Release: A Standalone Friends-to-Lovers Romance (The Release Series Book 1)

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At ten years old, Thea Hull’s life irrevocably changed when she lost her mother and simultaneously gained a friend. From that moment forward, counting time and possible future moments became second nature. As Thea matures, she remains true to what she believed her life could be. Overall, this novel was not just another amazing story by this author, but a powerful portrayal of a couple who came out on the other side after years of painful and tumultous heartbreak. Ramsey and Thea found a safe haven in one another throughout their whole lives and Martinez portrayed that beautifully. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula ❤ That was exactly how I lived my life, showing the world a pretty exterior to hide the disaster on the inside.” I got invested in the budding symbiotic friendship of Thea and Ramsey from the get go. Aly manages to adeptly paint the innocent love picture, complete with rosy hues and starry dreams. All pulled away in the blink of an eye, stomped on and tattered in a single fateful night.

Release by Aly Martinez | The StoryGraph Release by Aly Martinez | The StoryGraph

That said, being that some of my top favorite 5-star reads - PERIOD - are by Aly Martinez...I kind of feel bad for her when I rate her newer books. Because I am basically taking anything new she puts out, holding it up alongside those older favorites and asking myself, "Self, do I like new thing as much as my old thing?" stars for Twenty-four years, three months, one week, five days, eighteen hours, eleven minutes, and counting…Sadly, I didn’t feel their connection, or chemistry or love. That’s why, I felt detached and the whole thing felt like a bit forced. Ramsey is a savior by nature. He slips into a shielder & protector mode instinctively for his loved ones- his mom, his sister and now Thea. He, albeit reluctantly, lives in her home, refuses to eat her food, uses her money, time, wears the clothes she buys This was another delight to read. I saw it from Ver’s favorites ”childhood love” trop and I started reading it immediately and oh man, I was in for a treat.

Reclaim: A Standalone Friends-to-Lovers Romance (The Release

The chapters began with how they met and their friendship began and then how he went to the prison. But I can live with that, because there will never be anyone other than you. I was ten when I fell in love with you. Nothing you say right now is going to change that.” With a slow burn and some angsty moments, Release is a second chance romance that would appeal to those looking for a touching story dealing with real life painful issues. We'd been disenchanted with the beauty of life since the day we'd met. But we had each other. That was the one constant we needed for happiness. As for safety, neither of them sleeps with another person. She waits for him for so many years and when he comes out of prison, he doesn't sleep with anyone else although he pushes her away all the time.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Some parts were a win for me and some parts were a failure. Thea was my heroine. I loved her so much. I was disappointed of how Ramsey became because of my love for him as a child and my expectations for him as an adult. Let’s talk about this story for just a second. This is not a breezy read. There are no unicorns and gumdrops anywhere to be seen. There is heartache. There is loss. There are gut-wrenching circumstances. There are choices with profound consequences. There is love. There is friendship. There is growth and a whole lot of hope. It is inspiring, emotional, and incredibly touching. When Ramsey Stewart moved to a small town in Georgia, he had hoped to make a new life at only eleven years old. 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. And after all this drama of she trying to get close to him and him pushing her away and actually making her feel like she is the reason he was in the prison it turns out that he didn’t even kill that guy. His sister did. Apparently, she was too assaulted by him. But her brother took the blame for her.

Aly Martinez Reading Order | Author Aly Martinez

It’s no secret that that I’m a HUGE fan of this author and I truly enjoy her books and this one was no different. I loved the dual povs and the past to present was executed beautifully. The only thing I would have liked to seen was more time in the present and how Thea and Ramsey navigated life “After". That felt a little too rushed for me and I was a bit disappointed but aside from that, I enjoyed this couple's journey and their love. I didn’t like the conclusions. I feel really bad for the h. First I hated her with her pushy behavior but then I felt pity for her. No character is likable. I had expectations but got disappointment.Thea and Ramsey owned my heart from the very first chapter. Martinez takes you on a spellbinding journey as they meet as children. What starts off as grudging friendship between two broken kids, slowly blooms into something much more potent. Ramsey and Thea meet at a time where they need each other the most, though Ramsey's pain isn't as obvious as Thea's. Young Ramsey is undeterred by Thea's hissing and swatting him away as kids. He slowly but surely weaves his way into her heart with his easy smile and sweet demeanor. But that easy smile hides painful secrets, secrets that young Thea doesn't spot right away. Their friendship slowly blossoms into teenage love, but then one dark evening shatters their life as they know it. Thea hated Ramsay when she met him but at that time she would have hated anyone, there was so much bitterness in her. Ramsay's smile, his cheerfulness, his persistence of not letting Thea's abrasive behavior drive him away broke through her walls and they became first best friends, then lovers and then...nothing. The tables have turned and it is now Thea fighting for Ramsay. Isn't that beautifully righteous? And fight she does. Damn that girl can play dirty. I loved how she just soldiered on although she was dying inside from the hurt Ramsay delivered because he thought he needed to protect her. He became her everything, until he was gone. Twelve years, eight months, three weeks, four days and thirty-seven minutes. That was how long he'd been gone. This story was angsty, emotional, and well written. Intriguing plot that was divided into two parts; the past and the present time. I absolutely loved the past, twelve years before it all happened. But regarding the present, twelve years after it all happened, is a story that needs to be told. Granted, she can be damn irritating and he is legally forced to live with her weirdness but stil...

Release - Aly Martinez - Google Books

Because when I was ten years old, I met a boy. I hated him. But I needed him like my veins needed blood. He broke my leg. He broke my patience. And eventually he broke my heart. But there hasn’t been a minute that’s passed that I haven’t loved him with every single broken shard.” Poor heroine. She wasted her life pining for a guy thinking that he killed for her but unfortunately he didn’t and was just taking the blame for his sister. Amazing. Nice book on a brother sister relationship but definitely not the hero and heroine. This is one of the most infuriating acts of sacrifice that I hate. Who are you to decide on behalf of her? She has her own mind, she can decide who she wants to be with on her own! But no, he tries so hard to make her hate him that I HATED HIM. But she didn’t. She knew the boy she loved was in there somewhere and she finally managed to reach him.I was surprised that their past took up about half of the book. Normally, when a couple shares a past that's important, the author usually gives us about 20% of the book on the past. 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. That being said, I wish we got more of them in this stage of their relationship. I felt like we watched them in agony over how to be together again and, once they were, it was just over. If we got more of them trying navigate the world actually being together, I would have loved this even more. Their happily ever after was plainly all Thea's effort. She never once gave up. I understood the way she behaved when she was a kid. She acted meanly towards Ramsey because she thinks like a kid. What would you expect from a kid whose mother just died? However, an adult Ramsey acting like a kid denying Thea's help, breaking their "best friend law," and pushing her away for her "own good" were what I wasn't able to accept. The reason I list those is because, when I rate books, I rate them against other books within the same genre or, if I have read other books by that same author, against other books by that author. He became her everything, until he was gone. Twelve years, eight months, three weeks, four days and thirty-seven minutes. That w My reading experience with this one was a lot like watching a man plays video games and his whole body is moving left and right with the controller in his hand, swearing that’s helping him do better in the game. I was like, "No there’s not enough room in his book to hash the rest of this out - oh my gosh - what am I gonna do - holy cow - someone help her -someone help him - someone help ME!!"