A gigantic thanks to my agent/therapist Dan Mandel at Greenburger Associates and the team at Simon Pulse: Mara Anastas (I’m forever grateful that you saw something in those bachelor blogs and Tinder testimonials at TIME ), my incredible editor Alyson Heller, Jodie Hockensmith, Lucille Rettino, Tara Grieco, Mary Marotta, Katherine Devendorf, and Karina Granda. My thanks also goes to Sara Sargent (the wonderful editor who acquired this book), Jason Richman at UTA (Gaieties forever), Lucy Truman (I hope the book lived up to your dazzling cover art), and everyone at JKS Communications.
Thank you to my early readers that I am lucky enough to call my friends: Emma Gray, I love you and want to be a feminist superhero like you one day; Samantha Grossman, your pug GIFs kept me going; Kate Hutchison, metaphor master and creator of the cantaloupe; Abby Rogers, for telling me “and this is where I start to hate her”; Dana Sherne, I can’t imagine what life would be like if we hadn’t drawn the lowest housing numbers sophomore year and become roommates; Brittany Wallace, for your positivity and for bringing Princess into my life; and Rebecca Yale, you were there from beginning to end, for my smiles (posing as you took my author photo) and tears (as you cleared your schedule to expertly plot this book out in Post-its on my living room floor.) And of course, thank you, Maurice Goldstein, for more than can fit on a page.
Although Shift and the ridiculous people who work there are 100 percent fictional, I want to thank all of my editors and colleagues who have been instrumental in my growth as a writer and reporter. I’d also like to thank teen whisperer Taylor Trudon, Megan Reid and Zander Bauman (for enduring my many publishing questions), Dasha Jensen and Kyle Torrence (for enduring my late-night, dramatic readings), Allie Miller (always a hilarious brainstorm partner), Megan Delis (Carpe Fucking Diem), and Kimberly Rosenblum (my pre-K friend-maker). Thanks, Amy Lombard, whose photography inspired many of the canine formal events depicted in the book, and Jo Murphy, whose art inspired “The Ladies Who Give No Fucks.” Thank you, Paragraph, for providing such an incredible writing space, and the NY Writers Coalition teens, whose incredible writing inspires me to let go and put pen to paper.
While I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have been able to write this book without Oreos, an IV-drip of Diet Coke, and Taylor Swift’s 1989 album playing on loop for months on end, I’m absolutely positive I couldn’t have done it without my friends’ (those listed and the many more who are not) and family’s love and support. A big thank you to the Stamplers & co., particularly Grandma M, Jay, Grandma L, Michael (you are so talented), and my parents. Mom, it is such a gift to come from such a talented and insightful writer and person. Dad, thank you for always being there, advising and encouraging me. Thank you both for always listening, no matter how late at night, no matter how irrational my fears. Thank you for always telling me that I could. I am so unbelievably lucky to be your daughter.
LAURA STAMPLER is a Californian turned New Yorker. After graduating from Stanford University, she became a journalist, interning—and then working on staff—at various newspapers and magazines. Laura has written about everything from dating to social media stars to social justice issues at TIME magazine, Business Insider, the Huffington Post, the Nation, the New Republic, the Miami Herald, and the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably looking at pug gifs on the Internet. You can follow her on Twitter @laurastampler.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Simon Pulse hardcover edition July 2016
Text copyright © 2016 by Laura Stampler
Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Lucy Truman
Author photograph copyright © 2016 by Rebecca Yale Photography
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Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4814-5989-1 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-5991-4 (eBook)
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