Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank YOU, delightful reader, for picking up this book. You’ve affected my life in an incredible way, playing an integral part in my dream come true, and I’m eternally grateful.

Thanks to Kim Lionetti, my incredible agent, for giving me a dream career that you constantly make better. You are more than I ever knew I needed.

Jessi Smith, my editor—the vision you have for books is nothing short of remarkable, and I’m so lucky to have worked with you. You make my thoughts and words SO. MUCH. BETTER, and I’m BEYOND thankful for your expertise.

To all the talented folks at SSBFYR and S&S Canada—Marketing and Digital Marketing, Publicity, Sales, Education & Library, Subsidiary Rights, Production, Supply Chain—thank you so much for the incredible work you’ve done on this book. Liz Casal and Sarah Creech—thank you for another swoony cover that I love so much. Morgan York and Sara Berko—thank you for overseeing the nuts and bolts of the process and making sure the story became an actual book!

Thank you to my Berklete friends for letting me join your gang and hang out with you all the time (aka group chat). You’ve made the highs higher and the lows less low, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.

Thanks to all the Bookstagrammers, TikTokkers, YouTubers, and bloggers; you’re out here doing incredible work for zero compensation, and I’m really not sure what we’ve done to deserve you. You are talented, amazing creators, and I cannot thank you enough for every single thing that you do in the name of books. Haley Pham, I adore you and your delightful followers.

Lori Anderjaska—you’re the coolest badass in SW Omaha; thank you for being my 402 editor and for lending me your children’s names.

Also—thanks to Taylor Swift, for writing songs that feel like books.

And the fam:

Mom—you’re amazing and I love you more than words. I wouldn’t have THIS without you.

Dad—I miss you every day.

Cass, Ty, Matt, Joey and Kate—thank you for being incredible human beings who make me proud and crack me up. I think you’re all super cool, but that’s probably just because I built you.

AND KEVIN:

Thank you for accepting that my happy place is often alone in a room with my computer. Thank you for accepting that I suck at the domestic arts, and that I only bring six recipes to this relationship (I still can’t believe that number). Every love interest I write is inspired by you, because every love interest should be thoughtful, respectful, sarcastic, kind, and really freaking hilarious. You are by far my favorite human, and I don’t deserve you.