Review : The Program by Suzanne Young

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : The Program (Program #1)
Author : Suzanne Young
Publication Date : April 30th 2013
Publisher : Simon Pulse
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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.

Personal Thoughts

The Program is a book I went to not really knowing what to expect. I hadn't read many reviews for it, so I was unsure of what was awaiting me in between the pages of this book. I was completely blown away by the emotional impact that The Program had on me which made it a YA dystopian that really stuck out to me.

More than anything, The Program was a heavily character driven story and although that should have bothered me a little, it didn't. In fact, I welcomed the change. The characters in The Program were intricate, complex and full of depth. There weren't particularly exceptional, but the way they were written made them beautiful characters. Sloane, the main character, was one I immediately connected with. She had witnessed a lot in her short life and she was handling all of it with a brave face. Sloane was a character I admired for her strength. Not only had she observed people around her being dragged away to The Program, but she had also been an eye-witness to her brother's suicide. She was full of pain and grief, but because she didn't want to be sent away to The Program, she refused to break down.

To stand by Sloane was James, her brother's best friend and her boyfriend. James was the kind of love interest that I adore in my books ; sweet, down-to-earth and caring. He was really witty at times and made me feel like I had butterflies in my stomach with the things her said. James too had witnessed his best friend commit suicide and was dealing with the guilt of not being able to save him. He too put on a brave face for the sake of Sloane because he had promised her that he would take care of her forever. Another character that I really loved in The Program was Miller. Although short-lived, Miller's character had such an emotional impact on me. I heart just broke when I found out about his situation and I wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. But the world they were living in wasn't so bright and rosy to hope for a happy ending for every character. The one character that made me too uncomfortable was Realm. He gave me creepy negative vibes throughout the book and I was constantly doubtful of his intentions. All in all, the characters in The Program were well fleshed out and I loved getting to know them.

Like I've said, The Program wasn't heavy on the plot despite it being a dystopian novel. It did feel more like an introduction to the characters and to The Program itself, but I wasn't unsatisfied, because I got out of this book an emotionally intense romance. I was left with questions when it came to the world-building, especially as how to the suicide epidemic came to be and who was behind The Program. I'm hoping that these will be answered in the next installment. The atmosphere throughout the book was tense and kept me on the edge. In Sloane's world, suicide is a contagious epidemic found in teenagers and the only way to treat yourself is to go through The Program, which basically gets rid of selective memories of your past life that might have lead you to a depression. It was a dark and bleak world and Suzanne Young captured that essence of gloominess and hopelessness masterfully. The characters' emotions and feelings were so palpable that I had a lump in my throat while reading.

What I loved about The Program though was the romance between James and Sloane. When we meet them their relationship had been already established for some time now, but that didn't mean that we don't get to experience how their romance developed. There were flash backs strewn across the book to help with that. I don't know what it was about it that made me love it so much. James and Sloane were rocks to each other, acting as pillars for their significant others. So many times in YA romances I can't really feel the love between the couple, but this wasn't the case with The Program. Suzanne Young's writing had that nice flow to it that made it effortless to read the book. It was also very captivating and I kept telling myself "one more chapter", but then kept reading on until my eyelids were heavy.

You have to know that The Program had a lot of romance as compared to the usual dystopian. If you go into the book expecting more of a plot, you will be disappointed. At the core, The Program was a story about true love in a futuristic setting. I was amazed by how much I ended up loving this book and I for one, can't wait for the next book to come out already. I highly recommend The Program to those of you looking for an intense romantic book that will make you feel all the feels!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall Rating : 4.5/5**