Shiny Happy People

By Clay McLeod Chapman

Book Overview

A gripping, genre-bending novel about a mysterious new drug plaguing a small town and one girl who must uncover the terrifying truth behind the haunting side effects--or she will be next.

At sixteen Kyra is still haunted by the horrors she saw as little girl living with her mother's drug addiction. Years later, Kyra doesn't always feel like she belongs--and disturbing dreams come to her at night.

When a new party drug reaches her high school, Kyra's life becomes an actual nightmare. A challenge spreads among the students thanks to a few videos circulating--and Kyra is unable to escape the strange side effects.

Everyone around her seems to be mysteriously changing, including the people she loves the most. Her brother has a new personality overnight. Her best friend suddenly feels like a stranger. The only other person who seems to be noticing the eeriness around them is Logan, the new boy at school. Like Kyra, he has steered clear of the party scene.

But as strange occurrences turn sinister, Kyra can't shake the feeling that something unnatural is at play . . . as if something deadly spreading is in their veins. With Logan's help, she decides to find out exactly what is behind the mysterious drug--before they're next. As they begin to get closer to the truth, the line between Kyra's past and her present blurs, and she must face the terrors inside herself to save everyone.

"Clay McLeod Chapman is one of my favorite horror storytellers working today."--Jordan Peele

"The most ambitious novel yet from a writer quietly redefining the emotional contours of contemporary horror."--Vulture on Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593904095
• ISBN13: 9780593904091
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher