Title:  The Remedy
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher/Year: Simon Pulse4/21/15
Length: 416 pages
Series: The Program #0.5

Overview

Can one girl take on so many identities without losing her own? Find out in this riveting companion to The Programand the New York Times bestselling The Treatment.

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee is a closer. Since the age of seven, Quinn has held the responsibility of providing closure to grieving families with a special skill—she can “become” anyone.

Recommended by grief counselors, Quinn is hired by families to take on the short-term role of a deceased loved one between the ages of fifteen and twenty. She’s not an exact copy, of course, but she wears their clothes and changes her hair, studies them through pictures and videos, and soon, Quinn can act like them, smell like them, and be themfor all intents and purposes. But to do her job successfully, she can’t get attached.

Now seventeen, Quinn is deft at recreating herself, sometimes confusing her own past with those of the people she’s portrayed. When she’s given her longest assignment, playing the role of Catalina Barnes, Quinn begins to bond with the deceased girl’s boyfriend. But that’s only the beginning of the complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.

My Thoughts

i LOVE this series and this prequel of sorts really does it justice.  I don’t know why but i always assume that 0.5 books are going to be novellas but what we have here is a REALLY great full installment to the series, a set up of sorts that leaves you wondering, yet gives you just a few answers.

What we have here is the beginnings to understanding why Dr Pritchard is how he is, and while we don’t get the answers, we see that The Program is very personal to him as a result of some people that we learn very little about here.

Quinn, Aaron and Deacon are Closers – put into situations where they are trying to help families deal with the deaths of loved ones.  they are among a select group trained to do this task, and it’s one that you have to be VERY cautious with in the sense that you can lose yourself each time.  Deacon and Quinn used to be partners before he quit, and as partners, they even got romantically entwined.  I love how that continued to play a role in the story since we see that Quinn needs something to ground her, and while she wants it to be him, they both aren’t ready to admit that it’s really as it is.

Aaron is her new partner who she’s very close with, and when they are both put into situations outside of the norm, immediately following another assignment which is odd as well as being close to each other – well, they see that while they want to rely on each other, there’s trust issues.

I guess the basis for this story is the development of the suicide epidemic, which no one really knows about yet, and no one knows how bad it’s going to get.  We only start to get glimpses of things happening, and i’m guessing that we’ll get a continuation of where this goes before the actual first installment takes place since we’re left with a few folks on the run, and the sense that someone’s not being honest about their role.

Suzanne Young’s done it again, giving us a character dynamic and storyline that really makes you want to be invested and engaged.  I have to say that once i actually sat down to read it, it was a very quick read.  (my flight home no less) – and i really feel like there’s so much going on that makes you stop and think about what the long term effects.  There’s even a twist with Quinn that i kind of expected, but didn’t want to admit to myself that we only learn of through the course of the story.  and on that note- i’m off to the next book.  Happy Saturday!