I read some of the reviews on this book before I started writing this. People do have really strong, deep opinions about this story (and the gall of the author to even present such material)! 
 I had no idea what this story was about. My daughter had to read it in middle school so I don't know why I didn't also read it then but, whatever, I didn't. But I just now finished it. And I really liked it. 
 The idea behind a perfect, sanitized society is also what I liked about the Matched series. I enjoy the idea behind filtering out all of the negative aspects of a society, seemingly without taking into account that you always must have a good to balance the bad. In this case, the "bad" was scientifically modified in the humans through the mandate of daily pills, secretly intended to remove feelings of any kind. It seems far-fetched, of course, because, even if you accept that Joe Citizen would willingly/habitually take this daily pill, shouldn't the Doctor/Scientist Citizen understand and question what the ingredients and effects of said pill are. SOMEBODY should reasonably be questioning why they do some tiny aspect of what they do, but everyone is just a mindless flock member. So, it's crazy, yes. But I find it imaginative still. These one or two people who realize that, yup, I know this is how we've grown up and it's all we know but doesn't something seem the slightest bit off to anyone else? Well, it does to me. Let's fix it. 
 The ending of this story would definitely leave a whole lot to be desired if I was reading it as a standalone book. Jonas has made his personal stand but, what are the effects on the town he has just left? What impact will it have on the rest of the world? What even is the rest of the world?