After the plane takes off and we’re soaring comfortably through the clouds, a flight attendant comes down the aisle pushing a beverage cart.

“I overheard you talking earlier,” she says in a conspiratorial tone. “I heard this is your honeymoon? Congratulations.”

“Oh, thank you!” I say.

“Can I offer you something bubbly to drink?” she asks.

“Sure, thank you so much.”

She takes two mini bottles of prosecco from the cart and hands them to us along with paper napkins.

“To our third date,” I chuckle quietly to Raj once she’s out of earshot.

He clinks his bottle against mine. “Cheers!” he says.

We both take celebratory swigs. The prosecco is sweet and fizzy; it’s exactly the right way to kick off our first trip together.

“Do you want to take a photo of this?” he asks. “I know you love to keep your followers updated.”

I consider it briefly, then shake my head. “Nah, let’s live in the moment.”

Acknowledgments

I’m so grateful to my agent, Allison Hunter, for encouraging this novel from the beginning. If not for her enthusiasm and support, this book would not exist! Clare Mao made this process so seamless. Janklow & Nesbit is a wonderful home for authors.

It was a pleasure to collaborate again with my editor, Kaitlin Olson. She brought this book to life with her savvy edits, eye for detail, and passion for jewelry. Many thanks to Lindsay Sagnette, Suzanne Donahue, James Iacobelli, Libby McGuire, Megan Rudloff, and Isabel DaSilva at Atria Books for making this book possible and for ensuring it falls into readers’ hands!

Thanks to Sinem Erkas for designing the gorgeous cover and to Willa Bennett for brainstorming the winning title. Together, they’re a perfect match.

I was inspired to write this novel after stumbling across talented jewelers with popular Instagram accounts. Thanks to Jillian and Tim Sassone of Marrow Fine for the inside scoop on what it’s really like to run a jewelry business.

Special thanks to Lucia Stacey, who lent her poem “September” and her stage name, Penelope Strangelight, to this book. I’m honored to print my favorite piece of poetry.

I’m very lucky to work among such a supportive, passionate group of people. Thanks to Bryan Goldberg, Kate Ward, Lindsay Mannering, Kylie McConville, Veronica Lopez, Iman Hariri-Kia, Caitlin Eadie, and everyone at Elite Daily.

The day I published Playing with Matches, I received a flood of questions from readers who wanted to know if and when I’d publish a second novel. I couldn’t get those readers’ words out of my head, and so Love at First Like was born. Thanks to everyone who sent kind messages and cheered me on.

Thanks to my friends for celebrating this book from the start: Alexia LaFata, Annie Kehoe, Dana Schwartz, Devon Albert-Stone, Emma Albert-Stone, Elyssa Goodman, Emily Raleigh, Kelsey Mulvey, Morgan Boyer, Roshan Berentes, and more.