It is beautiful and personal and I may just be in love with it.
The story of one day. A boy with a world that may fall apart. A ghost and a queen intertwined on a mission. Everything might change. ‘Release’ is full of warmth and life, I am surprised this isn’t a true story. It is beautiful and personal and I may just be in love with it. Real and personal about gay relationships, friendships and family, Patrick Ness contrasts normality with the extraordinary, with a queen from the beginning of time.
Incredibly personal and emotive, ‘Release’ details a heart-breaking day in the life of Adam Thorn. Beautifully written with characters that come to life, everything you'd expect from Patrick Ness.
Adam Thorn is about to have the hardest day of his life. He's about to be told devastating news, experience a scarring event at work, as well as find out who he truly is and tell both his family and the world. Detailing a day in his life, we experience Adam's daily struggles and insecurities. We feel him lose friends, lose family but gain family, love and acceptance. In ‘Release’, Patrick Ness deals with sexuality, loneliness and moving on from heartbreak. It's a captivating and quick read which is able to speak to the reader regardless of how different their circumstances are. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ness's latest novel and although I don't tend to read many contemporaries, I'm definitely going to correct that! ‘Release’ spoke to me on so many levels that I can't wait to read it again and others in the genre like it. If you're looking for a summer read, for something uplifting, look no further, ‘Release’ is the perfect book for you!
A powerful, poignant punch of a book ... Raw, intense and moving, this is a book that draws the reader in, one they won’t want to be released from. Fans of Patrick Ness will not be disappointed.
Taking place over a single Saturday in summer, ‘Release’ is the story of a day that will change seventeen-year-old Adam Thorn’s life forever. He feels trapped in his devoutly religious family, his crappy job, his mixed up personal life…he yearns to escape and be able to really live. Meanwhile, across town, someone else is having an extraordinary day of their own… Ness has stated that Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’ and Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’ influenced this book. The opening line is a nod to ‘Mrs Dalloway’, as is the oneday structure and some of the style. I think ‘Release’ is most akin to ‘Forever’ in its frankness and openness about sexuality and teenage life, arguably it could be seen as an LGBTQ ‘Forever’, or a modern day ‘Forever’. However, the nods are subtle and the reader does not need to be familiar with these texts. ‘Release’ is unmistakeably a Patrick Ness book and showcases the power of his writing and the depth of his characters. Personally, I much preferred the Adam Thorn storyline to the ghost story, and found myself keen to get back to this when the narrative switched. The book is set over a single day, this structure lends it an intensity and gives the reader a sense of being at a pivotal moment in Adam Thorn’s life, of the tumult and change of adolescence, in a powerful, poignant punch of a book.
Tackling a range of important topics such as sexuality, drugs, expression, rape, religion, sex and being who you want to be, this novel is simply unique.
I was quite sceptical to start this book, due to how I've never been able to hook myself into one of Patrick Ness' books, but this one was different. Tackling a range of important topics such as sexuality, drugs, expression, rape, religion, sex and being who you want to be, this novel is simply unique. The protagonist, Adam, frequently doubts himself, but also frequently shows the importance of expressing yourself the way you want to and allowing yourself to be who you want to be, regardless of anyone else’s opinion, whether they be strangers or your father. The book is extremely real, like Judy Blume's ‘Forever’ which it was partly inspired by. The normalisation of sex and losing your virginity is important within teen fiction.
‘Release’ is compelling and addictive; I was completely swept up in this pivotal day in Adam's life, reluctant to put the book down. This story will definitely stay with me for a long time.
This story follows Adam, through an incredibly eventful single day, as secrets come to light and Adam navigates the complexity of losing people close to him. I've never read a book with such a short time span, and I found it really refreshing. It was compelling and addictive; I was completely swept up in this pivotal day in Adam's life, reluctant to put the book down. Alongside Adam's story, another narrative follows the ghost of a girl recently murdered nearby. It was such a bizarre and haunting twist to the story. One that didn't hugely make sense to me at times, but undoubtedly gave me chills. I think I need to actually reread ‘Release’ and take it all in again, as the second narration and ambiguous ending has definitely stayed with me but I don't quite know why. I finished this feeling like I missed something; maybe that's because I read it in such a short space of time. Even if it's only set over a few hours, it's a book to spend time with to pick up everything. I absolutely adored this book for the multitude of themes it discusses. The protagonist is living in a deeply religious family that won't accept him, whilst he's navigating a complex love life, as a boy he loved is leaving the town. There's so much more on top of that; I love how well everything is explored. It's brutally honest about some terrifying stuff. Patrick Ness's books are always so unique and remarkable, and I consistently adore his characters. Again, in ‘Release’, I became so attached to Adam (and Angela) while I read. They're incredibly memorable characters.
Because of the protagonist that Patrick Ness fashioned, Adam Thorn, and his relatable nature, the book is a must read for all those interested in LGBT teenage literature.
‘Release’ by Patrick Ness was an interesting amalgamation of magic and realism. I found it a little bit hard to grasp when reality changed into fantasy, which in turn made the book seem vaguely fragmented. However, because of the protagonist that Patrick Ness fashioned, Adam Thorn, and his relatable nature, the book is a must read for all those interested in LGBT teenage literature.
‘Release’ is such a poignant, intimate story. It is a beautiful story, written in a beautiful way.
Patrick Ness's new novel is on a whole new level. I was only only supposed to read a few pages before bed but I ended up reading half of it without even realising it. Definitely for older/ mature readers.
a must read for all Patrick Ness fans.
The story begins after a murder has happened. Adam is the main character, heis young and in love and has mixed emotions about that and a family that might not agree with his choice of love interest. We also see the story from the side of the ghost of Katherine (murdered girl), this might sound confusing but it works perfectly in giving us more information about what happened and the circumstances around it I liked Adam, his struggles with his family were heartbreaking, but I loved his gumption for admitting who he was so that he could live his life fully and truthfully even though he was taking the risk of losing those he loves most. This is a must read for all Patrick Ness fans. This is aimed more for the slightly older reader 16+ .