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 mdash 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 HBOMax horror-drama, The Last of Us . Seventeen-year-old Mara is dead mdashmostly. 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 58 she rsquos sent to live with the best friend she hasn rsquot seen since the world ended mdashand since their first and only kiss. Seventeen-year-old Rory is alive mdashbarely. With impaired mobility from an injury and a dead sister, Rory rsquos nightmares are just as monstrous as the Ticks that turned her former best friend. Even after the Island mdashone of a handful of surviving communities mdashrebuilds 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 she rsquos ever loved. As the girls struggle with their pasts and the people they rsquove become, and with the Island rsquos fragile peace…