Review: Confessions from the Group Chat

By Jodi Meadows

New York: Holiday House, 2025. Fiction. 264 pages.

Written by the author of Bye Forever, I Guess, Meadows tells the story of Virginia: a relatable girl who has a good heart, but maybe not the best friends. Virginia loves that's she's a part of a popular friend group. However, their popularity means that Virginia hides parts of herself: how much she loves the library and her crush on the super unpopular Grayson. Worse than that, she actively participates in their group chat which tends to center around making fun of people at their school, including Grayson. When Virginia gets in a public fight with the Queen Bee of the group, Virginia finds herself ostracized from the group and the terrible things she's said published on the internet...complete with her name attached to the insults. Virginia becomes a social pariah at school, only talking to fellow social-outcast, Grayson, and an online friend "Knight Errant."

I love this story because Virginia made mistakes. She was influenced to say terrible things, but she's not innocent. Virginia shows bravery by owning her actions and trying to start over, all while resisting the temptation to take her ex-friends down with her. Her friendship turned maybe-something-more with Grayson shows vulnerability which makes their relationship all the more satisfying. I especially appreciate the narrators commentary on the importance of privacy and safety online. Before Virginia and "Knight Errant" begin talking more, their parents introduce themselves to make sure their kids are safe and Virginia's sister describes how she reports cyberbullying to the platform Virginia's ex-friends are using to destroy her reputation. Overall a very cute story that touches on relavant social issues for tweens.

Comments

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