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Texts We Never Sent: The unmissable debut novel from the friendship of Ally & G
Not yet published
Expected 4 Jun 26An ode to female friendship and girlhood, this is the YA debut from YouTuber, podcaster and presenter, G. Forsyth Read, perfect for fans of
The Summer I Turned Pretty
and
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Nel, Flo, Maggie and Nicole haven’t been friends for years. Caught in the limbo summer between college and Uni, each of the girls are at a precipice, deciding the direction of the rest of their lives. That’s when the notifications come through. None of them remember the time-capsule text messages they sent each other two years ago. Messages full of confessions, feelings and secrets that force them back together again . . . before they break apart.
Shining a spotlight on themes of body image, sexuality, romance, unhealthy relationships and toxic shock syndromeFor readers aged 14+, this is coming-of-age contemporary fiction at its finestG. Forsyth Read is one half of the dynamic duo, Ally & G – hosts of Drive Thru Diaries (YouTube) and the Leave a Message podcast
Nel, Flo, Maggie and Nicole haven’t been friends for years. Caught in the limbo summer between college and Uni, each of the girls are at a precipice, deciding the direction of the rest of their lives. That’s when the notifications come through. None of them remember the time-capsule text messages they sent each other two years ago. Messages full of confessions, feelings and secrets that force them back together again . . . before they break apart.
Shining a spotlight on themes of body image, sexuality, romance, unhealthy relationships and toxic shock syndromeFor readers aged 14+, this is coming-of-age contemporary fiction at its finestG. Forsyth Read is one half of the dynamic duo, Ally & G – hosts of Drive Thru Diaries (YouTube) and the Leave a Message podcast
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 25, 2026
I fear I’m definitely not the target audience for this book now, but I would’ve ate. it. UP. as 13-year-old Teg 🍽️
It’s a lovely story about the up’s & down’s of friendship and how to help your girls through the hardships they may be facing.
There were a LOT of current pop culture references which I don’t love in a book as I don’t typicallyyyyy read to be reminded of the world - I want to escape it 😂 also I think those types of references in a book can make it become outdated quite quickly.
But other than that it was a very heartwarming read ❤️🩹
It’s a lovely story about the up’s & down’s of friendship and how to help your girls through the hardships they may be facing.
There were a LOT of current pop culture references which I don’t love in a book as I don’t typicallyyyyy read to be reminded of the world - I want to escape it 😂 also I think those types of references in a book can make it become outdated quite quickly.
But other than that it was a very heartwarming read ❤️🩹
May 28, 2026
This was a really nice palette cleanser. I kinda wished I listened as an audio book because I think it would’ve felt more like a podcast which is how I knew about this book. I really enjoy Ally & G and this book completely captures the humour from G that we see from her in her podcasts and videos. The wholesome friendships and maturing in this book for the 4 girls was lovely. Nicole’s storyline made me sad to
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I had this on pre-order but had to cancel it due to money problems so was thrilled to get sent an early copy.
I believe this is Forsyth-Read's debut novel, and it is a very promising one indeed. It bodes well for a fabulous career and I hope she brings out many more books in the years to come.
I loved this from the very start. It's got so much going for it. A fun plot, great storytelling, relatable characters. It's advertised as a YA book, but at 32, I really loved it.
It is so relatable and familiar. Our four main characters are so different and that way readers can hopefully see part of themselves in at least one of them. To have four teenage girls as main characters, they could have all merged into one and become stereotypes of teenage girls but they're so distinct. I feel we had more focus on some of them than others, but that's not a huge issue. They all have interesting stories individually, and they all work well together.
It's not shy at tackling tough topics - I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but you've got themes such as body image, young romance, sexuality, unhealthy relationships, and illness. Everything is handled so sensitively and it never gets overwhelming. A lot of children/YA books talk down to their readers, like they won't understand the tough topics. But Forsyth-Read believes her audience will understand and that it's important they learn about these tough things and learn that life isn't always easy, no matter your age.
It's billed as a YA book, and I think they will definitely like it, but don't let it put you off if you're an older adult, because it's still very enjoyable. Having said that, there were a lot of pop culture references and young chat where being dumped by a boy is the worst thing that could ever happen, so it may not always be relatable, but as someone in their 30s, I loved it.
It's really quick and easy to read. At over 350 pages it's not a short book, but it reads so well that I finished it in a matter of hours. It's so effortlessly written which makes it effortless to read.
It's definitely character heavy rather than plot. The plot itself is quite thin, so if you want a meaty plot, you need to look elsewhere. But for someone who prefers characters to plot, I thought it worked.
My one criticism is that this text capsule the girls make...I wish it was longer. They have this idea and then it's opened just 2 years later. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think it would have been stronger if there was a longer gap because two years doesn't feel long enough to really change that much.
I had this on pre-order but had to cancel it due to money problems so was thrilled to get sent an early copy.
I believe this is Forsyth-Read's debut novel, and it is a very promising one indeed. It bodes well for a fabulous career and I hope she brings out many more books in the years to come.
I loved this from the very start. It's got so much going for it. A fun plot, great storytelling, relatable characters. It's advertised as a YA book, but at 32, I really loved it.
It is so relatable and familiar. Our four main characters are so different and that way readers can hopefully see part of themselves in at least one of them. To have four teenage girls as main characters, they could have all merged into one and become stereotypes of teenage girls but they're so distinct. I feel we had more focus on some of them than others, but that's not a huge issue. They all have interesting stories individually, and they all work well together.
It's not shy at tackling tough topics - I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but you've got themes such as body image, young romance, sexuality, unhealthy relationships, and illness. Everything is handled so sensitively and it never gets overwhelming. A lot of children/YA books talk down to their readers, like they won't understand the tough topics. But Forsyth-Read believes her audience will understand and that it's important they learn about these tough things and learn that life isn't always easy, no matter your age.
It's billed as a YA book, and I think they will definitely like it, but don't let it put you off if you're an older adult, because it's still very enjoyable. Having said that, there were a lot of pop culture references and young chat where being dumped by a boy is the worst thing that could ever happen, so it may not always be relatable, but as someone in their 30s, I loved it.
It's really quick and easy to read. At over 350 pages it's not a short book, but it reads so well that I finished it in a matter of hours. It's so effortlessly written which makes it effortless to read.
It's definitely character heavy rather than plot. The plot itself is quite thin, so if you want a meaty plot, you need to look elsewhere. But for someone who prefers characters to plot, I thought it worked.
My one criticism is that this text capsule the girls make...I wish it was longer. They have this idea and then it's opened just 2 years later. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think it would have been stronger if there was a longer gap because two years doesn't feel long enough to really change that much.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
this book was so wholesome. I went on such an emotional rollercoaster with these four girls and the various things they were dealing with.
this book was written in a way that created four distinct and real voices for each of the girls and really allowed for you to connect to them and feel for them. although it’s now 3 years since I’ve been 18, there were certain feelings that I could still remember feeling and was able to relate to. even with situations that weren’t personally applicable to me, the overarching exploration of girlhood and friendship and navigating those years of change enabled this relatability throughout.
I really grew to care for these girls and was rooting for them in every way. seeing their journeys and also how they rebuilt their friendship was really heartwarming.
I loved how this book was set in my hometown too, it just made me chuckle to see certain places mentioned and being able to picture these places. definitely was a fun aspect of the book for me.
there were certain metaphors or just imagery in general which I found were unique. the way things were described made me smile and laugh in some instances as they were presented in a real, relatable way and added to the lighthearted moments to the book.
overall this was such a fun and wholesome read and I really enjoyed reading it.
I’d also like to say thank you to the team at the Simon & Schuster stand at London Book Fair for gifting me this ARC! I’m so grateful to have come away from the fair with such a cute proof!
this book was written in a way that created four distinct and real voices for each of the girls and really allowed for you to connect to them and feel for them. although it’s now 3 years since I’ve been 18, there were certain feelings that I could still remember feeling and was able to relate to. even with situations that weren’t personally applicable to me, the overarching exploration of girlhood and friendship and navigating those years of change enabled this relatability throughout.
I really grew to care for these girls and was rooting for them in every way. seeing their journeys and also how they rebuilt their friendship was really heartwarming.
I loved how this book was set in my hometown too, it just made me chuckle to see certain places mentioned and being able to picture these places. definitely was a fun aspect of the book for me.
there were certain metaphors or just imagery in general which I found were unique. the way things were described made me smile and laugh in some instances as they were presented in a real, relatable way and added to the lighthearted moments to the book.
overall this was such a fun and wholesome read and I really enjoyed reading it.
I’d also like to say thank you to the team at the Simon & Schuster stand at London Book Fair for gifting me this ARC! I’m so grateful to have come away from the fair with such a cute proof!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Texts We Never Sent was such a beautifully written book about girlhood and female friendships, capturing the banter, tenderness and quiet heartbreak that comes with growing up.
I loved how all of the girls - Nel, Flo, Maggie and Nicole - had their own personal struggles and insecurities, making them feel incredibly real and layered. Each chapter was told from a different perspective, uncovering the complexities of their lives while showing how interconnected their friendship was.
There were so many relatable moments throughout the book (especially the British references) and I loved how girl power shone through! The four girls stuck together til the end and I loved how sweet their bond was 🥹
I loved how all of the girls - Nel, Flo, Maggie and Nicole - had their own personal struggles and insecurities, making them feel incredibly real and layered. Each chapter was told from a different perspective, uncovering the complexities of their lives while showing how interconnected their friendship was.
There were so many relatable moments throughout the book (especially the British references) and I loved how girl power shone through! The four girls stuck together til the end and I loved how sweet their bond was 🥹
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
truly one of the funniest sweetest most poignant books about teen girl friendship i have ever read
physical-arcs-proofs-to-read
May 12, 2026Can’t wait to read this!! Thank you so much S&S for the proof copy!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews