Suzanne Young

In this “gripping tale for lovers of dystopian romance” (Kirkus Reviews), 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.

The Program

Bria

I have no idea how to feel about this book. I didn't really connect to Sloane or James, and I guess I envisioned a different execution of the plot.

As someone who has been clinically depressed for a while, I just don't see some of the book actually playing out, but I also recognized that depression is not the same for everyone. I'm just not buying this view of depression--James, Miller, and Brady's definitely but not Sloane's.

Melissa Palmer

Book #42 Read in 2013
The Program (YA) by Suzanne Young

An epidemic is spreading--suicide among teenagers and "the Program" is the cure. Sloane's brother Brady commits suicide. This places Sloane and her boyfriend/Brady's best friend James on a watch list by the Program. If they are placed in the Program, all of their memories, good and bad, will be wiped cleaned and then the "disease" will be removed from the brains, preventing their suicide. But is this truly the right thing to do? To make it that they have no knowledge of who they are or their feelings for each other? Sloane is not sure and she strives to hang on to her memories.

This book was a great read. There was a lot of action and twists and turns. The characters were well written and interesting, especially Sloane, James and Realm. There was a romantic element to the book that was interesting but not overpowering. I enjoyed this book a lot.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review from the Amazon Vine program.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Interesting concept, but I was not a fan of the characters or the writing.

Charlie Winchester 

Hannah Yang

The Program is a novel split into three parts: Before the Program, during the Program, and after it. It tells the story of Sloane's journey through depression and a memory-erasing program, as she struggles to hold on to her boyfriend James (who has also gone through the program).

It wasn't exactly what I expected - I thought they would go through the Program together, but there were some interesting twists during the Program. The story was executed decently, and the emotions (sometimes the lack thereof) felt real. James and Sloane had a very passionate relationship (and a physical one, but whatever) and you can tell that they have a strong bond.

However, my real issue with The Program is the concept of the "depression epidemic". It's never really specified what depression pertains to, there aren't even any made up facts about why it's happening. It's all very vague. I would have liked some fake science about why suicide is contagious. Since depression is a real, clinical illness, and a very sensitive topic in the literary community, I was curious about how Suzanne Young would handle it. While it was not romanticized (which is what I was most afraid of), it's still written slightly carelessly.

Depression is serious and runs very deep, which is why the concept that it is "contagious" is so difficult for me to accept. It also comes in many, many forms, and can develop very quickly or gradually, which is why the fact that depression seemed to have clear-cut, recognizable 'symptoms' etc. was a bit of a turn-off for me. I am glad, though, that depression is recognized as a sickness because it is. Some people have the impression that depression just means you're a sad person, but it is an actual mental illness.

I think the sequence of events was rather predictable (there was more build up in the beginning than I thought, but it helps you to feel the struggle Sloane feels when she starts to lose her memories), but it was an interesting enough story and I would recommend it to those who would not be too irked by the lack of thought behind the main concept.

Audrey Lord

Susan 

IM OBSESSED! I wish I read this sooner and cannot wait to read the rest

Emelie

Repetitive at times but overall a solid read.

Ariel Ramos Lopez

jess

Okay, listen. I get where the author's coming from. I know that there's a lot of shit being flung around about antidepressants being overprescribed, or tossing a depression diagnosis at anyone who seems to be the least bit sad. And I know this was a commentary on big pharma taken up to eleven. And that's a good idea, even though I don't necessarily agree with it! In fact, I'm really glad that this dystopia had a point, some political commentary, rather than a lot of YA dystopias which are just like "oh no the world is shit and I have to save it and also fall in love." It just, uh, wasn't very good as a discussion of the entire scope of mental illness or even depression and how complex it can be, and if you're going to write a book focusing on depression and suicide, you're going to need to know those complexities. 

The "depression as contagious illness" thing was part of the commentary, I'm sure, but I'm still disappointed in how it played out. There was nothing to contradict that notion or talk about depression as how it's usually thought of now, as chemical imbalances in the brain. Nope. The Program wipes their memory and everyone's MAGICALLY CURED - they don't relapse. Not one person. A 100% success rate. While trauma does increase risk of depression by changing brain structure, it doesn't cause it. You can't just wipe away memories and be all happy. Another problem I had was that everyone displayed sadness the exact same way: lots of crying, not eating, not sleeping. Also: pills are bad antidepressants are bad mental hospitals are bad. That's the message it sends, which is ... not the message you wanna be giving to teens who might already be hesitant to seek help if they're feeling depressed. Or "depression is contagious," in fact. It plays off stereotypes of depression, and misinforms people by spreading these stereotypes. 

The worldbuilding had huge holes. It seemed very present day, but The Program itself is a major ethics violation. One in three teenagers are committing suicide. Why? How did we get here? Why did the government implement such violent and invasive measures and spread misinformation instead of like, going off what we know about depression today? One person over 18 completes a suicide and there's fear about the "epidemic spreading," so what happens if a suicidal person turns 18? Is it, as Sloane states, "my God-given right to off myself if I so please?" Or are they just turned over to, you know, the normal mental health system and hospitalized as people are now, with actual therapy and medication instead of The Program? There's a lot I wish was explained that wasn't. 

As for the plot and characters: it was overly dramatic to the point where it seemed unreal. All the suicide attempts we see are done with at least one witness to it, which is just ... ugh. I feel like it was exploitative of suicide, honestly. I wish the characters were more fleshed out and different from each other, especially in how they show emotions since this was such an emotion-reliant book. In 400+ pages there was just ... so much crying. Also: the romance dear god so much of this book was romance I am so tired of romance and love triangles and possessive love interests fighting over one another. Also falling in love in a psychiatric hospital. Can we get rid of that trope already?

Beckah brooks

If you ever need a book to get you out of a reading slump, I definitely recommend this one. I must admit that after reading The Maze Runner Series I just couldn’t get into another book, until The Program. This book captivated me and I hated having to put it down. It was just the perfect mix of romance, dystopian, run-away-trope, mystery, and thrill. When the end of the book came closer I dreaded reaching the last page, luckily it’s part of a series. 
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This book follows Sloane as she and her boyfriend, James, navigate a world in which suicide is an epidemic. Teens are killing themselves left and right, and doctors think it’s contagious. So, they created The Program that cures the depression and suicidal thoughts. However, the program also takes away memories leaving the patients different people. Sloane and James want nothing to do with The Program so the book follows them as they do their best to avoid it.

Allison Garrett

Like most books, the concept of this book was good. With that being said it took me about five months to read this book. It frustrated me and was easy to put down and pick up again. And I did put it down for about three months. I hate that quality in a book. There were good and bad points to it. My favorite part was probably that we got to know all these things about Sloane that she had taken away from her so some things were truly very ironic. Besides that it was just ok in general. I might pick up the second one if I feel like I'm in a slump.

Elizabeth Neill

I was going to bed but I could not put this book down. It had my emotions going on a roller coaster ride. I would tell all my friends and family to read this book as soon as possible. I am so glad we don't live in that world cuz I don't know how I would survive. So go read this book ASAP

Emma Motze

It took me so long to read this book. It had been on my TBR for so long. I hated the main character's mom for what she did, and I really did not want her to go through the program.

Nicole Kerekes Boe

The Program:

I loved this book. I purchased the audiobook because it was on sale on Libro.fm and wow, it did not disappoint! This is my first true dive into dystopian-esque novels (though I’m a huge movie buff for this genre!) and I think I’m stuck for life. 

Sloan is living through hell-on-earth right now. Not only is teen suicide a national epidemic and has taken loved ones from her, but she is also stuck to deal with her emotions internally as one little breakdown could send her to The Program. 

The Program is a resetting therapy of sorts, wiping the suicidal thoughts of teens to “cure” them. While effective at removing the bad parts, The Program also erases the good. Folx who come back, come back as shells of who they once were. They remember only necessary things— their parents, memories from childhood, etc.—but not their previous friendships, hardships, etc. As you’d assume, avoiding The Program is the goal for all teens. 

This story is not just about Sloan trying to stay out of The Program, though. It also details the love she shares with James and the lengths they go to to stay “healthy” and by his side. 

You’ll fall in love with Sloan and James and root for them throughout this whole book. I loved this one so much, I immediately started The Treatment on audio then 2 days later, bought the entire series on paperback!

Henna

The book was really good but hard to get into.

Shafia Ghassani

interesting concept, it’s just like covid but darker

Maxie Froelicher

I read this book for the 2017 Around the Year in 52 Books week 49: A book from someone else’s bookshelf. My good friend recommended this series to me and I’m so glad I listened. This book kept me glued to the pages; I didn’t want to put it down! I can’t wait to read the next instalment and see where the story goes. It’s so well written, and while the characters could use more development, I’m hoping that will improve in the next books.

Caroline Lewicki

When I first picked up The Program about a year ago, reading about a suicide epidemic put me off and I quickly put it down. How wrong I was! While the essence of the series is that suicide has become an epidemic, it’s about so much more than that. Fighting to stay who you are, fighting for the right to FEEL things, however bad the feelings are, struggling between knowing everything about your life, including the horrible things, or knowing nothing about yourself at all. It’s really deep. There’s a lot of mystery to it and by the third part of the book, Suzanne Young even has the reader questioning what they know about themselves and the characters. 

I loved this book and tore through it so quickly! I cannot wait to continue the series!

Aroosa Qureshi

Wow! I really thought I was gonna discontinue this series due to the slow start and just being very repetitive but wooooowwww as it progresses you begin to get immersed into the story 🙃🙃🙃 The struggle displayed was in my opinion easy to understand and the frustration really hit me😁😁
Honestly, I'm really intrigued to read 'The Treatment' because this book really took a turn and I'm in for it!! 💜

Jane The Bookaholic

This gave me huge nostalgia and made me go back to the dystopia phase!! I love dystopia and this book was definitely enjoyable! 
I found some parts… too instance love and too young for me, and unfortnley I didn’t love everything about the book, but I really liked it and the dystopia setting and feeling. It was also a great audiobook to listen to and I might continue the series!

Ruth Parker 

Oh wow yes. This book made me feel all the feels. I touched me, scared me and spoke to me. Perfection!

As seen on Caity Reads.

I would like to start this review off with a very big trigger warning. This book deals with subjects such as depression and suicide. If this triggers you in anyway I do not recommend picking this book up. This book is very heart breaking, in a very real way. It deals with very sensitive subjects. I am not exaggerating in any way by telling you that my heart ached the entire time I read this book. It is an incredibly sad and frustrating read. They take everything from these characters who already have so little to give.

I really enjoyed the characters overall. They filled their roles nicely, even if that was what made the book frustrating at times. James was so incredibly caring and protective of Sloane. I really enjoyed Sloane’s character too, aside from a few minor things. For instance, her crying. Although it was very understandable, and I do not blame her even a little bit for crying; it was like she forgot or just didn’t really seem to care how dangerous it was.

The romance between James and Sloane was pretty perfect. Other than this thing that I can’t say because it is most definitely a spoiler. They are together at the beginning of the book, but we also get to see how they got together. What brought them together, and how protective of each other they are. I really enjoyed the flashbacks of their relationship.

My biggest complaint about this book would have to be the epilogue. I’m just really lost on what the epilogue was supposed to showing/telling us. Aside from the people that were in it. There were a few other, minor things; such as the level of teen angst in this book. Though I do understand that there is no way to make this plot work without it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who like young adult dystopian (with a little bit of science fiction thrown in).

Carol Syverson

This book was fine and pretty easy to read which helped me get out of a little bit of a slump but holy hell if you’re looking for a book that wants to fuel stigma around mental illness then this is the one. The description of depression in this book is the biggest problem I have with it, but also the dialogue seems so cheesy and I think James is the only character with a somewhat developed personality. But if you’re looking for an easy read then this isnt the worst book ever written, just don’t assume depression is simply wanting to commit suicide and “not wanting to go on any longer”