THE SCARLETS

A YA dystopian romance set in a chillingly familiar future where love is regulated, desire is policed, and girls are raised to obey. The Handmaid's Tale meets The Selection, THE SCARLETS blends high-stakes romantic competition with feminist resistance.

After catastrophic population decline, New America has addressed the crisis with a series of authoritarian mandates. Teenage girls are Savers, known less generously as Scarlets for the scarlet mark tattooed on their forearms ranked by beauty, virtue, lineage, and most importantly, their ability to bear children and chosen by eligible Receivers, men of the ruling class.

Seventeen-year-old Ava Hawthorne has been passed over five times already, which is fine by her... until she's selected for a nationally televised spectacle where 99 girls must charm, compete, and conform for a chance to win the hand of the President's elusive son, Penn Towers, whose face has never before been seen. Rumors abound is he maimed? A monster? Does he even exist? Only the winner will discover the truth.

As Ava is thrust into a world of rival Savers, scheming royals, and a dangerously charming heir, something surprising happens: she begins to fall for Penn. For fans of Lauren Roberts' Powerless, Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, and teen readers of Silver Elite, THE SCARLETS is a story about control, longing, and resistance, with an unforgettable heroine determined to define her destiny.

Debut author Allie Call grew up all over the country, and like her protagonist, found herself questioning the strict rules of her family and community from a young age. Allie discovered writing as a way to imagine herself into other worlds, received her MFA, and has spent the last few years teaching college English at universities in Kentucky and Georgia. You can find her on tiktok @allieallieohhh where she frequently posts about writing THE SCARLETS and life with her partner, Jess, and their golden retriever. (Allie is one of those rare authors who likes social media!)