Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Review of Suzanne Young's 'The Program'


Goodreads Description:

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

About Author:


Suzanne Young currently lives in Tempe, Arizona where she teaches high school English and obsesses about books. She's the author of A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, A WANT SO WICKED, and THE PROGRAM. Learn more about Suzanne atwww.suzanne-young.blogspot.com


My Review:

I was a little apprehensive going into this book mainly because a lot of the reviews I'd read on goodreads were not exactly kind. I was very pleasantly surprised though. I really like the concept that over prescribed antidepressants changed the chemical makeup of a generation making them prone to suicide. To me that makes perfect sense. It's also a terrifying idea in that it could happen. I'm not saying it's likely to happen, but I feel it is definitely within the realm of possibility. 
I thought the pacing of this book was well done. It gave me a chance to fully understand all the characters, especially Sloane. I was a little worried going in that the book starts with a pre-existing relationship because I've always enjoyed watching characters fall in love. This didn't really end up being a problem for me though because I got to watch two characters that were madly in love fall in love all over again.
The dystopia in this book was not the most realistic, but Ms. Young's writing made it feel real and frightening.  
This book was a solid start to a promising series and I cannot wait to see where the next books will take us on Sloane's journey.

My Rating:






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