"The Program" Review

Date Published: April 30, 2013

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Number of Pages: 408

Publisher: Simon Pulse

First Thoughts:

This was a very interesting and cool book to read. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but I was hooked from the very first chapter. I was wowed and amazed at the creativity this book offered its reader. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Goodreads Summary:

In Sloane’s world, 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.

Plot:

This was a book about love and fighting as hard as you can to stay together. I loved the whole idea of “the program”. The author did a great job on creating a world that was filled with so many emotions and obstacles. The world was kind of scary too with the threat of “the program” and suicide being an epidemic. The pace of the book was pretty fast, I didn’t have any problems reading it. I was definitely involved in the characters story, I felt like I was actually there. So overall I enjoyed the story and liked that it was unique and filled with a lot of creativity.

Romance:

I really enjoyed the romance in the story, the relationship between Sloane and James was both sweet and realistic. I felt like the bond between the two was strong and rang of “soul mates”…I think everyone wants a relationship like theirs where there are no secrets and the love between the two of them is apparent and beautiful. The romance was a big part of this books plot and therefore the reader is more in tuned with the love between the two and the characters themselves. So overall I enjoyed the romance in this book and thought that it was believable and sweet.

Characters:

I enjoyed getting to know Sloane, she was a very deep and complex character. I was able to easily connect with her and understand why she was doing the things she was doing. As for James he was a little bit harder for me to connect with, it took me awhile to get comfortable with James and accepting him as Sloane’s other “half”. But I was eventually able to connect with him too. As for the rest of the characters I enjoyed them and thought they played their roles perfectly for this story. I particularly enjoyed “Lacey” (I wonder why lol).So overall I enjoyed the characters and thought they added another level to the story.

Transformation of the Character:

There was a little transformation in this book but not a lot. The transformation was noticeable but in my opinion the character stayed almost the same throughout the book. But Sloane did change a little but she was good at hiding her emotions. So overall I didn’t think this was an important aspect to the book.

Description:

I really enjoyed the description in the book, I thought author did a particularly good job on describing the characters thoughts and emotions. I could really sense the fear in Sloane and anguish she was feeling as her world came crumbling down. As far as describing the scenery, you could tell the author was very good with her color choices. She really seemed to match the colors to the characters emotions. The color yellow and white were used to define cleanliness and happiness….I really loved how the author used colors to define the situation. So overall I enjoyed the description in the book.

Style:

This was written in one POV and in first person. I think both of these points were good choice to use. Seeing all the events take place from one POV allowed the reader to become immersed in just that one character, you were able to become one with Sloane and feel what she felt; saw the world through just her eyes. And being in first person helped the reader really understand what the character was feeling. As for the authors writing I quite enjoyed it and didn’t have any trouble reading it, it seemed to be up to par as far as young adult writing goes. So overall I enjoyed the style of the book.

Quote of the book:

““This is treatment…think of it as your antibiotic. We need to treat the virus, and then you’ll be free of it. Take the pill and go home, Sloane. It’s as simple as that.”

I consider arguing, fighting my way out. But there’s nothing outside this office but the stark white halls of The Program.”

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to any YA reader, it has its moments but in all I found it to be an enjoyable read. I can’t wait to read the next installment in this series “The Treatment”: So in the end I enjoyed the creativity of this book and look forward to future writing by this author. This was one book I don’t think I will ever forget about. 

My Rating: