The Treatment by Suzanne Young
Series: The Program #2
Published by Simon & Schuster on April 29, 2014
Genres: Dystopian
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss, Publisher
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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?

The Treatment, the second and final book in The Program duology, ties things up nicely and left me feeling satisfied, if not exactly happy.  I mean that in the best possible way though.  The Treatment is a book that will leave you thinking about life, love, and how to live in the moment.  It’s pretty much perfect.

Sloane and James are on the run.  Realm has given them a way to escape and they have to take it.  The Program is coming for them (again) and if they get caught this time, they may not come back.  Stakes are extremely high for everyone involved and every last secret will be revealed.  Love, lies, and betrayal lead to a pulse-pounding ending that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

Sloane is a very strong girl.  Even with everything going on, she doesn’t lose her cool.  She knows what will happen if she and James are caught by the Program so she’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.  However, she can’t fix everything, especially her memories that are slowly slipping back in and tearing her mind apart.  She also can’t quite control her feelings for Realm.  This causes a lot of tension between her and James.  James is strong but he has weaknesses and Sloane is one of them.  They are so cute together but they are also bad for each other.  They bring out the best and the worst in each other.  James isn’t afraid to show his weaknesses though.  It’s what makes him such a great guy.  Realm, on the other hand, has some serious issues.  He believes he loves Sloane but it’s hard to tell if he’s even capable of love.  His secrets come out in The Treatment and boy does he have a lot.

The plot is a little slow moving at first but the writing was enough to keep me going until it picked back up.  Suzanne Young has a way with words that makes The Treatment just plain amazing.  And once the plot does pick up, it doesn’t slow down again until the very end.  There were so many things I never saw coming.  And while I did think the ending seemed a little abrupt, I still liked it.

Overall, The Treatment is the perfect ending to this duology.  Every last question is answered and readers will be really satisfied with James and Sloane’s ending.

What others are saying about The Treatment:

Once Upon A Twilight’s review: “Roller-coaster ride that will have you on edge and making you turn those pages.”

Reviews from a Bookworm’s review: “The rushed ending just made this all seem very anti-climactic and I was left unsatisfied.”

Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice’s review: “This book felt less dark than the first.”