I was unfortunately unable to continue reading this book. This hardly happens but I found it very hard to maintain interest. The plot sounded interesting but the way it is presented could not keep me gripped or interested.

THE SUBJECTS, by Sarah Hopkins, takes a page from the social experimentation and subliminal influencing that flourished in the 1960's and 1970's. Daniel is one of several young patients at what he can only decipher as a school with an agenda for mental healing. The entire book is told from Daniel's perspective, so as Daniel begins to piece together what the school really is and the way they are handling him and the other patients, Daniel start to question why he is there and should he stay.
The book begins by jumping into Daniel's life at a crucial junction; he's about to be sentenced in court and potentially put in jail, when a mysterious man convinces the court to let him my remanded to this mysterious man, a doctor. Hopkins crafts the plot so that Daniel and the reader slowly discover what is really going on with the doctor and the school he has convinced the court to let him take Daniel to. The fellow students/patients in the book are well developed, interesting and provide a texture to the story that draws the reader in. As the plot grows to it surprise finale, the reader can't help but pull for Daniel and the group to figure out what is really going on and why.
Well-composed prose and a slowly burning, yet fascinating plot makes THE SUBJECTS an exciting thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Very Interesting premise but overall this book wasn’t a hit for me. While parts moved quickly there were other parts of the story that seemed to drag on for too long.

I loved the idea of this book, it sounded so fascinating. The execution was extremely difficult to follow. Perhaps because of it being an e-ARC, I couldn't tell *when* in the story I was; it wasn't until I was halfway through that I realized the story is being told by adult Daniel reflecting on his time at the School. Once I realized that, it became more apparent that I had no idea when the time shifts happened (some of the story is told in Daniel's present, and some in his past). I find myself wanting more details about the characters, the school, etc. but it is lacking. Perhaps these issues will be addressed in the final edition!

Okay so for the most part, I was confused. Really, really confused.
However, the great part was that I was supposed to be confused. Having finished it, I understand it now that I had felt just like our characters. In the beginning, pure confusion. After some time, I got used to it and it was fine. Nothing bad was happening, nothing great, things were moving along fine and well. Things do start to happen and I pay more attention. It is revealed. I can choose: do I like it and move on, do I close the book and say it was a waste of time.

This book talks about mental illness, about behavior, trauma, pain, about suffering because the world suffers, about knowing what awaits you and facing it as a rite of passage. About people who dared do something different.

I liked it. It was slow in parts and I could have done without the plot twist - if I can call it that- at the end. Nonetheless, it's a book I would recommend and I would buy a printed copy of.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Text Publishing Company, and to Sarah Hopkins for this opportunity.

Unfortunately, I did not connect with this story at all. I rarely leave a book unfinished but I stopped reading this one at 50%. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, to the story line, or to the writing style so I decided to move on to another book. This, of course, is just my personal opinion and I encourage others to give this book a try. It might be right up your alley.

I liked this a lot, and found it a really intriguing read. Partly because for some time I wasn't exactly sure what was going on! I liked the edge of uncertainty - could I trust the narrator? Was the doctor a good guy? What had the protagonist actually done, and what was he not facing up to?

It takes some time to unravel, and even then not everything is clear, but I enjoyed the writing, and the journey that the story takes. My problem came with the ending. It somehow didn't live up to where I thought the book was going. I'd expected a better finale. Perhaps if I go back and reread I will enjoy it more, but I'd thought there would be a bigger final resolve.

Still, this was a good read.

After the first 20% of the book I still wasn’t interested in either of the characters and just couln’t make any sense of the story. I just couln’t care less. The premise seemed interesting but I am dissapointed.

I still want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

After being arrested, Daniel is sent to a place called simply the School in place of being sent to jail. The whole purpose of the thing is kind of mysterious, and he and the other kids believe they are part of an experiment but don't know anything more. This started out really promising and interesting, and then it just seemed more and more drawn out and disappointing. I was kind of surprised in the end to find out exactly what was going on with the School, but it wasn't really worth the work to get to that point. 2 stars.

First 10%, last 10% were actually really something. Unfortunately, the other 80% was either dull, a let-down, or just didn't make sense. Not in the context of aberrant behavior, not in the context of mental health...none of it. Which is a shame, because this could have been a great book, and it lines up quite well with books like 'The Institute', and could have been well received because of that. But I don't think it's a brilliant book or a good book, but it is a book that had promise, and with editing and removal of the absolutely banal, could change to being an acceptable book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review

A really enjoyable book except for the ending. Throughout, I really appreciated the style of narration and the view into the characters mind and perception of the world. The ending, I felt, fell flat. It didn't integrate the points it was trying to make were not integrated into the story well. It was still very well written for the majority of the book!

Daniel is a drug dealer. He's been caught but hasn't going to jail, he's going to a different facility. He believes they are running tests on them. The Subjects examine a way of treating people, drug free.

5his is an Australian novel about young people who have been diagnosed with some type of disorder. They find themselves in the juvenile system. Some of the jargon confused me. It did take me a while to get into the story. Daniel narrates this story and I could actually believe the subject matter to happen. I was not keen on Daniel's character, he was too cocky for my liking. It I suppose, if he was a nice boy, he wouldn't be in the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Text Publishing Company and the author Sarah Hopkins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I’m just not smart enough, but I didn’t comprehend much of this book. Granted, it delved inside the mind of someone who was mentally unstable and in an institution [of sorts], so can I really be expected to have understood what was happening? It was written in first person, from the perspective of the main character who was, delusional? depressed? schizophrenic?, so his thoughts were all over the place.

The story was happening on different levels (time points) simultaneously and there was no true divide, so you were expected to comprehend what time point you were in without explanation.

The last 10% was pretty profound. I liked the insight on drugs and pharma and the global effect of drugs on the mental health crisis.

This book was “experimental,” I guess you’d say (pun intended) but I don’t think I’m smart enough to be in the population that calls this book “brilliant” by any means. It was convoluted and I feel could have been shortened.

Interesting book. Amazing how the mind can be manipulated. Often thought that some young people in the system were hyper intelligent but that their abilities were not tapped in to. Was uncertain as to the reference to the inquiry— I would have liked more explanation to this end. Overall a thought provoking book

First of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm going to be honest, I didn't finished this book. I started it, but just couldn't get into it. It wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It had a very slow beginning and was hard to grasp what was truly going on, dnf.

A delinquent young man is saved from jail and instead brought to a school? A psych ward? with more delinquent yet gifted young adults. Reading this face paced and interesting novel will answer your questions about who people are and what the place is, but it all will not become clear until close to the end what the end goal of as a "school".

I read this book in three reading sessions because I simply couldn't put it down. I found this book to be a dystopian look at the state of corporate profits, pharmaceutical industry and what may or may not be ethical ways of dealing with mental illnesses.

I was really intrigued by the concept and description of this book, but when it came to it I found it hard to get into. The narrator is quite guarded, which fits in well with his character, but makes it tricky to find your way into the story. At times I wanted more information about what was going on as it was quite confusing. Then, about halfway through, something clicked into place for me and I felt able to connect with it. Maybe it just took a while to get going, but I also think the author makes you work hard at first because so much of the book is about the frustration of not fully knowing what is going on.

From a plot point of view I'd have liked to find out a lot more about what happened towards the end of the book, but the setting and sense of place is very strong and it's certainly though-provoking.

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley.com.

I can't say that I precisely *enjoyed* this book, but I'm glad I read it. It was intriguing and compelling, but a disturbing story with a strange approach to doling out the story. There was an incomplete, but mostly satisfying, resolution. All in all, strange, but I'm ready to move on to something lighter.

Meh. This one sounded interesting but it failed to fully keep my attention. And if I'm honest, I hated the main character. I always find it frustrating when an author writes from the perspective of a teenager and can't seem to keep from sounding like an adult. That took away from the story for me.