The Program ~ Suzanne Young review

The Program (The Program #1)
Simon Pulse
April 30, 2013
416 pages
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In the past day have you felt lonely or overwhelmed? (pg 8)

That's the question that starts the mini survey Sloane takes every day. Every day she answers 'no.' Whether the answer is no or not. Everyone who doesn't want to be taken away to The Program knows what their answer needs to be, how they need to act.

With teen suicide now an epidemic, her area has found the only solution: The Program. Parents welcome The Program because it keeps their children alive. And it does heal them - in a way. They return free of their depression.

And of their memories.

With someone watching whether it's at home or at school, Sloane knows she has to keep her real feelings hidden. Even when one of her best friends commits suicide, she knows she can't cry . . . Not if she wants to stay out of The Program. The one person she can be herself with is James. Sloane believes when he says he'll keep them safe and believes in their love. But, with more around them dying, she knows they're getting weaker. And The Program is coming.


I wanted to read The Program because of the idea that Young came up with in The Program and of teen suicide being an epidemic, along with the lengths that some parts of society was going to to prevent it. That part of the story was done very, very well, adding fantastic tension -- and even fear -- to the novel. The Program was incredibly well thought out, from how it worked both with those who had been involved in it and with those were trying to avoid the 'sickness.'

I liked that it was just enough science fiction-ness to it to make it work but also little enough that it seemed very real, too. It was more like a very realistic Twilight Zone episode, where almost, almost everything looks the same, yet the result is so drastically different. It's great.

While The Program was why I wanted to read The Program, it's actually not why I'm so, so, so happy that I did.

I am in love with Sloane and James. Like madly, so.

When you hear of the romance they've had paired with how things are currently, you ache for them to have more of those moments. There's something really beautiful about their relationship along with what they're trying to overcome together. It was also great how their past was integrated into the story.

After reading this, I need to bump Just Like Fate which Suzanne Young co-wrote with Cat Patrick up my TBR list. Though, now I'll have even higher expectations for any romance in it!


Rating: 9/10