ARC Book Review | The Remedy by Suzanne Young

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: April 21, 2015
My Rating: 5 Stars

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 them for 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.

Review

As a huge fan of The Program books, I was extremely excited when I saw that there would be another book set in that world and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Remedy.  I wanted to see how everything began, and what happened before The Program and The Remedy lets us see all of that and more.

Quinlan McKee has been a closer since she was 7 years old.  A closer is someone who can ‘become’ anyone to give closure to grieving families who have lost a loved one, and Quinlan is the best.  Quinn is given her longest assignment yet, and quite possibly the hardest, because the person she’s to become, Catalina Barnes, has a boyfriend and that boyfriend is part of Quinn’s assignment.  Will Quinn be able to give Catalina’s family and boyfriend the closure they need without getting too attached?  You’ll have to read it to find out.

I really, really liked Quinn as our MC.  She was smart and loyal, and although many people judge her for being a closer, she tried not to let it bother her because she knew the reason she was doing it, to help people.  While I’m not sure how I would feel about someone coming in and taking on the role of a deceased loved one, I can understand how it could help some people.  They have the opportunity to say everything that they didn’t get a chance to, and I can see how that would be beneficial in the grieving process. 

I also really loved the other characters as well.  Deacon and Aaron were really great.  They were both there anytime Quinn needed a reminder of who she was and they seemed to always sense exactly what she needed without her having to say the words, or ask for help.

Now, let’s talk about that ending.  It REALLY left me wanting more.  I don’t know if there will be another book, BUT OH MY GOSH I HOPE SO.  You can’t end a book like that and not give me more, I can’t take it.  I NEED MORE.

The Remedy was such an amazing addition to The Program series.  As usual, Young’s writing is flawless and the story is fascinating.