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Premise
I read The Remedy by Suzanne Young. The main character is named Quinlan Mckee, and she takes on the challenge of providing closure to families who lost someone. The majority of the story takes place in the home of Catalina Barnes, who passed away, where she is providing closure to Catalina’s family. As Quinlan is pretending to be Catalina to help her family, Quinlan is also struggling with her own feelings and family struggles. I chose this book because I have read other books in this series. -
Event #1- Too Much Too Soon
Closers in this story never get called to one case right after another, which is exactly what happened to Quinlan. This part was important because it set up the story as this was the case that would cause Quinlan many conflicts and realizations. Thinking: This section stood out to me because Quinlan had only been provided with very vague details about the case, which made me curious. I knew that this would set up the story because the whole thing seemed like a mystery that needed to be solved. -
Event #2- Welcome "Home"
Quinlan reaches the day where she becomes Catalina. This propelled the story forward because Quinlan had a lot to do as soon as she got “home”, which including searching Catalina’s room. The reader suddenly learned things about Catalina very quickly. Thinking: I chose this section because it really helped me picture the setting and understand Catalina. Everything became more vivid and easier to understand. Also, the story started to pick up because conflicts were already heading Quinlan’s way. -
Event #3- Love at First Sight?
Now that Quinlan has taken the role of Catalina she must act like her in order to help her friends and family, which includes Catalina’s boyfriend, Isaac. Quinlan meets Isaac for the first time, but she is shamed by him as most closers are. As a result, Quinlan now has to rethink her therapy strategy with someone who hates her. Thinking: Reading this section really set up a conflict in my head because I began to wonder how this could possibly continue if Isaac was so unwilling to cooperate. -
Event #4- Sibling Rivalary
Quinlan goes to watch Isaac play baseball, but what she doesn’t know is that Catalina’s sister will be there. Angie, her sister, was not a part of the therapy because she had already dealt with the death of her sister, but she still shames Quinlan for being a closer at the game. This propels the story because readers finally meet Angie and learn she hates Quinlan. Thinking: I began to think that maybe Angie hadn’t really dealt with her sister's death like she thought but was struggling instead. -
Event #5- Same Girl, New Hair
Quinlan starts to bond with Catalina’s mom to try and help her with her loss. She doesn’t realize that Quinlan is playing the role of her daughter, and she is not her actual daughter. Quinlan makes a dangerous move when she cuts her hair like Catalina’s hair because this could be a sign of losing herself. Thinking: This part of the story made me feel worried for Quinlan because any closer who loses themselves has goes to therapy, which is much different than the kind of therapy we see now days. -
Event #6- Happily ever after?
Quinlan and Isaac go to a party that includes people from Catalina’s past, but bail early to avoid a confrontation. However, leaving early means they have time to talk about their feelings, which soon turns into them sharing a kiss. This could hurt Isaac’s progress in therapy. Little does he know, Quinlan will leave eventually, which will leave him feeling alone again. Thinking: As soon as I read about the kiss they shared, I instantly felt sorry for Deacon who is Quinlan’s “ex”-boyfriend. -
Event #7- Too Close for Comort
Quinlan, still playing the role of Catalina, goes on a date with Isaac to the batting cages with his friend. On their date, they are caught kissing in public, and Deacon finds them. Deacon is upset, but this results in an argument between the two. Deacon eventually leaves when Isaac returns from the concessions. Thinking: I once again felt sorry for Deacon because he was always struggling because of Quinlan’s job, and she claimed this was all apart of the job and not at all for her benefit. -
Event #8- Frenemies
After a night out with Isaac, the two of them choose to play games with some of Isaac’s old friends. Their friends are not thrilled to see Quinlan. Like many others, they are against the job of closers. During an argument, Kyle punches Quinlan in the face. This really caused the story to speed up because there was a lot of action happening at once. Thinking: While reading this, I couldn’t stop thinking how awful it would be to be hated by so many people because of the job you chose. -
Event #9- Be True to You
Towards the end, Quinlan is starting to finally be concerned for her own mental health. When she begins to feel lost, she sneaks away and seeks help from Deacon. This is important though because Catalina’s family is concerned for Quinlan’s safety as they have no idea where she went. Thinking: I was extremely happy when she went back to Deacon because it gave me hope that should would realize she didn’t belong in Catalina’s family. Also, I hoped Quinlan would find her true personality again. -
Event #10- Game Face
After Quinlan finds reassurance from Deacon, she puts on her game face and continues what she started. She heads back to the family of Catalina to help them truly feel closure. This propelled the action because she didn’t do much since she’d been there, and she didn’t have much time left to fix things. Thinking: I truly felt inspired by Quinlan because she managed to face challenging situations to help others no matter what, and she was so determined to finish what she had started. -
Reflection
The Remedy by Suzanne Young is a captivating book. I would definitely recommend the book to all my friends. This book was a part of a series that I already read, which is what lead me to it. I already pre-ordered the sequel, and I’m looking forward to reading it! One thing that I wish were different would be the ending because it was a totally new aspect thrown in. I would only change it, so it wouldn’t end! I also believe that the book would make an excellent movie that I would go see!
