The Program by Suzanne Young Series Spoiler-Free Review

Hello, Internet! I am currently on spring break. A bunch of people I know are in Florida or Colorado or just doing fun stuff in general. I am too! I've spent the last six-ish days doing nothing but sleeping, reading, watching The Office, and writing. And since my spring break doesn't line up with my sister's and my mom's, I am doing all of this alone in my home. It's fun.

Fun fact: I have not left my neighborhood since school let out. My productivity level is super high. 

I'm not gonna lie, my reading pace has been kind of slow lately. I'm just not reading as much. But, in the past four days alone, I've finished three books. I am quite proud of myself. I have also written about 3000 words of a new short story that I will most likely (aka. inevitably) not finish, and learned a new song on the ukulele. And finished four seasons of The Office. Instead of doing all that stuff, I could be doing relevant stuff, like finishing the math work that my teacher gave us to do over break. But nope. I've been watching Jim dress up as Dwight to annoy him. I gotta say, it's riveting.

But enough about my crippling social life (yes, I have made no attempt whatsoever to spend time with my friends who are actually in town) I am here to give you a series review on two of the books that I finished: The Program series by Suzanne Young.

Now, this series isn't over yet: there are still about two more books, but it's the end of Sloane and James' story, so I guess I'm doing a review on their part of the series.

In this futuristic dystopian society, depression is an epidemic in teens, causing millions upon millions of suicides. So, what happens when therapy isn't working? The Program happens. The Program is a program (for lack of better phrasing) that treats the suicide epidemic, but it does so by stripping away vital pieces of who a person is. As far as Sloane is concerned, her only goal is to stay out of The Program. But when things get even more difficult than they were before, she isn't really sure how easy it will be to stay away.

This book gave me some nostalgic feelings. I felt it was similar to the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver: a killing epidemic, a dysfunctional cure, two people who are madly in love. However, The Program series didn't make me want to gouge my eyes out in boredom (no offense if you like that series—that's great for you, it's just my personal opinion) This series was full of action and emotion. It was tense and exciting and had just the right amount of romance, so I didn't roll me eyes every few seconds. It didn't purely focus on the romance aspect, but instead tied it in smoothly with the plot of the story. Bottom line: this series was so good! If this concept of plot interests you (it really interested me) you should read this book. If you liked Delirium you should read this book. Everyone on earth should read this book, not only because it was entertaining, but it really does address the topic of grief and depression, which is something that's really important to talk about and understand.

As I am writing this, it is nearly one in the morning. So, because I'm tired beyond my wits, I'm going to sign off shortly.

I really recommend this book. It's exciting, informative, and just an all around good read.

So that's all I'm gonna say for now. And I know I apologize after every blog post, but I am beyond sorry for my inactivity. It sucks. I want to write more because I really enjoy running this blog, but it's really difficult to find much time unless I'm on break. But let me tell you, you're in for quite a few blog posts come summer. And with that, I bid you adieu (I don't know how to spell it, but that's ok)
Thanks for reading,
-Ari