The Program Collection by Suzanne Young

The Quick Cut:

In a dystopian world, suicide has become an epidemic among teens. The cure to keep anyone falling to it is a solution run with the government called "The Program".  

A Real Review: 

It's hard not to feel at least a bit sad about life as it stands today. With COVID-19 being the pandemic it has been, everyone has been out of their usual patterns with quarantine and attempting to avoid getting sick. Can you imagine a world where that sadness and loss of life becomes a spreadable issue? This imagined world has that as a true problem in the book series called The Program. 

 It may be natural to have feelings, but in the world that Sloane lives in? Showing emotions is dangerous and can cost you more than your life. In a world where suicide has become an epidemic everywhere, the government has come up with a solution to keep those struggling the most from ending their lives. The solution is known as the Program and although it claims to save teens lives who are the closest to suicidal danger, the truth is that they come back different in the wrong way. Where they went in fighting against being forced to participate, they come out borderline catatonic - with no memory of their prior life. Is the Program saving their lives or taking them instead? 

 Some of the most frustrating parts about book series are waiting for that cliffhanger ending to be dealt with. Sometimes I just prefer to avoid endings that frustrate me for months and instead choose to read a series once it is complete. That way I can enjoy it all at once with less chance of an enraging ending. This is where it really comes in handy to have series boxes of book series (which is exactly what I did in this case).

 This series is setup slightly different than most. Rather than having one continuous timeline, this series instead has the books in pairs. Each pair deals with a specific aspect or issue and the fallout that comes with that issue coming to light. Books one and two deal with the Program that resets teens back to a clean slate. Books three and four deal with a pre-Program solution known as the grief department and their closers (who "close" the loop of grief for those left behind by a suicide). Books five and six are about the post-Program solution known as the Adjustment - which can help those who went through the Program get some of their memories back. Each pair of books has their own featured main couple that are the focus of the story. The first book of the pair typically sets up what the solution was at the time and the second book of the pair deals with the fallout of that solution or what was really going on behind closed doors. 

 While the premise of this world is frightening, it's just unbelievable enough to keep me from being afraid that it will actually happen. Which is good considering just how horrifying this concept could be for some. Because the series itself has a primary focus on suicide, I have to say that it does have a significant trigger warning attached. If you struggle with depression or the topic of suicide, I would highly suggest skipping this one. If it doesn't, it does provide a fascinating commentary on how dangerous it can be to try to control others using programs or solutions that mess with the mind. 

 It's hard not to feel for the main characters in these six stories. The further along you get in the series, the more you realize just how deep the secrets go (and how far some will go to do what they want). Of all the characters, the one I sympathized and rooted for the most was Tatum. Without spoiling the story, she has her entire reality ripped away from her and loses everyone that she can trust in. So many people who have gone through similar losses would give up on life, but instead she pushes forward to reveal the truth and get everyone what they should have by default: the lives they were born with. 

Although I did enjoy the series and how each one seemed to build on the next, I feel like it would have been more engaging if the same main characters were featured throughout all six books. Having a reset with new focal points for each pair of books didn't lend itself to reader engagement in this case. Instead it just made me wonder what happened to the previous one. I know doing that is asking a lot, but it would have been the series undeniably great if they did so. 

 A six part book series that makes you wonder what control you truly have of your life. 

My rating: 4 out of 5