[R] The Program, by: Suzanne Young

The Program 
(The Program #1)
by: Suzanne Young

5 of 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.

Unbelievable! I never thought that a book could be this good. I was in it the whole time, page by page. I couldn’t stop reading it and much less put it down. I did, obviously, but I didn’t like it. I got a thing for dystopian books, is that I love them. Not all, of course, but I tend to squeeze everything they offer me. So that what I made The Program of, a book to squeeze knowledge and this time theme was feelings.

As the synopsis says, the book is about Sloane life and her feelings. Feelings are not forbidden as it says, but let’s clear it a little bit. If you were too happy, then something wrong happened because no one is that happy. If you are too sad, well that means you are depressed and you want to commit suicide. So, how to act normal when everyone is looking for signs to see if you will commit suicide? That’s Sloane’s problem. Her best friend, Lacey, was dragged of her house by The Program, because she wanted to kill herself with QuickDeath (poison). Before that, her brother, Brady, took his life by drowning in their favorite river. Later on, her other best friend, Miller, took his life with QuickDeath because he couldn’t afford to see his high school sweetheart, Lacey, brainwashed by The Program. The tip of the cup was her boyfriend, and our other main character, James. He swore to be there for her and viceversa, but after Miller’s suicide thing didn’t go well. What happened? She got dragged to The Program a few weeks after James got out and didn’t remember her. But that’s not the end. The fight is here.

It’s a sad story, like you can see, but it got its good parts. The romance here is very funny and there are so many jokes that no matter how much I cried, I laughed too. Here is some of love triangle, but Sloane is very set that she loves James and not Realm. Comparing both males is wrong, but they got so many things is common. I’m sure that if Sloane wants James for herself, maybe I could do some kind of deal and have Realm for me. Both are handsome, cute, caring and very protective of Sloane. They want her happy, but what is that Sloane wants?

Is not hard to see was Sloane wants. She wants to be free and who wouldn’t with the type of society she lives in. Is like waking from a nightmare and feel that you still in it. Right now, in the reality, suicides occur. Maybe some, maybe a lot. But I don’t think about them like an epidemic and much less that the cure is removing all the memories that triggers something to try to kill yourself. You can see in the book that in some parts of the world, where the “epidemic” is spreading, they are using other kinds of methods. I hope they were better, because as I see it, Sloane is going directly to a rebellion.

I don’t mind rebellions, I’m pretty sure that I like them. More in dystopian books, because the ends are so different. Obviously with the same goal, but different methods. I think I would love the result of it, I dunno maybe. I recommend reading the book, I really do!