The Program by Suzanne Young - HIGH

The Program (The Program, #1) by Suzanne Young, 405 pages.  Simon Pulse, 2013. $17.  

Content: Language: R (82 swears; 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Sloane and her boyfriend James try everyday to keep it together, but it’s not easy since Brady, Sloane’s brother and James’s best friend, committed suicide.  Suicide is an epidemic that is being closely watched by monitors at Sloane’s school and if a student shows any signs of sadness or rebellion then the monitors take the student to the Program.  At the Program, teens minds are wiped clean of all their memories, in an attempt to take away anything that would have made the teen sad.  Sloane and James are terrified of the Program and try everything in their power to avoid being sent, but sadness starts to seep in and they don’t have a lot of choices.  

At first I couldn’t get over how sad this book is with suicide being a common occurrence and big theme, but once I got into Sloane’s story I couldn’t put it down.  I cared for the characters and I loved how the book makes you appreciate your good and bad memories because they make you who you are.  This book doesn’t have much of an ending, but I can’t wait to read more in the series.  The content includes self-harm, sexual harassment/assault and off page sex.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson