Girls Girls Girls

by Shoshana von Blanckensee · 2025

First published 2025 · 384 pages · English

6 quotes ★ 4.20 (4,636) Fiction

Quotes from the Book

Grief is a solitary animal. It prefers to prowl at night. It certainly won't come out when hunted.

I care too much. I want to belong too much. I want to belong so much, I end up not belonging at all.

I want to belong too much. I want to belong so much, I end up not belonging at all.

If you have to, you can. Beginnings and endings. Endings and beginnings. I can uncoil like a sweater and make a new shape. I can loosen and change. Stretch and expand. Begin and end. Then begin again.

I don’t need to have feelings for her to have this. She doesn’t have to really know me for us to have this moment: it’s just something sweet. It can be simple, like toast.

You will always have me,' she says. 'When you are my age, you will still have me. We are two peas in a pod, no? I'm part of you. I'm inside of you. Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to shake me.

Did you know?

The novel is the author's debut and reportedly took roughly two decades to write.
Shoshana von Blanckensee works as an oncology nurse alongside her writing.
The story is set in the summer of 1996, moving from Long Beach, New York, to San Francisco.
Kirkus Reviews described it as a coming-of-age debut that is "timeless" despite being "steeped in nostalgia."
It was named one of Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2025 and one of LGBTQ Reads's Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2025.

About Shoshana von Blanckensee

Shoshana von Blanckensee is a writer and oncology nurse who lives in Berkeley, California, with her partner and children. "Girls Girls Girls" is her debut novel.

More about the author →

About the book

"Girls Girls Girls" is Shoshana von Blanckensee's debut novel, set in the summer of 1996. It follows Hannah and Sam, best friends and secret girlfriends who drive cross-country from Long Beach, New York, to San Francisco, in part to escape the strictures of Hannah's Orthodox Jewish mother. In the city's queer world they begin working as dancers at a strip club called Chez Paree, and as financial pressures push Hannah toward an escort arrangement with an older butch lesbian named Chris, a quiet distance opens between the two young women.

The novel braids together coming-of-age, first love, and the search for home and self. Von Blanckensee weaves Jewish identity, addiction, grief, queer desire, found family, and generational trauma through the story, with Hannah's bond with her grandmother forming part of its emotional center. It is steeped in the texture of mid-1990s San Francisco queer life.

Released by G.P. Putnam's Sons in June 2025, the debut drew a positive critical reception. Kirkus called it a coming-of-age story that, "though steeped in nostalgia," is "timeless," and Publishers Weekly praised its voice-driven, heartfelt narrative and gritty period detail. It was named among Debutiful's and LGBTQ Reads's most anticipated debut and LGBTQ+ books of 2025.

Key characters

HannahYoung woman fleeing her Orthodox Jewish home; narrator of the love story
SamHannah's best friend and secret girlfriend who moves with her to San Francisco
ChrisOlder butch lesbian who becomes involved with Hannah through an escort arrangement
BubbeHannah's grandmother, an emotional anchor in the story

Book details

First published: 2025
Length: 384 pages
Reading time: 7 hours
Author: Shoshana von Blanckensee
Genre: Fiction
Goodreads rating: 4.20 (5k ratings)

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews praised the debut, calling it a coming-of-age story that is "timeless" though "steeped in nostalgia."
Publishers Weekly described it as a voice-driven, heartfelt narrative rich in gritty 1990s San Francisco detail.
The book was named among Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2025 and LGBTQ Reads's Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2025.