Many thanks to Brenda Boyne, Donna Sorensen, my patient and supportive editor Susan Houlden and everyone at the O’Brien Press; fellow giant-gas-jet winner Chris Judge for another wonderful cover; Helen Carr for general awesomeness and putting up with me borrowing her books for months; Miriam McCaul and Sam Murray for entertaining lunch outings when I was languishing in the creative doldrums; Fiona Cullen for the useful information on school musicals (much of which I then had to ignore for plot reasons); everyone on Twitter who encouraged, inspired and distracted me, especially Mary Macfarlane for helping me get a better handle on John’s character and Sarah Franklin for general cheering; Sarra Manning and Sarah Webb for their much-appreciated support and encouragement; the late and much-missed Caroline Walsh for all her kindness; the extended Carey and Freyne families (especially the always-entertaining younger generation, Arlo, Cillian and Senan); Ju Ju, even though her noisiness distracted me when I was trying to write; and, as ever, my husband Patrick Freyne, for being funny and brilliant and coming up with the idea of Rebecca’s parents having been in a musical themselves. And most of all, to everyone who read and enjoyed The Real Rebecca. I hope you like this book.