HappyHead

September 15, 2024
Being selected for the HappyHead Project seems like the best way forward for struggling teen Sebastian Seaton. Between anxiety, bullying, and being closeted, Seb has a lot to deal with. So when he's selected to join the HappyHead Project, a brand-new retreat in the Scottish wilderness for struggling teens like him that claims to have the answer for the epidemic of teenage unhappiness, his family is ecstatic. But Seb has a bad feeling about HappyHead--what kind of researcher wants 100 17-year-olds to isolate themselves from their friends, families, and phones for two weeks? Despite his misgivings, Seb decides to participate, trying his best to genuinely focus on self-improvement and make his family proud. Almost immediately, though, something seems off about the place--and things just get weirder from there. Can Seb overcome his fear and discomfort to achieve true happiness, or is there indeed something sinister lurking beneath HappyHead's positive exterior? Silver's debut addresses relevant, very real questions about life in the digital age: Mental health, peer pressure, and the exploration of whathappiness really means are at the core of this novel. Some pacing issues detract from the intriguing premise, and the sudden ending will leave readers hanging until the next series entry. Sebastian and other leads present white; contextual cues point to racial diversity in the rest of the cast. Surprisingly dark and twisty: a solid, character-driven dystopian thriller weakened by an abrupt ending. (author Q&A)(Thriller. 14-18)

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October 1, 2024
Grades 7-12 If an initiative's usage of smiling emojis is supposed to be directly proportional to the amount of evil involved, the HappyHead Project understood the assignment. Sebastian is enrolled in the project--an experimental 13-day combination of inpatient therapy and summer camp--largely in response to vague teen ennui. Determined to try hard enough to earn his family's approval, Seb excels at the tasks set forth by the adults running the project; unsurprisingly, though, he finds himself distracted by a handsome boy with dark hair and tattoos whose tendency to question authority is contagious. The style of the post-2016 wave of YA dystopian novels mixes perfectly with the energy of the turn-of-the-century classic queer film But I'm a Cheerleader to create a story that in pacing, plot, and characterization checks every box in the genre guidebook. Although the result is as nondescript within its context as its protagonist, that is exactly why it is a precious addition destined to be the right reader's new favorite book: queer teens deserve mundane genre representation too.

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December 6, 2024

Gr 9 Up-This first book in a duology by debut author Silver finds 17-year-old Seb being admitted into a unique program dedicated to increasing happiness in a generation of youth drowning in sorrow. At first, he is reluctant, but he quickly finds that he desperately wants to make his parents proud. Upon arrival, Seb discovers that this program is not at all what he had in mind. Participants are microchipped, must change rooms daily, and are tasked with completing various assessments that challenge them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Seb begins to assimilate into his new life for 13 days while noticing that some of the other participants are not so quick to do the same. Finn, a fellow HappyHead participant, makes a name for himself as being resistant to the structure that this program demands. Seb and Finn find themselves entangled in a dangerous search for the truth and to discover the real intentions behind those in control at HappyHead. Silver has successfully created a dystopian novel that stands out from its contemporaries. While the story takes place in modern Scotland, the worldbuilding inside the HappyHead compound gives it an otherworldly feel. The budding romance between Seb and Finn feels slightly out of place and more like an afterthought. Seb is gay and coded as white while other participants are representative of various undisclosed ethnicities. VERDICT This novel excels in delivering a fast-paced and unique dystopian thriller with a cliffhanger ending.-Zach Basler

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