Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)
HappyHead by Josh Silver
Add HappyHead to bookshelf
Add to Bookshelf

Look Inside

HappyHead

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver

By Josh Silver
Read by Huw Parmenter

By Josh Silver
Read by Huw Parmenter

Best Seller

Part of HappyHead

Part of HappyHead

Part of HappyHead

Part of HappyHead

Paperback $12.99

Feb 10, 2026 | ISBN 9780593812051 | Young Adult

Hardcover $19.99

Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593812020 | Young Adult

Ebook $10.99

Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593812044 | Young Adult

Audiobook Download $25.00

Oct 22, 2024 | 608 Minutes | Young Adult

All Formats
+
    HappyHead by Josh Silver
    Hardcover $19.99
    Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593812020

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (3) +
    • $12.99

      Feb 10, 2026 | ISBN 9780593812051 | Young Adult

      Preorder from:

    • $19.99

      Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593812020 | Young Adult

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593812044 | Young Adult

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Oct 22, 2024 | ISBN 9780593946886 | Young Adult

      608 Minutes

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About HappyHead

    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.

    About HappyHead

    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.

    About HappyHead

    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.

    About HappyHead

    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.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Listen to a sample from HappyHead

    About Josh Silver

    Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically

    … More about Josh Silver

    About Josh Silver

    Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically

    … More about Josh Silver

    About Josh Silver

    Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically

    … More about Josh Silver

    About Josh Silver

    Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically

    … More about Josh Silver

    Product Details

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Social Issues

    Paperback | $12.99
    Published by Delacorte Press
    Feb 10, 2026 | 416 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Young Adult | ISBN 9780593812051

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Social Issues

    Hardcover | $19.99
    Published by Delacorte Press
    Oct 22, 2024 | 400 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Young Adult | ISBN 9780593812020

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Social Issues

    Ebook | $10.99
    Published by Delacorte Press
    Oct 22, 2024 | 400 Pages | Young Adult | ISBN 9780593812044

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Social Issues | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $25.00
    Published by Listening Library
    Oct 22, 2024 | 608 Minutes | Young Adult | ISBN 9780593946886

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    “Equal parts thriller, dystopian, and love story, this is a stunning debut that will keep readers hooked until the last page.” —New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces Kathleen Glasgow

    ★ “Thrilling…. an interrogation of formulaic approaches to mental health and the search for happiness.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

    “Surprisingly dark and twisty: a solid, character-driven dystopian thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews

    “A story that in pacing, plot, and characterization checks every box in the genre guidebook….a precious addition destined to be the right reader’s new favorite book: queer teens deserve mundane genre representation too.” —Booklist

    “This novel excels in delivering a fast-paced and unique dystopian thriller with a cliffhanger ending.” —School Library Journal

    Awards

    Massachusetts Children’s Book Award NOMINEE 2026

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read

    Today's Top Books

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

         An online magazine for today’s home cook

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook