Thank you to my agents, Michael Carlisle and David Forrer, who are my steadfast champions and my safe place in publishing. They are my family and I will never leave them either!

Thank you to everyone at Little, Brown, including (but not limited to) Miya Kumangai, Gabriella Leopardi, Ashley Marudas, Lauren Hesse, Brandon Kelly, my incredible publicist Katharine Myers, Tracy Roe, Jayne Yaffe Kemp, Terry Adams, Craig Young, Karen Torres, Bruce Nichols, Michael Pietsch, and the incomparable Mario Pulice, who designs all my covers. All I do is write the books. The rest of the magic happens in these capable hands.

Thank you to the Facebook Group “The Memories of Growing Up in Parma, Ohio.” I found all of your reminiscences from the 1980s so helpful. Any Parma-related errors are mine alone.

Thank you to my work husband, Tim Ehrenberg, who sat with me in the basement at Mitchell’s Book Corner for endless hours. Tim took photos and videos, came up with giveaways and promotions; he personally labeled mailers and dealt with the remarkable (and remarkably overworked) people at the USPS. In the era of COVID-19, a writer’s best friend is her local independent bookstore, and I want to thank not only Tim but Cristina, Suzanne, Sue, and their fearless leader, Wendy Hudson. Nantucket Book Partners is my home.

Thank you to my family, especially my sister, Heather Osteen Thorpe, who is—quite simply—my Person. I owe her an Hermès scarf because she’s in charge!

To the people who make my world go round: Chuck and Margie Marino, Rebecca Bartlett, Debbie Briggs, Wendy Hudson, Wendy Rouillard, Elizabeth Almodobar, Mark and Gwenn Snider, Evelyn and Matthew MacEachern, Katie Norton, Sue Decoste, Linda Holliday, Jane Deery, Deb Gfeller, Deb Ramsdell, Jeannie Esti, Melissa Long, Manda Riggs, David Rattner and Andrew Law, West Riggs (always my sailing consultant), Michelle Birmingham, Aleks Orbison, Christina Schwefel, my Peloton Moms Book Group, and the greatest Peloton instructor of them all, Jenn Sherman (thank you for getting me through the long months of quarantine in good shape). Thank you to Alex Small for allowing me to be his second mom. Thank you to Timothy Field—you rise for me in the east, set in the west, and shine for me every darn day.

Last, I want to thank my children: Maxwell, Dawson, and Shelby Cunningham. My love for you is wondrous and eternal. I will never leave you. I’ll be up above, watching you from the boho-chic greenroom of my dreams. Trust.

About the Author

Elin Hilderbrand is the proud mother of three, a dedicated Peloton rider, an aspiring book influencer, and an enthusiastic cook (follow her on Instagram to watch the Cringe Cooking Show). She’s also a grateful seven-year breast cancer survivor. Golden Girl is her twenty-seventh novel.

Also by Elin Hilderbrand

The Beach Club

Nantucket Nights

Summer People

The Blue Bistro

The Love Season

Barefoot

A Summer Affair

The Castaways

The Island

Silver Girl

Summerland

Beautiful Day

The Matchmaker

Winter Street

The Rumor

Winter Stroll

Here’s to Us

Winter Storms

The Identicals

Winter Solstice

The Perfect Couple

Winter in Paradise

Summer of ’69

What Happens in Paradise

28 Summers

Troubles in Paradise