Acknowledgments

Thank you to Mum and Dad for your love and support and for always being there. You taught me to never give up.

Special thanks to my amazing friend, Ellie Henshaw, for the brainstorming, editing, motivational chats and endless hot chocolates. My book wouldn’t have made it this far without you.

Thank you to friend and writing tutor, Alison May, for all your encouragement and wisdom. And to my mentor, Jonathan Eyers, for your time and insight.

Thank you to Katie Fforde for believing in me. Your bursary gave me hope that one day I might make it.

Huge thanks to all my friends in the RNA, who taught me that a writer is never truly alone. And to my dear friends Abhi, Vicky, Katie, Linda, Kath McGurl, Josie Boham and Diane Saxon for sticking with my endless conversations about fictional people.

And to Ahl, the best bubble mate a girl could have.

Thank you to Lucy for the beach walks that kept me sane through lockdowns and beyond. And to all my wonderful colleagues for being such an amazing cheering squad.

And finally, thank you to my wonderful editor, Emily Ruston, for having faith in my writing and being so enthusiastic and supportive of this novel. And to all the team at Boldwood Books for making my seemingly impossible dream become a reality.