Description

By (author) Silver, Josh

Short /annotation:

Squid Game meets They Both Die at the End in this thought-provoking LGBTQ+ thriller

Squid Game meets They Both Die at the End in the first in a thrilling new YA series.

Nominated for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for writing

An Amazon best YA Book of the Year 2023

Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2024

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. 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…

‘Like Hunger Games but better.’ Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer

‘A truly thought-provoking thriller, channelling the menace of dystopian favourites such as Maze Runner and The Hunger Games.’ Observer

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‘Intriguing, suspenseful and full of big feels, and that’s only book one.’ Sunday Independent (Dublin) BOOK OF THE YEAR

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”Equal parts thriller, dystopian, and love story, this is a stunning debut that will keep readers hooked until the last page. A beautiful, dark, and intense book that is also a hell of a lot of fun to read.” Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces

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‘So tense doesn’t quite cut it. It’s SO GOOD!’ A.F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

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‘Like Hunger Games but better.” Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer

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‘A book that grows in tension and action with each page, with a brilliantly evil concept and phenomenal twists.’ Ben Oliver, author of The Loop

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‘Fun and thought-provoking.’ Claire Hennessy, Irish Times

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‘Dark and thrilling.’ Taron Egerton

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‘Page-turning reading.’ Books for Keeps

Biographical note:

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 trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and went onto perform in the West End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh now works with teenagers as a mental health nurse. Josh lives in Manchester.

Promotional headline:
Squid Game meets They Both Die at the End in this thought-provoking LGBTQ+ thriller

Feature:
Debut author Josh Silver is an exciting and extremely talented new voice in YAHappyHead is original and thought-provoking: think Squid Game meets gay coming-of-age storyPerfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Patrick Ness and Darren Charlton As well as being part of the LGBTQ community, Josh works as a mental health nurse and is sensit