Gridley Girls (ePub)

While most people start high school as virgins, few finish as one. Meg Monahan is hosting the wedding of her dreams for her best friend, Anne Calzaretta, while also keeping a secret she's not prepared to face, let alone share. On the eve of the wedding, Meg and Anne flash back to high school in 1978 rural Gridley, California, when things seemed so much easier to Anne. Meg remembers things weren't easier, as she has to confront her betrayal of Anne, her ultimate forgiveness and her ability to move on with her life. The Group, as they have been called since middle school, have been friends forever. Now living professional lives in Sacramento, they flashback to life in 1978 rural Gridley, California, where they discover they never really escaped their high school. Fourteen-year-old Meg Monahan keeps a journal she refers to as The Virgin Diaries, where she recounts her life as a Gridley Girl. When Meg is chosen to be a peer counselor, she is confronted with a new romance of her own, and her peers coming to her for advice on taboo subjects that Meg feared the most. Enough to scare any girl, but religiously confused, half-Mormon Meg loses her mind. Some would say literally. AnneMarie Calzaretta is the girl who has everything: dark good looks, a perfect body and athleticism that went from cheerleading to field hockey to swimming. There was nothing she couldn't do. It all came crashing down when she discovered Meg betrayed her by sharing the most important secret of her life. The blond, girl-next-door, Jennifer Cone is every parents dream. A near perfect Mormon girl, she is raised in a very strict, religious household. As Meg's only safe confidante, Jennifer is in a very difficult position attempting to navigate life in high school. Tonya Cena, the self-described "e;Afri-Mex-Italian"e; is the alpha female of The Group. Her larger than life personality is the only thing that surpasses her beauty as she helps keep the girls in line during conflict. In her debut novel, Meredith First captures life in 1978 rural California as only a real Gridley Girl can. With the Gridley Girls Glossary to Seventies Pop Culture, at the end of the book, she defines a generation in which everyone can relate. Her assertion that every girl has a virginity story that defines their personality is proven in each book of the series. Gridley Girls is a timeless story about the bonds of friendship, loss, betrayal and ultimate forgiveness that is within every human if they choose.