On Saturday, I finished reading Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows. This romance is about Ingrid Ant, an eighth grade girl who who plays a video game with an online friend, Lorren, and runs an anonymous social media account about wrong number texts. While deciding that she doesn't want to be friends with her best friend, Rachel, anymore, a new family moves to Ingrid's hometown of Deer Hill with two children, Oliver and Alyx, who are in the same grade as Ingrid. After she receives a text that was originally intended for Rachel, Ingrid continues texting with the boy on the other end and a connection forms between the two. She and Lorren even invite him to join their guild in the video game that all three of them play. Meanwhile, Ingrid is unsure if she wants to be friends with Oliver because he originally seemed friendly with Rachel. Although she's scared of opening up and making a new IRL (in real life) friend, as she grows closer with the mysterious texter, who goes by Traveler in the world of their video game, and shares her love of a fantasy book series with Oliver, she begins to wonder if she'll have to make a choice between the two.
This book was the most perfect non-fantasy romance I've read in a long, long time. I absolutely adored Ingrid, Oliver, and Lorren and wanted to be friends with them. I especially loved how the universe kept bringing Ingrid and Oliver together even when she was pushing him away because she thought he joined Rachel's friend group. I was definitely rooting for Ingrid and Oliver to realize that they should be friends or something more, especially because I had no doubt in my mind of the plot twist in this story. The ending was the absolute best and I could not have asked for more. I don't want to spoil too much, but not only did Ingrid form a real romantic connection, she was able to stand up for herself when she finally had to confront Rachel face-to-face. It made me so giddy. I also liked the references to geek culture, including video gaming and the power of a great fantasy series to bring people together. Anyone who enjoys romance should read Bye Forever, I Guess because it's so sweet, funny, and charming.
