TBH Books in Order

The TBH series is built around a format that makes a lot of sense for middle school, texts, emojis, notes, and the constant buzz of phones. The books start with Cece, Gabby, and Prianka, three longtime friends who are used to thinking of themselves as a tight little unit. Then a new girl, Victoria, gets pulled into their orbit, and the series becomes partly about what happens when a closed group has to open up.

The group chat is basically the setting.

The first book, TBH, This Is So Awkward, kicks things off with a hurtful message, a bullying scare, and a serious test of loyalty. That early conflict tells you what kind of series this is. Greenwald is interested in the fast, messy way middle school problems spread when everybody is texting, reacting, screenshotting, or guessing what someone really meant. A dance, a party, or a school event can turn into a crisis in about three minutes.

From there, the books keep moving through school years and summers. There are crushes, spring fairs, Spirit Week, camp plans, leadership projects, gossip, family stress, snooping parents, volunteer work, and too many secrets to keep straight. Later books widen the friendship circle and let other characters step forward, including Victoria and Vishal. That gives the series room to explore how a friend group changes over time instead of pretending the original trio can stay exactly the same forever.

One of the smartest things about TBH is that the format is not just a gimmick. Because so much happens through messages, the girls can be brave in text and awkward in person, or funny in one chat and lonely five minutes later. Misunderstandings flare up fast. So do apologies. The books feel quick because the pages move quickly, but the emotions underneath are familiar and real: jealousy, exclusion, embarrassment, pressure, and the fear that your best friends might be changing without you.

The later books deepen that arc. The girls start trying new activities, meeting new people, and taking on bigger questions about leadership, fairness, and who gets heard. By the final book, TBH, I Don’t Want to Say Good-bye, the possibility of a move means the group has to face a problem no clever text chain can fix. That gives the whole series a real beginning, middle, and end.

If you want middle grade friendship stories that feel current without losing heart, this series delivers. It is funny, fast, and very readable, but it also knows that behind every casual message is a kid trying to figure out where she belongs.