These characters. This story. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The laughter, love, pain, surprises, and tears. What a freakin' journey! 

Thea Hull and Ramsey Stewart met as kids...just when they needed each other most, even if they did not know it at the time. From antagonism to friendship and love...they were the other's everything. Ramsey was Thea and his little sister's self-appointed protector. And Thea fought as strongly for them. Until one night changed the course of their lives. 

Now over twelve years later, he is coming home...to his sister and to Thea. But he gave up on his own happiness long ago. And he told her to move on as well. They are all stubborn, opinionated, and think they are right. But secrets can fester, masks can hide real feelings, and guilt and lack of self-worth can destroy. It will not be just an easy transition.

When they were kids he pushed her into being his friend, and now she is pushing her way back into his life. But it is precarious and they are both unsure of how to deal with the past and live in the present and are afraid to hope for the future. And sometimes the truth and secrets can also wound. And their lives might be shaken up again and not in the good way they hoped. 

These poor characters go through so much...lost so much time. Their lives were ruined over one person's actions and subsequent choices. There is no way to go back and it is hard to move forward.  But eventually, they will have to lay it all out there and figure out what they can and cannot live without.

All along I believed that they were soulmates and family. There are so many layers and so much change and growth from the characters over the course of this story. Relationships are built, destroyed, and repaired. Dreams are made, taken away, and reimagined. But nothing can take away the guilt, pain, regret, bitterness, and heartbreak they endured. My heart was so invested in them. I both adored and got frustrated by these complex, dynamic characters. I wanted to shake sense into them at times, and other times hug them. Sometimes my heart was just shattered. Other times I was laughing at their witty rapport and taunting. But they felt real and their story was tragic, heartfelt, poignant, raw, and beautiful.

I started to think I was broken as I was having a hard time paying attention and have not been reading as much, but this book demanded my attention and I devoured every word. My emotions were all over the place. I love it when authors throw in twists that surprise me, and Aly Martinez is a master at that. I have a first five star read of 2020!

Twelve years is a long time to hold on to love with no communication, but Thea knows Ramsey is her one and only even if the only contact she has had from him is a short letter telling her to move on.

The depth of emotion between these characters was palpable. Even after 12 years and Ramsey’s attempts to push Thea away, both feel strongly for the other. As Ramsey works to assimilate back into normal life, he still doesn’t feel he is good enough for Thea even as he has to fight his own feelings to make her see the same. Thea’s own feelings are just as strong and she is determined to get back what was lost after 12 years.

I thought I was going to be rolling my eyes that she waited 12 years for him, but as their story unfolded I completely understood her actions. From a very young age, they had a connection that started as a wary friendship and developed into more as they moved through high school. The intensity of their feelings was exactly what I needed to make that 12 year gap believable. Add in the fact that Thea’s roommate was Ramsey’s little sister, and the family thread between these three was complete.

I loved watching this pair work through everything keeping them apart, though most were conflicts of their own making, 12 years in lockup is also a lot to overcome. There were a lot of roller coaster emotions as Ramsey tried to find his footing without the routines of prison life and Thea processed her own guilt for the reasons Ramsey found himself locked up in the first place.

I had been struggling to focus on anything I read until I opened this book. I was pulled in immediately and devoured every word of this story. My track record with Aly’s books should have had me expecting this outcome, as her last few books have ranked among my favorites. Release pulled me into a place where I felt the heartache and healing right along with the characters. This was a fantastic book to boost my reading mood and is my first 5 star read of 2020!

5 HUGE Stars.

Aly Martinez

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children. 

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person. 

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.