If thank-yous were notes, I’d probably sing them off-key, so be glad I haven’t awarded each of you a literal thank-you note. Instead, I have condensed you—like soup!—into this handy little list.
First, to my agent, the wonderful Merrilee Heifetz. Your unwavering faith in both me and this little book has quite honestly changed my life. Sorry for emailing you so many pictures of giraffes sticking their tongues out (although I still maintain that you enjoy it). To my editor, Katherine Tegen, for helping me to give this book a super-cool plot mohawk and for being the best thing on Facebook. Sarah Nagel, for being delighted by everything to do with this book and for conspiring to send me a stuffed sloth when I was in the hospital. Liane Graham, for sitting on Brooklyn rooftops with me and talking about love. If books can be written as presents for people, this one’s for you. Kaleb Nation, pretty much the only reason I go on Skype.
Philo, the indirect inspiration for everything, but particularly Sam and Cris, for being consulting, Ezra-gendered people and letting me smash a piano with a hammer and joking that I’m a manic pixie dream girl—but obviously not meaning it, ahem. The YouTube crowd, Paige, Karen, Adorian, Kayley, and Alexa. My roommate, Jennifer, for editing it before you were an editor and before it was a book. And everyone at HarperCollins, I can’t thank you enough. If I were allowed, I’d link a GIF here, but probably my acknowledgments shouldn’t be quite so Tumblr-like, so I’ll resist.