The Treatment (Program, #2)

by Suzanne Young

Can Sloane and James survive the lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end? Find out in this sequel to The Program, which Publishers Weekly called “chilling and suspenseful.”

How do you stop an epidemic?

Sloane and James are on the run after barely surviving the suicide epidemic and The Program. But they’re not out of danger. Huge pieces of their memories are still missing, and although Sloane and James have found their way back to each other, The Program isn’t ready to let them go.

Escaping with a group of troubled rebels, Sloane and James will have to figure out who they can trust, and how to take down The Program. But for as far as they’ve come, there’s still a lot Sloane and James can’t remember. The key to unlocking their past lies with the Treatment—a pill that can bring back forgotten memories, but at a high cost. And there’s only one dose.

Ultimately when the stakes are at their highest, can Sloane and James survive the many lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end?

• ISBN10: 144244584X
• ISBN13: 9781442445840
• Publish Date: 21 February 2019 (first published 29 April 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[liz089]

I was expecting this would not be the end yet ? But it is for these characters, and I think it is a proper ending for this part of the story. Liked the MC's, liked some of the plottwitst... some were a bit predictive, but well.
Not sure yet if I will continue ?

[Angie]

Of course, The Treatment is the fight the establishment portion of this dystopian duology! Sloane and James are on the run and on their way to meet up with the rebels who can help them. Even though they're on the same side, they don't trust each other at all, so tensions are running high. Especially when news of Sloan and James hits national news. It's hard to hide and fight the system when your face is plastered everywhere.

I really enjoyed The Treatment. It's nonstop....stuff! Not necessarily action, but other stuff. There's lots of running and speeding away in Escalades. So many secrets! Emerging memories! Betrayals! It was a lot! But not too much. I mean, these teens are high profile, the Program desperately wants them back because them not being "cured" is bad for business. Obviously, Sloane has to meet a certain someone who has the power to expose all this. That did seem too easy to me, but I did like who this person was. That at least felt most believable.

Realm continued to be a problem though. I thought he served his purpose in The Program, but now he was just annoying. She does not love you! Get that through your head! She is not going to leave James for you! You are a liar and a creep! Just go away! My gosh!

Despite my strong dislike for Realm and the nonsense he brought, I thought The Treatment was a solid conclusion. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, which I liked. I kind of expected something to happen based on previous Dystopia experience, but it didn't. So that was good! Surprise me! It did leave me feeling a little sad for Sloane, but this ending worked for me, and she's making it work, too. Now to find out how this all got started!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Kelly]

I was surprised that The Treatment was the final installment in The Program series, making the duology fast paced and action packed. The Treatment begins with the young lovers Sloane and James on the run from The Program, a place where depressed teens are sent and medicated to steal their dark and negative memories. It begun as a few random teen suicides, but quickly spread to epidemic proportions. The storyline raises issues long held with teens, of how parents and adults can easily fail to relate to their children and lack understanding. The parents of the series don't see that teens experience a wide range of emotions, including depression and sadness, and send them off to The Program. The government brainwashing adults to believe that taking the dark memories of teens is the only way to stop a growing suicide epidemic. In The Treatment, the reader is introduced to both founders of The Program, adults who both begun with the best of intentions, but quickly spiraled out of control when the facilities were taken over.

Previous characters will resurface and we're introduced to new characters, such as Dallas and Asa. Dallas is a victim of The Program, but hides the horror of her experience behind a tough and sometimes terribly blunt facade. Asa is a carer within the facility, who steps up when the rebel teens need him most. A stroke of genius for Suzanne Young to wrap the series up within the two novels, eliminating the unnecessary middle book syndrome that so many of our favourite series suffer. I really enjoyed it and absolutely adored the Epilogue, one of the best I've read. If you love an awesome young adult science fiction, oppressive regimes and fighting a system that seems as though you have no hope of derailing, this series is it.

Even Chuck Norris approves.

[bookishzelda]

Let me tell you about Suzanne Young, she has this magical way of gut punching you. She can write an absolute beautiful love story but is also not afraid to use that to break your heart. Every book I’ve read of hers really draws out the feels. I absolutely love her writing there is something unique about it that I can’t describe. I like when an author can evoke emotion from a reader, where you really invest in the story. That being said let’s talk about The Treatment.

We left off with Sloane and James, not having their memories of one another but feel connected in their hearts. The Program considers that a failure and it’s out to get them, so they go on the run. With intentions of taking down The Program. This a tough job for some teenagers when you are going against adults you feel like they are doing the right thing to save their children.

I like this story a lot because there are many different versions of villains in it. We have The Program who is erasing peoples memories as a form of treatment but you know there is more behind it. You have the parents like Sloane’s mom, who you kind of hate because look what she did to Sloane. There was pivotal moment in book 1 where Sloane declares she wants to live, so for us she’s not sick. Her mother puts her in anyway but she’s doing it because she’s thinking she’s saving her daughter. It’s the type of villain where you wonder does the outcome justify the means. You have the people implanted into The Program and the handlers. Sloane and James can only trust each other and what happens when that breaks down.

What I also like about the story is the unique take it has on depression. That perhaps people are over medicated and that sometimes we freak out and look for the quick fix. Which is how something like The Program starts. I could see this as a reality just from working in a school, it feels like there is a lot more pressure on kids these days. So I could see how there could be a mass breakdown.

I love Sloane and James. Sloane the most out of the two. She is such a tough girl. I loved that even The Program could not strip that away from her. I make Realm a villain but there are choices Sloane makes that contribute but I believed if The Program hadn’t gotten her she would have never ever made those choices. Sloane is a different person after she goes through The Program but the basics of what makes her Sloane are still there. James is a hot blooded feisty boy but he is most certainly a fighter. Just as tough as he is, he also has a sensitive side that only comes out for Sloane. Which makes their relationship so swoon worthy. They are not perfect and have flaws but they work out things together and have endured quite a bit to find their way back to each other. I love them together and apart. My favorite kind of couple.

I despise Michael Realm. There were so many times in both books that I wanted to yell at him, I don’t like you Realm go away. I don’t like how he plays Sloane or tries to break her and James up. I don’t feel sorry for him for his side in the love triangle that really isn’t a love triangle. I think he is a little psychotic and obsessive too. Remember Sloane does not have her memories so what was erased in The Program is still erased. We find out things about Realm in this book that might help someone soften towards him. Not me though, not at all. Remember I said Suzanne is good at evoking feelings. Well I really want to punch him.

There are many side characters that sift through. Lacey, Dallas, Cas and some medical personnel. Even scuzzball Roger. I don’t want to delve into them too much because I don’t want to give anything away.

I think I have equal love for The Program and The Treatment. I was really satisfied with the story and the ending. The plot was interesting and suspenseful. The second half of the book I was so sucked in I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen. So if you liked The Program then definitely get out and get The Treatment.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Book reviews and blogging tips

I'm sad to say that I didn't like The Treatment as much as The Program. I thought the first half was a bit slow, since it was mostly just running away and trying to stay under the radar. But mostly, I didn't like how Sloane, James, and Realm all started fighting. I HATED Realm. I didn't like him in The Program and I hated him even more in The Treatment. I think he's a creepy, manipulative bastard, and I don't like him one bit. It pissed me off that Sloane didn't hate him.

So my biggest reason for not loving The Treatment was that forced, unnecessary love triangle. James was jealous of Sloane's friendship with Realm and Realm was spewing out shit like:

"I love you more than James ever could."

Just shut up already, Realm. You're a moron.

Then when James disappeared from the book all together for a while, I stopped reading for about two weeks. To be fair, a big reason was because this was over the Christmas/New Year holidays so I was quite busy, but still.. I'm shocked that I put the book down for that long.

When I finally picked it back up and James finally came back, I got into the book more. Things got exciting again, I loved him and Sloane together (they're seriously ADORABLE!), and overall the book was just a lot more interesting.

My only other gripe after that was the ending. It was extremely rushed. [spoiler]The entire book is all about "stopping the epidemic" and "taking down The Program". But the ending consists of: finally escaping The Program... then there's kind of a "a few weeks later" period and we read one short article about how The Program was shut down. It felt EXTREMELY anti-climactic. I was hoping for an epic take down, but we literally just get a short paragraph from a news report. I was just hoping for so much more...[/spoiler]

So overall I'd say I was a little disappointed in this book, especially after having loved The Program so much. But most people who are reading this one seem to love it, so I'd encourage you to give it a try if you loved the first book!

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

OH MY GOD. THE FEELS...I JUST CAN'T EVEN. THIS BOOK. MY HEART ACHES. REVIEW SOON.