Review: "Let's Never Speak of This Again" by Megan Williams

Let's Never Speak of This Again by Megan Williams
Published August 2023 via Text Publishing
★★★★

For Abby, teenagedom feels uncertain—she has supportive friends and family, and she's proud of her place as the youngest member of the school netball team, but (she's a teenager, and) that doesn't always mean she feels like she fits in, and a new girl at school compounds her uncertainty.

I read this partly for the cover and partly because it promised a story more about friendship than about romance, and I thirst for platonic friendship stories. It delivers: it's an understated story, and it's best not to go in if you're looking for something fast-paced with a lot of action...but for coming-of-age wrestling with what it means to have old friends and new friends, and how to support friends through hard things, it's great. One of my favorite moments comes early on, after Abby unknowingly kisses her cousin's cousin, and she's squicked out but not ashamed—she's ready to turn it into a cringey story for her friends. And later, when things get difficult, I love that she tries but also often does or says the wrong thing. She's still figuring it out.

I've said it over and over, but we need more stories like this—ones where romance might be a factor, but it's not the point of the book or the central part of the protagonist's life. Again, look for this when you want something quieter, but I love this sort of thoughtful, relatable thing where the intensity of friendship takes the center stage.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.