"An intensely readable YA debut with undertones ofAtwood and a vivid, immersive setting." The Guardian"Adystopia unlike any other I've seen, combiningdebutante courting etiquette with realistic climate changewarnings." - Lauren James, author of The Quiet at theEnd of the World"Compelling asit is searingly romantic." - Elizabeth Lee, author ofThe Cunning Women"An utterly compelling dystopia...A simply stunningdebut." - Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake"The must-have book of the season for those who enjoytheir dystopia wrapped in romance." - Bex Hogan, authorof Viper "Immersive, beautifully written and achingly romantic,I state my preference for this gorgeous dystopian debut." -Sue Cunningham, author of Totally DeceasedThe world didn't end all at once but drip by drip...Manon Pawlak has just turned eighteen, a debutant at the startof the Virtue Season: a process that will result in a match witha suitable genetic mate. Her best friend, Agatha, has been decommissioned,forbidden to partake in the season and unite with theboy who has had her heart since they were children.When Manon's mother wades out into the waters of Penn Vale withstones sewn into the lining of her coat, Manon's genetic purityis called into question and she's forced to rely on the fisherman'sson, Wick, to keep her secret. But as they dance, the truth abouttheir world starts to unravel, and Manon finds herself at thecentre of it all. And the council is watching. Bridgerton meets The Hunger Games with shadesof The Handmaid's Tale and 1984As romantic as it is sinister and completely unputdownableThis is L.M. Nathan's debut YA, almost 10 years in the makingand inspired by the countryside of rural LancashireFeaturing the ever-popular BookTok tropes of #forbiddenromance,#friendstolovers and #forcedproximity and themes of a woman'sright to choose, a woman's right to her own body, totalitarianismand how true love endures in even the darkest of places