Be prepared to be taken through some gut-twisting angst but know that the ending is so worth all the pain, but also don’t get too comfortable because Aly is going to pull the rug right out from under you! Namely, how Thea and Ramsey connected at such a crucial time in their lives and experienced so many firsts together. I felt like he was more concerned with Nora and Ramsey than his own child who he didn't much fight for after she'd gone through a horrible thing. RELEASE is told in the present and a long flashback in the beginning, that takes up about a third of the story. If not for his sister blurting out what really happened, when was he planning to tell her about the past?

Release | Author Aly Martinez

Aly Martinez rips your heart out, drowns you in angst and slowly mends all your wounds with heartfelt lifelong promises and swoony moments. Over the years, their friendship escalates to a more romantic dynamic and they are thoroughly committed to each other. I was mentally cataloging all the ways I thought it could go and I was pretty sure I was paying attention to all the clues. The storyline makes it so that your emotions get tackled a little bit considering everything that happened, the violence, the lost time the suffering and the loneliness.Eleven year Ramsey and his younger sister Nora were the newcomers to Clovert, moving just doors down from Thea after being evicted from their home. But that’s easier said than done because the boy that she once knew, is now a complicated man who wants nothing to do with her. The weeks following his release from prison, his adjustment to life outside his cell was heartbreaking to watch but the author managed to infuse some humor (cue Siri) that lightened the mood and helped to handle the emotional roller coaster. Befriending Thea seemed like his prayers were answered, but Ramsey’s path wasn’t meant to be straightforward and he’ll do what he can to protect Thea.

Release (Release, book 1) by Aly Martinez - Fantastic Fiction Release (Release, book 1) by Aly Martinez - Fantastic Fiction

this is the kind of friends to lovers book I can get behind ( the trope I usually don't care about, btw) then there are the flashbacks( I dislike those a lot) however, I loved them here. Told in dual POV, the narrative is immediately emotional given the circumstances these characters face. I feel like their innocence and growth from young kids to teenagers was such an organic and natural progression and she really nailed their mannerisms and actions. Leo however also has his own fair share of imperfection, which could be the reason why I fell for him to begin with. Every little girl has a fairytale dream where she is saved by a knight in shining armour and they fall in love, living happily ever after.Although I still spend every waking moment wanting to destroy Sarah, I have fallen in love with her sister—the one person determined to save her. When Ramsey Stewart moved to a small town in Georgia, he had hoped to make a new life at only eleven years old. All you knew in the beginning was that the guy was in prison and had cut off communication from the main character. The only thing I would have liked to seen was more time in the present and how Thea and Ramsey navigated life “After". He took all the fragments and broken pieces, not leaving even the dirty and twisted pieces that I wish never existed.

Aly Martinez Reading Order | Author Aly Martinez

This author has always managed to give her readers something different while still having a beauty in the story. But the two most prevalent ones had me laughing at one point and smiling from ear to ear the next - hilarious anecdotes and deep discussions of the past providing a serious emotional barricade. I didn’t think she was a doormat, she just knew they belonged to each other and she never stopped believing it.Furthermore, the ending was hurried and I think things could have been more cleared up between the main characters. Years ago, they promised each other to never let go and she didn’t let go although he tried hard for her to let him go. Instead, we didn't get to see Thea and Ramsey trying to understand their relationship when he's released from jail until halfway through the book. Was I to choose what I already knew, or risk everything by choosing the young, impulsive soldier who has swept me off my feet?