Never Kiss Your Roommate

Acknowledgments

I started writing this book when I had just turned sixteen, barely just out to my parents and still very much struggling with my sexuality. Had someone told little closeted me then that roughly four years later this silly little story I was working on every day after school would end up as an unapologetically queer novel people could buy in bookstores, I would have never believed them.

Since its beginning—a rough, rough beginning—on Wattpad, this book has been touched by so many incredible people without whom this story wouldn't be what it is now.

I want to thank the amazing team at Wattpad for taking a chance on this story: Ryan LaPlante, who stumbled upon the first draft and somehow saw potential in it. The Wattpad Stars team, especially Irina Pintea and Emma Szalai, who helped me so much on my writing journey. Carmen Ho, who had to wade through the massive manuscript it was at the time it entered the Paid Program, and somehow still showed it so much love. The Wattpad Books team: Robyn Cole, who witnessed me making a fool on the phone when I was offered this publishing deal; I-Yana Tucker, my wonderful talent manager, who got up early to get on calls with me on the other side of the world and replied to all my panicked emails at lightning speed, making this whole process way less scary with her supportive older sister energy; Jada Parada-Hemmings, who worked hard to make me seem like a real author; Hannah Drennan, who designed the absolute cover of my dreams; Rebecca Sands, whose amazing first notes pushed the first draft from a Wattpad story to something that actually felt like a real novel; Jen Hale, who's my personal hero simply because of her talent for catching all those pesky little errors and inconsistencies all while leaving the funniest, sweetest in-line comments; and last but not least Deanna McFadden, my incredible editor who was so gentle with me throughout the most draining editing stages and who taught me lessons about writing that I'll always treasure. Thanks to all of you, I always knew this book was going to be in good hands, and especially the fact that it was mostly a collaboration of so many inspirational women makes me so happy!

Thank you to my family for always believing in me, for never making me feel anything less than unconditionally loved, for letting me ramble about my edits at the dinner table, and for supplying me with tea and chocolate. I didn't let you read any of this for the longest time because I wanted you to be able to hold it while you do; I hope that, even though you might not understand all the gay jokes in this, you liked what you read. Michel und Ylvie: das hier ist wahrscheinlich das Einzige, was ihr von dem Buch lest, aber das ist okay. Ich hab' euch lieb!

To my friends, Elise, Lorena, Merle, Linda, Louisa, and of course Vera, the first person I knew in real life who read this story: thank you for cheering me on from the sidelines, for listening to my Snapchat rants, and for getting me out of my head when I needed it. I couldn't ask for better friends.

To all my other friends, the ones who live on the other end of the world but still feel so close, especially Grey, Alicia, Akriti, and the entire Discord channel: thank you for reading over stuff when I wasn't sure if it was stupid, for sending me some vaguely threatening but mostly wholesome memes, for vibing with me on Snapchat, and for the Discord love spams. I'm so grateful to have met each one of you and can't wait to see the things you'll do. Of course, also a thank-you to Stella, who, with her fan art and singing, stays carrying the fandom!

Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank you, my readers. Whether you read this book when I was posting irregular updates back in 2017 or you've just heard about it for the first time this week, thank you for spending time with these characters, for all the comments and messages over the years and, through the love you showed Evelyn, Seth, Noelle, and Jasper, for also making me love myself a bit more when I needed it the most. Without you, none of this would have ever been possible, and for that I'm forever grateful.