To Rachel Kahan, my fantastic editor at William Morrow, and to the whole William Morrow team – thank you for taking such great care of this book state-side.
To my first readers – Hannah Wann, Amanda Preston, Niki Chang. Your advice and your insight spurred me on. Rosie Price, thank you for your friendship, your kindness and for helping me through all the bumps in the road.
To Ifey Frederick, for always being my rock, and for keeping me grounded.
Noor Sufi, my partner in crime, you have been there every step of the way. Thank you for being my fabulous friend and this book’s biggest champion – your excitement kept me going at so many points, and it has meant everything.
Thank you to Liz Foley and Kate Harvey, for all your words of wisdom.
To all my friends, for being the best cheerleaders and for picking me up whenever I’ve needed it, especially Abi, Mary, Rachael, Christina, Monica, Kitty, Radiya, Katie; and to Isobel Turner – for actually collecting lists and allowing me to put Izzy in the book!
To my colleagues and all the amazing authors I’ve worked with at Headline, Vintage and Hodder. Thank you for the guidance and support you’ve given me over the years.
To all the librarians and booksellers who make the book world what it is – you do so much for people and for communities. Thank you!
And finally, my family. Your joy about this book has meant the world and it has made all my over-thinking, the late nights and early mornings one-hundred percent worth it. Thank you to Dada, for always asking me what I was reading and for being the start of this story. Thank you, Ba, for your love and endless generosity; Jaymin and Jigar, for being great baby cousins and for telling me where all the cool kids hang out these days. Thank you, Auntie, for so much but especially for reading this book out loud to Granny and taking out the swear words. I’ll forever be grateful!
Thank you to my parents for everything. Dad, thanks for always believing in me and for never letting me give up. You have read all the little stories and half-baked novels I’ve ever written, except for this one, because you want to buy it in a bookshop first. I hope you enjoy it and that it’s been worth the wait. Mum, so much love to you for reading this story, and for talking about my characters as though they’re real. It has been the greatest feeling knowing you love it. The fact you’re proud makes me proud too.
And to Granny – it brings me so much happiness and comfort knowing you read this book. Thank you for always asking me, ‘how’s the writing going?’。 I never wanted to tell you ‘it’s not’， and because of that, this book is finally here. I miss you every day.
And to Will Handysides. I literally could not have written this book without you. Thank you for all you’ve done to make this possible – for putting up with my fretting, for reading and editing the book so many times, for being brutally honest and mega kind too, for letting me ask the same questions over and over again, for being a constant inspiration, and for putting up with my ‘creative’ slobbishness … You’re one of a kind. Thank you for being you.