Suzanne Young

Can one girl help others find closure by slipping into the identities of their loved ones? Find out in this riveting sequel to The Remedy and companion to the New York Times bestselling The Program and The Treatment. In a world before The Program… Quinlan McKee has spent her life acting as other people. She was a closer—a person hired to play the role of the recently deceased in order to give their families closure. Through this process, Quinn learned to read people and situations, even losing a bit of herself to do so. But she couldn’t have guessed how her last case would bring down her entire world. The only person Quinn trusts is Deacon, her best friend and the love of her life. Except Deacon’s been keeping secrets of his own, so Quinn must set out alone to find Arthur Pritchard, the doctor who’s been trying to control her life. The journey brings Quinn to Arthur’s daughter, Virginia, who tells Quinn the truth about Pritchard’s motives. The former closer will start to see that she is the first step in fighting an epidemic. But Quinlan doesn’t want to be a cure. And with all the lies surrounding her, she realizes she has no one left to rely on but herself—even if she doesn’t know who that is anymore.

The Epidemic

Maggie Troxell

** spoiler alert **
           I am going to begin this review with the forward fact that I have never cried while reading a book, never. Though this book, and the series it belongs to, made me sob. The Epidemic by Suzanne Young, put me through a whirlwind of emotions, happiness, sadness, anger, mourning. Although it was an overall emotional series, it has earned the title of my favorite book series. It all starts with Quinlan McKee, a high school dropout recruited to be a closer, she’s supposed to close teenagers lives throughout the start of the suicide epidemic. Though things go horrendously wrong after she finds out a dark and world-changing secret about her past.
 The most obvious and crucial element that was included in this book series is its conflict. Without the conflict, this book would have been a torturous read. It would have made no sense and I wouldn’t have been able to connect with the characters whatsoever. Quinlan was forced into being a closer for her “father” Tim McKee. She took on a complex case assigned personally to her by the head of the department, Arthur Pritchard. After getting in too deep Quinlan starts to forget who she is and breaks down completely. Having to read her suffering hurt my heart. It made me feel as if I was actually her and I felt her pain. The conflict being internal as person versus self situation made it extremely hard to read though I had to keep going to assure myself that she was going to be okay and not wind up dead. After her intense breakdown, she fled to her advisor's apartment for answers but instead found a vacated house with a lone file laid out with the name Quinlan McKee neatly printed on it. Quinlan opens it to discover that she was assigned to be a closer for Tim McKee’s daughter who died in a car accident. I actually cried reading this. She had been informed her entire eighteen years of life that she was someone she wasn’t. I had to physically put down my book and thoroughly think through her situation. The detail in the writing is insanely complex. It truly does convince you closers exist out there. 
 Another element featured in the book is characterisation (obviously). The amount of detail and dedication put into forming these characters is unreal. The depth of their personalities is so very intricate. I feel as if I could walk up to a character at school and ask them how their weekend was. Throughout the series one of Quinlan’s coworkers, Reed Castles, was mentioned scarcely but you’re able to pick up on his name and recall him when he’s included. Towards the end of the book he begins to fall for Virginia Pritchard’s story. Although he then also falls into the depression of her story, thus starting the epidemic. The author makes you fall in love with Reed’s charm and kind nature. Then she brutally destroys that love with a very gruesome description of his suicide. The way his character was introduced was very smart. She built his character from the ground up, with you watching his development. During the middle portion of the book, Young takes us on a walk down memory lane to Deacon’s childhood. He’s portrayed as a rather mysterious character making it so we don’t know much of his backstory and where he came from. He shows Quinlan his childhood home featuring his alcoholic mother and delinquent brother. I found this part a difficult portion to read because it was purely sad. Deacon grew up with a father who abandoned them after robbing them of their money. It was very realistic and a situation that could really happen. He discusses how his mother checked out mentally when he was around the age of 7. His dark and depressing past showed his hardships and how he flourished into a young man wanting to change the world. It was honestly inspiring. I think that this part was needed in the book because it puts on display how you can truly change yourself and your surroundings if you try. 
 I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly. It was extremely inspiring and eye-opening. It showed how the happiest of people could easily go through very tough things that are life-altering. I recommend this read to anyone who likes realistic fiction, dystopian, or romance books. Though if you have easy triggers I highly don’t recommend this. It goes into detail on very dark times in peoples lives and has a large number of dead characters. I also don’t recommend reading this if you get easily emotional. It will be a hard read. I would give similar TV shows, books, or movies to compare this book to though I cannot begin to think of any that do this justice. I loved this read and that’s all there is to say.

"After discovering that everything she's ever known including her own identity has been a lie, Quinlan McKee is determined to find out the truth about her past. But in her search for answers, she discovers a cover-up more chilling than she can imagine. An epidemic is coming, and there's no way to stop it"--

Emily C Peterson

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It wasn't long after finishing The Remedy that I decided I had to jump into The Epidemic. I just had too many questions to wait. So, as annoying as it is that I waited so long to revisit this series, at least I got to binge these two prequel novels. That was good because, honestly, I think I'd have lost my mind if I had to wait more than a few hours. I'm not so good with the waiting thing. But I digress. Back to the book. 

The Epidemic was a wonderful conclusion to the storyline of Quinlan and Deacon that began in The Remedy. I had a ton of questions going into this book. I didn't know who I could trust. I worried that certain characters weren't who I thought they were and that it would wind up breaking my heart when it was all said and done. I was all twisted up. I breezed through this book because it was as addicting as the others and, well, I needed answers. I was totally invested in the characters — Quinlan most of all, obviously — and since you can never feel secure in the fact that everything will work out positively in a dystopian, I knew I'd be on edge until I finished it. 

So, you could totally read The Remedy and The Epidemic separate from The Program and The Treatment. And you could totally read The Program and The Treatment and never pick up the two prequel novels. But, don't. In fact, I would recommend reading them in the order they were originally put out, too. There's something to be said about the experience of having the story of The Program/The Treatment and then going back and reading The Remedy and The Epidemic. It's amazing the connections that are made and how things tie together. This is just a top notch series all the way around. I don't read a lot of YA these days and I read even less science fiction/dystopian, but The Program series is one of the best of the best. 

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  "You take up my whole world, Quinlan. It makes you easy to spot."

And now this is our world. People are killing themselves for no apparent reason other than the loss of hope. Or maybe there is another reason. Maybe we'll never know the actual truth. 

We're free to go where we want, but we don't have to find a place right away. Home is with the person you love, the person who loves you back stupidly and completely. Home is the space of peace in your heart.

The Epidemic

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