Thank you to Jacob and Max （and Rosie and Sandy） for being my reason for everything. Mommy loves you more than anything in the world.
To my mom, Carole Goodman: I could write a whole separate book thanking you. （I’m not doing it, so don’t ask!） Thank you for talking this story through with me from the very beginning, for watching the kids, for answering Cape Ann questions, and for being my permanent first reader.
To my dad, Jordan Goodman: Thank you for the lifetime of support, the pictures that helped me create this town, the instilled love of photography that crafted some key scenes, and the idea to make Hereford fictional instead of trying to use Gloucester. I can always count on you for the practical answers that make my life easier every day, and I appreciate you so very much!
To my grandmother, Charlotte Chansky: Evelyn may not be you, but she wouldn’t exist without you either. Thank you for the million stories, the utter disdain for rules, and the lesson that a good tale is much better than the truth. Also, I want everyone to know that the Sweet’N Low rest stop scene one hundred percent happened, even if the rest of the book didn’t.
To my brother, Adam Goodman; my sister-in-law, Nicole; and my nephews, Cam and Luke: Thank you for believing in me—and for buying enough copies of For the Love of Friends for your whole neighborhood. That was both insane and the best gift ever.
To my aunt and uncle, Dolly and Marvin Band: Thank you for kvelling every time you talk about my writing. You always make me feel so much more accomplished than I actually am!
To my uncle Michael Chansky and aunt Stephanie Abbuhl: Thank you for your generosity—the epilogue was written entirely from my favorite chair in the downstairs den of the Avalon house. （And no, Mike, that doesn’t mean you get royalties!） Thank you to my cousins Andrew, Peter, and Ben Chansky for your excitement over all of my publishing news.
To my cousins Allison Band, Andy Levine, Ian and Kim Band, and Mindy and Alan Nagler: Thank you for loving me, encouraging me, and always being there for me.
To Mark Kamins: Thank you for helping me navigate how to actually manage my money now that I’m getting paid for my passion （still so weird that that’s a thing!） and for being my number one Canadian fan （I’d give you the American title too, but then Mom would fight you!）。
To Kevin Keegan—my life changed the day you walked into Doc Goodwin’s ninth grade English class and said, “A future editor-in-chief could be sitting in this room right now.” Thank you for absolutely everything.
To Jennifer Lucina: Thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for. I am better at everything I do because of you.
To Rachel Friedman: Thank you for always grounding me and making me feel like I’m not crazy （even when I might be acting a little crazy）。
To Sonya Shpilyuk: Thank you for being you and for loving me for the ridiculous human being that I am.
To Sarah Elbeshbishi and Jennifer Bardsley: Thank you for being my beta readers and friends. Your insight and belief in me mean the world.
To Jessica Markham: Thank you for providing free legal counsel and for taking the time to make sure I knew what I was talking about.
To my Apub debut siblings, Eden Appiah-Kubi, Jennifer Bardsley, Elissa Dickey, Paulette Kennedy, Kate Myles, and Mansi Shah: Thank you for helping me navigate this all. You’re the best, and I can’t wait to see what our futures hold.
To Katie Stutzman, Georgia Zucker, Jan Guttman, Sarah McKinley, Reka Montfort, Kerrin Torres, Laura Davis Vaughan, Joye Young Saxon, Christen Dimmick, Amy Shellabarger, Shelley Miller, and Christine Wilson: Thank you for being my friends, my cheerleaders, and my people.
To the Confino family: Thank you for your support.
To my students, past and present: Thank you for being so excited about this wild, wild ride.
And finally, to my readers: Thank you for making my dreams come true.