Theo backs me into the wall next to the bedroom, dipping his mouth to my throat. He presses it right over my steadily beating pulse and smiles against my skin. “Where should we go on our honeymoon?”
I consider it, but only for a second. Then I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck. “How about a road trip?”
Acknowledgments
When I was a teenager, my grandma found a story I’d left up on my computer. When she told me she’d read it, I wanted to dissolve into a puddle of angst and humiliation. But she assured me she loved what I’d written, and said something that stuck with me: “Finish writing it. I want to see how it ends.”
I never finished that story, nor did I finish the dozen that followed it. But I did finish this one with her encouragement echoing in my head. I think that if she’d been able to hold this book in her hands, she’d tell me just how much she loved the ending. But more than that, she’d tell me how excited she was for the beginning of this thing I’ve been dreaming about for so long. I want to thank her first, because the spark of this story began with her.
My endless gratitude goes to my incredible agent, Samantha Fabien. The way you understood this story and Noelle’s journey from the beginning, and your unwavering belief in me, still feels a little unreal. I’m so grateful for you—and our grandmas for conspiring to bring us together! Many thanks also to the larger, equally wonderful Root Lit family.
To my amazing editor, Kerry Donovan, thank you for loving Noelle and Theo as much as I do and for taking a chance on all of us. I feel so lucky to have access to your guidance, skill, and deep well of knowledge. To the rest of the Berkley team who’ve helped make this a real, actual book—Mary Baker, Megan Elmore, Christine Legon, Dache’ Rogers, Fareeda Bullert, and Anika Bates. Thank you to Emily Osborne for the incredible cover direction and Anna Kuptsova for her stunning cover artwork. I’m so appreciative of all of you!
I dragged a million people along this journey with me, so please bear with me. Firstly, to Anya and Kate, whose nicknames I won’t put here because sometimes we’re not publicly embarrassing—who am I without you? I never want to find out. Thank you for holding my hand, for laughing with me until I cry and crying with me until I laugh again. Our friendship is the best friendship in the world.
To Sarah T. Dubb, Risa Edwards, and Livy Hart, this book would quite simply not exist without you. Thank you for your encouraging words in the margins and for pushing me to be better every day. To Alexandra Kiley, Maggie North, and Sarah Burnard, thank you for giving me such thoughtful, encouraging feedback while I wrote this, and to Jen Devon and Ingrid Pierce, thank you for being amazing cheerleaders along the way. You are all incredible humans with fierce talent. What a combo!
Ongoing gratitude to those who read, reassured, and hyped: Mae B, Kate Robb, Aurora Palit, Sofia Arellano, Rebecca Osberg （#BTeam represent）， Ambriel McIntyre, Nicole Poulsen, Carla G. Garcia, Tasha Berlin, Caitlin Highland, Jenn, and Ashton. My deep appreciation also goes to the Berkletes, who I one hundred percent could not survive without. Special shout-outs to Sarah Adler for lending an ear in the early whirlwind days, and Alicia Thompson, who is an excellent hand-holder and an even better friend. Many thanks to the Hopefully Writing and #TeamSamantha slack groups, who have been such great support systems. To Esther, the first person to highlight these finished words: thank you for helping me check off a bucket list item. I’m surrounded by so many people whose generosity somehow exceeds their immense talent, and I think about the jackpot-hitting luck of that every day.
To Mom and Aunt Teri, who, along with my gram, introduced me to romance books—that turned out to be pretty life-changing! Thank you both （and Maddy!） for celebrating with me every step of the way. You can read this, but maybe let’s not talk about it after. To Dad, who will only ever read this page, thank you for being proud of me no matter what. To my extended family—the one I was honored to be born into and the one I was lucky enough to marry into—I love you all!
To my husband, Steve, you’ve given me the space and time to make this happen, and have supported me through it all in true #1 hype man fashion. Thank you for showing me what a love story looks like so I could turn around and write one （and also for telling everyone I wrote a book as soon as we step foot in a bookstore, every time）。 To my little hype boy, Noah, thank you for allowing me to experience the most rewarding, unconditional love. Thank you for wanting to help me write my next book, too. Someday you’ll figure out why that would’ve been awkward. I love you both more than anything.
And to you, reading this: I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have people hold my book in their hands, so thank you for making this dream completely, fantastically, finally real.
You, with a View
JESSICA JOYCE
Questions for Discussion
Secrets are a main theme of You, with a View: Noelle wanting to discover a piece of her gram’s life that wasn’t revealed during their game of Tell Me a Secret, the elements of Paul and Kathleen’s relationship, and Noelle and Theo revealing their own over the course of the road trip. In what ways do you think secrets can bring people together? Conversely, how do they pull people apart?
Noelle is grieving both her gram and a career that hasn’t lived up to her expectations; Theo is grieving his job and the lofty plans he had for his company. What are the different kinds of grief a person can experience? What do you think is the difference between grief that holds you back and grief that helps you grow? How did you see their grieving play out in Noelle’s and Theo’s lives over the course of the book?
Throughout the story, Noelle struggles with what she views as her lack of success in adulthood. Did you think her view of success, both her own and others’， changes by the end? How do you define success in your own life?
Noelle has a close, supportive relationship with her family—did you have a favorite secondary character in You, with a View?
What do you think of Paul and Kathleen’s story? Even though they didn’t have a happy ending with each other, do you think they still got their happy ever after? Have you learned any lessons from failed relationships （family, friends, love） in your own life that have helped lead you to stronger future relationships?
At the beginning of the book, Noelle connects with Paul and Theo when her TikTok goes viral. Once she starts documenting their road trip, she connects with strangers via comments and DMs about the impact of her work, viewers’ important relationships that mirror Noelle’s and Gram’s, and even Paul and Kathleen’s story. How has social media connected you to someone or something meaningful or important?
Describe your perfect road trip: What places would you visit? What kind of music would you listen to on the way? Who would you want to bring with you?
Have you ever visited any of the places Noelle, Theo, and Paul travel to in You, with a View? Did you have a favorite scene on one of their trail hikes?
Noelle’s passion for photography comes out in many ways in this book. What was your favorite photograph taken by Noelle or someone else in this story? Do you have any hobbies that you’ve returned to at different points in your life?
Noelle grows close to Paul as they travel on Kathleen and Paul’s planned honeymoon road trip, and as they share their memories of her beloved grandmother. Was there one letter that Paul shared with Noelle that you think was most meaningful to her?