Bye Forever, I Guess

Eevin Hartsough’s narration is the secret sauce here, turning Ingrid’s internal monologue into something you can feel in your ribs. She nails the difference between Ingrid’s brittle public voice—often a monotone with razor-thin edges—and the giddy, rapid-fire energy of her online persona, delivered like she’s reading a Discord chat aloud. The pacing is relentless in the best way; Meadows’ humor lands hard, especially in Ingrid’s self-deprecating gaming commentary, but the quieter moments—like Ingrid’s stilted conversations with her uncle or the awkward math-class interactions—have a weight that lingers. If there’s a misstep, it’s in the supporting cast, whose personalities occasionally blur together, making some side conflicts feel less urgent than Ingrid’s internal spiral. Still, Hartsough’s performance makes even the flattest background characters feel like real kids you’ve met at summer camp. My only real critique? The ending resolves a little too neatly, though given the book’s themes, I’m willing to suspend disbelief for the catharsis. A standout listen for anyone who’s ever felt like they were performing a version of themselves for the wrong audience.