By Josh Silver (author) Part of the HappyHead series
"Happiness comes at the ultimate cost in this tense dystopia"
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Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2024
An epidemic of unhappiness has swept the UK and infected teenagers. Seb wants to make his family proud and show the world what he’s capable of, but his head just won’t let him. So, when he’s offered the chance to attend a radical retreat that aims to eradicate teen unhappiness, he jumps at the offer.
Maybe this is his chance of a new future. As assessments, tests and tasks start to grow increasingly strange though, Seb starts to wonder if all is as it seems. A growing relationship with enigmatic Finn only makes him question the system, and himself, further.
An exhilarating, action dystopia in the vein of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner , but with a distinctly modern twist that gives it a contemporary, topical feel. Silver’s writing is immersive to the extreme, I simply couldn’t look away from the page at some points. The reader soon realises that something is amiss at the retreat; creating a taut thriller sense of tension, as we, alongside Seb, try to work out just what is going on.
Echoes of Silver’s other career as a mental health nurse can be heard throughout the novel, there’s a raging anger about the state of mental health provision, and a quiet passion for the care and wellbeing of young people. As well as making your heart race, this is a book that will make your brain think and question.
Seb’s growing relationship with Finn adds a tender element to the tense storyline. Their growing attraction and the salvation they find in each other builds beautifully, leaving the reader fiercely cheering for them.
Make sure you have time in your diary before opening this book, once you start reading you won’t be able to stop. And you’ll be left panting for book two!
We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. ... Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer. When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud.
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But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo. The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it's clear there may be no escape...
Josh Silver grew up on a farm in the Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He moved to London to train at RADA as an actor, and after graduating performed in the West End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh began training as a mental health nurse and at the same time started writing his first book. Josh lives in Manchester with his boyfriend and their dog, Dodger.
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed HappyHead and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
HappyHead features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Gritty Reads, Thrillers, Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for Young Adults
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
HappyHead was written by Josh Silver and published by Oneworld Publications
HappyHead has 383 pages
Yes it is part of HappyHead series
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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