“James stares straight ahead, with no immediate reaction to what I’ve just told him.”

From Suzanne Young’s Program: The Treatment.

Sloane and James (her boyfriend) are on the run. Both have recently had their memories wiped, so their lives are filled with uncertainty, but they know two things: they were in love before the Program and the only way to stay safe is to run out of the Program’s reach. Sloane’s friend, Realm, gives her a pill that (he claims) will completely restore her memories lost through the Program, so as Sloane and James run off to find rebels of the Program, she is faced with the dilemma of what to do with the Treatment. The longer that James and Sloane are on the run, the more evident it becomes that there are not many people that the couple can trust, especially once people find out that Sloane is carrying the Treatment. Can they ever truly escape the Program’s reach or will Sloane and James be wiped out for good?

Young starts this sequel off with a solid connection to the first book; it is easy to sense the urgency that is carried from The Program, but Young doesn’t push readers to fly through the beginning of the book, either. Readers get to see new characters be introduced in a way that works well. James and Sloane’s characters are a bit inconsistent during the middle of the book (both cling to ideas/people/causes that don’t make sense with the characters), but they both get their issues sorted out in time for a satisfying ending. The action and mystery of the book is captivating and balanced in that the reader will want to continue reading, but the literary journey along the way is memorable. The Treatment is a very satisfying conclusion (at least for now) for Sloane and James’ portion of the story.