Best Seller
Paperback
$12.99
Available on Jun 08, 2027 | 320 Pages
In this speculative YA social horror for fans of Get Out, a Black teenager is swept into the topsy-turvy world of a wellness retreat that promises to make all girls shine.
Bryn wants to sparkle, needs to sparkle, like the white girls in her town. But Salve, a new makeup product that makes girls literally shine, doesn’t work on dark skin. Yet that’s the least of Bryn’s problems after a racist incident and the ensuing fight her friends start goes viral. When a mysterious wellness retreat invites her to join them for the summer, Bryn jumps at the chance to get away.
At first, the idyllic town and luscious retreat grounds feel like a dream. And when Bryn discovers jumping into the nearby river makes her skin shine in a way Salve never could, she realizes it’s more like a dream come true. Never mind that jumping into the river feels like burning her skin off, or that sometimes the other girls’ smiles look more hungry than excited, or that strange things keep happening that only she sees.
Bryn is going to have the summer of her life, even if it kills her.
Bryn wants to sparkle, needs to sparkle, like the white girls in her town. But Salve, a new makeup product that makes girls literally shine, doesn’t work on dark skin. Yet that’s the least of Bryn’s problems after a racist incident and the ensuing fight her friends start goes viral. When a mysterious wellness retreat invites her to join them for the summer, Bryn jumps at the chance to get away.
At first, the idyllic town and luscious retreat grounds feel like a dream. And when Bryn discovers jumping into the nearby river makes her skin shine in a way Salve never could, she realizes it’s more like a dream come true. Never mind that jumping into the river feels like burning her skin off, or that sometimes the other girls’ smiles look more hungry than excited, or that strange things keep happening that only she sees.
Bryn is going to have the summer of her life, even if it kills her.
Author
Charlene Thomas
When she isn’t writing, Charlene Thomas works as a marketer. She is also the author of Seton Girls and Streetlight People.Charlene Thomas is a big dreamer who writes books about the world we live in, inspired by her experiences growing up in Montgomery County, Maryland. She is the author of the young adult books Seton Girls, Streetlight People, and It’s You Every Time. Bestselling author Becky Albertalli called her debut, Seton Girls, “legitimately unputdownable.” She holds degrees from North Carolina State and Emory Univerities, and when she isn’t writing, Charlene works as a marketer.
Learn More about Charlene Thomas