The Program: Review

Synopsis:

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.

***

Oh god. I guess I needed to be forewarned before I read this book because I didn't expect it is so emotional! I'm so surprised that I enjoy this book so much despite it being not-so-dystopian novel. This book is truly a prison of feels. I can't control my breathing, especially when reading the first part out of three. Damn, you really got me here.

I'm wary about this book because... well, it sounds like a dystopian novel, but that kinda remind me of my almost-too-painful experience of my second read of Taken. And this book turns out to be way better than I thought. I think I can actually throw this book into my Top Ten YA Novels to-be-considered-and-judged list.

If you are expecting a lot of action scenes, fights and blood in this book, than you will not enjoy this book. But even without the combating that I usually love, the emotions hitting me is enough to unsettle me. Heart-break. Echos of the past. Deja vu. More heart-break. More echos of the past. More deja vu. I was constantly trapped into this glass case of emotion when I was reading this book. It's a very conflicting experience, one that even Clockwork Princess will not be able to make. Not that I'm saying CP2 is not heart-breaking enough. It's just that Clockwork Princess breaks you bit by bit and leave a wide, hard-to-heal wound and echos of the bittersweetness behind, while this book is intense enough to choke you immediately, but the wound... not as big as CP2 and I'm definitely not having withdrawls from The Program, unlike CP2.

The storyline is short and sweet. I hate dragging-on plots since House of Night. And I'm glad to say that there's few "meh" scenes in The Program. But again, like many dystopian new releases this year, the plot is predictable. So I have to say the emotional part is what I like most... and what I fear most.

I have never read a book that can break me so wide open in just a few seconds before. Not even Clockwork Princess. I'm so screwed.

Rating: 8/10

(If you are asking me why I don't say anything about the characters, that's because I'm so overwhelmed and... I think the emotional part pretty much included the whole character part. But I guess I have to say they are really lively... before The Program.)