The Reunion by Kayla Olson(92)
Kaitlin Olson, you have been a dream to work with—thank you for championing this story right from the start! I see your fingerprints all over it, and am so grateful to have had the chance to collaborate with you; your editorial instincts pushed me to make this project the very best version it could be. It’s been a joy to be Team K. Olson2 with you!
It takes a village to make a book, and I can’t imagine a better one than the team at Atria, which—at the time of writing this—includes: Megan Rudloff (Publicist—US), Katelyn Phillips (Marketing), Dayna Johnson (Marketing), Paige Lytle (Managing Editor), Iris Chen (Managing Ed Assistant), Erica Ferguson (Copy Editor), Elizabeth Hitti (Editorial Assistant), Morgan Hart (Production Editor), Nicole Bond (Subrights), Bee Johnson (Cover Illustrator), Kelli McAdams (Cover Art Team), and Lexy East (Designer). All my gratitude to every single one of you for your heart, enthusiasm, and beautiful work.
Rebekah Faubion and Tracey Neithercott, thank you both for the countless writing sprints, encouraging texts, and George Costanza GIFs that fueled the writing of this book! No one likes a pandemic lockdown, but you made mine infinitely better, and I’m forever grateful.
Emily Bain Murphy, thank you for being Liv’s very first champion, and for reading my 100,000-word first draft in a single day—!! We’ve been on this publishing journey together for so many years now, and I’m so thankful to have had you by my side through every twist and turn in the road.
Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka, and Jenna Evans Welch: thank you for writing such incredibly smart, perfect romances over the years—I’ve loved/devoured your books for ages, long before I ever thought about writing a romance of my own, and your friendship and encouragement along the way has meant so much to me.
To my tennis family—especially Emily, Brandon, Constance, Whitney, Luis, my league teammates, and all the cardio regulars—all the fun we’ve had on the court has had a direct impact on my energy, enthusiasm, discipline, and general happiness these past several years, not to mention my eagerness to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. Thank you for always believing in me and challenging me to pursue excellence in all that I do.
To my family family—Hahns, Holubecs, Olsons, and Malones—thank you for being so wonderful! Specific shout-outs to my parents (Mark and Dawn) and my sister’s family (Lori, Cody, Otto, and Olive) for being so incredibly supportive throughout my life: you’ve always made me feel I could do anything I set my mind to. Thank you!
To Andrew and James, I love you both so much! Andrew, I could not have written this book (or any of my books!) without your unwavering support or your steadfast belief that all the time I spend writing at my desk is time well spent. James, you are kind and thoughtful and brilliant, the very best kid I could ever have hoped for; it’s a privilege and joy to watch you grow up.
Lastly—even though it might sound like the most stereotypical Oscar speech—I am sincerely grateful to Jesus Christ for such wonderful people in my life, and the fact that I’m alive at all. I believe every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17), and am grateful for every twist and turn, both happy and hard, that brought me here to this moment.
Okay, no, actually, this is the last thing: To all of you readers, I hope this book brought some sunshine to your day—in a world that can be so full of dark and heavy things, I think it’s good to spend time with things that sparkle every now and then. Thank you for living in the Girl on the Verge universe for a little while! Now, go binge your favorite show (and don’t forget to make a batch of Bre’s favorite popcorn).