The Remedy
(The Program #0.5)
Author:
Suzanne Young
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Source: Edelweiss
Review by: Jenn
Can one girl take on so many identities without losing her own? Find out in this riveting companion to The Program and the New York Times bestselling The Treatment.
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, and be them for all intents and purposes. 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 beginning of the complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars
*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher for this blog tour. However, it did not influence this review in any way.*
I'm not sure how Suzanne Young does this but she managed to create another story that absolutely tore at my emotions. Every time I finish one of her stories, I always end up crying, conflicted, and in an absolute daze. I can't help but continue thinking about the story long after I finish it. The same happened with
The Remedy.
The Remedy follows Quinlan McKee as a closer. What it means is that she provides closure to grieving families playing the role of the deceased.
The Remedy is the prequel to Suzanne's
The Program which is also one of my favorite books. So knowing what
The Program is about, I was very curious to see how this story would play out. I wanted to know how we get to The Program. And like always, Suzanne did not disappoint.
From the first page until the last, I was hooked. If I wasn't reading, I was thinking about when I would get the chance to read. When I was reading, I couldn't help but think about what was going to happen next. Basically, I couldn't help but think about this book nonstop because it was so good and you couldn't be anything but sucked into the story. There were so many times I felt like I was in Quinlan's shoes so I felt her confusion and her need to connect with someone to feel tethered to this world. I do admit that there were some instances that I didn't agree with her actions, specifically when she starting blurring the lines of reality with her job as a closer. Of course, that would be because I know my own reality and that is something Quinn doesn't have the luxury of knowing. I loved how everything came to fruition and even knowing that it would end up in heartbreak for Quinn.
There were so many twists and turns and unanswered questions that weren't addressed and I'm extremely excited that we're getting another book in this series. I can only imagine what is going to happen next. I mean, I know what happens "next" because of The Program, but I'm curious to see how we get there. I'll admit that even though I know the story of
The Program and
The Treatment, I can't help but hope for a happy ending for Quinn.
If you loved
The Program and
The Treatment, you won't want to miss out on this story. It has new characters but you'll get attached to them and the story. And if you haven't read this series? What are you waiting for? Get on it. You'll love it, I promise.
Giveaway
About the author:
Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Originally from Utica, New York, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order.
Suzanne is the author of THE PROGRAM, THE TREATMENT, THE REMEDY, and HOTEL RUBY. She was also on an episode of House Hunters where she talked about her love of grass and trees (while living in the desert).
