Retro: Simon and Schuster announces New YA Thriller Novel

In Retro, what starts off as a light-hearted competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for survival in this page-turning young adult thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía Lapuente.

It was never meant to happen this way. Things were never supposed to get this out of hand… After a cyberbullying incident at her school goes viral, Luna Iglesias finds herself at the heart of a brewing controversy. When the social media company Limbo—who are also implicated in the scandal—sweeps in with an offer that sounds like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and receive a scholarship to the college of her dreams, she’s happy to jump on the new trend. It’s called the Retro Challenge, where contestants live without modern technology, wear vintage clothes, party as if the future weren’t already written, and fall in love as if they were living in a movie.

At first, the challenge is fun. But then things get dangerous. Kids start disappearing, including Luna’s friends. There are voices in the woods. Bloodred markings on the trees. And Luna increasingly begins to wonder if all these strange happenings are connected to the Retro Challenge.

Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. The weight of her family on her shoulders. There’s so much on the line for Luna, not to mention she’s falling in love with the last guy she expected. Unless she can figure out the truth behind who’s sabotaging the challenge, the next person to disappear may be Luna herself.

In addition to Retro, the authors also contributed a short story in Gleanings (on sale November 8), the upcoming short story collection from Neal Shusterman set within the world of the Arc of a Scythe series. This real-life couple and writing partners will also be appearing at YALLFest 2022 this fall. They will also be doing a hybrid in-person/virtual launch event for Retro at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 6 pm PT. They’ll be appearing in conversation with author Gina Chen.