Meredith First left an insanely great recruiting career with Apple, Inc. to write books for anyone who survived high school with a little help from friends.  After studying abroad at the University of London, she received a BA in communications/broadcasting from Oregon State University.  Through the donation of 10 percent of the profits of the Gridley Girls series to children’s charities, she hopes to help people who struggle with issues similar to those experienced in her books.  First lives with her family in Minneapolis and Sacramento and is hard at work on Gridley Girls Reunited, the second of the Gridley Girls series.

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

 Meg Monahan 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 dramas to stories about their sex lives—secrets that she never wanted to know. Flash forward to adulthood, and Meg is now a recruiter for the world’s hippest (and most paranoid) high-tech company—she 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 with their lives. Thirty years after loss, lies, and secrets separated them, Meg and Anne reminisce about the days when they, along with their friends Jennifer and Tonya, were so close that they were known as “The Group” in their hometown. Anne remembers their freshman year as an easier time, but Meg, still feeling guilty about a betrayal of Anne’s trust, is haunted about 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?