What Goodreads says: 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.
The Program is set in a world where depression and suicide are considered a virus. If you are thought to have caught the virus, the handlers come to get you and take you to a facility known as The Program.
*May contain spoilers*
This book took me awhile to finish do to school work, But I really enjoyed it, I got it from my friend, Kendra has a birthday present, it was very well written, I highlighted throughout this entire book, This book touches on the topic of depression being a world wide epidemic where kids are committing sucide so society has come up with the Program, to help them, but by helping them they're erasing EVERYTHING their memories , emotions, anything that they feel is not important and that may have caused their depression. Sloane and her boyfriend Justin have been trying to fight depression They look out for each other and want to keep the other from either being "infected" or being snatched up by the Program.The Program. That's kinda like a helicopter parent watching the teens for any signs of suicide signs. They take the teens and wipe their memories clean so viola! they are cured. Creepy cured. Because they come back with no memories and everything is squeaky clean and new. But with her brother "accidentally" dying and her best friend taking quikdeath but didn't die and her other friend committing suicide its harder and harder for her and Justin to hang on.
How the programs work to cure them is they feed the teens "relaxing" pills to make them relax, and stupidly Sloane takes the damn pills?! I remember countless times I wanted to smack her, she says she doesn't trust them yet she's taking the pills to relax? your in the flipping program why would you want to relax?! But anyway the pills latch onto an infected memory and wipes it away. And I thought why are they giving sucidal teens all these different colorful pills this often?
There in the Program she meets Realm, who helps Sloane through her rough spots and what not and try to help her "stay well" since friends are recommended in the program, when you meet Realm and you think he's too perfect and too happy to be in the Program guess what your right! He's an implant in the program whose job their is to act like a patient and to help Sloane forget about Justin and to give in to the program, but he falls in love with her and helps her when she's out, so its sort of a love triangle.
With this book I loved how we got to see the transition of her before and after the program even when her and Justin both got the memory of each other erased they still found each other, to me this book was another unwind in the way it made you think, "What if something like this truly happen?" I really want to meet Suzanne, and get my copy of The Program signed overall I give this book a 5/5 and I can't wait to read the second book!, even though I feel this book should have been a stand alone. But I still wouldn't change a thing ! and I suggest you guys read it!!!
-Forever Blogging on Caffeine,
Sherri :)
