The Remedy (Program, #3)

by Suzanne Young

A teen who’s taken on so many identities she’s not sure who she is anymore stumbles across a secret with devastating implications in this riveting third book in Suzanne Young’s New York Times bestselling Program series—now with a reimagined look.

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee is a closer. Since the age of seven, Quinn has held the responsibility of providing closure to grieving families with a special skill—she can “become” anyone.

Recommended by grief counselors, Quinn is hired by families to take on the short-term role of a deceased loved one between the ages of fifteen and twenty. She’s not an exact copy, of course, but she wears their clothes and changes her hair, studies them through pictures and videos, and soon, Quinn can act like them, smell like them…be them. But to do her job successfully, she can’t get attached.

Now seventeen, Quinn is deft at recreating herself, sometimes confusing her own past with those of the people she’s portrayed. When she’s given her longest assignment, playing the role of Catalina Barnes, Quinn begins to bond with the deceased girl’s boyfriend. But that’s only the first of many complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.

• ISBN10: 1481437674
• ISBN13: 9781481437677
• Publish Date: 21 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

This book absolutely gutted me, it was beautifully written, hauntingly amazing, and equal parts heart-wrenching. It gave me ALL THE FEELS that a book should. [a:Suzanne Young|164576|Suzanne Young|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357757103p2/164576.jpg] is a truly inspired and talented author.

(Full review to come.)

[Angie]

The Remedy is like a kind of prequel, but also companion. Either way you look at it, it's quite awesome. It does take place before The Program and The Treatment, so you can absolutely read it first even though it was published last. To me, I don't think it really matters, since it doesn't spoil anything for the main two books, and the main two books don't spoil anything for this one. It's just preference, but this is an absolute must read whether you want to read the actual duology or not.

In The Remedy, we learn about yet another change in the mental health care system before the suicide epidemic. Quinn works as a closer, someone who stands in for a dead person so that their family can say goodbye or whatever it is that they didn't get to say. She helps them with their grief at the expense of herself. Quinn spends a lot of time pretending to be other people. But it's not like acting. She actually has to almost become these people. She wears their clothes, does her hair and makeup like them. She studies photos and videos of them to mimic their facial expressions, voice, and mannerisms. For all intents and purposes, she is them for the few days she's with the family. She's done this for eleven years, and she can never tell what memories are really hers or what's an assignment.

I was completely hooked from the beginning, because this whole process is fascinating. In a way, I do think this is a helpful grief tactic, even if it is a bit creepy. But most of all, I was interested in what this does to the closers. Quinn has been at it longer than any other, and she's really good at it. But maybe not as good as she thinks, when she gets her latest assignment which is a long term one. She get's completely tangled into Catalina's life! It's so crazy! I can't say too much, but really, she just is completely immersed that she feels like this is her life! I spent a lot of time mentally yelling at her to not do certain things because she's compromising her own mental health!

Then there's a twist. The end of The Remedy kind of blew my mind. I wasn't even thinking of this thing to be a possibility, but holy crap! What in the world is happening?! How can anybody do that to someone?! I was shocked and appalled. Then I saw there were only a few pages left, and I was like NOOO! I need more after that reveal! Plus, one of the biggest mysteries of the book isn't solved! Who in the hell is Virginia?! Well, we know technically who she is, but what did she do?!!? Why is this happening! Tell me! Leaving this completely unresolved is what kept my rating down. How can you introduce something that interesting and not follow through?

Obviously I thought The Remedy was pretty freaking fantastic. It's an interesting and different look at grief. People process it in different ways, and this is just one method, even if it's dangerous to those doing the helping. It was just completely insane.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.