I didn't expect much when I started this book. It's the author's first published novel and the little I knew about the story didn't make me expect anything out of the ordinary. Within the first few chapters, I knew I was wrong. von Blanckensee has done something special here. Her writing has an immediateness that connects you to her MC immediately and infuses fresh life into the relatively mundane elements of this coming of age story. I enjoyed this so much. I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Gorgeous and poignant. Absolutely humbling to know that a book set in the 90s is considered historical fiction, but this is an incredible coming-of-age story that explores the politics of sex and gender and how that shapes one’s place in the world. I felt I got to know Hannah, that she could be one of my friends, and found her struggles to be realistic and relatable.
Excited to order this for my library.

Wow. I loved this book. The writing was beautiful. The characters are flawed and lovable. The book is dark and light, deeply sad but also uplifting. I was immediately sucked in and couldn't put it down. Very queer. Very Jewish. One of my favorite reads of this year.

Hannah and Sam were two 18-year-old young ladies who lived in Long Beach, New York. They fell in love when they were in high school. They were desperate to get out of Long Beach and made a plan to go to San Francisco where they could be who they truly were. So they saved up all the money they earned, coupled with $500 from Hannah's grandmother, They bought a VW van from Sam's uncle and headed west.

When they got to San Francisco, they needed a place to live and jobs. They met a man who was willing to rent them a small studio for $350 a month. Since they didn't have any experience, they decided to become strippers. They found that they could make $700 to $800 a night which meant they were rolling in the bucks early on. A 35-year-old dyke named Chris started going to the club and tipping. Hannah $100 for a lap dance every night. Sam came up with the idea that Hannah should spend the night with Chris and have sex with her for $1,200. At first. Hannah was appalled by the idea, but she eventually acquiesced. She scheduled her dates with Chris for Saturday nights. Molly was a lesbian that they met when they first got to San Francisco and she started inviting Sam out to go clubbing. They went out on Saturday nights as well. Since Hannah was somewhat uncomfortable stripping, she decided to quit and spend her weekends with Chris. All the while, Hannah and Sam were drifting apart. They found themselves bickering all the time until finally, Sam decided to go and stay with Molly. Sam had wanted Hannah to stop seeing Chris but Hannah wouldn't. She much preferred her dates with her rather than stripping.

One day when Hannah was leaving the apartment, she saw a team of female painters and one in particular that she was attracted to. Her name was Billie. Hannah had decided she wasn't going to see Chris anymore even though Chris had fallen in love with her. She talked to Billy about the possibility of working on her painting team and Billy gave her her phone number to call if she decided she wanted to join. She gave Billie a call informing her that she did indeed want to paint. She joined the team the following day and found she loved it.

Hannah had a grandmother that she was very close to and she talked to on a regular basis. Her grandmother encouraged her to call home but she didn't want to because she and her mother had a very strained relationship. She had a sister, Rachel, who really needed her but she wouldn't call home because she was afraid her mother would answer the phone. Her grandmother decided she wanted to go to San Francisco to visit her. When she got there, she informed Hannah that she was dying of pancreatic cancer. Hannah was devastated and told her that she would go home with her so she could spend her final days with her, but her grandmother told her not to. By the time she got home, the cancer had spread to her liver.

Hannah was enamored with Billie And she finally asked Hannah out for a date. Their date was scheduled for that Friday, but Hannah's mother called and told her that her grandmother was in the hospital. Without even giving it a second thought, Hannah bought a ticket and flew home. Her grandmother had asked her to help her die telling her that she didn't want any resuscitation and she filled out a DNR, a do not resuscitate. Hannah spent as much time as she could with her and at the very end, Hannah gave her an overdose of morphine so that she could die peacefully.

When Hannah got back to San Francisco she and Billie had their date. They went to an opening of a dyke bar and Sam and Molly were there. Sam had pretty much decided that she and Hannah were broken up. It hurt Hannah, but she was happy with Billie

. I thoroughly enjoyed this fanciful story. I thought the author did an excellent job of weaving, the ups and downs of Hannah and Sam's relationship. I was saddened when the relationship came to an end because I thought Sam did Hannah wrong. But Hannah was resilient and she thrived in spite of Sam shunning her. Sam turned out to be a big flirt and that was not Hannah's style. All in all, it was a very enjoyable book. I gave it five stars.

"I want to belong so much, I ended up not belonging at all."

THIS. BOOK.

Absolutely floored me, beginning to end. It has so much heart, depth, emotion.... the writing is beautiful and masterful, and Hannah has so much vulnerability. I will be thinking about this book for weeks.

I think, genuinely, I need to stop picking up searing literary fiction novels discussing 20 or 30something year old women discovering themselves, their identities, and their sexualities in the city. Every time I feel as though I'm reading the same book as before, which I think is partially the point? I do think this will go over well with sadgirl litfic communities, and fans of Emily Austin or Raven Leilani.

Absolutely shocked that this is the author’s first novel because this story is so beautifully written. I truly feel like she perfectly captured what it was like to be closeted in the 90s. Bravo.

Girls Girls Girls is a thoughtful, heart-wrenching, coming of age story filled with yearning and LIFE. The story follows Hannah, a young woman from a Jewish orthodox family. The reader goes along for a wild ride from Long Island to San Francisco. It’s a vulnerable story that explores themes of friendship, love, sexuality, identity, family, and so much more. All of this is done in a non-preachy way which is so hard to do. The book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. It ends with hope.

This book captures the messy, exhilarating, and sometimes heartbreaking reality of growing up queer and searching for belonging. The ‘90s San Francisco setting felt electric, full of both possibility and disillusionment, and Hannah’s journey—navigating love, family, and survival—was raw and deeply felt. The writing is immersive, pulling you into the heat of first love, the weight of cultural expectations, and the ache of figuring out who you are when everything feels uncertain. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an honest and unforgettable one.

When looking at the description, I was immediately drawn in. Two secret girlfriends driving cross country to go and explore San Francisco and then are thrown headfirst into the reality of living in a big city- sign me up! I love how the book masterfully explored growing into your identity and learning how to face the realities of moving away. I love how the author really explored the importance of the queer community and how difficult it can be to find your people in a new place.

I would highly recommend this book to others and cannot wait for release day! This has been one of my favorite reads so far.

Two new high school grads drive cross country to San Francisco in the hopes of finding a place they can be open about their relationship in 1996. Told from the perspective of Hannah we witness her coming-of-age which is often complicated by being a Jewish, queer, teenage girl in the 90s. Her descent into adulthood involves making decisions she never fathomed she would make, but thru them she finds herself, her strength, and her place.

I was not a queer teen in the 90s, but I was a teen. This book felt like being back in 96. I was deeply invested in Hannah and felt like I was cheering her on from the sidelines. I wish I could sit with her Bubbe and have tea and listen to her talk. I wish I could find out how Hannah is doing today.

This book was beautiful.

This novel grabbed my heart and refused to let go. My reading slump was no match for this poignant, Jewish, queer coming of age story in 90s San Francisco. As I was reading, I was delighted by Hannah's relationship with her Bubbe and the way she ended up on a queer painting crew. In hindsight, aspects of this book could be seen as predictable or too neat (like reconnecting with an old friend), but it didn't leave that impression at all. It was done well enough that it managed to be a feel-good book while also covering difficult or even scary topics. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved the main character and the setting is so much different than most queer books I’ve read lately!

This one found its feet about two thirds of the way in, rather like the central character. Previously there had been something rote about the tale of two gay girls fleeing their conservative East Coast lives for the freedom of late-twentieth-century San Francisco. All very meat and potatoes, especially the narration, but also the slightly plodding progression through arrival, sex work and slow separation.
Eventually the author finds her feet, around the character of Bubbe who is a bit of a caricature herself but whose demise touches some emotional depths. There’s nothing unpredictable in the closing chapters, but there IS a dimension of acceptable conviction in the narrator’s emergence as herself.
The novel is plain and straightforward, but engaging enough.

Grateful to NetGalley for the ARC of this read that comes out on June 17!

I enjoyed this book & got through it pretty quickly, but it wasn’t an absolute favorite. I do acknowledge that someone who is not Jewish & not part of the LGBTQ+ community may not be able to relate to this book as much as others, though.

I really did love the main character, Hannah, & the growth this story provided her. The shy girl that started this novel isn’t the bold, confident girl at the end, which I deeply loved. Set in the 1970s in San Francisco, this is a coming of age story that comes with a lot of growth. That being said, the first 60% of the book & last 40% of the book have dramatically different vibes. What started as a journey of sexuality, identity, & relationships turned into thoughts of family & deep feelings of grief. Personally, I preferred the last 40% of the book to the first 60%, but Hannah’s entire journey was well written.

I recommend this book to anyone finding theirselves in a complicated world or dealing with the loss of someone special.

ABSOLUTELY LOVEDDDDDD. The writing was beautiful and I felt as if I really got to know Hannah and her struggles with young love and identity, her found family and the journey she took with her birth family and accepting herself. This was clearly a book of the author's heart and it made sense that the author's also an oncology nurse for a day job.

a love letter to being queer, finding peace, forging a new path, forgiveness, and going after what you know you deserve. i loved this story and the main character, hannah, so so much. it is rare for me to connect this deeply with characters, but it felt impossible not to root for her, ache for her, and want the very best for her. this book touched on a lot - on coming of age in the 90s, being queer, sex work, grief and loss, break ups, addiction, religion - without feeling overbearing or forced. all elements of this book worked so beautifully together to create a whole, multifaceted and deeply rich story, and i feel so fortunate to have read this book

also, i cannot believe this is the author's debut novel. i'm blown away and cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!!!

thank you to netgalley and shoshana von blanckensee for this arc ❤️

I LOVED this book. I didn’t want it to end and devoured it in a few days. It was such a fun concept and well written. Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book, 90's in SF was a cool vibe to read about. However, I had a difficult time getting into the book. I enjoyed the writing and the end left me wanting a little more for these characters. So, not really sure why I had a difficult time with this story. Could just be me, and not in the right headspace for this book. Nevertheless, this was enjoyable.

Thanks NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of this ARC!

You know, there are some books that really speak to me—and then there are the ones that reach into my soul and yank something loose. This one yanked.

Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee isn’t just my first five-star read of the year—it’s an instant favorite. No hesitation. No doubt. And considering it’s only mid-February, that’s saying something.

To explain just how much this book meant to me, I need to take you back to baby queer me in the ‘90s.

Picture this: I’m 16 years old in 1996, and my brother brings home a pile of books from a used book warehouse. Among them, I find an ARC of Ain’t Gonna Be the Same Fool Twice by April Sinclair. It’s about a young Black girl navigating her sexuality, moving to San Francisco in the ‘70s, and stepping into a world of self-discovery—all while dealing with her family’s expectations back home. That book changed my life. For the first time, I saw myself on the page. I saw a possible future. I still own that book, I'm 44 now, and I treasure it. The following year, in 1997, I had my first real girlfriend.

Reading Girls Girls Girls transported me right back to that feeling—like I was 16 again, discovering a piece of myself through a book. But where Ain’t Gonna Be the Same Fool Twice showed me a possible future, Girls Girls Girls showed me a possible past.

I don’t think I’ve read a book that captures this pocket of the ‘90s this well in the last 20 years. Or is it 25? Omg i just stopped and did the math. it's 28?! *sigh* What even are years anymore when the ‘90s still feel like a decade ago? Anyway…

At first glance, these two books share a common thread: young queer women feeling trapped by their hometowns and running off to San Francisco, hoping to find themselves and their community—while still tethered to their families’ love and expectations. But beyond that premise, the stories are wildly different.

Girls Girls Girls follows Hannah, a young Jewish girl who escapes to San Francisco in the mid-‘90s with her best friend and first love, hoping to finally explore their queerness freely. The first part of the book beautifully captures the intense, complicated love between two high school girls in the ‘90s. When they get to San Francisco, it’s harder than they were expecting. They’re broke. They’re struggling. And they soon discover the easiest and fastest way to make money while trying to survive in a new city.

A big part of the story takes place in a strip club, and prostitution plays a significant role in their journey. While the book isn’t overly sexually graphic, there’s a lot of focus on these aspects, making it something I’d consider more for both adults and mature/older young adult readers.

Hannah’s relationship with her grandmother, Bubbe, is also woven throughout the story—and let me tell you, it wrecked me. I was SOBBING into my pillow at midnight, unwilling to put the book down and just go to sleep.

And the writing? Stunning. Beautiful. Zero notes for improvement. How is this her first novel?! I found her Instagram and saw that it took her something like 20 years to finish writing it. I desperately hope I don’t have to wait another 20 years for her next book because this—this is one of the best queer novels I think I’ll ever read.

My deepest thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this incredible book so that i may share my honest thoughts and feelings.

Ive posted this to Goodreads.