The Program Book Review

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
# of Pages: 405
Series #: Program #1
Reading Span: June 11th - 13th
Rating: ****/

That ending... This book was simply amazing.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was the romance, and the repetition that occurred in the first 120 pages. After finishing the book, I understood why Suzanne Young wrote those scenes, and I loved that she did.

The idea for The Program was actually quite brilliant, but also a bit frightening. This book is not a dystopia, it's more or less the exact same government that we have today. It's so scary to think that suicide could actually become a real problem, and that it could happen in a mere 20-30 years from now. I swear, if anything like The Program comes into society, I will never let anyone send anybody there. I loved to hate the "cure".

I also loved to hate the characters that Sloane encountered. I especially dislike Roger, the creepy handler. I'm also not a huge fan of Realm, but I can't help but feel a love for him deep inside. James could sometimes be annoying, but for that most part I loved his cockiness. Miller was great too, he might have even been one of my favourites. Lacey was also great, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her in the next book. Sloane was also a very strong main character, and I was happy to follow her along on her journey.

What little world-building there was in this book was very well done. I can understand why The Program exists, and why they use the cure that they do. I liked how Suzanne Young explained this to me, as well as to the rest of her readers, in a way that took very little time, but was also engaging.

I've seen a couple reviews where people had been complaining about the awkward pacing in this book, and I completely disagree. I think that pacing was very steady, and not only that but it was always interesting. Some claim that the beginning wasn't necessary, but, as I mentioned before, it played a role in the book, and it wasn't entirely boring to read.

I also thought that the ending was suitable. It left open plenty of room for a sequel. Yes, it was a cliff-hanger, but Suzanne Young wrote it as though I wasn't sitting there awkwardly, or have any questions that I felt took away from the first book.

Finally, I cannot go without mentioning the important topic that The Program covered. I found myself almost down to tears, hearing about all of the suicide that was happening. I also felt torn when Sloane was torn after loosing her memories of everything. After reading this, I feel especially concerned for the world. Suicide defiantly needs to be addressed.

I defiantly think that everyone should check this out. Although I think that teens aged 13-17 would enjoy this better then adults, I defiantly think that you should consider this. Do be warned that this book is not meant for younger audiences, as it does cover some mature scenes. Happy reading!