Tom Burne Has Left the Chat

A stunning new voice in YA, exploring grief and loneliness. Perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow and Adam Silvera.

“Wistful and unsettling, this raw, perceptive novel expertly captures the tension between digital perception and lived reality.”—Publishers Weekly starred review ⭐

This wasn’t my phone. This was real. Tom had died today, literally died, and here I was, picking through the digital carrion like some sort of virtual vulture.

When micro-influencer Tom Burne takes his own life, he leaves behind his phone, its password and a cryptic message that needs decoding.

Seventeen-year-old Jamie doesn’t intend to take the phone, but once he does, he knows it was meant for him. Fuelled by his own sense of isolation and the recent passing of his father, Jamie loses himself in uncovering the truth. The more he investigates the digital fragments contained within the phone, the deeper into Tom’s dark world he falls.

As his own grief resurfaces and with his mother pushing for them to move to a different country for a fresh start, Jamie has very little time to find out the harsh reality that led to Tom’s tragic end.

Can he clear Tom’s name before it is too late?

Author: Seán Farrelly
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Faber & Faber Children’s
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780571388219
Language: English