Bye Forever, I Guess

Ingrid’s online persona is more popular than she is. IRL, she’s the quiet one—until a wrong-number text message offers her a chance at connection. Can this guarded gamer girl lower her shield for a new friend… or more-than-friend? Thirteen-year-old Ingrid’s been living a double life. At school, she’s the Girl With Dead Parents, her popular friend Rachel’s charity case. In her online fandoms, she can be her own person: one who’s constantly talking to her long-distance BFF Lorren, crushing it at her favorite MMORPG, and geeking out over her favorite book series. But when Ingrid stands up to Rachel and “starts drama” at school, it suddenly feels like she has no life at all (and nowhere to sit at lunch). Until she gets a wrong-number text from another gamer. . . and everything starts to go right. Guarded, prickly Ingrid isn’t quick to trust, but spending time together playing Ancient Tomes Online as “Stitches” and “Traveler” makes Ingrid feel like she can lay down her sword of standoffishness. But when she starts to suspect that Traveler may be a student at her school, she faces a difficult choice. Can she open up when getting close to people has hurt her before? Or is making friends only fantasy after all? A fresh, funny, and vibrant middle-grade debut from NYT bestselling author Jodi Meadows, 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.