To my incredible team, who has made all this possible. To my entertainment lawyer, Eric Greenspan, for taking a chance on me. You have been one of my biggest supporters from the very beginning—thank you. To David Fox, Chris Maxwell, and Debby Sander. To my Film/TV agents at CAA, Berni Barta and Michelle Weiner, who have made some of my wildest dreams come true. Also, to Ali Ehrlich—thank you for everything. To Denisse Montfort and Allison Elbl, for all that you do. To Cecilia de la Campa, for everything to come. To Katelyn Detweiler—I am so grateful that you believed in these books first. Your kindness and sincerity are a gift. To Sam Farkas, who has made it possible for Lightlark to be published around the world. Seeing the foreign editions of Lightlark has been one of my greatest joys—thank you for everything.
To Anqi Xu, for reading this book early and for giving me great notes. To Sean, for being one of the first to read all my books, including the early drafts, even when you’re busy—I really appreciate your help. To Kaitlin López for your last-minute assistance that saved the day. To Annika Patton, who has become one of my dearest friends. You were the first person to read this book, back in January （and the first to react to the ending!）。
To my heart, Rron, for supporting me, even when I had to write through the holidays and weekends. Eight years together means you knew me as a teenager writing books and dreaming of becoming an author. This book is for you. I love you. To your family as well, for their love and support, and for bringing me snacks while I worked on this book.
To my parents, who always encouraged me to chase my dreams. Mom—I hope one day I can be as strong as you. Dad—thank you for teaching me that the harder you work, the luckier you get. To my twin, Danny, who used to sit with me after school in the bookstore as I looked up literary agents to query. I am so proud of you. To Angely, a second mom to me; Carlos, who is always there for me; and JonCarlos and Luna, for being the lights of my life. I can’t wait to watch you both chase your dreams. To my grandma Rose, for telling me stories before bedtime and inspiring me to become an author. To my grandpa Alfonso, for teaching me resilience and a strong work ethic. To Maureen, Uncle Buddy, and Aunt Patty for always believing in me. To Leo, Bear, and Truffle, for bringing me so much joy.
To my author friends, who have helped me navigate all of this. To Adam Silvera, who always answers the phone, even when he’s on deadline, and is the Honest Friend. To Chloe Gong, who doesn’t get mad when I talk more than I write at “writing sessions” in coffee shops and is the fastest reader I know. To Dustin Thao, who is always there for all of us. To Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu, Brigid Kemmerer, and Zibby Owens, for your support. I am so grateful to know you. To every other friend—you know who you are, and I am so lucky to have you in my life.
Finally, thank you to everyone who follows me on social media, or has ever recommended my books. Your messages mean more to me than you will ever know.