This one was a doozy, guys. And the list of thanks is long.

The first person I always thank is my husband, Jeff, and with good reason—I could not write these books without him. I would not know love if it wasn’t for him. You’re the reason for all of this, Jeff, and I cherish you. Thank you for every day, every moment, every little thing you do.

The second person I always thank is Kandi Steiner because she is truly my soul sister. Every day, you cheer me on. Every day, you save me. Every day, you are the warm sunshine on my face. And sharing this crazy career, the highs and lows of this job we love so much, makes everything sweeter. I love you more than tacos.

This book would not have been possible without the constant attention of Kerrigan Byrne, who is not only one of my most favorite writers, but has become one of my closest friends. Working on this book with you has been more fun than it should have been, and somehow, you manage to commiserate, calm, and inspire me daily. Bless you for putting up with my incessant badgering and for sharing your brilliant mind with me.

There are several writers who are daily sources of motivation, laughter, and inspiration. We freak out together, obsess together, and dry each other’s tears. But mostly, we just goof off when we should be working. Karla Sorensen, thank you for the cheering, the whipping, and the pragmatic shoulder. Thank you for the list of tall girl gripes, and thank you for always listening to my five-minute-long voice messages about whatever Court-related meltdown I was having. Kyla Linde, thank you for every talk-down, every laugh, and every late night keep going. Jana Aston, I have loved every never-ending minute of writing our books together. Hopefully everyone loves our asshole heroes. I’m sorry I couldn’t figure out how to get Court in elbow patches. I really did try.

Everyone needs a right-hand woman, and mine is Tina Lynne. How many ways and how many days have you saved me? We’re somewhere in the eight hundred thousands, but I think my ticker broke. I can’t imagine doing this job without your steady hand and organization. You make my scary, messy, mad scientist brain a better place, and you turn my gibberish into actionable plans. You, my friend, are a rock star.

My beta readers are unmatched—they are a discerning, thoughtful crew and never let me get away with anything. Sasha Erramouspe, who read this manuscript three times like an absolute saint. Dylan Allen, who had many a long talks with me about diversity and writing assholes. Abbey Byers, who read the manuscript twice, once during which she endured several hours of obsessive voice messaging wherein we dissected poor, toasty marshmallow Court. And to the rest of my beta readers—Kris Duplantier, Sarah Green, Ace Grey, Meagan Hunt, Danielle Legasse, Lori Riggs—thank you. Thank you for your time, your minds, your feedback, your energy. Thank you for slapping my manuscript in the mouth when it smarted off. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

It takes a village to release a book, and I am so fortunate to have such an incredible team behind me. Jenn Watson and Sarah Ferguson of Social Butterfly, you have once again gone above and beyond. Your hand-holding and hair-petting skills are next level. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Lauren Perry, you always murder my photo shoots, every single time, and this was no exception. Thank you for taking my vision and executing it so precisely, so beautifully. Anthony Coletti, thank you for your constant support and steady hand. Without your help, this career would be a much, much scarier place. Jovana Shirley and Ellie McLove, thank you for cleaning up this story, for making it shiny and pretty and as close to perfect as three women possibly could.

Research is no easy feat, and with a diverse heroine, the world of curation, and a trip to Italy, I had a lot of questions. For all of those who have been a part of reading this story for sensitivity, thank you. Writing a novel about a person of color is something important to me, important to the world, and as a woman who has a good-sized, very white blind spot, I sought out all the help I could to ensure I did it right. Thank you to Lauren Stump for educating me about curation and the ins and outs of your day and career. And thank you to Hilaria Alexander for making sure I chose the right Italian word for penis. I knew I could count on you.

There’s this little corner of the internet where my readers come to hang out, and this shout-out is for Read Your Hart Out. I love you all so much—you are my safe place, my favorite place. Thank you for always being there, for always cheering, for always sharing your excitement for each and every release. I love you, SweetHarts!

To every blogger who has read and reviewed, to every person who has shared and supported, your hard work and dedication is seen, it’s appreciated, and I love you for everything you do. Your jobs are largely thankless, but I want to say right now, thank you. I can’t tell you how much every one of you means to me.

And to every reader, thank YOU. Thank you for taking the time to read my stories, for spending a minute in my world, for taking a chance on me. Thank you for everything.

Until next time, friends.