Release Day Review: The Treatment by Suzanne Young (Blog Tour & Giveaway)

Welcome to The Treatment Blog Tour!

 

 

THE TREATMENT

The Program Series #2

by Suzanne Young

Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 29, 2014)
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult
Format: eARC (352 pages)
Source: Free book from publisher (Edelweiss) for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.5 stars)

Summary
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?

At A Glance
A good conclusion to the series but...but, God, how I hated Realm!

The Good
Soooo, yeah, this is the sequel to The Program...and the last book of the series. I know! I am sad too. I want more already. Even though this series has been a little up and down for me, it always kept my interest. There was just something so addictive about this series.

Sloane and James are on the run from The Program, but who can they trust? The rebels are trying to help them hide, but there seems to be bad guys at every turn. I cannot even begin to tell you how stressed I was about them getting caught. I mean, getting caught doesn't mean they go through the program again, losing more memories, it means something much, much worse. A living nightmare. I still get the chills thinking about it.

We get some new characters that cause a whole bunch of trouble, which was actually kind of fun...and heartbreaking. We get to see some original characters as well, which was not always pleasant, but still kept things interesting. A lot more drama in this book, that's for sure.

A big part of this book is about memories though. The decision to stay in the dark or face the pain. James is pretty confident in wanting his memories back, but Sloane, not so much. I totally understood her reluctance. Why bring back painful memories when you ended up with the person you loved anyways? Is that all that matters in the end? Do people need to face their past or can they just simply move on? The Treatment really did get me thinking on that front.

Even though it wasn't the most amazing ending, it did satisfy my need for a good ending. I feel a sense of hope for these two, even after all they went through, which is all I can ask for. I can't say too much, but when crap hits the fan, this book takes off! I mean, seriously, things get cray-cray, scary, and horrible, and I loved every minute of it.

The Bad
I did like The Program more than The Treatment, though I gave them both 3.5 stars. I think The Treatment leans more toward 3 stars but I keep stopping myself from committing to that.

The first half is slow, which I kind of excepted because I felt the same way about The Program. And then there was Realm. OMG, I don't think I have ever hated a character as much as I hate him. But it wasn't the hating him that got to me, it was that he actually became a little of a love-interest. The love-triangle was so unnecessary. Sloane is with James, don't f*ck with that. And then Sloane actually trusting Realm even with her spidey-senses tingling, warning her he was bad, I just didn't get it.

The ending was a little anticlimactic as well.

The Snuggly
The unnecessary love-triangle was the worst. Then James is gone for a good portion of the book, which sucked. But overall, I loved James and Sloane together even more in this book. They had their lows but they definitely grew closer. There is some sexual situations but very little. YA appropriate.

Final Thoughts
The Treatment falls between 3 to 3.5 stars. I think most people will enjoy it but they will also find a lot of annoying things as well. It could have been better, but I felt good with what was given. I wish it wasn't over though. I could have went for one more book. Recommended.

Quotes
No quotes allowed. Sorry.

Just a quick one! 

Jennifer: Can you tell us a little about your writing process?

Suzanne: I only write when I’m inspired. I might go weeks (occasionally months) without writing a word, but then spend two straight months writing every day. Each book has had a different process—some have outlines, others were straight-through drafts. My favorite part of writing, though, is getting lost in the story. I feel everything; live in that world for a while. The escape is what I crave from writing.

Jennifer: What has been your funniest (or weirdest) moment as an author so far?

Suzanne: I think it always surprises me when a student comes up to say they loved The Program. I’m a teacher, and when I’m at school, I’m not an author—I’m the English teacher. So whenever the talking turns to my other career, I’m always taken aback. But I include my students in the events and promotions during release time.

Author Bio
Originally from New York, Suzanne Young moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She currently resides in Tempe, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration.

Suzanne is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED. Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

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