Lauren looked at her friends and held up her glass. “To us,” she said. And they clinked, knowing they deserved it, and knowing that no matter how badly they messed up, they were trying. And that was what mattered.

Acknowledgments

The writing and revising of this novel occurred at a very strange time in history—COVID-19, so much social unrest, and everything else that 2020 threw at us. As I wrote this story, much of the world felt unstable, uncertain, and in flux, though as a result, I felt even more inspired to acknowledge the struggles of motherhood and how it’s not always about being the “best” or “perfect” but accepting where you’re at and cutting yourself some slack. And I can’t thank my team at Dutton for following and supporting me through this journey. That includes my fantastic editor, Maya Ziv, her assistant and co-reader, Hannah Feeney, copy editor Andrea Monagle, production editor Alice Dalrymple, Caroline Payne and Rebecca Odell on the marketing/PR team, and my amazing book jacket designer, Dominique Jones.

Thanks also to Andy McNicol at WME for guiding me to tell this story, Laura Bonner for seeing it through in its end stages, and Richard Abate at 3 Arts for your continued support. Also, enormous thanks to Alice Gorelick for your careful read for Andrea. And thanks to the many moms I spoke with who shared their parenting ups and downs, whether it be close friends, social media connections, or wise words I listened to on the many, many fabulous parenting podcasts out there in the world. A big thanks to my own mother, Mindy, for providing an exemplary motherhood guide and endless love, and to my husband, Michael, for giving me space to write this during a very stressful time in all our lives. And thanks to my kids, Kristian and Henry, because without you, I wouldn’t be as versed in this world. What on earth would I be writing about?

And also, a big hug to mothers far and wide. It’s tough to be a parent these days—especially in the past year. But seriously, you’re doing great.

About the Author

SARA SHEPARD is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series. She has also written other young adult series and novels, including The Lying Game, The Heiresses, and The Perfectionists.

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