A Reader's Heart

Every now and then you come across a book that hits you where you live. A book that keeps you up when you know you have to get up early for school, work or any other activity you have for the next day. ‘The Program’ by Suzanne Young was one of those books. The expectations I had for this book were definitely underrated.

This book almost killed me. I never dreamed that I would become so connected with the characters, Sloane and James, in such a short time. I mourned when James got sick, cried as I followed Sloane through ‘The Program’ and had righteous indignation when the emotional ties between a couple that were so much in love were torn and ripped to shreds.

From the very first page, it captivated and launched me into a world that was truly heart-breaking. The relationships between family members, friends and lovers were held together with a slowly, unraveling piece of string – one that could snap at any moment.

The strange thing about this book is that I could actually see how this world could come about. ‘The Program’ touches on a real-life issue in the world today. Teenage suicide. But, it’s the story about the ones who are left behind. Left in a world where to show grief meant you had to be sick and then ‘men in white coats’ really did come to take you away – to take you away to a place where in the end you lost the essence of what made you, well, you.

If I had any complaint about ‘The Program’ at all, it’s how it seemed to lose its power towards the end. It was a gripping, fast-paced novel until about two-thirds of the way through. And, although I loved seeing the reconnection between characters, it didn’t have that breathless anticipation or connection that the earlier chapters had.

Still, when I think of the book overall, it doesn’t affect how in awe I was of this book. It didn’t take away the love I had for the characters or that events were motion to make the story line even more exciting. My only hope is that the next book, ‘The Treatment’, gives me the same emotional ride ‘The Program’ did.

I would recommend this to anyone because I think it has what most people would look for in a novel, especially if you’re a hopeless romantic. Actually, when I think about it, even if you weren’t one, I think you’d enjoy this book.