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 … 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.
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This book was so full of real-life emotions even though it was set in a world that wasn’t real. I absolutely loved the characters and the chemistry between them. I still think about this book and it has been more than five years since I read it.
I was genuinely surprised by this one. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like it or not but I really did. The premise and plot are so unique and intriguing. I was definitely at the edge of my seat and hooked.I can’t wait to start the second book!
This was so so good! I need to know what happens next. I also want to know what’s happening with Realm. Sloan and James are so awesome! I cannot wait to read the next book. I would recommend this book!
I am 13 and it is very hard to get into books at my age. The Program is a book I would recommend for anyone my age. It keeps you wondering what will happen next. The romance was just enough and the tears were flowing constantly. This book is great and the realistic parts were really brought to the surface. I think this book definitely deserved 5 stars and hope all of you reading this review will read the book as well.
even though it seemed forever to end it was worth it. the ending was so unpredictable and gratifying. There were plot twists and overall a great book.
The Program is a treatment center to eradicate the epidemic of suicide but what really are they doing? This story was a fast paced read and I needed to know how Sloane was going to fair and if she would remember the before.
I love this book and I want to read the rest of the series
i love this book so much, i never get tired of the series. everyone should read it
What a fantastic and crazy book. You would think about a world where teens are committing suicide would be depressing and at first it was, but man this was really good. The Program that these teens go through to get over their depression is absolutely insane and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this questionable program was flawed. It is definitely creepy and only makes me have more questions, but the author did a great job dropping little clues to keep dangling in front of the reader.
I would have given this book a higher rating but there are things about Sloane that I really don’t like. How she acted towards the end was very unlikable and I know that certain situations warrant her naive behavior it was excessive in my opinion and made her look dumb and needy.
Nonetheless, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and see where things go for Sloan and James.
This book really rugged at my heart, it was super sad at times. But I loved the romance.
I read this book in a single day, same with the rest of the series. I love it and think that it is an amazing read for many reasons.
The program is a YA Dystopian book and it’s the first in a series, though I do feel this could be read as a standalone, I am happy that I have the rest of the books to follow up with. Sloan lives in a world where you shouldn’t show any emotion because something is happening to teenagers that make them commit suicide. If you show emotion, you will be dragged into The Program, wiped of all your memories, and returned back, happy, adjusted, and free from the dangers that are plaguing teenagers.
Her world is relatively small. She lost her brother to this disease so it’s just her, her boyfriend James, who was her brother’s best friend, and her best friend Miller. They are a close-knit trio and James is their rock. Sloane heavily relies on James to help keep her steady, he’s her shoulder to cry on, the encouragement she needs when things get to be too hard.
But Miller’s girlfriend has gone through The Program, and as expected, she doesn’t remember him. Her handler, as everyone released gets a handler, is keeping her close. Miller’s obsession with getting her to remember him, or at least striking up a friendship to work towards a relationship is ultimately his downfall, and things get even harder for Sloane. When her world starts to implode, she finds herself in The Program, courtesy of her mother. It was hard when their mother lost her son and so she’s kept the pamphlet for The Program at the ready by the phone, waiting for just this moment.
You can’t fight it, even when you think you have the upper hand, you don’t, and that’s exactly what happens to Sloan. Though we watch her memories of James and their life together slip away one by one, she is making a few friends inside The Program. While the characters aren’t overly developed, they are just enough to keep the story going. Her closest friend inside, the one with the most interest in her, is Realm. He seems to have a lot of sway with the nurses and the handlers, he’s allowed to sidestep the rules, which was throwing out huge alerts to me, but Sloane just wasn’t picking up on it.
Part of going through the program is being heavily medicated. You’re giving medication to “relax you” aka, a truth serum of sorts, that gets you to talk about what you hold dear. Those are the memories that are going to be wiped. While I think Dr. Warren is genuinely interested in helping the teens out, she goes about it the wrong way. There’s an extra element of secrecy that I don’t feel is necessary. I think the amount of medication is too much, but there’s more in the series, so maybe that will be explained further on down the line. The creepy handler Roger is a bit overkill to me. He’s there, he’s overbearing, he gets inappropriate with Sloan, and then he’s gone. It’s an added bit of storyline but I don’t feel like it really moves the storyline forward, other than it gives Realm a chance to show off how much sway he has in the facility.
I think if I take out the small things that I didn’t love, and look at the big picture, overall this is a great read and I really enjoyed it. There wasn’t much history about The Program and it was kept vague, which I feel might have been intentional. I like the aspect that it’s proven to work, but we aren’t exactly sure why. There are extra memories that are taken out, to “help teens adjust”, which seems like overkill to me. Even things like how she lost her brother was wiped out. It was a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for me. I can’t wait to start the rest of the series.
I’ve read quite a few reviews as I was curious as to what other readers thought, and I take issue with a few of them. The blurb lets you know what you’re getting in to, so I don’t think that there need to be any more trigger warnings. If it’s not for you, then don’t read it. It’s Dystopian, so you have to take what happens with a grain of salt. It’s not meant to be exactly true to life, that’s what makes it Dystopian. While there is a heavy romance undertone in Sloane and James, The Program doesn’t romanticize suicide. Their relationship is a bit co-dependent, I would agree with that, but they’re teenagers, and teens don’t have the healthiest of relationships. I think because we are watching Sloane grow as a person, that dynamic might change, or at least I hope it does. Overall a really good read.
AMAZING BOOK. It is an amazing book for multiple reasons. It includes romance, suspense and covers serious topics like depression and suicide. This sequel book is a great book and 1-10 with 10 being the best, I give it a 25 !
Good so hard to put the book down
This bok is amazing!