25% off preorders!
This is how I remembered that the paperback edition of BYE FOREVER, I GUESS is coming out next week.
Hello! Just a quick email! (Okay it got a little longer than I expected, but it’s mostly descriptions of the books.)
Barnes and Noble is doing another preorder sale. For 25% off, you can use the code PREORDER25 at checkout. I have two books1 eligible for this promotion:
Please note the paperback listing for BYE FOREVER, I GUESS still has an old sketch of the cover, but the actual book has the polished final version of the art. As seen here!
I’ve had a lot of new subscribers lately (heeeey!), so in case you don’t know what these books are about, here’s the flap copy:
BYE FOREVER, I GUESS:
Ingrid’s online persona is more popular than she is. IRL, she’s the quiet one—until a wrong-number text message offers her a chance at connection. Can this guarded gamer girl lower her shield for a new friend… or more-than-friend?
Thirteen-year-old Ingrid’s been living a double life. At school, she’s the Girl With Dead Parents, her popular friend Rachel’s charity case. In her online fandoms, she can be her own person: one who’s constantly talking to her long-distance BFF Lorren, crushing it at her favorite MMORPG, and geeking out over her favorite book series. But when Ingrid stands up to Rachel and “starts drama” at school, it suddenly feels like she has no life at all (and nowhere to sit at lunch).
Until she gets a wrong-number text from another gamer. . . and everything starts to go right.
Guarded, prickly Ingrid isn’t quick to trust, but spending time together playing Ancient Tomes Online as “Stitches” and “Traveler” makes Ingrid feel like she can lay down her sword of standoffishness. But when she starts to suspect that Traveler may be a student at her school, she faces a difficult choice. Can she open up when getting close to people has hurt her before? Or is making friends only fantasy after all?
A fresh, funny, and vibrant middle-grade debut from NYT bestselling author Jodi Meadows, Bye Forever, I Guess speaks to the complexity of middle-school friendships (and friend breakups) and the sense of belonging that comes from finding your people. Warm, witty, and endearingly messy, Ingrid’s quest to be herself is sure to resonate in this love letter to geek culture and the healing power of fantasy.
BYE FOREVER, I GUESS has three starred reviews, and was “Best of 2024” with Publisher’s Weekly, Bookshop.org, and Booklist. It was selected for the Kid’s Indie Next List, as well as a bunch of state reading lists and bookstore staff picks.
Mostly, I think it’s a fun book about a shy girl who likes books and knitting (and a boy from her video game!), but as far as critical acclaim goes, it has that, too, if that’s important to you.
CONFESSIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAT
What happens in the group chat stays in the group chat… until it doesn’t.
Virginia Vaughn just wants to fit in with her super-popular friend group. That means she doesn’t let them know how much she loves the library, she never speaks a word about her massive crush on tragically unpopular Grayson, and she says nasty things she doesn’t actually mean. But only in the group chat, so it’s harmless, right?
But when she has a blowout fight with her clique—specifically, with the Queen Bee herself—her mean texts are posted online for the entire school to see! And, suddenly, Virginia has no one but her cat to talk to.
Cue "Knight Errant," a mystery boy at school who texts Virginia by accident—and who quickly becomes her closest confidante. Though they send messages back and forth for hours every night, Virginia doesn’t want him to know which classmate she is (because then he’ll connect her to the mean texts ALL OVER THE INTERNET). She likes him, but she really likes Grayson, too. Can she find the strength to tell Knight who she really is? And will Grayson—who has become her only ally at school—give up on her when the awful things she’s said about him are finally posted?
Confessions from the Group Chat is the second middle-grade romcom from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Meadow (BYE FOREVER, I GUESS; MY LADY JANE, now streaming on Prime). Sweet, funny, and authentically messy, this is an ultra-cute story about middle-school misbehavior, innocent first love, and the inner life of a repentant mean girl.
CONFESSIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAT is a Junior Library Guild selection! And it has a cat named Lady Zooms-a-Lot (Zooms to her friends).
A couple reviews:
Through winningly acerbic, tech-savvy narration, Meadows (Bye Forever, I Guess) explores budding first love, the complexities of toxic middle school frenemies, and the potential boons and perils of online friendships and communities in this introspective offering. —Publishers Weekly
Accessible and timely, this book will leave readers hanging on every page. . . . A sweetly gratifying story that doesn’t shy away from moral complexities. —Kirkus Reviews
Jodi Meadows is my new favorite kids author, her characters are just *so cute*. Also, I love that all her MCs are big knit/weavers! —a bookseller on NetGalley
Jodi is the master of the middle grade rom-com. —Sarah W, a librarian on NetGalley
Guys, I think the people like CONFESSIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAT! What an enormous relief!
I made graphics; please admire them.
Now I need to get back to writing . . . another book. I’m not supposed to say what it is yet, but if you like these books, I’ll have good news for you in about a year. (Publishing timelines are loooong.)
And, as always, the best way to get future books from me is to support my current books, thus making my publishers happy. So tell your friends and enemies about BYE FOREVER, I GUESS and CONFESSIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAT.
More ordering options:
CONFESSIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAT:
One More Page (signed/personalized) | Bookshop.org | Barnes and Noble | AmazonBYE FOREVER, I GUESS:
Bookshop.org | Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Upcoming events:
September 27 at 6pm — Barnes and Noble — Harrisonburg, VA — with Susan Metallo (Her debut book REASONS TO HATE ME is out now!)
October 12 at 11am-5pm — Maryland Renaissance Festival (ticket required) — with Brigid Kemmerer
October 14 (time TBD) — Hundred Acre Books — Culpeper, VA — with Fran Wilde
Some of you have asked about the paperback edition of MY SALTY MARY. I don’t know yet. It’s on my list of things to ask about. Usually paperbacks just happen, so I was kind of surprised, too. I’ll let you know!