Book Review: HappyHead by Josh Silver

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for this post. All opinions here are my own.

Imagine you’re a teenager again (painful, I know). You receive a congratulatory letter to a sleep away camp with promises to solve all of your problems. What could possibly go wrong?

At HappyHead, a lot.

Now I’m not usually one for YA novels, but I do love a dystopian thriller (Clockwork Orange, anyone?). From the jump, there was an unsettling feeling that I could not put my finger on, but gets slowly revealed page by page. Told from the perspective of Seb, a 17-year-old at the institution, the story executes a slow burn until the sinister reveal.

I was surprised that a romantic subplot was somehow weaved into the story but found it enhanced the overall plot instead of being an unnecessary distraction. Usually, I hate a romance subplot as it find it ruins the novel’s trajectory, however it was vital to Seb’s thought process and motives. No spoilers — read the book and you’ll see what I mean.

There is also a sequel called Dead Happy, which completes the story. After how this book ended, I’ll be itching to get my hands on it.

Visit here to learn more about Silver and his books.