A separate book could be written to convey our gratitude to Pilar Garcia-Brown, who brought a sense of curiosity, intelligence, and humor to every read through of every draft. We’ll follow you anywhere. Thank you to our incredible agent, Faye Bender, who kept the crew together, trusted us at every turn, and always goes to bat for us. Thanks to our entire team at Dutton—Christine Ball, John Parsley, Ella Kurki, Nicole Jarvis, Stephanie Cooper, Holly Watson, Amanda Walker, Alice Dalrymple, Andrea Monagle, Melissa Solis, and Jason Booher—who each had a hand in bringing this book together.
Thank you to Molly Dektar, Mark Chiusano, Sofia Groopman, Nasir Husain, and Cora Frazier for the sweetest writing group and smart, generous reads. Thank you to Courtney Maum and the Cabins for providing us with a beautiful place to revise the first draft of this book. Thank you to Anna Svoboda-Stel, Sara Berks, and Mary Berecka for sharing your creativity, knowledge, and home. Thank you to Jason Holloway for always caring. Thank you to Jana La Brasca for years of encouragement, advice, and contrast hydrotherapy. Thanks to Jonah Katz for describing real estate nightmares. Thanks to S. Adrian Einspanier for the early read. Thank you to Ryan Herman, Alex Smith, and Teddy Tinnell for the card games. Thanks to Claudia Gerbracht for the bumper sticker. Thank you to Isabel Balazs for opening the moonroof.
Thank you to our parents and siblings—Marie, Norm, Nick, Tina, Badge, and Anna—for believing in us, secretly moving us to the Staff Picks section, and for your good senses of humor. Thanks, also, to Mike. Thank you to Eliot and Téo for being perfect, inspiring people. Thanks to Homer for being a flawless baby model. Thanks to Laura Fields for the brisket.
Thank you, finally, to Marie Rutkoski, who loved this book even before she was allowed to read it, and helped us for years, especially and crucially at the end. You ask all the right questions. It is a joy to make you laugh.