Leah Patterson

Printed in bold type, the name taken from the car registration papers and the driving license in my pocket that night.

Tom kisses my cheek. “Is it over?” he asks.

To be honest it will never be over. I see her everywhere I look and hear her name on the lips of everyone I care about. I will forever bear the weight of the loss of her.

My perfect twin.

Acknowledgments

Firstly, a huge thank you for reading this novel. Megan was my constant companion during the craziness of 2020, and I am thrilled to be able to share her story with you.

Writing these acknowledgments in May 2021, just as restrictions are being lifted, feels very strange. I wrote this whole book in lockdown and have still not actually met most of you in real life. But what this period has missed in physical interactions has been compensated for by the huge network of individuals I have met online over this time. Thank you to all the other writers, book bloggers, reviewers and readers who have offered me their support and friendship; I am hugely appreciative to have found my “tribe.”

A huge thank you to my agent extraordinaire, Hannah Sheppard, whose enthusiasm for the book blew me away, and who gave me the courage to write the ending it deserved. You have been the greatest champion an author could wish for and I am so thankful to be part of the DHH Literary family.

Next, thank you to Sara Adams, whose editorial wizardry brought the book to the next level. Working with you has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you also to the wider team at Hodder Studio; to Kwaku, Grace, Jacqui, Taliha, Kate and Callie to name but a few. And to Alex Logan and the team at Grand Central for helping to bring Her Perfect Twin to U.S. readers.

A massive shout-out to my friends and former colleagues for your support, advice and generally for not telling me I was a lunatic for thinking I could write a novel. Special mention to Bronwen, Mo, Eamonn, Jennifer, Sally, Theresa, Wouter, Wendy, and everyone else who read the early drafts of my nonsense!

To Marie Henderson for offering me your feedback and words of wisdom right from the start of my writing attempts. Without you I doubt I would have had the confidence to write this book, let alone to send it out into the big wide world. I owe you a LOT of wine when we can finally go to Harrogate together!

Huge thank you to my family: to Bill for your sage advice, to Dad for always making me believe I could do anything, and to the Bonners for your support and encouragement. To Mum, you have been the most amazing alpha-reader and cheerleader. Thank you for reading every single draft and offering me your advice, comments and grammatical expertise; I couldn’t have done it without you!

To my lovely husband for keeping me sane throughout the strangest year of our lives, and for giving me the freedom to chase my crazy dream of publication. And finally, thank you Lily, for insisting I take regular breaks for walkies and trips to the park. You’re the best goofy furball in the world.