First and foremost, I would like to thank all my faithful readers. Your continued support—buying my books, borrowing them from libraries, and recommending them to friends—makes it possible for me to continue putting new stories into the world. This book only exists because of you.
There are several readers I must acknowledge in particular. Thank you to my critique partner Amy Giles, who provided invaluable feedback on this work. I’m also deeply indebted to the small army of Wattpad followers who served as my beta readers on the first draft of this book: Ermina Tajik, Reneilwe Masha, Maria Richmond, Kyle Chokas, Maya Jalukar, Tylinn Bronkhorst, Annie Bentley, Tora Ghosh, Sania Merchant, Sabaat Najeeb, Mariam Eqbal, Saba Gul, Siri Varshini, Anna Zhao, Nathaniel Luscombe, Amruta Gokhale, Angéline Lafleur, Spencer Hastings, Asmita Jakhmola, Tracy Duplantis, Ashley Childs, Llewellyn Jehu, Kaitlyn Miller, Anjali Patel, Kaylie Montgomery, Hannah Lipow, Anna Irwin, Rawan Tamer, Ana Carla Tovar Flores, Emily Rafferty, and Melissa Gong. A huge thank-you goes out to each and every one of you for your comments, your criticism, and your endless encouragement.
To my agent, Myrsini Stephanides, thank you for being by my side every step of the way. Your wise counsel has never steered me wrong. I’m also incredibly grateful to my editor, Kate Prosswimmer, for her insight and enthusiasm, and for everything she does to shepherd my words into the world. Thank you, Kate!
The entire Sourcebooks team deserves my deepest gratitude. Beth Oleniczak and the whole marketing and publicity group have done so much to make sure my books find their way into the hands of readers. My heartfelt thanks also goes out to Lauren Dombrowski and the production team who bring my stories to the printed page. Thank you all, and a word of thanks in particular to Vanessa Han, who designed the gorgeous cover.
Finally, I must take a moment to acknowledge my family: Helene, Alex, Ted, Debbie, Gail, Allan, Jeanne, and my children. I’m so grateful for your love and support. Above all, a resounding thank-you goes out to my husband, David, for his patience and his partnership in each new project I undertake. I couldn’t do it without you.