This book has been in my head for years. This book took me so many false starts to begin. In so many ways, Good Enough is me. Riley is me. So thank you, reader, for reading. Thank you for letting Riley’s story into your minds and your hearts. If you are struggling with an eating disorder yourself, thank you for fighting. Thank you for pushing back against the “never enough” culture we are steeped in. Thank you for being you.
My deepest gratitude to my editors, Jean Feiwel, Christine Barcellona, and Val Otarod, whose insight, intellect, and sensitivity helped to shape this book. Your feedback was always spot-on, and you helped make Riley and her peers into fully formed people.
Thank you to Brianne Johnson, my amazing agent, whose energy and enthusiasm for this business, for writing, and for story buoys me. Bri, you are such a great advocate, cheerleader, and friend, and I’m so glad to have you by my side.
So many thanks to the amazing team at Macmillan Children’s and Feiwel & Friends, who helped with so many aspects of this book. Kelsey Marrujo, you are a force of nature, and I’m so grateful to have you as my publicist. I am so honored to work with the talented Liz Dresner, who did the amazing cover and interior design, and with Romy Blümel, who did the cover art and perfectly captured the eyes that Riley feels are on her. More thanks to Melissa Zar, my amazing marketing talent; Jessica White, who proofread this manuscript; Bethany Reis, eagle-eye copy editor; Raymond Ernesto Colón, production manager; and Alexei Esikoff, managing editor.
No one should travel this publishing and writing journey alone, and I am incredibly lucky to have the Electric Eighteens group behind me for advice, laughs, and commiseration. Cindy Baldwin, Jenn Bishop, Cory Eckert, and Pam Styles read early drafts of this book and sent me valuable feedback. Sarah Hollowell did a much-appreciated sensitivity read on this manuscript, and I thank her for her time and valuable feedback. Rachel Simon was there every step of the way and is my sounding board, a cheerleader, and a friend. Katherine Applegate, thank you for your support and kindness.
A huge hug to my best friends, Kate Averett, Jena DiPinto, and Pam Styles, who are there every second of the day and night, listen to every neurotic thought in my head, and shower me with love. You girls are my forever sisters.
Thank you to the teachers and librarians who have embraced and recommended P.S. I Miss You, especially Erica Redner-Danzig. People like you, who encourage a culture of learning and literacy and help place the right book in a student’s hand, will help to change the world. Thank you to my readers, for embracing Evie and embracing me.
Thank you to my family for a lifetime of support, encouragement, and love. I am so lucky to have you—I don’t have enough pages to name you all but you are in my heart.
An immense note of gratitude to the staff of Walden Behavioral Care and Laurel Hill Inn, especially Linda McDonald and Tenley Prince. You helped me navigate my own recovery and I would not be here without all of you.
Above all, thank you to my amazing husband, Brian, and my daughters, Ellie and Lucy. I am so proud to be a writer, but I am even prouder to be a wife and a mom. Brian, you are my best friend and you never stop convincing me that I am enough. You three challenge me, support me, and fill my life with love, laughter, and silliness. Everything I went through led me here, and I couldn’t be more grateful.