"Gold Rush" by Olivia Petter

Select the language in which you want the text you are reading to be translated, then select the words you don't know with the cursor to get the translation above the selected word!

Go to page:

Text Size:

My wonderful, patient and kind agent, Emma Leong, it’s hard to know where to start. You’ve been such a vital part of my life ever since that Zoom meeting we had during lockdown. Thank you for pushing me to write this story and for holding my hand (figuratively and literally) throughout the entire process, professionally and personally. You are sunshine.

Speaking of sunshine, a big thank you to Emma-Louise Boynton for always being there for me during my moments of madness. Same goes for Ella McMahon, Lexi Allan, Chloe Taylor Gee, Bethan Jones and the rest of the GADS. We’re so lucky to have been in each other’s lives for as long as we have; I never take it for granted.

To Allie Miller, Abi Binns, Katie Mackilligin-Ware, Lydia Cooper, Jess Hollingberry, Grace Brown, Ally Seward, Lucy Seward, Oenone Forbat and Elspeth Merry, thank you for being such loyal and loving friends to me throughout this process. I adore you all deeply.

Thank you to Patrick Smith and everyone at the Independent for your unwavering support, and for giving me the time and space to work on this book.

None of this novel would have come to fruition had it not been for my esteemed former colleagues at Condé Nast: Nicky Eaton, Richard Pickard and Harriet Robertson. What a dreamy first job I had; I owe so much of my career to all of you. Thank you.

Finally, onto my family. Thank you to Dad, Juliet and Asher. To my aunts, Natalie and Katie, and also my grandparents, Carole, Derick, Nanou and our late Puppy. Thank you Stuie. Thank you Blanche (yes, she’s my cat but she must be thanked).

And last but not least, thank you to my absolute force of a mother, Coco. You are everything to me and I wake up each morning feeling grateful to have you in my life not just as my mum but also as my best friend. You make my life sparkle.

About the Author

OLIVIA PETTER is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster based in London. She is currently a columnist at the Independent and has also written for the Sunday Times, the Guardian, British Vogue, Stylist and Grazia, among others. She has hosted the Independent’s chart-topping Millennial Love podcast since 2017; in 2023, Olivia relaunched the podcast under the name Love Lives. That same year, she was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30. She wrote her first book, Millennial Love, in 2021. Gold Rush is her first novel.