The Treatment

The Treatment picks up at the moment The Program ends, as Sloane informs James of the existence of one lone pill that will let someone regain his or her full memories lost to The Program. Given that the suicide epidemic is gaining traction in even the adult population, the potential hazards of regaining lost memories is not something either Sloane or James can easily ignore. As they struggle to decide what to do with this miraculous windfall, they know without a doubt that they must keep The Treatment from the hands of The Program. Much running away and chasing ensues.

At the heart of the series lies the very real question of whether an epidemic, like the suicide epidemic that exists in the stories, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. show more Does the hysteria created by the media and governmental reactions cause such situations to become worse or better? These are questions raised in the first novel, and Sloane only now gets around to discovering she is not the only one with such doubts. In their narrow escapes from recapture, Sloane and James come into contact with an eclectic group of people, and they must determine whether such self-expressed doubts are real or a mere cover to infiltrate their little band of rebels. It’s a taut web of fright versus flight, trust versus betrayal, and questions with answers buried among the lies.

Suzanne Young really knows how to tell a story. The first novel in this series was absolutely outstanding, but this second novel exceeds even that. The Treatment keeps readers’ hearts racing, increases blood pressure, and starts their bodies pumping out adrenaline to the point where going to sleep after reading it will be an exercise in futility. Ms. Young draws the reader into the action, making one a mute witness to everything Sloane and James encounter. The resulting emotional involvement creates the quintessential “must read in one sitting” reading experience. show less

“I don’t want you to be scared of anything,” James says. “I want you to fight. Fight for everything, always. Otherwise they win.”

This is one of those series that I love but that make me uncomfortable.

For this series, I have to pretend I'm not a mom. Because I can so easily see myself thinking like Sloane's parents. Even Nurse Kell's words ring true to me.

But I know from Sloane that it's wrong. That what they are doing is wrong. That The Program is NOT fixing anything, but making it worse - and trying to cram the wrong solution down everyone's throat.

I also know that - if this were a contemporary love story - I would absolutely NOT support James and Sloane together. But in their unhappy, broken, screw-ed up world they are the show more only ties keeping each other grounded.

And finally, in this story, we have answers. EVERYTHING I was dying to know, I now know. And the pain of the journey was well worth the pay-off.

I will definitely re-read this one. And recommend it to everyone. Amazing! show less

I am so proud of myself -- once I started this book I absolutely could not stop and finished it in two days!

I found it so interesting, to be reading a book in where you end up having more knowledge than the narrator because the narrator had her memories erased. I was so curious how the James and Sloane storyline was going to unravel, the entire time mentally screaming "No! Remember! You have to remember! You're the strong one!"

I wCurioasn't disappointed by the ending because I found it was made very clear that it was Sloane's decision to live in the presence and not bother about whatever the past was -- I'm glad that was made clear.

I can't wait to start the next book, The Remedy, which, from the cover, makes me think it's about Dallas. show more

Curious thing about these books is the grammatical/editting errors ... I noticed it in the first book (just a few places) and was wondering if this was a self-published book that got traction and then was picked up by a "real publisher" (I haven't done any research on the history of the book). This book as well had one or two editing errors. It doesn't ruin the book at all, I just found it interesting. show less

I wanted to read The Treatment because I really enjoyed The Program. At this point, I don't remember a whole lot except I loved Sloane and James as a couple. The chemistry and the way they were so comfortable and open with each other was great to read about. Also, the issues of mental illness and suicide, bringing up questions like what is normal? What's risky behavior? Can suicide be prevented with erased memories? And then there was the whole mystery of Realm, the guy who protected Sloane and seems to have a few answers where everyone else only seems to have questions.
The Program erases the memories of teens, and they are considered cured. But its cruel and when you come out, huge pieces of your life are missing. So, Sloane and show more James are on the run. I know there is a whole sector of us who really don't enjoy the on the run books that seem to follow this sort of story line. I have liked the first books more by a huge margin in these cases, but went in hopeful that it would be different.
James and Sloane are together just as I remember them in the first. They have questions and they are found by the rebels and they hope to bring the Program down. They have one single pill that Realm said could bring back lost memories, but Sloane is afraid of the risk of death, and James won't take it because it is Sloane's and he wants her to. So they keep it while they are newly joined with the rebels and getting the lay of their land. I think that the point they are meant for each other and seem to be destined to be together.
Realm. Oh my gosh. He annoyed me so much and I hated him most of the time. But he does do a lot, he's saved people and gives a lot. He gives so much to Sloane even if he's kept a lot from her that she doesn't remember. His lies and secrets as well as some of his advances made me want to smack him. I really think the love triangle thing could have been cut out. I know that he's offered a lot to Sloane as well as given them leverage and also the pill. And I know that him loving her is the perfect stage for it, and Sloane would have to have had some feelings for him or he'd have no reason to help. But still, I just wish that it didn't exist so that there would be no doubts on the love between Sloane and James, because for me that has been some of my favorite aspects of these books.
There were other characters that were introduced as well as repeat performances from some old buddies. I liked Dallas especially, she is such a fighter and survivor, even if she can be stand-offish and cold at first, but she has to let others gain her trust and she has more than enough reason for the way she is.
The whole premise is chilling, and I like the reveals in this book, and what is finally done to take down The Program. Call it a spoiler if you want, but really, what else can you expect going in. The way they succeeded and some of the people that helped as well as some of the people who ended up working against them were twists and surprised me at times. Other characters you just got what you expected, and that's great to add some balance. This series has been laced with tragedy and sadness, but I think that the romance, devotion, friendship, fierce fight for freedom and to survive in general seems to balance the scales and while I felt for and with the characters, it didn't leave me depressed.
The ending was satisfying but I think a few things were a little rushed. It is not perfect ending, and it doesn't give each character a HEA, but I have enough that made me happy, and have hope for Sloane as well as her love for James.

Bottom Line: Satisfying ending to exciting and romance laced duology. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Wonderful ending to this very unique dystopian series. While I didn’t quite like this as much as the first book, it was still a great read and I would highly recommend it.

Opening Sentence: JAMES STARES STRAIGHT AHEAD, WITH NO IMMEDIATE reaction to what I’ve just told him.

The Review:

Seventeen year old Sloane lives in a world where teen suicide is an epidemic. With casualties rising every day the government is forced to take action, so they created The Program. In The Program teens are put in a facility and all of their teenage memories are erased. They are slowly reintroduced to society, but without their memories they no longer feel the suicidal depression. The Program claims to show more have a 100% survival rate but they have gone to great heights to make sure that anyone who says different disappears.

Sloane and James survived The Program and against all odds they have found each other again. Now they are on the run with a group of rebel teenagers set on bringing down The Program. But most of their memories are still missing and they don’t know who they can really trust. There is one way to restore what they lost and that is The Treatment. It’s a little pill that can give them all their memories back but there is only one dose left. Will they be able to survive on the run or will the Program finally catch up to them?

Sloane was a great protagonist and I was glad I got to read her story. It was really interesting because you as the reader actually know more about Sloane’s past then she does, because a lot of her memories from the first book were recently erased by The Program. I really liked this style of writing because it forces you to see a very different side of Sloane but at the same time I got frustrated with some of the dumb decisions she would make because she really did know any better. She is a strong character with an attitude and heart made of gold. She doesn’t like being told what to do and she is very independent. But she loves the people in her life fiercely and is determined to protect everyone in her life in any way she can. Overall, I thought that she was a very likeable and unique character that showed a lot of growth throughout the story.

James is just as charming as ever and I honestly fell even more in love with him in this story. His cocky attitude and snarky comments made him a very entertaining character. But he is also a very strong person that is always there when you need him most. I loved his determination to protect Sloane at all costs and their love is quite extraordinary. They have undeniable chemistry, but their relationship is also very flawed which made it feel so much more realistic. James really knew how to lighten the mood but he also knew when it was time to be serious and take care of business. He was a very well rounded character and such a great part of the story.

The Treatment is a great conclusion to this very unique series. I loved that it was so different from any other dystopian novel I have read. The idea of a suicide epidemic actually is a lot more realistic to me then most dystopian stories. Even though I really enjoyed this book, there were a couple things that I had a hard time with. First off, it took me a really long time to get into the book. I felt that pretty much the entire first half of the book nothing really happened. But luckily once I finally got into it, I was hooked and blew through the rest of the book. The next thing that was frustrating for me was that I felt that the story was a little too similar to the first book. It was a different story but certain elements made it feel very repetitive. But I did love how the book ended, Young did a wonderful job tying up loose ends and leaving me very satisfied. While I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as the first book, it was still a really good read and I would highly recommend this to any YA dystopian fans out there. This is the end of The Program series but I have become a big fan of Suzanne Young and look forward to whatever she comes out with next.

Notable Scene:

Dallas finally catches up and steps in front of us, letting go of her companion. “I’m not leaving yet,” she states. I’m about to protest, but she grins widely and holds up the keys, dangling them from her finger. “But you two go on,” she says, looking positively wasted. “I’ll get another ride back.” She nods to the guy next to her.

That seems completely reckless, but at this point, I’m not going to argue. This place is overwhelming, vexing . . . alluring. James takes the keys from her hand and then starts toward the door. As we leave, I hear Adam’s voice.

“Have a good night, Sloane,” he calls after me. I turn and wave because he wasn’t a total jerk or anything.

“Yeah, you too.”

I follow James out, occasionally taking his arm as we pass through the bottlenecked crowd waiting to get in. It isn’t until we’re in the cool night air that I stop to look back at the building, a chill running over my skin. Because I realize . . . I never told Adam my name.

FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of The Treatment. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

(This review can be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


I loved The Program by Suzanne Young, so I had to get The Treatment as soon as it was released to find out what happened to James and Sloane. While I didn't love The Treatment as much as The Program, this was still a good read.

I like the title. It's a good fit for what the books about, and it fits with the first boo in the series.

I like the cover. I like how, to me, it kind of portrays James and Sloane on the run. I had the hardback copy of this book, so when I took off the dust jacket, it had the pill cover which is the treatment.

The world building was done fantastically! I could see each of the scenes in my mind clearly. This time, the show more setting of the book takes James and Sloane all over the United States.

The pacing was a bit slow for about the first two-thirds of the book, and I was really disappointed. However, I kept reading because I desperately wanted to like this book. Luckily, I was rewarded when the last section of the book picked up pace, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The plot is good. Sloane and James are on the run from the Program after rekindling their romance from before the Program. They meet other rebels who are on the run, and they all try to stay one step ahead of the Program. Sloane is still wondering if she should take the Treatment, which would restore all of her memories, that Realm gave her. The only thing I didn't like about the plot is that it was too mushy when it came to the romance. The first book in the series wasn't as bad as this. Plus, it seemed in this book that James and Sloane were having sex at the end of almost every chapter!

I thought the characters were written really well even if James and Sloane were humping like rabbits all the time! Sloane is still a very strong female character, and in this book, we're introduced to Dallas who is also a very strong female character. Dallas does have some vulnerability though, and I found it very interesting to learn what she was like before the Program. We're also introduced to Cas in this book. Cas was like the comic relief in this book. He would always try to defuse the situation. Realm is back in this book, and I don't really like him. He's not written poorly, but he just grates on my nerves the way he's always trying to make Sloane second guess her love for James. James is very hot-headed in this book. I still do like him as a character, and I can understand why he got angry.

I enjoyed the dialogue especially when Dallas or Cas where involved in the scene. The dialogue felt very natural and fitting for a young adult book. There is some swearing in this book as well as violence. There are some sexual scenes in this book although they aren't graphic.

Overall, The Treatment (The Program #2) by Suzanne Young starts off being slow but picks up during the last third of the book. The characters are still written very well, and the world building is fantastic.

I'd recommend this book to those aged 16 who enjoyed The Program and want to know more about Sloane and James. show less

While I did enjoy this sequel, I didn’t feel like it lived up to The Program.

I enjoyed seeing Sloane and James outrun the handlers. And I absolutely love Dallas. She’s very straightforward, and doesn’t sugarcoat things. Realm drove me nuts in this book. He did everything he could to get under James’s skin. I also felt like that was way too much focus on Sloane and her relationships with James and Realm.

The Treatment mostly consists of hiding out. There’s danger around every corner as the handlers try to close in on the small group of rebels. The thing I didn’t care for was I thought it was rushed. Well, the last part of the book felt that way. I think it could have been evened out a little more with the other parts. I did show more like that Dallas threw in a little female roughness. She’s broken, but she doesn’t let that deter her badassery.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like the book at all. I did i Just felt a few things were missing, and some things talked about way too much. show less