Bye Forever, I Guess

by Jodi Meadows

Book Overview

Can a guarded gamer girl lower her shield for a new friend... or more-than-friend?

"EARNEST AND LAUGH-OUT-LOUD... PITCH PERFECT."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Thirteen-year-old Ingrid's been living a double life. At school, she's her popular friend Rachel's charity case. Online, she crushes it in her favorite MMORPG, geeks out in her favorite fantasy fandom, and runs a popular social media account. If only real life were that easy.

But when Ingrid finally stands up to Rachel, it suddenly feels like she has no life at all.

Until she gets a super-sweet wrong-number text from a mystery boy at her school. Spending time together gaming as "Stitches" and "Traveler" makes her feel like she's really connecting with someone. But when she begins to suspect that Traveler may be a popular classmate who is WAY above her in the cool-kid food chain--and whose original text was actually intended for Rachel--she faces a difficult choice. Can they be friends IRL? She wants to open up, but getting close to people has hurt her before. Is making real friends only fantasy after all?

Bye Forever, I Guess is the fresh, funny, and deeply sweet middle-grade debut of New York Times bestselling author Jodi Meadows (MY LADY JANE). Speaking to the messiness of middle-school friendships (and first loves), this is a warm, witty, enormously entertaining book--and a love letter to geek culture, gaming, and the healing power of fantasy.

"HILARIOUS... Charming, funny, and endearing."--Kirkus Reviews

"The most DELIGHTFUL middle-grade romcom I've ever read "--Ellen Oh, award-winning author of Finding Junie Kim

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year - A Booklist Best Book of the Year - A Bookshop.org Best Book of the Year - An American Booksellers Association Indie Next Selection - A Staff Pick at Parnussas Books, Bookmarks, Belmont Books, Broadway Books, and Many More

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823456382
• ISBN13: 9780823456383
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Holiday House
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Cute!!!

Stoppppp, why was this so stinking cuuuuute?? I am definitely older than 13 so the twist wasn’t shocking at all but hey, if I had picked this up at 13 my mind would have been blown. I loved this book, it was so cute, so funny, so charming. I think there’s a good lesson in here for youngsters (oof, I’m old) about how to deal with fake friends and bad friendships. Unfortunately I have died from the unbearable cuteness of it all so bye forever, I guess. Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.