Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments
Thank you to my lifesaving, miracle-performing agent, Sarah Landis: every step I’ve taken on this
journey has been lighter¹ with you by my side. Thank you to my brilliant, insightful, and
compassionate² editor, Stephanie Stein: you have helped me tell the best version of this story.
Thank you to Sam Bradbury, my fairy godmother across the pond: three down and hopefully
many more to come.
Thank you to Sophie Schmidt, editorial assistant extraordinaire, and to the rest of the team at
Harper for helping³ to bring this book into the world. Thank you to Katie Boni, Sabrina Abballe,
Julia Tyler, James Neel, Erin DeSalvatore, Mark Rifkin, and Chloe Bollentin. Thank you to
everyone at Del Rey UK for yet another one. I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by some of the
best people in the industry.
As always, to my GSJ, Allison Saft and Rachel Morris: I could not have dreamed up more
wonderful friends. The hive mind is real. Thank you for filling my life with humor and
unconditional⁴ love.
To Manning Sparrow and Sophie Cohen: every day I’m grateful that, by some propitious⁵
internet algorithms, we were able to find each other. Manning, thank you for more than ten years
(!) of loving, funny, through-and-through friendship. Sophie, thank you for coming into my life at
just the right time and holding my hand through some of my bleakest⁶ moments.
Thank you to Grace Li, one of the brightest things under the California sun—here’s to a
million more coffee dates. Thank you to Courtney Gould for always being a shoulder to lean on
and a reason to smile.
To all the absurdly talented authors who have held my hand and shared their wisdom with me
throughout this journey: I’m still pinching myself that I get to count you as colleagues and friends.
Melissa Albert, Rory Power, Kendare Blake, Erin A. Craig, Vaishnavi Patel, Rachel Griffin, Isabel
Ibañez, Sasha Peyton Smith, Alix E. Harrow, and Rebecca Ross: thank you for reading, blurbing,
and loving.
Thank you to the booksellers, bloggers, and influencers for sharing their enthusiasm and
helping this book reach its audience. I’m forever grateful especially to Joseline Diaz, Kalie
Barnes-Young, Brittany Smith, and Bridey Morris.
To James. Thank you for not being afraid to love me, for always believing me, for reminding
me what’s real. I don’t know how to begin unraveling everything my head thinks and my heart
feels. Hopefully this book is a good start. I love you.
And to Zelda: I remember you. I believe you.

1 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

2 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

5 propitious   

adj.吉利的；顺利的

参考例句：

• The circumstances were not propitious for further expansion of the company.这些情况不利于公司的进一步发展。
• The cool days during this week are propitious for out trip.这种凉爽的天气对我们的行程很有好处。

6 bleakest   

阴冷的( bleak的最高级 )； （状况）无望的； 没有希望的； 光秃的

参考例句：

• This is the bleakest novel I've ever read. 这是我读过的小说中最乏味的一本。
• Relax! When things appear at their bleakest. 放松！当情况显得凄凉的时候。