“It's so strange how life works: You want something and you wait and wait and feel like it's taking forever to come. Then it happens and it's over and all you want to do is curl back up in that moment before things changed.”

Lauren Oliver is an American novelist and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her YA fantasy series *The Shadow Children*, which explores themes of family, identity, and hidden worlds. Her work blends intricate world-building with emotional depth, appealing to both young and adult readers.