Title:  The Recovery
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher/Year: Simon Pulse 2/24/2015
Length: 80 pages
Series: The Program #2.5

Overview

Realm hopes that with each past he helps to recover, he’ll be able to reclaim a small bit of his own in this spinoff story to Suzanne Young’s bestselling duology, The Program and The Treatment.

Six months after the fall of The Program, ex-handler Michael Realm is struggling with his guilt. After all, he was instrumental in erasing the memories of several patients—including one he claimed to love. With a lifetime of regret stretched before him, Realm vows to set things right.

Along with his friend (yes, friend) James Murphy, Realm will track down those he’s hurt in an attempt to give them back their lives—starting with Dallas Stone. He’s not looking for forgiveness or redemption; he’s not a hero. But helping others may be the only way to save himself.

My Thoughts

I really like Realm now – and i think that he’s come a long way from the guy that we met in the first installment of the series.  In this novella, it’s his turn to try to make amends – to find a way to live with what he’s done and who he’s become.  He knows that it’ll most likely come with a world of hurt – knowing that he’s going to reveal what he’s done to all his friends from the Program, but it’s something that’s necessary.

We go on the journey with him and James – as they go find Dallas first and then a few others.  Dallas being the toughest since Realm knows what their relationship was before the program and what it is now.  His inner frustration is that he still has this unrequited love for Sloane who’s with James, and knows that he won’t be with her, but there’s a strong tie to Dallas that he just doesn’t want to allow her to get back into since he’s just going to hurt her.

The nice thing about this novella too is that we get to see some of the struggle that perfect James has going on.  he’s questioning a lot these days now that he has his memories back and Sloane doesn’t – and that’s something that i hope we’ll get to see get resolved.  He has this sense that he loves her more than she loves him since he has their past – and that their relationship is changed.  i hope that it doesn’t break them up and i think that there’s definitely a good place for that bit of the story to go if our author decides to take us there.

The appearance of someone at the very end of this installment though gives us hope for Realm – that there’s a way to get through on the other side in a good place and i hope that’s going to be a continuation that we see.  So…on that note – i believe there’s another installment coming in April – that’s sort of a prequel of sorts.  So until then, enjoy!