tell him any of that, though, Hallie joins us on the sidelines for a slurp from her water bottle.
“We were just talking about how strong your tumbling looks today,” I tell her. “You’re gonna kill it out there.”
She grins and throws her arms around me. “Thank you so much for everything. I wouldn’t have made it here without you.”
She hugs Ryan, too, takes a deep breath, and walks proudly to the side of the floor with her head held high. An official booms out her name over a loudspeaker, and a hush falls over the arena. She waits patiently for the judges to indicate that she can begin. When it’s time, she salutes them and arranges herself into the starting pose I choreographed for her all those months ago. From where I’m sitting, I can glimpse the confident expression on her face. There’s a real poise to her today that she didn’t quite have when we met.
My eyes well up with tears as the first notes of her music ring out through the arena.
“No, Ryan,” I tell him. “I’m happy to be right here.”
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS •
First, I’d like to thank you, reader, for picking up this novel. I’m honored that you chose to spend your time immersed in the world of this book. Thank you for reading!
I’m so grateful for the thoughtful, whip-smart guidance of my editor, Kaitlin Olson. This book is better in countless ways because of her creative instincts, attention to detail, and belief in these characters. From catching plot holes to sharpening dialogue, Kaitlin made this project shine.
I’m incredibly lucky to work with the same wonderful team at Atria Books yet again: many thanks to Megan Rudloff and Isabel DaSilva for ensuring this book falls into all the right hands, Tamara Arellano for her tireless copyedits, and Lindsay Sagnette, Suzanne Donahue, Jimmy Iacobelli, and Libby McGuire.
My agent, Allison Hunter, championed this idea from the moment my half-baked email landed in her inbox. Her vision for my career, faith in my abilities, and true friendship make her the best teammate an author could ask for. At Janklow & Nesbit, Clare Mao and Natalie Edwards made this process so seamless.
This book was born of my lifelong love of gymnastics. I will forever be awestruck by athletes, including Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, and more. Most important, thank you to my own hometown hero Aly Raisman, whose work ethic, talent, and bravery has been a source of inspiration to me since childhood.
I’m thankful for the support of all my colleagues at Elite Daily and Bustle Digital Group, including Kylie McConville, Veronica Lopez, Iman Hariri-Kia, Emma Rosenblum, and Bryan Goldberg. I always feel fortunate that I don’t have to choose between my work as an editor and as an author.
My friends were the ultimate cheerleading squad. They gave me plenty of positivity during tough writing days and celebrated with me every step of the way! Many thanks to Annie Kehoe, Morgan Boyer, Roshan Berentes, Kelsey Mulvey, Elyssa Goodman, Alexia LaFata, Dayna Troisi, Emily Raleigh, Emma Albert-Stone, and Devon Albert-Stone.
Thanks to Jerry and Eleanor Hart; Karen, Bob, and Jake Sykes; Bruce, Heather, Xander, Nathan, and Zoe Orenstein; and Jamie, Karin, Dani, and Rosie Orenstein for all their love.
To properly thank Mom, Dad, and Julia, I have to borrow my favorite word from Yiddish: when I think about how fully they’ve supported me with encouragement, enthusiasm, and so much love, I’m verklempt (that roughly translates to “overcome with emotion”). I can’t imagine a better family in the world.
More from the Author
Love at First Like
Playing with Matches
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR •
HANNAH ORENSTEIN is the author of Playing with Matches and Love at First Like, and is the senior dating editor at Elite Daily. Previously, she was a writer and editor at Seventeen.com. She lives in New York.
SimonandSchuster.com
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Hannah-Orenstein
@AtriaBooks @AtriaBooks @AtriaBooks
Also by Hannah Orenstein
Love at First Like
Playing with Matches
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Copyright © 2020 by Hannah Orenstein
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Orenstein, Hannah, author.
Title: Head over heels / Hannah Orenstein.
Description: First Atria Paperback edition. | New York : Atria Paperback, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020005035 (print) | LCCN 2020005036 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982121471 (paperback) | ISBN 9781982121488 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3615.R4645 H43 2020 (print) | LCC PS3615.R4645 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020005035
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020005036
ISBN 978-1-9821-2147-1
ISBN 978-1-9821-2148-8 (ebook)