Monday, June 23, 2014

Review: The Treatment by Suzanne Young



The Treatment

Author: Suzanne Young
Series: The Program #2
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: ARC
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Source: ARC received from publisher
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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 ***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.*** 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

My Review:

I read the first book in this duology, The Program, a while ago. I honestly couldn’t remember a lot of the details, but I did remember the basics of what happened so I just dove right into this one. I remember The Program making me feel all the feels. My heart broke for the characters in that book and I remember feeling fully connected to them. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that same connection during this one. Perhaps it was because I was hazy on the details, but I just didn’t care about them like I used to.

The biggest thing that bugged me in this book was definitely the love triangles. Oh yes, triangles, plural. The one felt so completely unnecessary that every time it happened I was rolling my eyes. I really think the author just put it in there to create conflict and that really drove me crazy because it served no other purpose. The other one, we knew existed from the first book, but it just escalated in this one and got out of hand. And honestly, the way Sloane acts with the one when she claims that she’s madly in love with the other? No. Friends don’t cuddle. Friends don’t hold each other for extended periods of time. I was just frustrated with her behavior.

There were a few twists that took me completely by surprise. The extent to which The Program was willing to go had me gaping. It was so horrible and so extreme and you really have to wonder how the government could have let it get so far. But with a 100% success rate and lots of secrets and cover-ups, I guess we have our answer.

So even though it wasn’t as good as its predecessor, The Treatment was still a pretty good follow-up/conclusion to the series. It moved along at a perfect pace. We saw a lot of character development. And everything was tied up pretty nicely. Although there was one thing that ended up happening that I am still shaking my head over. Weird. All in all, I enjoyed it. I think the series is definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of dystopians. Happy reading all! 

Have you read this one yet? What did you think of the sequel? Were you satisfied with the ending? How did you feel about the love triangles? 

4 comments:

  1. Ok, you've piqued my interest by the weird thing that happens that you're still shaking your head over. I have this book on my Kindle, but I need to reread The Program first because I'm really hazy about it and it sounds like that may have affected your feelings for this one. I've noticed lately that when I don't reread, I usually do feel more disconnected and don't enjoy the new book as much, but even if I just skim the book, it helps.

    I can't believe there's another love triangle (and I do remember the one guy from the first book and that will drive me crazy, I already know). Ugh! Oh well, I may have to peek at the ending and as long as it all works out as it should, it won't bother me as much. Great review! ~Pam

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    1. Haha for a second I couldn't remember what the weird thing was, but then I did. Let me know if you end up reading it so we can discuss the weird thing. And I definitely think I don't enjoy the book as much. I'm almost starting to think I should write my own recaps and just keep them on my computer to help me before the next book. I think I might start.

      Yep, he drove me a crazy and there's another one between James, Sloane, and another girl. So I guess maybe it's a love square?

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  2. What was the weird thing? I'm curious. I already read the book, and agree with you about Sloane, so no spoilers here. I really came to dislike Realm in this book, and I still wish I could've gotten some answers but all in all it was a really good book although not as good as the first one.

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    1. The weird thing was about the two characters who became friends at the end. I just couldn't reconcile that after the rest of their relationship. I agree. I really hated Realm in this book. He did so many horrible things and I just could not forgive him.

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