Happyhead
Ratings5
Average rating4.3
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
Series
Featured Series
2 primary books#1 in HappyHead
HappyHead is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2023 with contributions by Josh Silver.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
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3.5*
I like a bit of YA and the more dystopian the better. This one had some interesting themes and slight jeopardy. I'd like to see Silver ramp that up a bit more in the sequel.
First, it is definitely not like the hunger games. Which doesn't make it bad, but it shouldn't be sold on that.
A wellness health retreat gone mad is the most apt description for it. It is difficult to like any of the characters in the novel, though. Possibly that is the point, everyone is flawed and struggles with mental health issues.
It could have been five stars, but the book just ends without any conclusion, kind of like the author got bored or wrote himself into a corner.
Wow where do I even begin?! I've been a reading slump this month. Nothing has really been a standout until now!
HappyHead could easily become the next Divergent, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, or whatever other “f*ck the system” style YA is out there. It has the ingredients for it.
HappyHead is the first in the duology by Josh Silver. I must admit I'm incredibly envious of the UK for being able to read the sequel first, but it's okay. I can wait until February...maybe.
