Review copy provided by the publisher. Also I have known Jodi on this here internet since forever.

This is an interesting category of book that I don't think we saw as much of in years past: it's a nerd book that's not speculative. Ingrid, the protagonist, is deeply emotionally involved with her favorite fantasy novel series and her favorite online game; they are both crucial to the plot. But at no point does the game come to life, nor does she fall into a fantasy landscape. The realistic world is stressful enough.

Ingrid is terminally shy, and going into the eighth grade she's been friends with Rachel, who is demanding and self-centered. Her best friend, Lorren, is through an online game, but having some in-person friends who don't neg her and push her around--some friends who could notice the quiet girl in the corner--would be nice too. She also has a popular "scroll" on social media--under the name of Anony Mouse for a reason. Her hilarious wrong number texts have a large following, but only Rachel, Lorren, and Grandma know it's her. Something has to change--and the arrival of new kids in town will be the spark of that change. Ingrid's wrong texts lead to a new friendship just as her friendship with Rachel is crumbling to dust. But Rachel isn't letting go easily--and the new friend maintains a mystery. She'd love to find out more, but he continues coy--for nefarious reasons or otherwise?

I really loved Ingrid's relationship with her grandmother, and all the sensory details of the knitting and the food are spot on. Some of the social dynamics are frustrating, but they're frustrating in the direction of realistic eighth graders rather than externally imposed melodrama. If you're not in the mood for non-speculative older middle grade, this is definitely in that genre, but if that's the day you're having (or the stage of life you're in!), this is a sweet story.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of Goodbye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have read it and give feedback.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. It’s rare for me to pick up a book that’s not science fiction or fantasy, and I thought this was going to be based a lot more in the game world. I’m glad I gave it a chance!

The characters were heartwarming (although wow, Ingrid is super dry at texting at first. How does anyone even fall for someone that texts like that?), the situations believable. Although the love twist could be seen from a mile off, I appreciated the journey. I also really enjoyed Jodi’s writing style. I honestly don’t have too much to say about this book. It was a nice contemporary middle grade book based around themes of friendship, and I’ll look out for her next book!

My two main gripes with the story are minor, and one was completely out of her control as an author. The first is that I really do wish the story had been based more in the game. That would have satisfied the fantasy side of me, and could have shown how invested she is in the game (if she feels she’s really fighting alongside her friends). The second is that the Kindle formatting was super gross for me. No indentations, no SMS boxes, new lines beginning halfway through a sentence. This wasn’t the case when using the Netgalley app, but it would have been nice to read on my Kindle so I’m not staring at yet another back-lit screen. But as far as gripes go, that’s it.

Honestly, this was a great read. 4/5.

"Bye Forever, I guess" I am probably going to buy this book when it comes out so I can annotate the heck out of this book.

A quick, fun and spunky read. I read this whole book in an afternoon. I didn't hundred percent know what to except and was not displeased. The text messages between Ingrid and friends brought me memories of having my first phone in middle school! The book is a delightful and perfect story with real-world conflicts, making it even better because of that.

“Ingrid, a guarded gamer girl, lives a double life at school and online, where she is the Girl With Dead Parents and a charity case for her friend Rachel. When she stands up to Rachel, it feels like she has no life. However, a wrong-number text from another gamer offers her a chance at connection. As she suspects Traveler may be a student at her school, she faces a difficult choice: can she open up and find her people, or is making friends just a fantasy?”

I originally thought this was YA and not middle grade. I am so happy that this did not deterred me from finishing this cute little book. This book was a delight. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me this eARC!

Middle schooler Ingrid feels invisible at school, but powerful online. This makes for a complicated teenage existence. However, things seem ok because she has a long-distance buddy to game with, great hobbies in reading and knitting, an anonymous and hugely popular social media preference, and a lunch table to sit at every day. Things change when she feels betrayed by the queen bee of her school and makes a new online friend, both at the same time.

This book was a delight. As an elementary school librarian, my older readers often ask for romance stories - and this is a great one with positive role models and a strong emphasis on friendship. There are also great portrayals of life on the internet in both the gaming and social media spaces - the grown-ups are portrayed as proactive and positive, and Ingrid feels comfortable enlisting her grandmother in sharing and problem-solving online problems. Beyond the good-for-you parts of this book, it has You've Got Mail vibes that are perfectly translated for tweens in 2024. I enjoyed this one and can't wait to share it with the kids in October!

I couldn't put this book down when I began reading. The story is so sweet and perfect! The conflicts presented in the book are definitely real-world, which, in my opinion, makes the book even better. A lot of kids and teenagers go through loneliness and friendship problems throughout their school years, and this book is a good reminder that you can always find the light during those dark moments. "Bye Forever, I Guess" is perfect for those who love cute romance, want a relatable book, or even just something fun to read.
And to the publisher, thank you so much for approving me for an arc and allowing me to read this beautiful book.

Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows. Can I give this story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the heartfelt connections this book created, and another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because I couldn’t stop smiling! @unicornwarlord this story is awesome, brilliant, and so very unique. I felt like I was back in 8th grade, well, if cellphones were a thing when I was in 8th grade. (Yup feeling very old!) The feelings, the story line, and the crush! Best friends to new friends. True friends to finding out the real truth of how to move on. I just loved it all! I’m not afraid to admit I started this at lunch and just finished it now. Should I be sleeping…. Yes… but should the world of readers know that this book is awesome… YES! I just connected so much with Ingrid. An introvert that would rather text sarcastic messages than be at the popular lunch table. I loved how the entire story came to life and how each character had their role in helping Ingrid see how strong and special she truly is. “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 “. This Fantastic read is set to be out in this world on 10-22-2024. Make sure to add this to your TBR list! #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookstagram #read #reading #readingtime #bookreview #books #bookaddict #jodimeadows #byefornowiguess #bookstagram #bookstafriends #bookcommunity #booklover #booklovers #friendship #friends

This is such a cute introvert as the heroine type of story. I fell in love with Ingrid, and her online gaming, and the friends she makes in her guild. She is such an introvert in person, but goes and slays with the best of them in her roll playing game. Her best online friend, Lorren is there for her, sometimes her real-life friend is not. Rachel, who was her best friend, is now using her to make herself look better. Not quite the level of “mean girl” but up there.

Ingrid runs an account where misguided text messages are featured, and one day she meet someone, through these text messages, that she actually starts chatting with. Who joins her guild, but someone who she would be too embarrassed to ever meet in person.
The mystery person is telegraphed, even though Ingrid doesn’t see it, the reader suspects who the boy really is. It works out well, in the end, and of course, that is what we want from a good story.

So much fun. When I was done, I looked to see if the author had written any other middle grade books, just so I could dive back into her world, but this is her frist in this genre. I hope there will be more.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. THis book is coming out the 22nd of October 2024.

Bye Forever, I Guess is a delightful MG, full of missed connections and misunderstandings and a very cute protagonist who can't see what pretty much everyone else in the book knows (including I suspect most MG readers!). It's so much fun to be In The Know while Ingrid isn't about the identify of her new texting friend (I love the detail that the grandma knew!). I also love all the subtle but good bits of internet safety, that internet friends can be real friends, etc.