Many thanks to my agent and friend, Thérèse Coen, for believing in me first. Gratitude to Una and everyone at Susanna Lea Associates for your support.
I am incredibly lucky to be published by the innovative and dynamic Embla Books team. Thank you to Anna Perkins who I adore, to Hannah Deuce and Marina Stavropoulou for all that you do. An extra-special thank you to my kind and patient editor, Cara Chimirri, for all the hours you have poured into this story. I hope it makes you proud.
Thank you to Lisa Brewster for another gorgeous cover – my favourite so far. You are wildly talented.
To my readers – you are a fervent, generous, wonderful community. Your love for One Small Mistake and The Perfect Match was overwhelming and much appreciated. I cannot thank you enough for your continued support. A special thank you to those of you who leave reviews and send me messages of encouragement. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thanks to Dr Rebecca Annis, Dr Matthew Stuttard and Dr Wesley Dean for your medical wisdom and for taking my morbid research questions in your stride.
Thank you to my KES colleagues for cheering me on. Especially to Binny, to Andrew, and to the members, past and present, of the L.G.
To Rachel Rowlands for listening and understanding.
Infinite thanks to author and friend, Rachel Delahaye-Lefever, for furiously championing this book. Your belief in this story, your love and your excitement for it, was like a healing spell. I love you dearly.
To my mum for devouring my third book with as much vigour as all the ones that came before. Thank you for instilling in me a love of stories and a belief in myself that I could achieve anything.
And to Lucy Perkins for making the time to read this story even as you studied for your master’s degree. Your outlandish plot theories kept me entertained and your unwavering confidence in me kept me motivated. Thank you for your encouragement, your thoughtful nature and your ability to make every day brighter. I am never more myself than when I am with you.
Thank you to my husband for every park-walk, for your patience and your creative input. For having faith in me even when I don’t have faith in myself. I am lucky to be loved by you. And love to our girls, Ivy and Maple, the waggiest, most adorable writing companions.
This book is dedicated to Mel, my oldest friend and long-term therapist. I could not have written The Wrong Daughter without you. You were the first person to fall in love with this story. Your feedback and theories shaped this book. Your enthusiasm and wisdom helped me to write it. It’s rare to meet someone who loves you long enough to know you as a girl and as a woman. Together, we’ve graduated university, got our master’s degrees, bought houses, become dog-mothers, got engaged, got married, got book deals – I am so proud of the lives we’ve built. Two decades of friendship behind us, a lifetime left to live.
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