#MMBBR #BlogTourHost Gridley Girls by Meredith First @GoSparkPoint @MeredithFirst @BookSparks

Gridley Girls:

Sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward.

Meg Monahan feels like she was born to be a secret keeper. From the moment she became a peer counselor in high school, Meg has been keeping her friends secrets – from sordid family drama to their sex lives – that she never wanted to know. Flash forward to adulthood when Meg is a recruiter for the world’s hippest (and most paranoid) high-tech company – and now Meg is a professional secret keeper.

When sudden tragedy strikes before Meg hosts the wedding of her childhood BFF, Anne Calzaretta, the women are forced to face their past – and their secrets – in order to move on to their future.

In 1978, Meg, Anne, Jennifer, and Tonya were such close friends, they were known as “The Group” in their hometown of Gridley, California. But in ninth grade, their lives were changed forever. Loss, lies, and secrets separated them, but could not break their bonds of friendship.

Thirty years later, Meg and Anne reminisce about those days—dealing with parents, school, boys, sex, love, and betrayal. Anne remembers their freshman year as an easier time, but Meg, still feeling guilty about a betrayal of Anne’s trust, is haunted. Even now, Meg is keeping a secret she’s not prepared to face, let alone share.

In her debut novel, based on true events, Meredith First tells a timeless story about the bonds of friendship, loss, and betrayal—and the forgiveness that is within everyone.

Can anyone really keep a secret forever?

Meredith First:

Meredith First left an insanely great recruiting career with Apple, Inc. to write the books that had been haunting her dreams — stories for anyone who survived high school with a little help from their friends. Meredith grew up in Gridley, California, and after studying abroad at the University of London, she received a B.A. in Broadcasting from Oregon State University.  She is is hard at work on the second book in the Gridley Girls series, due out in 2016.  10% of all profits of her book sales will be donated to organizations that yelp young people who struggle with issues she experienced.

I adored this book.  It is a book about growing up, friendship, small towns and so much more.  The characters so real that you cannot help but remember all your own personal experiences while you read about the girls exploring being a teenager and beyond.  I laughed out loud, cried a bit here and there and was really moved by the story.   This "real life novel" is one not to be missed.  4.5 stars