What do you think?
Girl's Girl
Fifteen-year-old Mina’s whole world is her two best friends, but after an unexpected kiss, the established dynamics of their trio quickly unravel. Everything that was once shared openly, from clothes to secrets, now feels impossibly fragile. Loyalties shift and tensions simmer across the long days of this pivotal summer, where the girls have nowhere new to go and everything new to feel.
Looking back, an adult Mina traces the undercurrents of longing that shaped her first experience of desire. The rituals of girlhood—gossip, selfies, sleepovers, and videogames—become threads in a delicate, volatile web of intimacy, in which everything feels achingly fleeting and permanently etched. Loving one person, Mina learns, can change the way we love everyone else—including ourselves.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2026
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June 2, 2026
one of life's most prestigious titles.
https://emmareadstoomuch.substack.com...
somehow, this book perfectly summoned the feeling of being 15 without making me want to die. that's a massive achievement in and of itself.
it's impossible to read this without being swept up in it, immersed in its feelings of summertime and first love and ending childhood, of preoccupation with mothers and daughters and best friends and boys and other kids you know and don't. i couldn't put it down, and when i did i felt breathless and discombobulated, like i was living it.
it was nice to realize i am not in high school, though. especially that time-running-out panic of august.
anyway. it's beautifully written, both polished and rough. i care about these characters so much that when i read the last page i said, out loud, "oh no. i finished my book."
the fact that there are not only no sequels but no others books i can read by this author...cruel and unusual.
bottom line: what a debut.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
https://emmareadstoomuch.substack.com...
somehow, this book perfectly summoned the feeling of being 15 without making me want to die. that's a massive achievement in and of itself.
it's impossible to read this without being swept up in it, immersed in its feelings of summertime and first love and ending childhood, of preoccupation with mothers and daughters and best friends and boys and other kids you know and don't. i couldn't put it down, and when i did i felt breathless and discombobulated, like i was living it.
it was nice to realize i am not in high school, though. especially that time-running-out panic of august.
anyway. it's beautifully written, both polished and rough. i care about these characters so much that when i read the last page i said, out loud, "oh no. i finished my book."
the fact that there are not only no sequels but no others books i can read by this author...cruel and unusual.
bottom line: what a debut.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
March 10, 2026
what a rare and precious thing this book is—the last line made me burst into tears on the spot.
June 4, 2026
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 3.5 stars ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
this book is a lovely, poignant portrayal of girlhood and all of its joys and pains.
the story is told from the perspective of Mina as she reflects on a significant summer when she was 15. Mina and her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor, are nearly inseparable. during this summer, however, a kiss (and feelings) between two of them threatens to disrupt the entire balance of their trio. we get to reflect with Mina as the friends fall apart, keep secrets, gossip, come together, adventure together, and get into some teenage trouble. it is worth mentioning that this is modern, so the girls have texting, DMs, social media, take selfies, play The Sims, etc.
this is an exploration of friendship, desire, angst, getting to know yourself during your teen years, and the nostalgia of childhood summers.
the entire story is largely character-based rather than plot-driven but i still flew through it. this made me reminisce on so many aspects/memories/experiences of my pre-teen and teenage years. i love a coming-of-age story like this — and it always hits so hard during the summer months.
if the synopsis of this story sounds interesting to you, i recommend picking this up. you'll get summer vibes, good writing, memorable characters, and the chance to relive girlhood. it's also not very long (241 pages, i believe).
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ summer tbr prompt: literary fiction ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
this book is a lovely, poignant portrayal of girlhood and all of its joys and pains.
the story is told from the perspective of Mina as she reflects on a significant summer when she was 15. Mina and her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor, are nearly inseparable. during this summer, however, a kiss (and feelings) between two of them threatens to disrupt the entire balance of their trio. we get to reflect with Mina as the friends fall apart, keep secrets, gossip, come together, adventure together, and get into some teenage trouble. it is worth mentioning that this is modern, so the girls have texting, DMs, social media, take selfies, play The Sims, etc.
this is an exploration of friendship, desire, angst, getting to know yourself during your teen years, and the nostalgia of childhood summers.
the entire story is largely character-based rather than plot-driven but i still flew through it. this made me reminisce on so many aspects/memories/experiences of my pre-teen and teenage years. i love a coming-of-age story like this — and it always hits so hard during the summer months.
if the synopsis of this story sounds interesting to you, i recommend picking this up. you'll get summer vibes, good writing, memorable characters, and the chance to relive girlhood. it's also not very long (241 pages, i believe).
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ summer tbr prompt: literary fiction ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
December 8, 2025
This book was not for me, and I mean that in the literal sense. This book was written for people who will relate to it (i.e., not me). It aligns with how the current mainstream white feminist discourse describes “girlhood” in that it represents a particular experience of growing up white, upper middle class, neurotypical, and conventionally attractive. I’m just over it. Mina and her friends didn’t remind me of myself as a teenager; they reminded me of the popular girls in high school who seemed to operate under the belief that whatever was going on with them and their friends was the most important thing in the world. I was annoyed by it at fifteen, and I’m annoyed by it at twenty.
I do understand why other readers would really connect with this book. It’s a book for women who grew up like Mina, and there’s nothing wrong with that; what irks me is that it’s described as a “snapshot of modern girl culture” when the slice of “modern girls” it represents is really quite thin. I think Feldman did a great job of portraying these characters and their emotions; I just didn’t enjoy reading about them. There are plenty of books I enjoy that focus on characters I dislike, but those stories don’t require the reader to relate to the protagonists. This one does.
I think the title is pretty apt. One aspect of shallow internet feminism that bothers me is this obsession with labelling oneself “girls’ girl” while simultaneously not giving a fuck about girls who don’t fit in with the status quo, and that is absolutely the vibe I got from the main characters. Of course, they are teenagers—I don’t expect them to have a mature understanding of the world and their place in it. Still, I found myself rolling my eyes at how obsessed these girls are with being attractive and other people knowing they’re attractive (and I think I would have been annoyed by this when I was their age, too). There were a couple of brief moments around the middle of the book when Mina experienced fleeting glimpses of self-awareness, but these were passed over very quickly.
Unfortunately, the writing style in this book also didn’t work for me. I found the prose to be painfully overwritten. I’m sure some readers would enjoy the style, but it felt forced to me.
There were some things I did like. I thought the pacing was great, and the three distinctive mother-daughter relationships were done very well. I also appreciated the representation of teen sexuality. The conclusion of the story felt realistic and meaningful.
I would like to reiterate that, despite my low rating, I think a certain type of reader would absolutely love Girls’ Girl. I do hope that this book finds its community, and that I start doing a better job of vetting books on NetGalley before requesting them.
***Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial press for giving me a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***
I do understand why other readers would really connect with this book. It’s a book for women who grew up like Mina, and there’s nothing wrong with that; what irks me is that it’s described as a “snapshot of modern girl culture” when the slice of “modern girls” it represents is really quite thin. I think Feldman did a great job of portraying these characters and their emotions; I just didn’t enjoy reading about them. There are plenty of books I enjoy that focus on characters I dislike, but those stories don’t require the reader to relate to the protagonists. This one does.
I think the title is pretty apt. One aspect of shallow internet feminism that bothers me is this obsession with labelling oneself “girls’ girl” while simultaneously not giving a fuck about girls who don’t fit in with the status quo, and that is absolutely the vibe I got from the main characters. Of course, they are teenagers—I don’t expect them to have a mature understanding of the world and their place in it. Still, I found myself rolling my eyes at how obsessed these girls are with being attractive and other people knowing they’re attractive (and I think I would have been annoyed by this when I was their age, too). There were a couple of brief moments around the middle of the book when Mina experienced fleeting glimpses of self-awareness, but these were passed over very quickly.
Unfortunately, the writing style in this book also didn’t work for me. I found the prose to be painfully overwritten. I’m sure some readers would enjoy the style, but it felt forced to me.
There were some things I did like. I thought the pacing was great, and the three distinctive mother-daughter relationships were done very well. I also appreciated the representation of teen sexuality. The conclusion of the story felt realistic and meaningful.
I would like to reiterate that, despite my low rating, I think a certain type of reader would absolutely love Girls’ Girl. I do hope that this book finds its community, and that I start doing a better job of vetting books on NetGalley before requesting them.
***Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial press for giving me a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***
June 3, 2026
Ugh, I miss them already.
How nice to start June with such a great book about how beautiful and how hard it is to be a girl falling in love with a girl. As someone who once experienced the same thrilling hardship, with its rollercoaster of heart-warming and heartbreaking sensations that sometimes happen all at once, this book was already relatable enough as is, but some of its characteristics made it almost an uncanny read for me. It's impossible to extricate my feelings for the book from how intimate it felt for me. I literally have lived entire scenes of this book to an alarming degree of detail, and I love how universally positioned it made me feel.
Girl's Girl explores the relationship of a trio of best friends during the summer of their fifteenth year. Right from the first line in the book you're made aware of its sapphic nature in a blunt and direct way that I found comforting and reassuring, because it set the tone for the whole novel. Mina is a protagonist with a very prominent trait: she's hard at lying and the best at following rules, which means that whatever she feels or thinks, the reader gets to know right away: she can't help herself. She orbits around her two best friends, a childhood bff called Margaret who's a social butterfly who's always eager to flutter away in a crowd, and a more recent bff called Eleanor, who is sharp and confident but has a hard time communicating her softer self. She loves both with a disarming intensity, though she loves them in different ways...
The shiny crown jewel of this book is the full grasp it has on the minutiae of girlhood dynamics, the wonderful sensibility it provides when dealing with the unspoken rules and unseen gestures that guide teenage relationships: the subtleties, the silences that mean more than words, the small shifts that can tilt the fabric of reality, entire conversations that happen only through short glances and body language, the strict balancing of status quo, the misunderstandings through insecurities, all of it. The author understands girlness in a meaningful way and is able to thoroughly guide the reader through the inner workings of girlness, to make sense and order of what looks like complete chaos to the outside eye. Watching Mina go through her summer of self-discovery is delightful because she is both incredibly complex and incredibly simple, like all girls are, but not everyone can lay out the step-by-step of it with such ease.
I fell very much in love with the three of them, especially Eleanor, who I both relate to and fell in love with (what does this say about me??), and I loved all the Sailor Moon references. It still irks me to read books that are so centered around social media behaviour, since I am repelled by it irl, but here it adds a sort of necessary tension and yet another layer of micro-managing of aspects of girlhood, another layer of micro-meanings to be interpreted by an already clustered analytical mind. It was also a very no-tw book, which to me is a big deal: I love queer stories that can focus on just being sweet and sour without the mandatory addition of trauma and bigotry. And I really loved the ending! I thought it was unexpected and ideal at the same time.
Yay for girls who love girls! ˖ ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊
How nice to start June with such a great book about how beautiful and how hard it is to be a girl falling in love with a girl. As someone who once experienced the same thrilling hardship, with its rollercoaster of heart-warming and heartbreaking sensations that sometimes happen all at once, this book was already relatable enough as is, but some of its characteristics made it almost an uncanny read for me. It's impossible to extricate my feelings for the book from how intimate it felt for me. I literally have lived entire scenes of this book to an alarming degree of detail, and I love how universally positioned it made me feel.
Girl's Girl explores the relationship of a trio of best friends during the summer of their fifteenth year. Right from the first line in the book you're made aware of its sapphic nature in a blunt and direct way that I found comforting and reassuring, because it set the tone for the whole novel. Mina is a protagonist with a very prominent trait: she's hard at lying and the best at following rules, which means that whatever she feels or thinks, the reader gets to know right away: she can't help herself. She orbits around her two best friends, a childhood bff called Margaret who's a social butterfly who's always eager to flutter away in a crowd, and a more recent bff called Eleanor, who is sharp and confident but has a hard time communicating her softer self. She loves both with a disarming intensity, though she loves them in different ways...
The shiny crown jewel of this book is the full grasp it has on the minutiae of girlhood dynamics, the wonderful sensibility it provides when dealing with the unspoken rules and unseen gestures that guide teenage relationships: the subtleties, the silences that mean more than words, the small shifts that can tilt the fabric of reality, entire conversations that happen only through short glances and body language, the strict balancing of status quo, the misunderstandings through insecurities, all of it. The author understands girlness in a meaningful way and is able to thoroughly guide the reader through the inner workings of girlness, to make sense and order of what looks like complete chaos to the outside eye. Watching Mina go through her summer of self-discovery is delightful because she is both incredibly complex and incredibly simple, like all girls are, but not everyone can lay out the step-by-step of it with such ease.
I fell very much in love with the three of them, especially Eleanor, who I both relate to and fell in love with (what does this say about me??), and I loved all the Sailor Moon references. It still irks me to read books that are so centered around social media behaviour, since I am repelled by it irl, but here it adds a sort of necessary tension and yet another layer of micro-managing of aspects of girlhood, another layer of micro-meanings to be interpreted by an already clustered analytical mind. It was also a very no-tw book, which to me is a big deal: I love queer stories that can focus on just being sweet and sour without the mandatory addition of trauma and bigotry. And I really loved the ending! I thought it was unexpected and ideal at the same time.
Yay for girls who love girls! ˖ ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊
September 21, 2026
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
“i can be a mirror that loves you”
3.5 stars — i do love a good contemporary coming-of-age novel, and sonia feldman's girl's girl is just that: highlighting the complexities of being a teenage girl, the friendships with other girls your age, and the love between them; the audiobook was fantastic and a super quick listen!
15 year old mina's whole world is her two best friends eleanor and margaret, who spend all their time together as best friends are wont to do. but, after an unexpected kiss, the familiar dynamics of their trio quickly unravel...
“i can be a mirror that loves you”
3.5 stars — i do love a good contemporary coming-of-age novel, and sonia feldman's girl's girl is just that: highlighting the complexities of being a teenage girl, the friendships with other girls your age, and the love between them; the audiobook was fantastic and a super quick listen!
15 year old mina's whole world is her two best friends eleanor and margaret, who spend all their time together as best friends are wont to do. but, after an unexpected kiss, the familiar dynamics of their trio quickly unravel...
June 11, 2026
It’s so perfect and nostalgic and mundane and deep
December 12, 2025
4.75
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was the most evocative and vivid portrayal of girlhood that i’ve read in a while. Every feeling in this book is something I think most girls have felt in their youth. From posing for fake pictures to mae others jealous and the confusion of being in a trio friend group every part of this book felt like reading a diary that could have easily been my own. The characters are all so flawed in the way that only teenage girls can get away with and it feels like watching yourself from afar. The underlying romance was so well written but didn’t take away from what at its core is a book about friendship. The only critique i have is that it wants longer but that’s just me selfishly wanted to stay in this nostalgia painted world for just a little bit longer. This is already in my top new releases of 2026 and the year hasn’t even started yet.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was the most evocative and vivid portrayal of girlhood that i’ve read in a while. Every feeling in this book is something I think most girls have felt in their youth. From posing for fake pictures to mae others jealous and the confusion of being in a trio friend group every part of this book felt like reading a diary that could have easily been my own. The characters are all so flawed in the way that only teenage girls can get away with and it feels like watching yourself from afar. The underlying romance was so well written but didn’t take away from what at its core is a book about friendship. The only critique i have is that it wants longer but that’s just me selfishly wanted to stay in this nostalgia painted world for just a little bit longer. This is already in my top new releases of 2026 and the year hasn’t even started yet.
July 3, 2026
Mina, Eleanor, and Margaret are 15 years old. They spend all of their time together passing the long, hot summer days sharing clothes, taking selfies, playing video games and whispering secrets. As affection grows, a surprising kiss changes the dynamics of this trio. A different feeling is in the air and suddenly there are questions about identity. Heartfelt and very real, I was wrapped up in the lives of these girls. The time frame takes place during one summer which is perfect because emotions, like a season can be fleeting. But this summer has illuminated a new self awareness.
Girl’s Girl takes me right back to those sun drenched, endless summers of my youth with my very best friends. It also reignites all the feelings of being a teenager.
This has a nostalgic summer vibe and the writing flows beautifully. It’s hard to believe this is a debut. I’m looking forward to reading the next novel by Sonia Feldman.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an early copy.
Girl’s Girl takes me right back to those sun drenched, endless summers of my youth with my very best friends. It also reignites all the feelings of being a teenager.
This has a nostalgic summer vibe and the writing flows beautifully. It’s hard to believe this is a debut. I’m looking forward to reading the next novel by Sonia Feldman.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an early copy.
May 30, 2026
I had to force myself to finish this book. Am I maybe too old for a “nostalgic girlhood feeling” type of book?
It felt… exhausting? Irritating? Obnoxious? Not one of the three main characters was likable. The plot did not exist. And the narrator would slip off into these deep thoughts after having just described how they contoured their breasts for an hour???? I’m realizing that maybe this was the experience of *some* high school girls (so sorry ladies)… but NOT my own… and I would bet? Not most other girls. It’s just… a couple hundred pages of awful.
Sorry. Not happening for me.
I read this advanced copy as a gift from NetGalley and the publisher.
It felt… exhausting? Irritating? Obnoxious? Not one of the three main characters was likable. The plot did not exist. And the narrator would slip off into these deep thoughts after having just described how they contoured their breasts for an hour???? I’m realizing that maybe this was the experience of *some* high school girls (so sorry ladies)… but NOT my own… and I would bet? Not most other girls. It’s just… a couple hundred pages of awful.
Sorry. Not happening for me.
I read this advanced copy as a gift from NetGalley and the publisher.
February 4, 2026
2.75/5
Firstly thank you NetGalley, Random House, the Dial Press, and Sonia Feldman for gifting me with this ARC to review! While this book wasn’t for me, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy this debut novel.
Liked:
-the premise of teen dynamics, figuring out sexuality and different types of love. This is more of a modern take on teen dynamics which entails: selfies/pictures for every occasion, the self importance, and caring about how others perceive you. Now I will say I don’t think it’s a great overall view of modern teen girls. I’d say it’s a very narrow view into white, middle class, attractive teen girls. I enjoyed the lesbian/queer representation and that no one had an issue with it (again not very accurate to real world, but still it was nice).
Disliked:
-the writing had way too much purple prose for me to enjoy it thoroughly. Listen I’m all for explaining things in a complex way but Mina’s inner thoughts and her descriptions of the past as an adult were just too much.
-the pacing. It’s a very slow read, despite it only being about 256 pages. It picks up a bit around the 60% mark but not by much. It got a bit boring for me to read about how much Mina, Margaret, and Eleanor would ignore and not spend time with each other.
-the sims game play stuff. I could’ve done without the whole dive into the gameplay and emphasis on it lol. It’s not a major deal but still I just wanted to skip past it and move to the next scene.
Firstly thank you NetGalley, Random House, the Dial Press, and Sonia Feldman for gifting me with this ARC to review! While this book wasn’t for me, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy this debut novel.
Liked:
-the premise of teen dynamics, figuring out sexuality and different types of love. This is more of a modern take on teen dynamics which entails: selfies/pictures for every occasion, the self importance, and caring about how others perceive you. Now I will say I don’t think it’s a great overall view of modern teen girls. I’d say it’s a very narrow view into white, middle class, attractive teen girls. I enjoyed the lesbian/queer representation and that no one had an issue with it (again not very accurate to real world, but still it was nice).
Disliked:
-the writing had way too much purple prose for me to enjoy it thoroughly. Listen I’m all for explaining things in a complex way but Mina’s inner thoughts and her descriptions of the past as an adult were just too much.
-the pacing. It’s a very slow read, despite it only being about 256 pages. It picks up a bit around the 60% mark but not by much. It got a bit boring for me to read about how much Mina, Margaret, and Eleanor would ignore and not spend time with each other.
-the sims game play stuff. I could’ve done without the whole dive into the gameplay and emphasis on it lol. It’s not a major deal but still I just wanted to skip past it and move to the next scene.
June 30, 2026
oh yes i loved this
June 30, 2026
literally the perfect summer read
December 10, 2025
ARC for review. To be published June 2, 2026.
4 stars
It’s summer (Oh, do I wish it was summer. We have snow here. Snow. We never get snow until January and even then almost none. I’m afraid it may be a rough winter. But I digress.) Mina is fifteen. The most important thing in her world are her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor, also fifteen. But what happens when one of those friendships becomes more?
It’s been a long time since I was that age but this felt so honest to me; not the way we want teenagers to act, but the way the actually do, with all the small stuff, the day to day navigations required just to maintain friendships. I really loved this and I loved all three girls, even with their faults, maybe especially with their faults.
***Edited to add: this is a debut? Bumping this up to five stars. It was a close call anyway, but knowing it’s the author’s first novel, well, I’ll be looking for more from her, and if she just wants to spend her career writing female coming of age stories, I’m here for that!
4 stars
It’s summer (Oh, do I wish it was summer. We have snow here. Snow. We never get snow until January and even then almost none. I’m afraid it may be a rough winter. But I digress.) Mina is fifteen. The most important thing in her world are her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor, also fifteen. But what happens when one of those friendships becomes more?
It’s been a long time since I was that age but this felt so honest to me; not the way we want teenagers to act, but the way the actually do, with all the small stuff, the day to day navigations required just to maintain friendships. I really loved this and I loved all three girls, even with their faults, maybe especially with their faults.
***Edited to add: this is a debut? Bumping this up to five stars. It was a close call anyway, but knowing it’s the author’s first novel, well, I’ll be looking for more from her, and if she just wants to spend her career writing female coming of age stories, I’m here for that!
September 11, 2026
This is the epitome of girlhood.
August 11, 2026
3.5🌟
The perfect summer read about growing up, loving someone and finding who you are as a teenage girl
₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre read 🌷👩🏼🤝👩🏽
Heard this book being described as a love letter to girlhood and I immediately wanted to read it
The perfect summer read about growing up, loving someone and finding who you are as a teenage girl
₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre read 🌷👩🏼🤝👩🏽
Heard this book being described as a love letter to girlhood and I immediately wanted to read it
June 18, 2026
omfg beautiful teenage girl friendships and crushes on each other I LOVED IT
while its not really at all how my teenage experience was - popular girls, boys who like them, underage drinking and mischief - i really loved this glimpse into mina's life, and how her experience of 'girlhood' was so tied to same sex attraction without it being something strange or revelatory.
i personally love slice of ife novels, and this was a great snapshot into intense female friendships that are underscored by utter devotion.
while its not really at all how my teenage experience was - popular girls, boys who like them, underage drinking and mischief - i really loved this glimpse into mina's life, and how her experience of 'girlhood' was so tied to same sex attraction without it being something strange or revelatory.
i personally love slice of ife novels, and this was a great snapshot into intense female friendships that are underscored by utter devotion.
June 28, 2026
3.25
A great debut novel, it’s a light easy breezy read however I couldn’t connect to the story because it’s basically a lesbian summer awakening and how a kiss unravels lies, truths, relationships, friendships and self identity 👒🦋 would def recommend to read this during the summer as the season of summer is kinda like a character almost as the story goes on ☀️
A great debut novel, it’s a light easy breezy read however I couldn’t connect to the story because it’s basically a lesbian summer awakening and how a kiss unravels lies, truths, relationships, friendships and self identity 👒🦋 would def recommend to read this during the summer as the season of summer is kinda like a character almost as the story goes on ☀️
May 19, 2026
Never has a book made me glad not to be a 15-year-old girl just beginning to find out who she is again.
I see why this might not be for everyone, though.
For starters, SF’s target audience is very specific: Gen Zs who grew up with a phone, but for whom social media wasn't a “threat” yet.
And it's firmly connected to the storytelling, which might come out as confusing, annoyingly complicating and repetitive.
That's the whole point, tho; the girls that get it, get it.
↠ 3.2 stars
Thanks to Random House, The Dial Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
I see why this might not be for everyone, though.
For starters, SF’s target audience is very specific: Gen Zs who grew up with a phone, but for whom social media wasn't a “threat” yet.
And it's firmly connected to the storytelling, which might come out as confusing, annoyingly complicating and repetitive.
That's the whole point, tho; the girls that get it, get it.
↠ 3.2 stars
Thanks to Random House, The Dial Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
August 4, 2026
Why is it so hard to review a book I loved?
I finished Girl’s Girl last night and I want to read it again immediately—this time with a pencil in hand to really sit with Sonia Feldman’s words (I listened to the audiobook*). I will be buying a copy of the book to do just that.
The fact that I finished this in 3 days while on a family vacation should be recommendation enough because I rarely have time to read on vacation. But I hated having to put it down.
Girl’s Girl is about a trio of best friends the summer before 10th(?) grade. It touches upon that moment between childhood and the independence of teens—that time when you may be growing out of your friends/you and your friends are just moving a different speeds and what made sense before no longer makes sense. It’s first loves and first (sexual) experiences. It understands the fragility of a friendship involving 3 girls. It lets the reader sit in awkwardness and angst and longing. It’s masterful. Honestly. And it’s a debut book too!
A note of caution for romance readers: There is a lovely romance in this book. To me at least. But this is really a story about Mina and her relationship with her friends more than it is a romance.
*Mia Hutchinson-Shaw’s audiobook performance was excellent. I recommend a doing a read & listen for this if you’re able.
I finished Girl’s Girl last night and I want to read it again immediately—this time with a pencil in hand to really sit with Sonia Feldman’s words (I listened to the audiobook*). I will be buying a copy of the book to do just that.
The fact that I finished this in 3 days while on a family vacation should be recommendation enough because I rarely have time to read on vacation. But I hated having to put it down.
Girl’s Girl is about a trio of best friends the summer before 10th(?) grade. It touches upon that moment between childhood and the independence of teens—that time when you may be growing out of your friends/you and your friends are just moving a different speeds and what made sense before no longer makes sense. It’s first loves and first (sexual) experiences. It understands the fragility of a friendship involving 3 girls. It lets the reader sit in awkwardness and angst and longing. It’s masterful. Honestly. And it’s a debut book too!
A note of caution for romance readers: There is a lovely romance in this book. To me at least. But this is really a story about Mina and her relationship with her friends more than it is a romance.
*Mia Hutchinson-Shaw’s audiobook performance was excellent. I recommend a doing a read & listen for this if you’re able.
Did Not Finish
July 1, 2026Simply not my cup of tea, and I can only blame myself because I picked this up with a very specific preconceived notion of what I thought it would be. One that, in retrospect, was completely unfounded and was actually just what I hoped it would be. But it turns out the author didn't crawl into my brain and write the book I dreamed up.
What I had envisioned was reliving the sweet summer nostalgia of endless days and sleepless nights spent giggling with the girlies. I wanted fun, laughter, inside jokes. Endless beach days that blur together; boardwalk strolls as dusk bleeds into night; backyard bbqs with smoky bonfires; evening treks to the local ice cream shop. Basically, the many blissful experiences that I associate with that one euphoric, seemingly weightless season of life as a teen (I being the operative word here; it goes without saying that this is entirely personal bias and not a reflection of the book's merits).
Instead, what I experienced was a low-grade existential crisis at the realization that I was reading about three girls constantly glued to their electronic devices from my own electronic device. It all felt a bit grim and mundane. Their daily activities consisted largely of taking selfies, playing Sims, and stalking social media.
But perhaps more significant was that I didn't particularly relate to the novel's portrayal of 'girlhood' or the characters. While I don't typically need to identify with a cast to become invested in a character-driven story, in this instance, I simply never found these girls or their arcs engaging enough to sustain my interest.
I read up to page 35 before deciding this probably wasn't the right book for me. I skimmed the rest to see if I was judging it too prematurely, and it did seem to improve slightly, featuring more peak summery moments like a trip to the county fair, a backyard party, and a late night swim. But those moments felt too scarce for me to justify continuing, and I had already checked out.
It's a beautifully written story that I imagine many others will love. It was poignant, and the author did a phenomenal job of capturing the chronic angst and emotional volatility so characteristic of a hormonal teen navigating big, confusing emotions. I also really appreciated the mother-daughter tension explored during that phase where you're trying to assert the freedom you feel entitled to while also trying to preserve a degree of emotional closeness.
So again, beautiful book, just not what I expected or what I was seeking in the moment.
What I had envisioned was reliving the sweet summer nostalgia of endless days and sleepless nights spent giggling with the girlies. I wanted fun, laughter, inside jokes. Endless beach days that blur together; boardwalk strolls as dusk bleeds into night; backyard bbqs with smoky bonfires; evening treks to the local ice cream shop. Basically, the many blissful experiences that I associate with that one euphoric, seemingly weightless season of life as a teen (I being the operative word here; it goes without saying that this is entirely personal bias and not a reflection of the book's merits).
Instead, what I experienced was a low-grade existential crisis at the realization that I was reading about three girls constantly glued to their electronic devices from my own electronic device. It all felt a bit grim and mundane. Their daily activities consisted largely of taking selfies, playing Sims, and stalking social media.
But perhaps more significant was that I didn't particularly relate to the novel's portrayal of 'girlhood' or the characters. While I don't typically need to identify with a cast to become invested in a character-driven story, in this instance, I simply never found these girls or their arcs engaging enough to sustain my interest.
I read up to page 35 before deciding this probably wasn't the right book for me. I skimmed the rest to see if I was judging it too prematurely, and it did seem to improve slightly, featuring more peak summery moments like a trip to the county fair, a backyard party, and a late night swim. But those moments felt too scarce for me to justify continuing, and I had already checked out.
It's a beautifully written story that I imagine many others will love. It was poignant, and the author did a phenomenal job of capturing the chronic angst and emotional volatility so characteristic of a hormonal teen navigating big, confusing emotions. I also really appreciated the mother-daughter tension explored during that phase where you're trying to assert the freedom you feel entitled to while also trying to preserve a degree of emotional closeness.
So again, beautiful book, just not what I expected or what I was seeking in the moment.
June 25, 2026
Unlike the uninspired queer coming-of-age novel I’d finished the night before (THE SUMMER BOY), this one made me feel something. Got me in my feelings.
A sun-dappled story about the heartaches and heartstrings of first love, adolescence, girlhood, friendship, and peak summer vacation. Fifteen-year-old Mina’s world revolves around her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor. The ease and carefreeness of friendship starts to get prickly once Mina realizes that she’s in love with Eleanor. ”Growing up, I had two best friends—Margaret, whom I had known my whole life, and Eleanor, with whom I was in love, though for years I had no reason to tell my feelings for one apart from my feelings for the other. Both were fervent.”
What I deeply admired and appreciated is how the execution was both high drama and low drama. What I mean is that it wasn’t littered with over-the-top plot twists or larger than life characterizations. But to these characters, every moment, big or small, feels extremely heightened because that’s how teenagers think. So much uncertainty, insecurities, posturing, and growing pains. Every minute thing is a big deal.
The beauty of this novel is the simplicity. Everything just felt so authentic without the author having to insert contrived plot lines. There was a natural progression to the rhythm of the story. We explore the different ways Mina interacts with her friends, even before her sexual interest in one of them; even though they’re a trio, there’s a subconscious way they treat each other as individuals. We look into Mina’s angsty relationship with her mother, but it’s actually done in a way that feels genuinely explored—like I get it, we’ve all felt this way about our parents, acknowledging that they had our best interest at heart but can’t help thinking we knew better. Effortlessly done.
Don’t know if this was the author’s intention, but this novel was totally nostalgia-coded. As an adult, I couldn’t help feeling thrust back into the growing pains of adolescence, but in a way that made my heart flutter. I legit loved GIRL’S GIRL, and I’m lowkey surprised by how much.
“I can be a mirror who loves you.”
Queer longing, adolescent angst, friendship shenanigans, first loves, sexual awakenings, a teenage daydream.
A sun-dappled story about the heartaches and heartstrings of first love, adolescence, girlhood, friendship, and peak summer vacation. Fifteen-year-old Mina’s world revolves around her two best friends, Margaret and Eleanor. The ease and carefreeness of friendship starts to get prickly once Mina realizes that she’s in love with Eleanor. ”Growing up, I had two best friends—Margaret, whom I had known my whole life, and Eleanor, with whom I was in love, though for years I had no reason to tell my feelings for one apart from my feelings for the other. Both were fervent.”
What I deeply admired and appreciated is how the execution was both high drama and low drama. What I mean is that it wasn’t littered with over-the-top plot twists or larger than life characterizations. But to these characters, every moment, big or small, feels extremely heightened because that’s how teenagers think. So much uncertainty, insecurities, posturing, and growing pains. Every minute thing is a big deal.
The beauty of this novel is the simplicity. Everything just felt so authentic without the author having to insert contrived plot lines. There was a natural progression to the rhythm of the story. We explore the different ways Mina interacts with her friends, even before her sexual interest in one of them; even though they’re a trio, there’s a subconscious way they treat each other as individuals. We look into Mina’s angsty relationship with her mother, but it’s actually done in a way that feels genuinely explored—like I get it, we’ve all felt this way about our parents, acknowledging that they had our best interest at heart but can’t help thinking we knew better. Effortlessly done.
Don’t know if this was the author’s intention, but this novel was totally nostalgia-coded. As an adult, I couldn’t help feeling thrust back into the growing pains of adolescence, but in a way that made my heart flutter. I legit loved GIRL’S GIRL, and I’m lowkey surprised by how much.
“I can be a mirror who loves you.”
Queer longing, adolescent angst, friendship shenanigans, first loves, sexual awakenings, a teenage daydream.
August 12, 2026
Oh, to be a girl again.
Reading Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman, I was reminded of how glad I am that I got to spend my own girlhood (mostly) without mobile phones, and before social media. Fifteen-year-old Mina and her two best friends spend a lot of time getting ready, taking pictures, and documenting their good looks for social media, even when they have nowhere to go. Honestly, it sounds exhausting - but then, this is coming from someone who always preferred staying home and reading a book to going out. At the same time, the girls are remarkably in tune with themselves and each other, navigating the complicated world of friendship, attraction, jealousy, and first love with an intensity and clarity that feels both refreshing and astonishing.
Mina, in particular, is an incredibly eloquent and perceptive narrator. Through her eyes, Feldman captures all the contradictions of girlhood: the fierce intimacy of best friendship alongside the jealousy and insecurity that can threaten it; the desire to be seen alongside the fear of being truly known; and the exhilarating feeling that everything is about to begin, even as you sense that this particular version of your life won't last forever.
Not surprisingly, given its title, Girl's Girl is an ode to girlhood: hot summer days full of endless possibilities, first love, and, above all, friendship. Although it is very much a story set in the here and now, there is something wonderfully nostalgic about it. The endless summer days, the rituals of sleepovers and gossip, and the feeling that your friends are your entire universe all feel timeless, even as the constant presence of social media makes this particular version of adolescence distinctly contemporary, and, at times, harder for me to relate to.
The pacing, fitting for a novel set so completely in the lazy days of summer, can be slow at times, and I could have done without some of the video game details that took me out of the story a little. But watching the growth of these - admittedly privileged - girls over the course of the story is a thing to behold.
Tender and beautifully observed, Girl's Girl is an astonishing debut and a queer coming-of-age story that manages to feel both nostalgic and completely of its time. While it made me grateful that my own girlhood is safely in the past, it also made me hopeful for the girlhood my daughter is growing into.
Many thanks to Random House | The Dial Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Girl's Girl" was released on June 2, 2026, and is available now.
Reading Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman, I was reminded of how glad I am that I got to spend my own girlhood (mostly) without mobile phones, and before social media. Fifteen-year-old Mina and her two best friends spend a lot of time getting ready, taking pictures, and documenting their good looks for social media, even when they have nowhere to go. Honestly, it sounds exhausting - but then, this is coming from someone who always preferred staying home and reading a book to going out. At the same time, the girls are remarkably in tune with themselves and each other, navigating the complicated world of friendship, attraction, jealousy, and first love with an intensity and clarity that feels both refreshing and astonishing.
Mina, in particular, is an incredibly eloquent and perceptive narrator. Through her eyes, Feldman captures all the contradictions of girlhood: the fierce intimacy of best friendship alongside the jealousy and insecurity that can threaten it; the desire to be seen alongside the fear of being truly known; and the exhilarating feeling that everything is about to begin, even as you sense that this particular version of your life won't last forever.
Not surprisingly, given its title, Girl's Girl is an ode to girlhood: hot summer days full of endless possibilities, first love, and, above all, friendship. Although it is very much a story set in the here and now, there is something wonderfully nostalgic about it. The endless summer days, the rituals of sleepovers and gossip, and the feeling that your friends are your entire universe all feel timeless, even as the constant presence of social media makes this particular version of adolescence distinctly contemporary, and, at times, harder for me to relate to.
The pacing, fitting for a novel set so completely in the lazy days of summer, can be slow at times, and I could have done without some of the video game details that took me out of the story a little. But watching the growth of these - admittedly privileged - girls over the course of the story is a thing to behold.
Tender and beautifully observed, Girl's Girl is an astonishing debut and a queer coming-of-age story that manages to feel both nostalgic and completely of its time. While it made me grateful that my own girlhood is safely in the past, it also made me hopeful for the girlhood my daughter is growing into.
Many thanks to Random House | The Dial Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Girl's Girl" was released on June 2, 2026, and is available now.
November 12, 2025
an absolutely perfect novel. i don't know how sonia does what she does. for a book to hit this hard while reading as a .docx means there's some real magic here. cannot wait to hold the physical copy in my hands and for ms. feldman to take the literary world by STORM. the more time that passes since i read this the more i am in awe of sonia's ability to write from the POV of a teenage protagonist without sounding like an adult ventriloquizing a teenager while still being a book that adults will want to read. very rare talent!!!!
March 7, 2026
It took some time, deliberation, and patience for me to figure out how I felt about this book, which I suppose is appropriate given that this is a very slow and reflective narrative about a trio of young teenage besties (Mina, Margaret, and Eleanor), over the course of a summer, as they develop understanding of their identity, sexuality, friendships, and romantic relationships. In particular, it is a queer coming of age story of protagonist Mina, who develops more-than-friend feelings for one of the group.
This book is mostly Mina’s interior monologue as she reflects back on her youth from adulthood, and the narration comes across as a mix of Mina’s youthful firsthand perspective tempered and moderated by her wiser adult introspection. The book is a character study, to put it mildly, and takes vibes-over-plot to a new level: for instance, the first quarter of the book, along with many other swaths of it, consists solely of the girls hanging out in the heat, idly gossiping, playing Sims, and doing hair/makeup/clothing (and of course, posting pics and checking socials). There are other parts of the book where the girls might be doing something a bit more dramatic, such as navigating the socially fraught atmosphere of the county fair, and then there are still other large portions where the girls are Kind Of In A Fight and totally ignoring one another, and so Mina is just ruminating in her bedroom and marinating in All The Feels. This is definitely all very “Marcel Proust writes privileged white suburban Ohio teenage girls,” and it won’t be for everyone, but the writing is pretty beautiful and perceptive and I’m glad I stuck with it all.
I was also super grateful that this book is gay, because I have to admit that I may have found it all rather insufferable without the added importance and complication of this representation. The story compelled much more of my empathy and investment when, amidst navigating all the teen girl developmental hurdles that are already so difficult, Mina must also navigate the additional challenge of realizing she is gay and in love with a best friend. I have to say without this “hook” to provide more relevance and weight to the story, I would have had a very hard time relating to these girls who are, again, extremely privileged in all the traditional senses and don’t seem to have an inch of space for any of the additional anxieties and cares that preoccupied me as they have many other teens: safety (personal, household, neighborhood, the planet), financial security, health, etc.
All that being said, this is a very realistic (at least with regard to these characters) and respectful portrait of teen girls and their relationships with one another (as well as with their mothers), and I think I can avoid all spoilers while saying that I really appreciated that we can have these stories today without them being totally tragic. There was a historical time when even women authors of the liberated young ladies of literature had to circle back and punish their creations by capsizing them in their rowboats, compelling them to OD on their insomnia tinctures, or worse. Nothing like that happens here: it’s all just growth, and while girls may be crushing, nobody gets crushed.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Random House/The Dial Press for the ARC of Girl’s Girl, expected for release on June 2, 2026.
This book is mostly Mina’s interior monologue as she reflects back on her youth from adulthood, and the narration comes across as a mix of Mina’s youthful firsthand perspective tempered and moderated by her wiser adult introspection. The book is a character study, to put it mildly, and takes vibes-over-plot to a new level: for instance, the first quarter of the book, along with many other swaths of it, consists solely of the girls hanging out in the heat, idly gossiping, playing Sims, and doing hair/makeup/clothing (and of course, posting pics and checking socials). There are other parts of the book where the girls might be doing something a bit more dramatic, such as navigating the socially fraught atmosphere of the county fair, and then there are still other large portions where the girls are Kind Of In A Fight and totally ignoring one another, and so Mina is just ruminating in her bedroom and marinating in All The Feels. This is definitely all very “Marcel Proust writes privileged white suburban Ohio teenage girls,” and it won’t be for everyone, but the writing is pretty beautiful and perceptive and I’m glad I stuck with it all.
I was also super grateful that this book is gay, because I have to admit that I may have found it all rather insufferable without the added importance and complication of this representation. The story compelled much more of my empathy and investment when, amidst navigating all the teen girl developmental hurdles that are already so difficult, Mina must also navigate the additional challenge of realizing she is gay and in love with a best friend. I have to say without this “hook” to provide more relevance and weight to the story, I would have had a very hard time relating to these girls who are, again, extremely privileged in all the traditional senses and don’t seem to have an inch of space for any of the additional anxieties and cares that preoccupied me as they have many other teens: safety (personal, household, neighborhood, the planet), financial security, health, etc.
All that being said, this is a very realistic (at least with regard to these characters) and respectful portrait of teen girls and their relationships with one another (as well as with their mothers), and I think I can avoid all spoilers while saying that I really appreciated that we can have these stories today without them being totally tragic. There was a historical time when even women authors of the liberated young ladies of literature had to circle back and punish their creations by capsizing them in their rowboats, compelling them to OD on their insomnia tinctures, or worse. Nothing like that happens here: it’s all just growth, and while girls may be crushing, nobody gets crushed.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Random House/The Dial Press for the ARC of Girl’s Girl, expected for release on June 2, 2026.
November 21, 2025
I adore coming of age books like this one. This gave me so much nostalgia about girlhood and I love the focus on the desire, confusion, and other emotions we feel as females. It was a lighthearted read that moved at a fast pace and really held my attention. I actually was taken back to my younger years and my own female friendships when I read this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 28, 2026
I was excited to check out this debut novel, which explores coming of age with a sapphic romance twist.
The story unfolds through the voice of 15-year-old Mina during a summer spent with her best friends, Eleanor and Margaret. When Mina kisses Eleanor, the dynamics between the trio are thrown out of balance, revealing fractures that had been hiding in their friendship.
I am certainly not the intended audience for this book, as a solidly post-menopausal woman, but I still thought I would be able to appreciate a story of friendship, self-discovery, and budding womanhood. Sadly, I found all three characters to be stereotypes of popular, conventionally attractive, suburban white girls who were, as most teens are, entirely self-absorbed. There was a lot of time spent on activities that are generationally foreign to me, such as playing The Sims, contouring our breasts for the perfect aesthetic, posing for selfies, etc., which probably drew me out of the narrative. The entire book is told from Mina's perspective, which is sometimes overwritten and dramatic. Again, that is probably very much in keeping with the teen perspective, but I wish each of the three main characters had been given an individual voice to shake things up.
One thing that did work was the three unique mother-daughter relationships. I also think the issue of emerging teen sexuality was handled with authenticity.
Perhaps this is a perfect read for someone who grew up in the age of social media. It is definitely a good pick for the summer season.
2 stars
The story unfolds through the voice of 15-year-old Mina during a summer spent with her best friends, Eleanor and Margaret. When Mina kisses Eleanor, the dynamics between the trio are thrown out of balance, revealing fractures that had been hiding in their friendship.
I am certainly not the intended audience for this book, as a solidly post-menopausal woman, but I still thought I would be able to appreciate a story of friendship, self-discovery, and budding womanhood. Sadly, I found all three characters to be stereotypes of popular, conventionally attractive, suburban white girls who were, as most teens are, entirely self-absorbed. There was a lot of time spent on activities that are generationally foreign to me, such as playing The Sims, contouring our breasts for the perfect aesthetic, posing for selfies, etc., which probably drew me out of the narrative. The entire book is told from Mina's perspective, which is sometimes overwritten and dramatic. Again, that is probably very much in keeping with the teen perspective, but I wish each of the three main characters had been given an individual voice to shake things up.
One thing that did work was the three unique mother-daughter relationships. I also think the issue of emerging teen sexuality was handled with authenticity.
Perhaps this is a perfect read for someone who grew up in the age of social media. It is definitely a good pick for the summer season.
2 stars
June 9, 2026
4.5
A book where nothing happens but everything happens at the same time.
Set during a steamy summer in Ohio, a close group of three 15 year old girls have their friendship jolted when an unexpected kiss happens between two of them.
I loved the writing and related way too hard to the main characters.
A book where nothing happens but everything happens at the same time.
Set during a steamy summer in Ohio, a close group of three 15 year old girls have their friendship jolted when an unexpected kiss happens between two of them.
I loved the writing and related way too hard to the main characters.
September 4, 2026
I liked this. I thought it was well written and the characters were excellent; well developed and complicated in a very realistic way, particularly as teenagers which many authors struggle to pull off. This was definitely a character-driven novel, without much plot beyond “teenagers during summertime”. It worked though, if you like that kind of novel (which I do!). Everyone was complicated and messy.
I found myself drawn into the incredibly high-stakes world of…..angsty teenage drama. It was a strange juxtaposition as objectively I knew that nothing in this novel was particularly serious to someone who isn’t currently a teenager, yet it felt like the most important events in the world were taking place. So bravo author.
The ending left me feeling a bit unfulfilled, and I think ill choose to disregard the last page entirely. I am not saying it was bad, in fact it was probably great, but I'm choosing to live in another reality of my choosing.
I found myself drawn into the incredibly high-stakes world of…..angsty teenage drama. It was a strange juxtaposition as objectively I knew that nothing in this novel was particularly serious to someone who isn’t currently a teenager, yet it felt like the most important events in the world were taking place. So bravo author.
The ending left me feeling a bit unfulfilled, and I think ill choose to disregard the last page entirely. I am not saying it was bad, in fact it was probably great, but I'm choosing to live in another reality of my choosing.
June 6, 2026
Girl’s Girl brought me right back to being fifteen. The friendships, the first love, the changing relationships with the people who know you best. It felt incredibly authentic and relatable. I loved the sapphic romance and the girls discovering that, the nuanced mother-daughter relationship, and the way this book captured that one pivotal summer that changes everything :’) The suburban setting felt so familiar to me (suburban legends), and as a Sims-obsessed teenager, those references were the best to meeeeee.
Tender, nostalgic, full of heart, this is a coming-of-age story that reminded me just how transformative those teenage years can be. I love her writing and the descriptive setting! The details on feelings to paper. Happily will read more from Sonia!
Tender, nostalgic, full of heart, this is a coming-of-age story that reminded me just how transformative those teenage years can be. I love her writing and the descriptive setting! The details on feelings to paper. Happily will read more from Sonia!
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