The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
acknowledgments
Ahhh, what a fun ride this one was! No book is easy to write, but even if this one wasn’t easy, it was a total blast. One of the best things about writing as a team is the opportunity we get to make each other laugh. The Unhoneymooners offered plenty of such opportunities, and it meant our days drafting this were spent laughing at the computer screen. Not too shabby for a day job.
We always give ourselves permission to draft fast, edit later, and partly that’s because it’s easier to fix than create. But in reality, we have the luxury of working this way because we have fantastic editors. Kate Dresser and Adam Wilson—you two are so incredibly good at this. Thank you for always making sure our books are as strong as they possibly can be and for being hilarious and good-hearted humans in the process. We say it all the time but we feel very lucky to be able to do this with you.
Our agent is Holly Root and she is the best of the best—saavy, intuitive, level-headed, and totally loveable. Thank you, Holly, for the past eight years of ninjaness.
Thank you to our PR rep and precious, Kristin Dwyer. You did so good, girl is starting to feel like an understatement, but at the end of the day it will always remain true because you always do so good. Above and beyond, every time.
Thank you to our Gallery Books team: Carolyn Reidy, Jen Bergstrom, Jen Long, Aimee Bell, Molly Gregory, Rachel Brenner, Abby Zidle, Diana Velasquez, Mackenzie Hickey, John of the Mustache Vairo, Lisa Litwack, Laura Cherkas, Chelsea Cohen, the amazing sales force (we heart you), and anyone who has helped our books get into the hands of readers. We are so grateful for every single one of you.
Huge gratitude to our pre-readers Yesi Cavazos, Arielle Seleske, Gabby Sotelo, and Frankie O’Connor, and also to those in the CLo & Friends group for helping us in our goal to write an authentic Mexican-American family. Your feedback was so fantastic and we hope we made you proud. It goes without saying that anything we got wrong or any opportunity we missed is entirely on us. You are all so wonderful!
To all the booksellers and librarians out there, not every hero wears capes! (I mean, maybe you sell books while wearing a cape and that’s amazing, but even if you don’t, you’re still #1 in our book.) Books are life, they are brain food, they bring joy, and relief, and connection. Doing what you do, and getting books you love into the hands of readers is such a gift to the world, and we are grateful to you beyond words.
To the bloggers, reviewers, readers: what we have is a symbiotic relationship. We couldn’t do this without you, and there is not a day that goes by when we don’t think about this. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and time spent reading our words. Every time you recommend a book of ours to a friend, an angel gets their wings. Or a puppy gets tummy rubs. Or a hedgehog gets a mealworm. Bottom line: good things happen in the universe. We heart you.
To our families: we love you all so much but you know that. What you really need to hear is our thanks for putting up with us. Living with a writer often means you’re asking them a question and they’re staring off into space, trying to figure out what the hell comes next in the book. You handle that with grace and patience (and also it works out for you, too, because we’re working from home so there’s rarely an excuse why we can’t also throw some dinner in the Instant Pot).
Christina, this was your year. Your voice, your humor, and your ability to flesh out a story: it’s all back and ready to blast off into all the fun things we have coming up next. I know I say it all the time, but I’m so proud to be able to do this with you.
Lo, the way you put words together still astounds me. There are times I read something you’ve sent me and I find myself just staring at the computer, wondering where in the world you came up with an idea or phrase. If I didn’t also know you’re the most loving, generous, loyal friend ever I would really hate your guts. Ha! I kid. Mostly. Thank you for letting me do this with you. I love you.
