Acknowledgments

Stephanie Stein: Everyone talks about how hard the second book is to write; I was still more or less blindsided. Thank you for sticking with me through this year. Thank you for asking me the right questions and pushing me, all while being such a gentle cheerleader. This book is just about what I hoped it would be, and so much of that is down to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Elana Roth Parker: You respond to every panicked text, every minutiae-laden email. I appreciate you more than I can say. Thank you for coaching me through debut year. Here’s to many more wonderful years of working together.

Laura Dail Literary Agency, especially Laura Dail and Samantha Fabien: You guys are champs. Absolute pros. I’m so grateful to have you all looking out for me.

Team Beholder/Boundless at HarperCollins, including the tireless Louisa Currigan, Jon Howard, Gwen Morton, Erica Ferguson, Kimberly Stella, Vanessa Nuttry, Kadeen Griffiths, Kris Kam, Caitlin Garing, Michael D’Angelo, Jane Lee, and Tyler Breitfeller: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for fixing the details of this book that escaped me. YOU are the reason I can relax when I start panicking in the middle of the night. Thank you for telling readers about this story that means so much to me and writing copy for its cover. Thank you for arranging events and taking photographs and making audiobooks happen. You guys made my dreams come true. I am so thankful.

Chris Kwon, Alison Donalty, and the folks at Vault49: Your talent is such a gift and it absolutely astounds me. Thank you for making The Boundless look as magical and beautiful as it feels in my heart.

Natalia Morozova: Спасибо for answering my endless Russian and Ukrainian language questions and for your translation of the proverb. You have saved me so much frustration, and I am deeply grateful. Tom Thomson and Dr. Seamus Reilly: Many, many thanks for your aid with Irish Gaelic. Sally Anderson, for answering my French language questions: Merci, darling. As always, any errors are entirely my own.

Sasha, Sabrina Egan, and the rest of the Compass Georgetown staff: Thank you for the coffee and daily kind welcomes as I wrote this book. I appreciate you so much.

Brigid Kemmerer: Thank you for talking me out of every panic attack that had me knocking at your door. You are a good friend and a good person, and I’m so thankful to have you for a friend. Lizzy Mason, Katy Loutzenhiser, Sara Faring: It’s been a joy to be a human life raft with you guys. I’m so proud of us. Katie Blair: I didn’t expect the year to bring me you. But I’m so, so grateful it did. I love you, friend.

Anna and Sally, my Jelly Babies; Lei’La’ Bryant, my Soulsie; #TeamElana (and especially Lily Meade, for your endless cheerleading and graphics wizardry); Abbey and Erin; and Eileen, Lelia, Rebecca, Rosie, Amanda, Lauren, Trish, Sally, Taylor, Amber, and Jeremiah, my One More Page family: Thank you for all your support and friendship and for helping me survive this year. I wouldn’t have made it without you.

Grace Downtown’s Georgetown CG: Thank you for being home to me. I love you all so much.

Stephinephrine, Laura, Jensy, Joanna, and Hannah, my Pod: I never feel alone, knowing you guys are there. You are my small, constant joy. I love you all.

Dormineys, Shafers, Gardners, Sernas, Andersons, Simkinses, Burkhalters, Stiglishes, Hayeses, Bischoffs: I am unimaginably lucky to have you, especially my Mamaw, Grandmother and Granddaddy (Washing Machine), Momma and Daddy, Zack, Chelsie, Cohen, and Callan. Y’all are every good thing in my life. Thank you.

Wade: Thank you for never letting go. Thank you for being with me through every magical day, every meltdown, every disappointment and adventure and hard slog. You’re the person I want to do it all with. I love you.

To my Father: All glory to you. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, amen, alleluia.