I was so surprised that this book seems to start before Books 1 and 2 -- but the only indication of that is the series of events. The characters are completely different (or are they?) ...

When I started the book, I didn't think I was going to like the new direction of the series was going, or the new characters ... but, to my happy surprise, I ended up falling in love with Quinn, and even Aaron and Deacon, who I originally thought were a-holes. In fact, towards the end of the book I started crying, thinking of the emotions that they were all dealing with. It ended up being an amazing read!

I can't wait to see how the story continues. ( )

The Remedy is the prequel to Suzanne Young's The Program series, it features a different storyline with different characters but connects the story to the main series. That's why I recommend you read The Program and The Treatment first before moving on to the prequels.

Set in a world before the inception of The Program and the existence of handlers, The Remedy tells the story of Quinn and her fellow closers. Closers are specially trained individuals who are hired by grieving families to impersonate deceased loved ones in order to get closure. It's such a creepy and implausible form of therapy if you think about it, but the author manages to make it believable, at least to some extent.

As in the other books in this series, Quinn (main protagonist) is in love with a complicated, bad boy named Deacon (also a closer). I have to say though, that I like Quinn and Deacon better than Sloane and James. Yes, Quinn and Deacon are sickeningly in love with each other too, but their romantic scenes are more tolerable and genuine than Sloane and James. In keeping with the previous books in this series, and most YA books in general, there is a love triangle. Cringe.

So Quinn is assigned to impersonate a girl named Catalina and in doing so she uncovers secrets about herself and the people she works for. Although this book didn't address the question of how the suicide epidemic started, to me this was a more interesting read than the previous books. For one, Quinn is a more likeable character than Sloane, plus there is better world building and the characters are more fleshed out. The revelations and twists kept me turning pages. Respect to Suzanne Young for coming up with a creative and effective way to extend her series.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

This review was originally posted on Bookish Things & MoreReview
The Remedy is the prequel to The Program. We get a little backstory on how things were before The Program became the way of life.

Quinn is a closer. She impersonates the loved ones that families have lost. With her current case she finds herself unable to detach herself from the life of Catalina Barnes. She wants that life for herself and contemplates going on her own and living it. The connection of her case to others is creepy, and she doesn't know what is going on. She also finds herself torn with the emotions of Catalina's boyfriend and those of her ex-boyfriend.

This book is definitely one that will make you think. There were so many times that I shook my head and thought this is not healthy. My heart broke for Quinn not ever being allowed to live much of a life of her own. Being a closer is all she's known, and she wants more. I couldn't understand why families would want someone to live their child's life. I think that would cause more harm than good.

The ending completely blew my mind and had me questioning everything. Is anything in Quinn's life real? Who can she trust to keep her best interests at heart?

While not much action-wise happens in this installment, it's a definite must for the world of The Program.


On to the narrator....
Rebekkah Ross did a great job of making you feel like you were in the story. She nailed Quinn's emotions and confusion. Her voice for the male parts was distinguished and you didn't get confused about who was speaking. I will definitely be looking for more books read by Ross. ( )

Quinlan McKee has mixed memories of her mother, sometimes remembering her looking one way, at others, looking differently. Either way, Mom's dead and that leaves just her dad who is part of a corporation supplying teens to temporarily replace dead children as a way to help their grieving families get through unresolved feelings that create roadblocks on the road to recovery.
Quin has been one of these closers since she was seven. Most who serve in such a capacity do so for no more than two terms of three years each. She's in her fourth one and it's become as much of her self image as anything, maybe even to her detriment. In fact, her father seems at times, more concerned about her effectiveness as a closer than her emotional welfare.
When she's booked for an assignment that's much longer than others and is far too soon after her last one in terms of protocol, she's intrigued, albeit worried. Deacon, a former closer who she's had a relationship with, is also concerned, but he's such an emotional enigma that Quin never knows where they stand.
There's a new twist in this assignment. The dead girl's boyfriend is involved in the grief therapy and she starts feeling an attraction she knows isn't safe. What happens as she finds herself losing the ability to be objective and has her questioning everything about her life and her memories, makes this a gripping read with some real surprises at the end. In fact, I pre-ordered the sequel as soon as I finished this one. Teens who like odd mysteries and intrigue along with romantic suspense will really like this book. ( )

This is a prequel to "The Program," but it has its own themes. Would someone forget who they are if they constantly portrayed other people? Would it give people closure to have their deceased loved ones portrayed by skilled actresses? I'm not sure either would be true, but they were interesting thought experiments. No sequel was mentioned, but it was obvious there would be one, so I'm more than a little curious to read it and find out more about what's actually going on. ( )