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Confessions From the Group Chat
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Expected 21 Oct 25Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 03:24:28
5 copies available
U.S. only
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.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 21, 2025
2452 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Meadows
33 books4,703 followersI write books. I snuggle cats. I drink coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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March 14, 2025Get in, loser, we have a cover! https://jodimeadows.substack.com/p/co...
September 1, 2025
What happens in the group chat should stay in the group chat. Unless your friends are the actual worst! Virginia's friend group isn't the best to begin with (very much mean girls) but what they did to her was foul. I hate that no one helped stand up for her, but that's unfortunately what it's like in middle school.
I found this extremely relatable, for all ages really. Navigating friendships and just trying to gauge where you fit in. I loved this. The friendship between Virginia and Grayson was also very sweet. I'm a sucker for stories told in messages and this did not disappoint. It was exactly what I hoped for.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC
I found this extremely relatable, for all ages really. Navigating friendships and just trying to gauge where you fit in. I loved this. The friendship between Virginia and Grayson was also very sweet. I'm a sucker for stories told in messages and this did not disappoint. It was exactly what I hoped for.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC
July 7, 2025
Virginia is part of a very tight group of four friends. They have a very popular review website that gains them a lot of attention in their town and school. Lately, Virginia is feeling like she isn't quite as valuable to her friends and their project. A couple of the girls have even been making mean comments that are "just teasing," but really sting. She jumps at the opportunity to change the subject and add her own unkind comments about others to the group chat, so she can get the attention off of herself. Unfortunately, those get used against her when she finally comes to her wit's end and lets the girls have it in a very loud cafeteria confrontation.
I could not be more excited to share this book with my students, specifically middle school girls. This book is so real and so relevant. The author captured perfectly the situation lots of girls find themselves in. There are group dynamics and pressures to deal with that cause them to do things they may not otherwise think are good ideas. As an adult, I found myself cringing at some of the choices that were being made, but man, that's so real. I watch every year as my students face these sorts of dynamics and choices in real life, and have to decide where their worth comes from .
I loved the role models and advice that Virginia was able to receive after the falling out with her friends. I think that this book will help lead readers who find themselves in similar situations to think about who "true" friends are and where to go to seek good advice.
I could not be more excited to share this book with my students, specifically middle school girls. This book is so real and so relevant. The author captured perfectly the situation lots of girls find themselves in. There are group dynamics and pressures to deal with that cause them to do things they may not otherwise think are good ideas. As an adult, I found myself cringing at some of the choices that were being made, but man, that's so real. I watch every year as my students face these sorts of dynamics and choices in real life, and have to decide where their worth comes from .
I loved the role models and advice that Virginia was able to receive after the falling out with her friends. I think that this book will help lead readers who find themselves in similar situations to think about who "true" friends are and where to go to seek good advice.
August 4, 2025
Virginia learns the hard way that what happens in the group chat doesn't always stay in the group chat. When she stands up for herself to her middle school friends, things turn ugly as they set up a revenge account to humiliate her. Finding herself suddenly friendless at school, Virginia takes comfort in texts with her "text-door neighbor," an unknown boy her age. If you've read Meadows' first book set in Deer Hill (Bye Forever, I Guess), you'll quickly see where this one is headed. Predictability and sweet serendipity are what make rom-coms so addicting, especially for middle school girls, so I know this one will be a big hit once it reaches my classroom library shelves. I'm sure they'll be asking for another Deer Hill book soon! As their teacher, I hope they take Virginia's experience as a cautionary tale before they post anything that could come back to haunt them—and that they learn who those safe adults are in their lives whom they can turn to when it's all too much.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for the eARC.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for the eARC.
July 23, 2025
A sweet romance with positive messages about friendship, digital responsibility and owning up to mistakes. I think this book is highly relatable and relevant for young readers. I really enjoyed the fact that the main characters volunteer at the library and bond over books. I loved Bye Forever, I Guess and this companion novel didn’t disappoint. I will definitely recommend this one to my middle school readers!
September 30, 2025
A compelling story that feels authentic to the messy middle school experience. Loved the complex characters and slow burn between Virginia and Grayson. Great for tweens who enjoy realistic stories with a very small dash of romance.
May 4, 2025
If you loved 'Bye Forever, I Guess', read this book! And if you didn't, read both of them!
Yet another contemporary winner from Jodi that juggles the trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler in the digital age, the sweetness of crushes, and the importance of owning up to your mistakes without dropping a ball.
Bonus points for the ending being so cute I almost couldn't handle it.
HUGE thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read this gem early!
Yet another contemporary winner from Jodi that juggles the trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler in the digital age, the sweetness of crushes, and the importance of owning up to your mistakes without dropping a ball.
Bonus points for the ending being so cute I almost couldn't handle it.
HUGE thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read this gem early!
July 30, 2025
Wow! This was so endearing!! I hadn’t expected to get hooked on middle school drama and keep flipping the pages. Now this is a short read at 272 pages but a lot of that is formatting of text exchanges so don’t let the length put you off from getting it for your middle grade reader.
The plot and details are so relevant to the age and there is a lot to be learned from the coming of age book. It teachers our young readers how much words can hurt as well as the challenges of social media. It explores what a friendship really is, a budding age appropriate romance, judging a book by its cover and familiar relationships. A little bit of everything to get a reader engaged.
This is one I’m going to highly suggest for parents and teachers to have in their personal libraries.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Holiday House through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books
⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.
The plot and details are so relevant to the age and there is a lot to be learned from the coming of age book. It teachers our young readers how much words can hurt as well as the challenges of social media. It explores what a friendship really is, a budding age appropriate romance, judging a book by its cover and familiar relationships. A little bit of everything to get a reader engaged.
This is one I’m going to highly suggest for parents and teachers to have in their personal libraries.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Holiday House through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books
⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.
August 2, 2025
Read a free ARC on NetGalley.
Virginia, Jess, Kat and Mary Heather are friends. Or, at least, Virginia believes they are. After Kat makes fun of Virginia for her crush on the no longer popular boy Grayson, Virginia has had enough. She stands up to Kat and loses her friend group. To make matters worse, Kat and Mary Heather set up an internet account where they post mean texts Virginia has written in their group chat about some of her classmates. These are edited so that the students believe Virginia is the only one saying these things, when all of the girls in the group chat have said mean things about the other kids. Now no one wants to speak to Virginia so she tries to contact her “text door neighbor” - a trend where you send an anonymous text to a number one digit off your own number. Luckily, a boy her age who identifies as “Knight Errant” befriends her on the phone. He and her older sister Victoria support her through her former friends’ continued cyber bullying. Virginia learns that she must confront her bullies, accept the consequences of the mean things she said and become a better person than she was.
Virginia experiences a lot of character development. Her relationship with her older sister was very sweet. Internet safety, parental monitoring of teens interactions online and the dangers of cyber bulling are portrayed well, not overly preachy or unrealistic. I think my students will enjoy this book.
Virginia, Jess, Kat and Mary Heather are friends. Or, at least, Virginia believes they are. After Kat makes fun of Virginia for her crush on the no longer popular boy Grayson, Virginia has had enough. She stands up to Kat and loses her friend group. To make matters worse, Kat and Mary Heather set up an internet account where they post mean texts Virginia has written in their group chat about some of her classmates. These are edited so that the students believe Virginia is the only one saying these things, when all of the girls in the group chat have said mean things about the other kids. Now no one wants to speak to Virginia so she tries to contact her “text door neighbor” - a trend where you send an anonymous text to a number one digit off your own number. Luckily, a boy her age who identifies as “Knight Errant” befriends her on the phone. He and her older sister Victoria support her through her former friends’ continued cyber bullying. Virginia learns that she must confront her bullies, accept the consequences of the mean things she said and become a better person than she was.
Virginia experiences a lot of character development. Her relationship with her older sister was very sweet. Internet safety, parental monitoring of teens interactions online and the dangers of cyber bulling are portrayed well, not overly preachy or unrealistic. I think my students will enjoy this book.
July 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi, and Holiday House for the e-arc of Confessions From the Group Chat. I'm excited to add this novel to my classroom once it's officially published!
Meadows' novel follows Virginia and her middle school life navigating social media, friendship, romance, family dynamics, and what it means to be herself. Virginia faces a dilemma when she realizes her friends aren't actually her friends and they blast her over social media. I found this novel pertinent to the modern plight of social media with middle grade students - that desire to fit in, thrown together with access to technology and sharing with a whim, leads to consequences that students will inevitably face in their lives (nothing on the internet disappears, right?).
When your private communications are shared and you're connecting with a stranger online, interesting outcomes happen! I appreciated how Meadows writes with the middle schooler in mind - Virginia has complex emotions (that she can't always pinpoint) towards her friends, family, and school. Eventually, she finds her own and her voice, speaking up for what matters to her, so this novel is full of great lessons for students with engagement at the forefront.
Meadows' novel follows Virginia and her middle school life navigating social media, friendship, romance, family dynamics, and what it means to be herself. Virginia faces a dilemma when she realizes her friends aren't actually her friends and they blast her over social media. I found this novel pertinent to the modern plight of social media with middle grade students - that desire to fit in, thrown together with access to technology and sharing with a whim, leads to consequences that students will inevitably face in their lives (nothing on the internet disappears, right?).
When your private communications are shared and you're connecting with a stranger online, interesting outcomes happen! I appreciated how Meadows writes with the middle schooler in mind - Virginia has complex emotions (that she can't always pinpoint) towards her friends, family, and school. Eventually, she finds her own and her voice, speaking up for what matters to her, so this novel is full of great lessons for students with engagement at the forefront.
October 7, 2025
“You have to understand [the world] to mess around with it—unless you want to break gravity or something.”
Initial impressions of Confessions from the Group Chat were a bit tepid for me, if I’m being honest. This is an easy read, overall, and rather easy to get into, but it did take some time for me to grow invested. When I was finally invested, though, boy was I invested. As an educator, I cannot adequately express how important books like this are and how thrilled I am that Jodi Meadows was so on point with it.
I think the most important aspect of this novel lies in the truths of adolescence, peer pressure, desire to fit in, mistakes, and how much learning how to grow is an integral part of being a young teen. There is little question in my mind about whether or not this is a recommendable book—in fact, it’s one of the most recommendable books I’ve had the pleasure to read and I cannot wait for the day I’m able to grab a copy for one of my students.
The thing is—I think we have all, at one point or another, fallen into the trap of making mistakes at this age. And navigating the world when we’re in the midst of those waves, while it may look different for everyone, almost always exists as something near existential for teenagers. I’d argue that understanding these experiences is one of the most integral aspects of growing up. Confessions from the Group Chat offers a very real and fortunately safe way to explore potential fallout from mistakes but also how to work through them and come out a better person in the end.
Combining golden sibling expectations and comparisons with the experiences of peer pressure and actually being the bully in the clever way Meadows did was a masterclass in narrative craft. Main character, Virginia Vaughn, has a lot on her plate to navigate when faced with the internal conscience and frustration that creates a massive falling out with her friends and offers her the first mirror to not only her ex-friends’ behaviors but to her own as well. Confessions from the Group Chat is an expert study in understanding yourself, learning from mistakes, taking responsibility, and dedicating oneself to self-improvement.
It’s the sort of book every teenager can learn from, the kind of story we definitely need more of.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2025
@unicornwarlord has done it again! Thank you Jodi Meadows, @holidayhousebks, @netgalley for an early read of Confessions From the Group Chat that comes out October 21st. I loved this story. I loved that it showed the meaning of true friendships. The reality that it is ok to walk away from someone that does not have your best interests in mind. That the bully never wins, and don’t be afraid of that bully. And I loved that it showed you never know what someone is really going through, and that we all have struggles. This story is warm, inviting, and tugged on the heart strings. I would recommend this to anyone that has a young one going through a rough patch at school. To anyone that has a young reader that loves to read and loves a good book. Definitely 5 Stars in my eyes.
August 20, 2025
Confessions From the Group Chat is a sweet book about friendship, loyalty and the consequences of gossip and bullying. Virginia is a thirteen year old middle school student trying to fit in. When she gets into a verbal fight with the queen mean girl, every unkind thing she had ever said in their group chat is published on social media. She finds herself ostracized from almost the entire school. An unexpected text from a stranger starts her on a journey of self-discovery. Confessions has all of the feels: angst, humor, romance. It is a squeaky clean read appropriate for any grade.
I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
September 17, 2025
What a fabulous book to show kids the dangers of posting online and even in group chats! Those things can always be screenshotted and live on forever on the internet. I absolutely loved this take in teaching this lesson. The texting format is a big hit with students so I'm certain many of them will enjoy this book! The romance was also cute and not forced at all. In reality would they end up together? Would he forgive her? Probably not, but it's a book and it's a rom com so of course they do! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy, it was a blast!
August 14, 2025
Virginia's friends aren't always nice, but they're her friends. Until the day they turn on her and start posting her mean texts from the group chat to a public message board. She is mortified--and ashamed of herself for having joined in their meanness--but there is nothing she can do to make it better. Her only solace is her anonymous text-based friendship with a boy her age. And then even that goes wrong--or at least very weird.
Relatable middle-school drama.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Relatable middle-school drama.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2025
4.5 ⭐ - I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The cover really caught my interest and I'm thankful I was approved to read this ARC! I loved the characters. I think Virginia's sister was my favorite. Based on how Virginia described Victoria at the start, I thought she was going to be rude and awful, but she was the complete opposite. The only thing I didn't like was the MG romance, because it doesn't hit the same as YA. I think it would have been better if Virginia and Grayson stayed (best) friends.
The cover really caught my interest and I'm thankful I was approved to read this ARC! I loved the characters. I think Virginia's sister was my favorite. Based on how Virginia described Victoria at the start, I thought she was going to be rude and awful, but she was the complete opposite. The only thing I didn't like was the MG romance, because it doesn't hit the same as YA. I think it would have been better if Virginia and Grayson stayed (best) friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2025
Why is everything Jodi Meadows writes so charming? I don’t read a ton of midgrade, but the writing on these doesn't make you feel like they are only for kids. There's something about them that makes them relatable even though the characters are only 13.
Took me a minute to get past the second-hand embarrassment from the first bit, but once the MC was away from her toxic friends, I loved her.
Recommended.
Took me a minute to get past the second-hand embarrassment from the first bit, but once the MC was away from her toxic friends, I loved her.
Recommended.
July 29, 2025
What a fun and adorable middle school romance! Great cover, wonderful characters, lots of social drama, and a nice dose of digital responsibility thrown in. I didn’t realize this was a companion book to Meadows’ “Bye Forever I Guess” which was also swoon-worthy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews