Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I wanted to love this book, but I struggled reading it. I didn't connect with the characters at all and most of the time I was confused with what was going on.

I think that this book will be quite divisive and readers will either really like it, or really not, and from other reviews that I've seen I would say that this is proving to be the case.

It is not the easiest story to get into, as it eels like you are dropped into the middle of it, but for me that felt true to the experience of the MC, Daniel. He has been found guilty of a crime and instead of serving the expected jail time has been taken to a different sort of facility. He really knows nothing about where he's been brought and equally we as the reader don't have a clear sense of what's happening.

The science/psychology in the story is really interesting, and it is definitely a unique book.

The Subjects had an interesting premise but unfortunately fell flat for me. I found it quite confusing as the novel switched between narrators - from adult Daniel to teen Daniel. The science elements were too many and the ending wrapped up too quickly (although I didn't mind, I was happy to finish the book in one sitting and move onto something else).

Set in Australia and written by an Australian author, I did enjoy the discussion of mental illness and behaviour disorders; crime and the juvenile system. The novel had a distinct anti-drugs; pro-therapy and alternate treatment slant but did not seem all that realistic. I wish there had been more on the back stories of the other children; their treatments and crimes.

I really liked the idea of this book and really wanted to enjoy it but I just didn't get it. Some parts were so vague it was difficult to know what was happening or when it happened and other parts were incredibly detailed about turned out to have little or no significance. As other reviewers have said, the start is promising and it seems to end well, but by then I cared little for the characters and was mostly just glad I had finished it and could move on.

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.

This book is a revelation!
Original, intelligent, enlightening, modern and brilliant.
Perfect for film or TV adaptation.
I loved it!

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.