themes in a much more thorough and enjoyable way.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: This book is AMAZING! I myself being a lesbian and compleatly being able to relate to everything said in this book i was very happy to read it! i recomended it to my girlfriend and lent it out to a couple friends everyone who has read it so far has not been able to put it down! They all finish it in a day or so, even my non lesbian friends love it! i recommend this book to anyone who has a heart and an open mind
Rating:
Summary: The Secret is Out
Review: This book is not at all shy about the real subject: a popular "every girl" realizes she is [wanting to live an alternative life style] much to the horror of her longtime boyfriend, gal pal, and overbearing mother, to name but a few of her antagonizers. And Peters does not fail to attend to the complicated reality of coming out in straight America. It is gritty and real and sometimes very funny. Above all it is a worthwhile read for anyone who likes YA fiction. I can't say that this is a great book by all standards, but I still understand how important it is to children's and YA literature. It deals with a tough topic without feeling like a PSA or after school special. If it isn't already it will become a popular must-read for teens, not as bibliotherapy - because it is so much more than that - but as a compelling look at real issues we are all confronted with: who we are.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent excellent book for young teens
Review: This book was EXCELLENT!!!! It was awesome. This book actually made me believe that the characters are really. CeCe is such a loveable character. Holland was such a interesting character to read I really respected her from the beginning. I love this book. It hit so close to home that I was wrecked in tears for like 2 hours. And I'm so glad that I found this book. I can't even say how great it was. It was so realistic. Cece was so charming. And Holland was so caring and loveable. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: This is an absolutely amazing book about teens, sexuality, and society. Peters does a wonderful job in capturing the issues surrounding coming out for young people, and deals with them courageously and realistically. She delivers a story of one girl who is supported by her parents and another who is disowned. One girl who is openly and comfortably gay, and another who is closeted and dealing with her newly-realized sexuality. These girls find comfort in each other as they deal with internal and external forces. If a book like this had been available 20 years ago, I might have made different choices in my own life. I might even have my own pre-teen daughters read it.
The book is well-written, thoughtful, and easy to read. I haven't read a story this good in a very long time.
Recommended for anyone of any age who is dealing with issues of sexuality... accompanied with a Coke and a bowl of Bing cherries...
Did I mention I really liked this book?
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