Acknowledgments
To God, who restores my soul, who sustains me, who gifted me these words and this book and every other thing. This is Your miracle. Thank You for letting me write it.
To Zach, thank you for your patience with dirty laundry and takeout for every meal and all the things I failed at this time around. You are my rock when I am falling apart and my anchor when I am overwhelmed. I couldn’t do this life or this job or really anything without you. I love you.
To Stella, Scarlett, Stryker, Solo and Saxon. Thank you for being patient with me as I worked sleepless nights and forgot playdates and birthday parties and fed you pizza more than any mom ever should. Thank you for cheering me on and missing me and loving me through all of my flaws. I love you more than the sun and the moon and the stars. You’re each my favorite.
To my mom, for all of those sleepovers and days that let me work. Thank you for being a Nana that my kids love and trust and want to spend time with. Thank you for swooping in to save the day just like you have all my life.
To Katie, thank you for being together when I am perpetually falling apart. Thank you for caring about my mess and my kids and my deadlines, even though none of it is yours. You are a doer of deeds, my friend. And this book couldn’t have happened without your graciousness.
To Katie, Tiffany and Sarah Jo, thank you for being the friends I’ve waited for all my adult life. Thank you for your laughter and your prayers and stepping in as social media gurus when I disappeared into the writing cave. I’m a better human because I know you girls. #communelife
To Georgia, Shelly, Amy and Samantha, thank you for always being there for me, for always listening when I freak out and for always supporting me through everything. I could never survive this job without you. Your wisdom, your sane advice and your laughter saves me on a daily basis. I’m working on an island for us.
To Lenore, who is basically one of my favorite humans ever. Also, my favorite beta reader ever! Thank you for understanding who I am and how I function. Thank you for always being willing to squeeze my books in and cheer them on. I would not be the writer I am without your thoughtful notes and insightful eye. Oh, you’re also my favorite Canadian!!!
To Amy Donnelly from Alchemy and Words. Let me just say that when life threw up all over me, you are the one that kept me sane! Thank you so much for encouraging me daily. Thank you for promising that we would get this done and that everything would be okay and for being right. Thank you for being the most flexible editor on the planet- you have no idea how much that means to me. But most of all, thank you for caring about my characters and plots and words as much as I do and for making them the very best that they can be.
To Caedus Design Co, thank you for your fantastic attention to detail and for making this cover smoking hot. Also, thank you for stepping in to make dinners all those times I forgot.
To the Rebel Panel. You ladies have supported me for so long now, I can’t imagine releasing a book without you behind it! Thank you for putting up with my flakiness, for wanting ARCs even when they’re last minute and for loving my characters as much as I do.
To the bloggers and reviewers, thank you so much for taking the time to read my words. I can’t tell you how honored I am that you would choose this book in a sea of other amazing works. Your time, your thoughts and your support mean everything to me. The Difference Between Us is successful because of you all. I am so grateful for your help.
To the reader, whether you started with The Opposite of You or dove straight into the Difference Between Us. Whether you’ve been with me from the beginning or this is your first read of mine or you found me somewhere in the middle. Thank you for taking a chance on me and this book and these characters. You are the reason I get to keep writing and I am so grateful that you would spend your time with one of my stories.