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Girls
GIRLS follows the story of two sisters - Mattie and Nora - and the thorny relationship with their famous late mother, brilliant yet deeply troubled artist Ingrid Olsen.
As they embark on an all-or-nothing road trip across the US to preserve Ingrid's legacy, they start to unpick the scars of the past - and realise that the ties that bound them, might also break them.
Told partly in interview form, GIRLS is as devastating as it is hilarious, as tender and moving as it is shocking - this is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final pages.
As they embark on an all-or-nothing road trip across the US to preserve Ingrid's legacy, they start to unpick the scars of the past - and realise that the ties that bound them, might also break them.
Told partly in interview form, GIRLS is as devastating as it is hilarious, as tender and moving as it is shocking - this is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final pages.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published May 16, 2024
474 people are currently reading
15072 people want to read
About the author
Kirsty Capes
7 books152 followersKirsty Capes is the author of three novels including Careless, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022. She lives in Slough, UK, with her golden retriever, Doug.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 442 reviews
March 3, 2024
You know when you love a book so much you feel you’ll never be able to write a review? That’s definitely this book for me. It’s taken me weeks after finishing and I still don’t think I can do it justice but here goes.
Girls really is just utterly brilliant. The writing, the story, the characters (Beans!), even the cover are all just next level.
It’s a story of motherhood, family, fame and addiction. It’s a look at what we can salvage from our past even if it is a wreck. It’s a commentary on how we treat women in the spotlight. It’s going to be hard to beat for my book of the year.
Daughters of a Hollywood film star and a world renowned artist and addict, Mattie & Noras upbringing was chaotic and unpredictable. Now adults, the shadow of their childhood hangs over them and the death of their mother, and the chain of events and emotions it sparks, forces them to confront their past and forge a future.
The story is primarily present day interspersed with memories of their mother Ingrid and their upbringing. Also scattered throughout are excerpts of interviews given for an upcoming book on Ingrid and her life allowing the reader another perspective on events and indeed Ingrid. It’s all so cleverly woven together and it really feels like such an immersive story, one you can really wrap yourself up in.
From the first to the last I was enraptured by this book. Definitely one of those I couldn’t put down but tried to make last. The writing is so sharp and despite the often dark content, it’s peppered with humour and wit throughout.
It’s beautiful and moving. A truly incredible read. And if that isn't enough to tempt you there's Dolly Parton in there too!
A huge thanks to Orion for sending an early copy in return for an honest review.
Girls really is just utterly brilliant. The writing, the story, the characters (Beans!), even the cover are all just next level.
It’s a story of motherhood, family, fame and addiction. It’s a look at what we can salvage from our past even if it is a wreck. It’s a commentary on how we treat women in the spotlight. It’s going to be hard to beat for my book of the year.
Daughters of a Hollywood film star and a world renowned artist and addict, Mattie & Noras upbringing was chaotic and unpredictable. Now adults, the shadow of their childhood hangs over them and the death of their mother, and the chain of events and emotions it sparks, forces them to confront their past and forge a future.
The story is primarily present day interspersed with memories of their mother Ingrid and their upbringing. Also scattered throughout are excerpts of interviews given for an upcoming book on Ingrid and her life allowing the reader another perspective on events and indeed Ingrid. It’s all so cleverly woven together and it really feels like such an immersive story, one you can really wrap yourself up in.
From the first to the last I was enraptured by this book. Definitely one of those I couldn’t put down but tried to make last. The writing is so sharp and despite the often dark content, it’s peppered with humour and wit throughout.
It’s beautiful and moving. A truly incredible read. And if that isn't enough to tempt you there's Dolly Parton in there too!
A huge thanks to Orion for sending an early copy in return for an honest review.
May 22, 2024
I started off really engaged with this book. There's no doubt, Capes can write about relationships and mental health really well. But I began to lose interest as the book went on and took me in directions I wasn't so invested in. There were aspects of the dialogue that I started to find jarring and not authentic. Also, the storyline began to feel less and less individual and creative and just a bit clichéd. Think this is a long book which could do with some heavier editing to have really succeeded. DNFd at 43%.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
February 22, 2024
This probably just wasn't entirely for me in the end.
It felt way too long for the story - the blurb promises an American road trip which doesn't happen until almost half way into this 400 page book. But there is some great writing and I particularly loved the more humorous moments between the the sisters and Beanie which had me laughing out loud. I would've actually loved more of this!
However, I have to say this novel totally lost integrity when Dolly Parton turned up at one point as a character... it turned into a typical clichéd Brits on a US road trip vibe and it really ruined it for me and I decided to actually not bother with the last 100 pages.
This has had some glowing reviews and I'm probably in a minority. It's a fine novel, just not quite for me and not entirely what I wanted it to be.
It felt way too long for the story - the blurb promises an American road trip which doesn't happen until almost half way into this 400 page book. But there is some great writing and I particularly loved the more humorous moments between the the sisters and Beanie which had me laughing out loud. I would've actually loved more of this!
However, I have to say this novel totally lost integrity when Dolly Parton turned up at one point as a character... it turned into a typical clichéd Brits on a US road trip vibe and it really ruined it for me and I decided to actually not bother with the last 100 pages.
This has had some glowing reviews and I'm probably in a minority. It's a fine novel, just not quite for me and not entirely what I wanted it to be.
August 16, 2024
I just found myself not caring about nora after the first quarter and when dolly parton showed up i almost lost the will to continue
March 30, 2025
I just like reading books about women by women best
June 28, 2025
possibly my favourite book of the year so far. Had me crying like a baby
October 1, 2024
Would have been 5 stars, rounded down for no speech marks.
October 1, 2024
I oscillated between heavily cringing and being bored out of my mind xx
August 18, 2025
Someone make this damn book into a BLOCKBUSTER baby
May 5, 2025
I received an audiobook ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
CN. Suicide, Abusive Parents, Neglect, Substance Abuse, Self Harm (Referenced)
OK. A couple of days have passed and I've already consumed another audiobook, but I can't stop thinking about this book and how much I absolutely adored every single moment of it.
There are no ghosts in this story and a large portion of the story takes place in the blazing sunshine of the American dessert and canyon country, but this is one gothic-arse story positively haunted by a dead mother, childhood trauma, and vultures that circle the eponymous daughters to the point where I would go so far as to say it feels equally as supernatural as sublimely similar in tone Private Rites by Julia Armfield.
I would also go so far to say that Armfield is one of my absolute favourite authors of all time and that I think I enjoyed this book more than Private Rites, a book I absolutely adore.
Daughters is primarily told through the perspective of Mattie, the eldest daughter of the incredibly famous fictional author, Ingrid Olssen, as well as excerpts from interviews and a biography of Olssen being written by Mattie's boyfriend, Richard. The, often conflicting, accounts of the tumultuous and unreal life of the artist jar beautifully with the hard and incredibly authentic and moving reality of Mattie's own life and memories.
The book opens shortly after the death of Olssen with the first half introducing her daughters, Mattie, a child therapist who had her own daughter, Beanie, now a teenager, when she was very young, and Nora, the famous artist in her own right, carrying a colossal weight of childhood trauma and mental illness. We learn about the lives and circumstances of these women and their mother, punctuated with fanciful and dissonant interviews and opinions on Olssen's life and work. The second half follows the trio as they travel to America and get into all kinds of trouble, some highly amusing and whimsical, others truly heartbreaking and tragic, as they try to honour their mother's wishes to have her ashes chucked in a canyon. Leading a tragic a bittersweet finale.
This book made me feel all of the emotions! I laughed. I cried. I felt the pain and trauma and joy and love and hate these women experienced. It was a full euphoric and cathartic experience, especially with my own C-PTSD from emotional abusive and neglectful parents.
I wish I had words to describe just how much I loved this book and the fidelity and authenticity of the characters. I'm absolutely blown away and shaken by how much I adored this bloody book.
I will absolutely read anything and everything Capes writes from now on!
***
Stayed up late finishing this because I couldn't put it down.
I am the queen or recency bias, but this is absolutely one of the best things I've read this year and of all time.
I absolutely, completely adored every second of it and will now read anything Capes writes.
Proper review to come.
CN. Suicide, Abusive Parents, Neglect, Substance Abuse, Self Harm (Referenced)
OK. A couple of days have passed and I've already consumed another audiobook, but I can't stop thinking about this book and how much I absolutely adored every single moment of it.
There are no ghosts in this story and a large portion of the story takes place in the blazing sunshine of the American dessert and canyon country, but this is one gothic-arse story positively haunted by a dead mother, childhood trauma, and vultures that circle the eponymous daughters to the point where I would go so far as to say it feels equally as supernatural as sublimely similar in tone Private Rites by Julia Armfield.
I would also go so far to say that Armfield is one of my absolute favourite authors of all time and that I think I enjoyed this book more than Private Rites, a book I absolutely adore.
Daughters is primarily told through the perspective of Mattie, the eldest daughter of the incredibly famous fictional author, Ingrid Olssen, as well as excerpts from interviews and a biography of Olssen being written by Mattie's boyfriend, Richard. The, often conflicting, accounts of the tumultuous and unreal life of the artist jar beautifully with the hard and incredibly authentic and moving reality of Mattie's own life and memories.
The book opens shortly after the death of Olssen with the first half introducing her daughters, Mattie, a child therapist who had her own daughter, Beanie, now a teenager, when she was very young, and Nora, the famous artist in her own right, carrying a colossal weight of childhood trauma and mental illness. We learn about the lives and circumstances of these women and their mother, punctuated with fanciful and dissonant interviews and opinions on Olssen's life and work. The second half follows the trio as they travel to America and get into all kinds of trouble, some highly amusing and whimsical, others truly heartbreaking and tragic, as they try to honour their mother's wishes to have her ashes chucked in a canyon. Leading a tragic a bittersweet finale.
This book made me feel all of the emotions! I laughed. I cried. I felt the pain and trauma and joy and love and hate these women experienced. It was a full euphoric and cathartic experience, especially with my own C-PTSD from emotional abusive and neglectful parents.
I wish I had words to describe just how much I loved this book and the fidelity and authenticity of the characters. I'm absolutely blown away and shaken by how much I adored this bloody book.
I will absolutely read anything and everything Capes writes from now on!
***
Stayed up late finishing this because I couldn't put it down.
I am the queen or recency bias, but this is absolutely one of the best things I've read this year and of all time.
I absolutely, completely adored every second of it and will now read anything Capes writes.
Proper review to come.
May 24, 2025
After a bit of confusion and having marked this yesterday as currently reading Girls by the author, I went into to mark it as want to read and realised it’s actually a re release under the new title Daughters.
I feel like this will be a marmite of a novel, I hate marmite, I loved this. There is a content warning at the outset, but to reiterate the novel almost entirely works around addiction. Self harm. Suicide. Mental health and child abandonment and neglect.
Initially I didn’t think this would be for me but almost an hour in I was hooked. Following the death of their mother, a notoriously troubled and world renowned artist. The novel sees Mattie and Nora reunite on the brink of a legacy exhibition of their mother’s work, an exhibition that neither sister wants, their mother certainly didn’t want but organised by their aunt. Cue a road trip together with Mattie’s daughter Beans on a mission to stop the exhibition and scatter Ingrid’s ashes along the way. The sisters rehash their whole lives, the terrible traumatic childhood they endured, and Nora’s own mental health journey. I won’t forget these characters. Beautifully written.
The story is frank, raw, brutal at times and the ending was devastating and hopeful. It was at times hard to remember I was reading fiction, I believed this story,
The audio narration was perfect.
Huge thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook, available now.
I feel like this will be a marmite of a novel, I hate marmite, I loved this. There is a content warning at the outset, but to reiterate the novel almost entirely works around addiction. Self harm. Suicide. Mental health and child abandonment and neglect.
Initially I didn’t think this would be for me but almost an hour in I was hooked. Following the death of their mother, a notoriously troubled and world renowned artist. The novel sees Mattie and Nora reunite on the brink of a legacy exhibition of their mother’s work, an exhibition that neither sister wants, their mother certainly didn’t want but organised by their aunt. Cue a road trip together with Mattie’s daughter Beans on a mission to stop the exhibition and scatter Ingrid’s ashes along the way. The sisters rehash their whole lives, the terrible traumatic childhood they endured, and Nora’s own mental health journey. I won’t forget these characters. Beautifully written.
The story is frank, raw, brutal at times and the ending was devastating and hopeful. It was at times hard to remember I was reading fiction, I believed this story,
The audio narration was perfect.
Huge thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook, available now.
May 20, 2024
What a phenomenal book. This is a tremendous exploration of family, trauma, the art world and the darker parts of celebrity culture. I couldn’t stop reading. Darkly humorous in parts, this book finds a way to be both poignant and powerful.
August 6, 2024
Oh, my HEART!!! It swelled and broke and even healed reading Girls. What could’ve been a triggering read was instead the opposite - glimmering. This book glimmers. It was as funny as it was moving and I laughed and cried along with the girlies. The road trip chapters were my absolute favourite. This book should be a movie. The end!
P.s I’d never heard of this book and bought it on a whim when it came up as a recommendation on Amazon. I thought it was the nicest book cover I’ve ever seen and wondered whether the book would be as beautiful as its cover. And I can now confirm it is <3
P.p.s DOLLY PARTON!!!
(The real end)
P.s I’d never heard of this book and bought it on a whim when it came up as a recommendation on Amazon. I thought it was the nicest book cover I’ve ever seen and wondered whether the book would be as beautiful as its cover. And I can now confirm it is <3
P.p.s DOLLY PARTON!!!
(The real end)
January 1, 2025
The start of this book had me very engaged, but the road trip dragged on way too long.
The big things that happened at the end, which the book led up to the whole way, happened with little ceremony, and the many editorial errors bothered me way more than they should have.
I wish I could give half stars here, because I feel it deserved more than a 3, but definitely not a 4, although I did enjoy it overall, but not enough to read it quickly.
The big things that happened at the end, which the book led up to the whole way, happened with little ceremony, and the many editorial errors bothered me way more than they should have.
I wish I could give half stars here, because I feel it deserved more than a 3, but definitely not a 4, although I did enjoy it overall, but not enough to read it quickly.
April 1, 2025
so so close to 5 stars but I just think there was quite a lot of filler and Richard as a character seemed kind of an unnecessary plot point. but oh my god! amazing. anything about sisters and I’m there and also probably crying. beautiful book.
May 20, 2025
This felt like a book filled with 'almosts' for me. It had a lot of promise, and had glimmers of great writing and emotional moments, but overall it didn't quite hit the mark in my opinion. I enjoyed the exploration of the sisters' relationships with each other and their mother, and I found the moral complexities their story presented really engaging.
However as a whole, the book felt drawn out and overly long, particularly in the road trip portion. The blurb promises an American road trip which doesn't happen until almost half way into this 400 page book. I felt that it was very repetitive with the whole ‘I should have come back’ and the guilt around that. It was mentioned so much with no real purpose until the beach scene.
The pivotal moments and conversations felt quite anticlimactic or were skimmed over too quickly. I particularly loved the more humorous moments between the sisters and Beanie which had me laughing out loud. I would've actually loved more of this!
I still enjoyed the overall reading experience, I just wish it had reached its full potential.
However as a whole, the book felt drawn out and overly long, particularly in the road trip portion. The blurb promises an American road trip which doesn't happen until almost half way into this 400 page book. I felt that it was very repetitive with the whole ‘I should have come back’ and the guilt around that. It was mentioned so much with no real purpose until the beach scene.
The pivotal moments and conversations felt quite anticlimactic or were skimmed over too quickly. I particularly loved the more humorous moments between the sisters and Beanie which had me laughing out loud. I would've actually loved more of this!
I still enjoyed the overall reading experience, I just wish it had reached its full potential.
September 9, 2025
Started off well. Then took a dive from which it never recovered. I couldn’t understand how these two sisters would want to honour their abusive mother’s last wishes. In the end, it was just so depressing.
September 14, 2024
Devoured this. Study of a complex family dynamics, sisterly relationships and mental health issues. Tricky topics navigated but humour dotted through it and a really enjoyable read overall.
July 6, 2025
4.5 😭😭😭 loved and cried so much at the end but -0.5 for no speech marks
May 3, 2025
This is the first review I’ve written so that should mean a lot LOL but this is honestly one of the best books I’ve read. A sisterly revenge road trip story?? Loved it so much
July 3, 2025
Mixed feelings on this, put me in a reading slump for nearly 2 months but I can definitely see why so many people love it
December 15, 2025
It would have been 5stars if it wasnt for the weird Dolly Parton cameo
December 29, 2024
I loved this book so dearly it’s taken me nearly a month to write my review!!! My current fixation is books with “no plot, just vibes” and while this book certainly had a plot, it also had a whole lot of vibes!
I simply loved everything about it. The story, the setting, the characters (Gus!!! Beans!!!) and everything in between. A heart felt and heart breaking story about motherhood, sisterhood, family, addiction and the bonds that will always tie us.
I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of interviews scattered throughout the novel and the different perspectives they gave on the characters. From the first to the last page I was truly captured and could not recommend this one enough!!
I simply loved everything about it. The story, the setting, the characters (Gus!!! Beans!!!) and everything in between. A heart felt and heart breaking story about motherhood, sisterhood, family, addiction and the bonds that will always tie us.
I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of interviews scattered throughout the novel and the different perspectives they gave on the characters. From the first to the last page I was truly captured and could not recommend this one enough!!
February 26, 2025
Kinda fine but quite unrealistic and silly in parts. Lost interest so many times.
April 27, 2025
Hated no quotation marks, loved Dolly
May 24, 2025
Effortless. Another damn book without speech marks, could have done without that (or rather with them)
April 29, 2025
4.5 stars
On her deathbed, famous painter Ingrid Olssen asked her daughters to promise to destroy the entirety of her work after her passing. Two years later, Mattie and Nora haven't done anything with any of it, and they've barely seen each other. That changes when Nora, an artist herself, falls deep into a mental health crisis, and when their aunt Karo sets up an exhibition of their mother's work, which is the last thing she would've wanted, prompting the two sisters to work together to try to stop it.
This is definitely one of those reads that leaves me struggling to find a way to put into words just how incredible it was, and how much it impacted me. Such a tender, complex, emotional exploration of life, family dynamics, grief, and mental health. There's so much love, and so much pain in this, and the characters are so vividly portrayed it all just jumps off the pages. It feels like these are real people, going through very real issues, and I am right there with them, feeling it all with them.
Every single character was so distinctive and so complex in their own right, and they have left such an impact on me, this is definitely a story that will stick with me for a long while. It has some silly moments, but I find them to be a really nice addition to the story and a great way to contrast the heaviness that's constantly lingering in the background. I also really enjoyed the snippets of the interviews that were scattered around in between, I really think they added a lot of perspective to story, and gave a wider insight into the characters' lives.
It felt a little slow at moments, and it was dragging quite a bit in the middle, while the ending felt somewhat rushed, but it didn't bother me that much nor did it really impact my enjoyment of the story overall. I really loved the writing, and found it to be extremely engaged. I listened to the audiobook for this one, and it was phenomenal. Both narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life, they all felt very distinctive, and it made the story that much more engaging and compelling.
Many thanks to RBmedia & NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
On her deathbed, famous painter Ingrid Olssen asked her daughters to promise to destroy the entirety of her work after her passing. Two years later, Mattie and Nora haven't done anything with any of it, and they've barely seen each other. That changes when Nora, an artist herself, falls deep into a mental health crisis, and when their aunt Karo sets up an exhibition of their mother's work, which is the last thing she would've wanted, prompting the two sisters to work together to try to stop it.
This is definitely one of those reads that leaves me struggling to find a way to put into words just how incredible it was, and how much it impacted me. Such a tender, complex, emotional exploration of life, family dynamics, grief, and mental health. There's so much love, and so much pain in this, and the characters are so vividly portrayed it all just jumps off the pages. It feels like these are real people, going through very real issues, and I am right there with them, feeling it all with them.
Every single character was so distinctive and so complex in their own right, and they have left such an impact on me, this is definitely a story that will stick with me for a long while. It has some silly moments, but I find them to be a really nice addition to the story and a great way to contrast the heaviness that's constantly lingering in the background. I also really enjoyed the snippets of the interviews that were scattered around in between, I really think they added a lot of perspective to story, and gave a wider insight into the characters' lives.
It felt a little slow at moments, and it was dragging quite a bit in the middle, while the ending felt somewhat rushed, but it didn't bother me that much nor did it really impact my enjoyment of the story overall. I really loved the writing, and found it to be extremely engaged. I listened to the audiobook for this one, and it was phenomenal. Both narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life, they all felt very distinctive, and it made the story that much more engaging and compelling.
Many thanks to RBmedia & NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
August 5, 2025
Love love love! Ironically recommended to me by my best friend Tilly who has been firmly established as the only person whose book recommendation's I trust every single time.
This book is a really great exploration of how intergenerational and childhood trauma can impact women and in particular sisters in very different ways - and just how complicated it makes their relationships.
We see many parallels between the relationship Ingrid and Caroline had with each other and the relationship Matilda and Nora have. They play similar roles in each others lives, Nora and Ingrid the artistic deeply troubled flighty but passionate ones and Matilda and Caroline the more responsible ones, who've tried to keep things together but often failing miserably.
This is particularly interesting since Matilda is the one most against the exhibit of her mothers work but after Nora's death she makes the same decision as Aunt Caroline had been making for years - to use Nora and her mothers art to make money to help save the family.
I agree deeply with Tilly's point that this book does a really great job of being compassionate to people struggling with severe mental illnesses while also telling the story of people with mental illness doing bad things.
The writing style scratched my brain and is really what helped make this story, perfect symbiosis.
This book is a really great exploration of how intergenerational and childhood trauma can impact women and in particular sisters in very different ways - and just how complicated it makes their relationships.
We see many parallels between the relationship Ingrid and Caroline had with each other and the relationship Matilda and Nora have. They play similar roles in each others lives, Nora and Ingrid the artistic deeply troubled flighty but passionate ones and Matilda and Caroline the more responsible ones, who've tried to keep things together but often failing miserably.
This is particularly interesting since Matilda is the one most against the exhibit of her mothers work but after Nora's death she makes the same decision as Aunt Caroline had been making for years - to use Nora and her mothers art to make money to help save the family.
I agree deeply with Tilly's point that this book does a really great job of being compassionate to people struggling with severe mental illnesses while also telling the story of people with mental illness doing bad things.
The writing style scratched my brain and is really what helped make this story, perfect symbiosis.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2025
I loved this book which took me on a journey of 2 sisters from a dysfunctional home with parents who were physically and emotionally unavailable. It follows the sisters as we discover their past & they navigate complex grief and try to make sense of their past. This was a sad story, which shines a light on how hard it can be to function in the world sometimes and how our parents shape our future.
May 5, 2025
Oh I loved that so much. I’m a sucker for a story about sisters but this one was something special. Poignant, full of pain and heartbreaking but also so fun, beautiful and surprisingly life affirming. Such vivid characters, I love how they’re written and wanted to give the main 3 a big hug. None for Karo, Richard or their dad though…
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