Quick Review: The Program by Suzanne Young
The Program (Program #1)
by: Suzanne Young
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Dystopian
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Read it free on Pulseit!
Page Count: 408 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 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.
-goodreads.com descriptionSloane 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.
A huge thank you to Sara@Forever17Books for her review on this one! She instantly made me want to pick this one up! And I'm so glad I was able to read it! I saw it was free on Pulseit and didn't think I'd have the time to be honest, since they only keep them on there for a week. Something compelled me to pull it up on the computer last night and even though I was just going to read a little, I polished off the whole thing!!
A lot of people have said this reads more as a contemporary than a dystopian, and I would have to agree with them. So if you're looking purely for the dystopian vibe, you may be disappointed. Personally, I have been reading a lot more contemporaries lately, so that wasn't a problem for me. Not to mention, I really liked the romance in this book.
I think the reason I liked The Program so much was because the idea behind it was insanely interesting to me. A society where suicide is an epidemic? If you're infected, then you are taken into the Program, which is set to give you a clean slate and remove any harmful memories from your brain to prevent you from risk of suicide.
I won't lie. This book was definitely heart-wrenching. Suicide is not something to be taken lightly, but to lose someone close to you and not be able to express your grief for fear of being taken away? That's some serious stuff right there. Our main characters Sloane and James have both lost someone they cared about deeply and will continue to lose ones they love. However, neither one is allowed to show any outward emotion for fear of being the next ones placed in the Program.
I really liked Sloane and James's relationship. (Which was already established at the beginning of the novel.) Young does give us flashbacks to the beginnings of their relationship and we do see some of how they got together. They are very supportive and protective of one another and when one is breaking down, the other is there to build them back up and bring them back to the here and now.
Is their love strong enough to withstand the ultimate of trials? Or will The Program step in and take everything they hold dear?
**I decided to make this a quick review, as there is just SO MUCH I don't want to say, because I am afraid to give anything away! It's definitely worth picking up and reading!!!!**
13 comments
Sososososososososososo very happy you loved this too! I forgot it was on Pulseit. What a perfect time to have read it! <3
ReplyDelete:D Thanks Sara! I can't wait for the sequel! Need more James and Sloane cuteness!
Deletewow, a single day? that is amazing, especially since you read it on the computer which is always hard. I actually prefer it being more contemporary since dystopians nowadays are just wannabes. The plot does sound heart wrenching, suicide is definitely a heavy topic. Since you loved it so much I now have to see what it is all about.
ReplyDeletegreat review,
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
Yes! Juhina- I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it on the computer, but I got so wrapped up in the story I didn't end up caring! And I think I preferred it as a contemporary myself too.
DeleteThis book sounds so good! I'm going to have it move higher on my TBR list now. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim! When you get to it, I hope you like it!
DeleteI agree, it was an addictive read. Too hard to put down! And yay for Pulse, I was read it there too, I was delighted when I saw it :)
ReplyDeleteI love Pulseit! Such a great idea! And so nice too!
DeleteGreat review! I agree... so difficult to write my review also. There is so much I wanted to say, but couldn't. I LOVED this book so much!
ReplyDeleteToni @ My Book Addiction
Yay! Thanks Toni! I can't wait for the sequel!
DeleteI loved this book too and was so happy that I caught it on Pulseit!
ReplyDelete:D I can't believe I caught it on the last day! I'm super glad I stayed up late to read it!
DeleteI definitely want to read this book, and I'm glad to know ahead of time it's more contemporary than dystopian - otherwise, I would've been disappointed. I'm so looking forward to this book! I like contemporary novels, so I have a good feeling this will still be a satisfying read. :)
ReplyDeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.