Confessions From the Group Chat

Gr 5-8–Posting online reviews of hometown shops and restaurants with her three friends gives eighth grader Virginia the popularity and sense of belonging she craves. But group leader Kat’s cruel teasing continually undermines Virginia’s confidence among the four friends. Their fragile relationship implodes when Virginia pushes back against Kat during a spat in the school cafeteria. Kat’s revenge is swift and socially lethal: she posts online the private texts Virginia sent among the group, with nasty comments about classmates. Making it worse is that Mary Heather and Jess, the rest of her alleged friend group, don’t defend Virginia. Fortunately, support from caring parents and a wise 18-year-old sister encourage Virginia to be herself and find new friends. One new friend turns out to be a teen boy she knows only through texts (enter the “hidden identity” trope), who in reality is Grayson, the cute guy Virginia’s secretly crushing on in school and at the public library where she volunteers. The novel’s swift timeline takes place over five weeks, following Virginia’s realistic growth towards self-acceptance and embracing what makes her truly happy. Her light romance with Grayson and reconciliation with Jess provide a satisfying, upbeat ending. Meadows lightly tackles challenges teens face—toxic friendships, cyberbullying—without diminishing their serious impact on readers’ lives. Cover art suggests one of Victoria’s three friends has dark skin, other main characters are depicted as white.