By Suzanne Young
344 pages
I know I told you that the prequel to The Program was coming soon, and it is, but not until after the sequel (and one other book). So after reading The Program, I decided to read the sequel next since it is a continuation with the same characters. This isn’t a “romance” in the trashy sense of the term, but it definitely tells of the romance between Sloane and Jason.
This story picks up right where we left off. Sloane and Jason are back together. They managed to find and love each other again – even after The Program has erased all of their memories of each other. I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of “meant to be.” The problem is that, this time, they are on the run from The Program, the law. Lucky for them, Sloane also remembers Realm, her friend from her time inside The Program. Lucky for Realm, she doesn’t remember all of the details. However, Realm is still willing to do anything he can to help Sloane survive. This includes getting her and James in with the resistance. Those hiding from and fighting against The Program. Enter Dallas, Cas, Lacey, and even the handler, Kevin.
While this resistance group definitely helps Sloane and James, the more important gift from Realm is The Treatment. Realm is able to give Sloane one bright orange pill. He (through his sister) informs Sloane that this pill has the ability to bring back all memories that have been erased by The Program. Once taken, it also has the ability to make you immune to The Program attempting to erase your mind again. This, of course, also comes with a warning. The warning that maybe you don’t want to remember. Maybe you really were sick and returning the memories will return the suicidal thoughts. Realm gives this pill to Sloane realizing that if she takes it, she might decide never to speak to him again. Sloane doesn’t take it. Not right away.
So, The Treatment turns out to be what The Program is searching for. Sure they want to recapture Sloane and James because their “failure” in The Program looks bad, but more importantly they want The Treatment so it can’t be duplicated: it is the only one in existence. They just need to make sure they do it before Sloane gets lobotomized.
Sloane and James are on a mission to stop The Program in any way they can. This is specifically important because the U.S. has just issued a proclamation that before someone reaches the age of 18, they will be required to go through The Program. Now, I know this is a fictional, dystopian society, and a quote on the front cover even says, “…
The Program feels frighteningly real,” and it’s true. One of my co-workers told me a few weeks ago that there was a proposal to have all U.S. citizens tested for depression. It hasn’t passed, and I THINK it’s for everyone OVER 18, but it’s still scary. While it isn’t exactly The Program, it isn’t exactly far off either.
This was a great sequel. When I had about 40 pages left, I told my student (the one who recommended it) that I was worried that there wasn’t enough time left for them to give me a satisfactory ending, but I was wrong. Suzanne Young definitely succeeded in giving me an ending I can be happy with.
4 Stars
(I read one more book on my trip last weekend, and am starting the prequel to The Program today.)