Gridley Girls ― A True Life Novel

They are the Gridley Girls, now and forever.Meg Monahan is hosting the wedding of her best friend, Anne Calzaretta, while still keeping a secret she’s not prepared to face, let alone share.In 1978, Meg, Anne, Jennifer, and Tonya were known as “The Group" in their rural town of Gridley, California. Now living professional lives in Sacramento, they discover that in many ways they are still trapped by their high school reputations. Fourteen-year-old Meg kept a secret journal she called The Virgin Diaries about her life as a Gridley Girl. Torn between her half-Mormon upbringing and her yearning for adventure, she felt like she just might lose her mind. Anne seemed to have everything: captivating good looks, and an athletic body that excelled at everything from cheerleading to field hockey to swimming. But she, too, had a secret. Jennifer Cone, a girl-next-door blonde, was every parent’s dream. A nearly perfect Mormon girl raised in a strict, religious home, she was also Meg’s only safe confidante at school. Tonya Cena, a gorgeous self-described “Afri-Mex-Italian,” was the alpha female of “The Group.” Her larger-than-life personality kept the other girls in line during conflict. On the eve of Anne’s wedding, Meg and Anne flash back to their high school years. Anne remembers their freshman year of 1979 as an easier time, but Meg, still haunted by her betrayal of Anne’s trust, has very different memories of that time. In her debut novel, the first in a series based on true events, Meredith First tells a timeless story about the bonds of friendship, loss, betrayal, and the forgiveness that is within everyone. There is a Gridley Girls Glossary of 1970s pop culture terms at the end of this book.