Thanks first must go to my wonderful agent, Rosemary Stimola, whose serendipity and skills brought this whole project together. Thanks to Liz Bicknell, Kaylan Adair, and everybody at Candlewick, Mara Bergman, and the Walker team—you’ve all been a debut author’s dream.
Thank you to my mum for never telling me to stop daydreaming and get a real job, for all those nights tirelessly helping me “research” Gilmore Girls, and for just being amazing. Thanks to my dad and sister for all their support. Thanks to Lauren Barnholdt—getting stuck in traffic with you that day made all the difference; Stu S. and Ned R. for the generous extension of couch privileges; Narmada T. for reading every draft of everything with unwavering enthusiasm; and finally, thanks to Kate S-B., Veronique W., and Dom P. for assorted fun times and putting up with all the book talk.