The Program, by Suzanne Young

TW: Suicide. The Program, by Suzanne Young is about a dystopian world. Teenagers are killing themselves in higher numbers than ever before, and everyone knows someone who has been lost to the epidemic. Parents get frantic and the government decides to act. Their solution: The Program. Teenagers enter depressed and they leave without suicidal thoughts. However, their entire personality has changed and they act like “blank slates”. Sloane, the main character, has lost many people due to the epidemic. She and her boyfriend decide that they are never going to enter the Program and that they will stay together to get through it. They make sure that neither of them gives off warning signs so they can avoid it altogether. The story follows them through this dystopian world and engages with love, relationships, and suicide.

TW: Suicide. The Program is one of my favorite books of all time. It is a captivating dystopian romance that goes through the motions of teenage love and teenage feelings. If you are in high school, you will be able to relate to the characters and everything they have to deal with. The Program is a government solution to a suicide epidemic that breaks out in teenagers. With such a high rate of suicide, drastic action is taken to fix the issue. However, the Program has debatable results. While the kids who come out of it are no longer suicidal, they also don’t come back as themselves. In fact, kids get scared to go to the program so much that they kill themselves. Sloane, the main character, has had to deal with multiple losses both from the epidemic and the Program. I absolutely loved the series and immediately grabbed the next book. I enjoyed the relationships, the plot twists, and the characters that I met throughout the book. If you enjoy dystopian or romance books, you will fall in love with this series.

Reviewed by Catalina, Grade 11

Chevy Chase Library