Review: The Treatment by Suzanne Young

The Treatment (The Program #2)
Author: Suzanne Young
Expected Release Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: ARC borrowed from friend
Reviewed by: Jenn

Synopsis: 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?

5 stars out of 5 stars

I was worried while reading The Treatment. I was imagining all possible horrible scenarios about how it was going to end. Suzanne Young gave me a heart attack but I loved every second of it (sick, I know). I'm so impressed with how Suzanne ended The Treatment because I felt like it ended in a way where we can be okay with where characters are left and that they'll be able to pick up the pieces. If not, I would have been a sobbing mess in a darkened room, all heartbroken and wouldn't know who I am. Pun definitely intended.

The Treatment took me on a crazy roller coaster ride from the beginning of the book right until the last page. I felt myself feeling everything that Sloane experienced; the sadness, the loneliness, the fear, the doubt. Right along with Sloane, I experienced those near-misses of danger, her doubt of trusting Realm and the rest of the rebels. I applaud Suzanne for being such an awesome writer that I was able to experience these emotions all in one book.

I don't want to give too much away from the plot but I will say that it definitely lived up to my expectations. I'm very happy with how everything went down. Although I did feel like the beginning of the book was a little slow, I can overlook it because after that, so many things happens that you feel like you need a moment to collect yourself and understand what just happened. There was this moment when the shit is about to hit the fan and, while I knew it was bound to happen, I seriously felt like my heart was outside of my body. At that point, I had given up hope for Sloane and I had no idea what was going to happen and how she was getting herself out of that situation.

My only complaint of the book is the hint of a love triangle. Even though Sloane and James are in love, she is so grateful for Realm and what he did for her that it causes a rift between Sloane and James. For me, I felt like Sloane and company had bigger things to worry about than dealing with romance. The romance and love can come once they're safe.

If I could meet Suzanne Young, I would just praise her for being able to give her readers so many emotional conflicts. That is one of the things I've been able to take away from Suzanne Young's books. Her books will make you feel every possible emotion and make you think about the topic on hand. Bravo, Suzanne. Bravo.

If you're still with me, go out and buy this book. It is so good and definitely worth the wait.