As the amazing sister I am, I also want to thank CJ and Aaron, two supremely loving and patient husbands to my sisters. CJ, thank you for answering my calls at random hours of the day to answer bizarre medical questions with no context and for not assuming I’m a crazy serial killer. For the last decade, you have been the brother I always wished for and the brother I never wanted. Aaron, you might not have been in my life for as long, but you are just as important, and I’m so grateful to you for all you’ve done for my sister and our family.

I’m eternally grateful to my awe-inspiring grandparents, Nena and Gaga. Not many people are lucky enough to have grandparents as incredible as you two and very few have the chance to spend so much time with them. Nena, I will always cherish our Monday night dinners. I am honored to be your granddaughter. Gaga, you are my partner forever. You perhaps saw my potential and talent before anyone else, and you were my first reader, editor, and fan. I believe the day I realized I would never stop writing is when you handed me my first printed manuscript of the truly horrendous book, Crystal Clear, filled with annotations and told me never to stop imagining new worlds. I miss you every day.

Without the friendship, support, influence, and feedback from all my incredible friends, this book would not exist. There are far too many people to list, but I must individually thank a few. Zoe, you’re my person. You will always be my person. I’m sorry I named those characters after you and Josh.

Cat, I’m so thankful for you. On one of the hardest days of my life you said, “Don’t worry, this is just a chapter in your future autobiography,” and I remember that every day.

Emily, Dakota, and Lea Nell, thank you for being this book’s first readers. Mollee, LJ, Terri, and Madeline, you’ve kept me writing and reading and imagining in the hardest years of my life. Thank you. And never stop writing; the world needs all of your voices.

Some may laugh at this, but thank you to my dog, Teddy Lupin. You’ve not only kept me sane, but you saved my life, gave me purpose when life felt hopeless, and made me smile when I didn’t think I had any reason to.

Having an idea and turning it into a decent novel is just as hard as it sounds, and the process would’ve been impossible without all of my incredible beta readers and editors. Specifically, Marni MacRae and Erin Healey, thank you for all your help and input. It means so much to me.

Dreams don’t become realities in a vacuum. They take hard work, dedication, and teamwork. I would not be experiencing the reality of my dream to be a published author without the amazing team at CamCat publishing. There are so many people behind a project like this and each and every member of this team has my eternal gratitude.