Happyhead
Ratings5
Average rating4.3
A bold new dystopian thriller about an experimental mental health retreat center for young adults where everything is not what it seems—and one boy who will risk everything to escape. Seb has been selected for a new experimental mental health center called HappyHead, designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness. There he and fellow participants will complete in a series of assessments meant to test them, so they can better face the challenges of the real world. Seb is determined to win so he can change how people see him and make his parents proud. But then Seb meets a mysterious participant named Finn who has drawn unwanted attention to himself by resisting the program’s rules. The leaders want everyone to believe Finn is mentally unstable but as Finn exposes cracks in the system around them, Seb is left questioning the true nature of the challenges--and wondering if Finn is actually the only one he can really trust. Something sinister is at play…and as the assessments take a dark turn, it becomes impossible to ignore the voice in his head telling him that even if he wins, there might be no way out.
Series
Featured Series
2 primary books#1 in HappyHead
HappyHead is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2023 with contributions by Josh Silver.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
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.
