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Dear Reader,

This book started with a simple question: How far would you go to belong?

It started with a young woman being invited to join a secret society that promised her the life of her dreams. But what if that society was hurting someone else? Would she stay?

I held these questions close as I wrote Maya and Naomi’s story over the pandemic, during a difficult time in my life and a dark time in the world. Drawing from personal experience as a sister, and as a multiracial, Black and Chinese woman, I thought about how it felt when I first got off the train at Princeton. How I had been this shy, bookish high school kid from Northern California with big dreams, someone who never felt like she fit in anywhere, and how, in that moment, I just wanted to belong.

While reading, I hope that you will keep in mind that Greystone Society and its morally questionable members are fictional. That they do not represent the kind, hardworking, and honest people I met at Princeton, some of whom remain my closest friends to this day. And that this story could take place at any university, anywhere.

At the same time, I hope that Maya and Naomi’s story encourages conversation around the more difficult subjects within this book, and that talking openly about them brings readers a little closer together. Because, during times like these, we need our friendships and family more than ever.

Thank you to the community of people who shaped the book into what it is today: The friends who gave early feedback, my mother, who read over thirty drafts, Alexandra Machinist, Hilary Teeman, and my wonderful team at Ballantine Bantam Dell and Penguin Random House. I am so very grateful for Reese’s Book Club and for the readers who have helped to spread the word about a story that means so much to me.

Thank you for choosing to dive into this world with me. I loved writing Maya and Naomi’s story, and I am excited to share it with you!

With kindness,

Lauren

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