His First, Best Country

Gripping, romantic, and impossible to put down, this dark and immersive post-apocalyptic debut novel is about two teen girls who loved each other before the end of the world and before one of them became infected with the virus that turned her into a monster. Perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland, Adam Silvera, and the darkly human side of the HBO Max horror-drama The Last of Us . Seventeen-year-old Mara is deadmostly. Infected with a virus that brought the dead back to life and the world to its knees, she wakes up in a facility to learn a treatment for the disease has been found. No longer a Tick , Mara is placed in an experimental resettlement program. But her recovery is complicated by her destination: shes sent to live with the best friend she hasnt seen since the world endedand since their first and only kiss. Seventeen-year-old Rory is alivebarely. With impaired mobility from an injury and a dead sister, Rorys nightmares are just as monstrous as the Ticks that turned her former best friend. Even after the Islandone of a handful of surviving communitiesrebuilds itself, Rory is prepared for the Ticks to return at any time. She never expected them to come in the form of the only girl shes ever loved. As the girls struggle with their pasts and the people theyve become, and with the Islands fragile peace in the balance, Rory and Mara must lean on each other to surviveor risk losing the girl they love all over again.