Happy Tuesday! (Almost) every Tuesday at around this time, I participate in The Broke and the Bookish‘s Top Ten Tuesday weekly meme. This week’s theme is Top 1o books I almost didn’t finish– or didn’t I?– and I am listing in no particular order:

Again, these are:

–Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

–Gone by Michael Grant

–The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

–Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

–Before I Die by Jenny Downham

–Allegiant by Veronica Roth

–I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

–The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

–Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

–The Program by Suzanne Young

I’ll keep you posted,

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Usually I’m a sucker for a dystopia. A good, corrupt government, some teenage anarchy, maybe a few dogmas designed to shock and dismay… Count me in!  It’s bound to be a recipe for success, right? And if not success, then at least a read worth your time.

Alas, The Program did not live up to its genre’s standards. I’ve had this book marked on my to-read list since its tons of hype first hit the YA world, which is to say  somewhere along the lines of six months ago.  And it brings me no joy to inform you that the anticipatory wait was in vain, but inform you I must.

First and foremost, everything about The Program‘s characters fell flat. It wasn’t so much that they didn’t feel anything– fortunately, we readers were privy to Sloane’s multitude of frustrations, doubts, and complaints– it’s that their emotions had no depth, and seemed to be more the production of artifice than anything else. I was never quite able to latch onto Sloane’s mindset, understand her thought process, or validate her many melodramatic reactions.  Although the narration was in first person, I was completely removed from her feelings, and I never did develop any kind of attachment, concern, or even mild friendliness towards her or the rest of the cast of characters.

Sloane’s and James’s romance was plagued by the same issues. Various displays were made to prove their affection for one another, and I appreciated the number of flashbacks that explained how their relationship was forged. However their romance just seemed empty. I’m not convinced that these people even cared for each other, let alone that they loved each other “madly”. I’m sure that their relationship was fortified by loss, social oppression, and all of that jazz. I just couldn’t bring myself to care.

That being said, I enjoyed walking into this book to find a couple already going strong. It was a clever way to avoid insta-love, and moreover the couple’s imperfections lent credibility to their romance and reality to the characters. I appreciated that.

The Program‘s plot was alright, I suppose. It gets points for keeping me reading when the characters so obviously didn’t. I did enjoy the ending, although I’m not quite sure to have understood it. I guess my trouble with the plot is simply that it wasn’t very memorable. Sort of flavourless, if I do say so myself. Lacking in punch, in tang, in oomph.

The awful part is that I’m absolutely crazy about this novel’s premise. When I hear the words ‘suicide epidemic,’ ‘government program,’ and ‘memory wipe,’ I can’t help but get excited. It’s brilliant. Surely there’s room enough there to write one helluva good book! I was all set for a thought-provoking, emotionally acute, gripping, wild ride.  Unfortunately, Suzanne Young didn’t agree. Or rather, she chose to define “thought-provoking, emotionally acute, gripping, wild ride” as a fairly wishy washy band of  characters following a somewhat plain vanilla plot.

High points? If you’re avoiding this novel because of the sensitive topic, fear no longer. Apart from the seriously disturbing way in which this world’s teens chose to drop like flies without a second thought, The Program was never meant to perturb its readers with a point-by-point description of depression. This is a dystopia; it’s not a self-help book, and it’s not 13 Reasons Why. It was never intended to delve into and flesh out all of suicide’s delicacies.

I was also fond of the novel’s layout. Its division into three parts (pre-Program, Program, and post-program) strengthened and reinforced the plot in my eyes.

Overall, The Program merits 2.7/5 stars. For all the trouble I’ve put it through, it really wasn’t terrible. Its shortcomings were really more of a result of its mediocrity than anything else. It was an average Joe of book, and that’s okay. It just didn’t make the grade. Better luck next time?

I’ll keep you posted,

Happy Tuesday! (Almost) every Tuesday at around this time, I participate in The Broke and the Bookish‘s Top Ten Tuesday weekly meme. This week’s theme is Top 1o frame-able covers, and I am loving it. Whoever tells you not to judge a book by its cover has no idea how much fun it is. Let’s count the series as one, yes? Henceforth I am listing in no particular order:

Again, these are:

–Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

-Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

-Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

-Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

-Rebel Belles by Rachel Hawkins

–Across the Universe by Beth Revis

–Newsoul trilogy by Jodi Meadows

–Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

-Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

–Graceling trilogy by Kristin Cashore

I’ll keep you posted,

Hello all,

How are you? Long time, no talk! I’m sorry. I’m a high school student, and unfortunately everything study-related can get really hectic really fast, and for an absurdly prolonged period of time. I’ve barely had time to sleep these past 6 months, let alone read or blog. It’s been terrible.

The good news? My efforts weren’t in vain! I’m currently on a 3-month student exchange program in Paris. And away from school, I actually have time to breathe. I’m sure you all know what that means for a book lover: a helluva lot of reading time! And so I can safely promise you consistent reviews, at least until the school year rolls around again.

More good news: for the first time in my life, I’m actually putting my Kindle to good use! That’s it there, in a dashing purple case courtesy of my savvy father, and beside my teeny tiny coffee and– of course– French pastry. I’ve discovered that my favourite place to read thus far is the Tuilerie gardens; the people watching is amazing, although the reading material is even better.

I’ll keep you posted (punctually, this time),

On November 18th, 2013, the Ottawa Public Library was lucky enough to host Lauren Oliver during its Teen Author Fest, and she was generous enough to let me conduct a one-on-one, face to face interview. I am still fan-girlishly giddy about this. Can I ever say thank you enough?

Hearing her story was sensational. I haven’t met very many authors– although I’ll post my photos with Lemony Snicket later– but it was so inspiring to hear how many times Lauren Oliver failed before making a break into the budding world of YA. Also: I am beyond excited for the release of her new novel, Panic, this March. It sounds like a Hunger Games meets  Monopoly meets high school type thriller: awesome.

Q: Just right off of the the top, what are five things that you’d take with you onto a deserted island?

A: A bottle of ketchup, definitely coffee, the Harry Potter series, which we’ll count as one, moleskin notebook, pen. I should have probably said a ship to get off the island, but anyway.

Q: What’s the best YA book you’ve read in a while?

A: I just read Ask the Passengers by A.S. King, and I really loved it.

Q: I have to ask– are the cover models on your books what the characters really look like?

A: No, no, no. Did you know that that [the cover of Before I Fall]’s actually a five-year-old boy’s photoshopped image? It’s pretty disturbing. You’ll never look at it the same way again. I don’t even know who that’s supposed to be; it doesn’t look like Sam. It kind of looks like Juliet. But it’s cover art; it’s supposed to be evocative of what the characters are supposed to look like, but it doesn’t have to be identical necessarily.

Q: Did you like high school?

A: Did I like high school? Well, I loved my friends. I had a good group of friends and we’re still friends. But no, I was pretty deeply unhappy in high school. Not really related to high school, my parents were going through a really tumultuous divorce, and I was suffering from a lot of depression. I was pretty troubled in high school.  I mean, there were good moments and I had fun with my friends and my sister, but it certainly was nowhere close to the happiest time of my life.

Q: So what was– or is– the happiest time of your life?

A: I’m getting happier every day.

Q: I know that you didn’t really want to close anything off, but I loved Before I Fall. Can you tell me where the characters would be now?

A: Well Kent gets with Lindsay– just kidding! That’s the thing, I can’t answer this because I have specific ideas, but I want my readers to engage with it and have their own ideas. So whatever you think happens, happens. What do you think?

Q: I think that Lindsay is at university studying psychology. I really do.

A: Yes! I think she is too.

Q: Can I ask you about your tattoo?

A: I have 19 tattoos. I have one on my wrist, the initials of my ex-boyfriend who died. After he passed away, I got the first line of an E.E. Cummings poem, “I carry your heart with me,” on my back. I have an ouroboros, which is a snake eating its own tail. It’s a symbol of regeneration and rebirth, and I have a phoenix for the same reason. I have Latin phrase which means ‘truth is sacred’. I’m getting two more tomorrow when I get home– I have tattoos everywhere. But ask your mom before you get one.

Q: Thank you again, Lauren!!

I’ll keep you posted,