Mom and I tried so hard for so many years to belong somewhere in the world, but in this moment, I think that maybe this feeling is all that’s ever mattered. Like if tomorrow the oceans dried up and the mountains fell and the world decided to collapse in on itself, knowing each other was enough.
Home is a place where I am enough.
Acknowledgments
This book took me nearly a decade to complete, and in that time, I complained about it to a lot of people. I forced friends to read pages, polled my softball teammates on plot decisions, pestered coworkers to help me figure out names for fictional places or landmarks, and asked just about everyone to brainstorm titles with me. If I have ever bugged you for an opinion on this book, thank you for putting up with me.
To my agent, Victoria Doherty-Munro—thank you for being my champion. I’d be lost without you. Thank you for answering all my anxious questions and always understanding my stories even better than I do. And thank you most of all for taking a chance on me.
To my editor, Allison Moore—you made my dreams come true, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. Thank you for reading my story about girls with bad attitudes, deciding that it was something that should be unleashed upon the world, and for giving me the notes that made it better.
To everyone at Bloomsbury who got this book into readers’ hands, specifically: Danielle Ceccolini, Donna Mark, Jeanette Levy, Oona Patrick, Diane Aronson, Nicholas Church, Melissa Kavonic, Lex Higbee, Faye Bi, Phoebe Dyer, Erica Barmash, Cindy Loh, Mary Kate Castellani, and Manu Velasco.
To Nicole Rifkin, for the stunning cover.
To Brianna Bourne and all the other 21ders who helped me navigate the ups and downs of being a debut author.
To my bookshop friends, old and new—bosses, coworkers, and customers. Thank you for letting me share my favorite books with you, and for sharing yours with me. I hope this one is a worthy addition to your shelves.
To my Author Mentor Match mentor, Lauren Karcz, for reading an early draft and offering me the feedback I needed to take the story to the next level.
To all my teachers at Zane Trace and Franklin College who encouraged, shaped, and supported me—especially Kathy Carlson, Katie Burpo, Susan Crisafulli, Richard Erable, Emily Stauffer, Tyler Wertman, and Theresa Colopy.
To Gunner Barnes, for the author photo, and for teaching me how to pump gas that one time.
To the Davis and Byard families—it takes a village to raise a writer, and I’m so thankful to all of you for being part of mine.
To Weston, for all the history lessons, debates, and games of make-believe in the backyard, and to Emily for teaching me that every house needs a gnome (and also for being the best sister-in-law ever).
To Afton, for being my favorite shopping buddy and confidant. Nobody makes me laugh quite as hard as you do.
To Aubri, for reminding me what it’s like to be a teenager and for handling the challenges of growing up so boldly. And also for reminding me every chance you get that I am absolutely not cool.
To my grandma, Patty Byard, for loving books even more than I do. I hope you love this one!
To my parents. Dad, for teaching me to “just keep swimming” no matter what, and also for asking me “So how’s that book coming?” pretty much every day since you found out I wanted to be a writer. Mom, for reading to me so many nights and for teaching me that the best stories are the ones you share. I fell in love with books listening to your voice. And to both of you, for believing in me, and for showing me the meaning of unconditional love every single day.
To Merlin and Lilly, the best writing buddies a girl could ask for.
To anyone I forgot to mention (typical Brooke), I’m so sorry! I’ll catch you in the next one!
And to Quinton—you clumsy, handsome man. I got my first offer for this book the same week we went on our first date, so I think that makes you my good luck charm. Thank you for convincing me to take risks, and for being my safe harbor in the storm. For pushing me into the unknown, and welcoming me back home with open arms. Most of all, for being you, and for letting me be me.
BLOOMSBURY YA
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This electronic edition published in 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in the United States of America in May 2021 by Bloomsbury YA
Text copyright © 2021 by Brooke Lauren Davis
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request
ISBN 978-1-5476-0611-5 (HB)
ISBN 978-1-5476-0612-2 (ebook)
Book design by Danielle Ceccolini
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