What if a disease could make people happier and kinder? Crown Royale (CR) is a virus that kills one out of every 25 people infected. But the majority who contract it not only recover but also feel contentment in the aftermath. Survivors are also compelled to give away their possessions and help those in need, even if it means risking their own lives. As the virus becomes a pandemic, generosity spreads around the globe. But so, too, do threats to capitalism and imperialism. Mariel (white), homeless prior to the arrival of CR, discovers she has a natural immunity to the disease. Rón (Latino), son of one of the wealthiest men on earth, is depressed and suicidal until he contracts CR; when he recovers, he learns he’s a one-man super spreader. While teens Rón and Mariel, who’ve fallen in love, tussle with the moral and ethical implications of Rón’s desire to infect as many people as possible—in Rón’s mind, a mission to save humanity—Morgan (Chinese/white), a brilliant, cold-blooded 19-year-old, inherits a fortune and funds efforts to create a vaccine to limit CR’s economic impact and increase her own global power. These interconnected storylines move at a breakneck pace in a compelling work of speculative fiction in which the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, selfishness and selflessness is sharp and clear … sometimes. This provocative novel also exposes unexpected complexities and ironies in drawing those lines, echoing the realities of human existence. (Age 13 and older)

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes a “thought-provoking and grimly enjoyable” (Kirkus Reviews) “epic biological thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a world where happiness is contagious but the risks of catching it may be just as dangerous as the cure.

A deadly and unprecedented virus is spreading. But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening. But not everyone. People in power—who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos. Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous. The race to find a vaccine begins. Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plans ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever.