Review | The Program

The Program by Suzanne Young
Review by Jessica
April 2013 by Simon Pulse
405 pages
Amazon + Good Reads
5/5 stars

"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."

-Good Reads

With all of the dystopian books being published lately, it's hard to find one that is unique and I really click with. This one was one of those. Even though it is a dystopian, the world felt real. I could imagine the teenage suicide epidemic and The Program being things that could happen in the very near future. 

Reading The Program was a serious emotional ride. I cried and screamed in frustration many times while reading. The story is really depressing, but so good that I couldn't put it down. 

The romance was amazing. I loved reading their story of falling in love, and the way that they interact and support each other was very real and mature. The way that the author wrote all of the relationships so intense and real is what made the story depressing. When the characters were separated or something tragic happened to them it felt so depressing reading about it because I was connected to the characters and their relationships. 

The plot was also much more complex than I had anticipated. There were so many plot twists and revelations that I had no idea who to trust, who was really who they said they were, or what to even believe. I did not predict nearly half or what happened, and the ending especially took me by surprise. There is a huge cliff hanger, and I can not wait for the next book to come out so I can see what happens.

Overall this book was just amazing. I loved every single aspect of it, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great and original dystopian read that has a great romance.

Did you enjoy this review? Head over to Jess's blog to check out more reviews by her!