RELEASE BY PATRICK NESS REVIEW | DIVERSITY AND SPIRITS.

I read this book in August but didn’t have the chance to review it the same month. I didn’t think that I was going to be able to finish it, but then one night I just ploughed my way through the remaining 150 pages and finished it at 1:30 AM.

THIS BOOK.
I’ve got some mixed opinions, tbh.

Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It’s a big day. Things go wrong. It’s intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches… Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It’s a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won’t come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

Goodreads

Patrick Ness’s other book that I read (the rest of us just live here) I had really enjoyed. I’ve always loved how diverse he makes his books, and how MAGICAL they are. For me, there was a definite turning point where the book became much more interesting.

BUT LET’S NOT RUSH THINGS.

The book is set in modern day, over one day that I shall forever nickname “ADAM’S WORST POSSIBLE DAY, BLESS HIM. LET’S JUST GIVE HIM CAKE.” The town is SUCH A DARN MEAN PLACE. And I just. WANT TO MURDER THAT PIECE OF LAND.

The writing, as always with Patrick ness, was beautiful. SO LOVELY. But it just didn’t hold my interest. Not one bit. Which was weird, because with previous books of his, I was committed from the very beginning. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I was very angry at the homophobia towards Adam (the main character), which is good in a way because it shows that I ACTUALLY CARED.

“It was so much easier to be loved than to have to do any of the desperate work of loving.”

Of course, the characters were well developed and LITERALLY EVERYONE HAD A BACK STORY. Which is possibly what slowed the book down for me. I think that it was because I was getting to know each character and then THE STORY COULD REALLY BEGIN.

I really got into the story at page 140 WHEN SOME THING REALLY DRAMATIC WENT DOWN. LITERALLY. AND THEN MORE AND MORE JUST KEPT ON HAPPENING.

• ADAM. JUST. words fail me.
• THE DIVERSITY. This book. . . whoa. Okay, so the main character (ADAM) is gay, and his best friend is Korean who is fluid and also has dutch mother, anddddd there is a Spanish character and MORE. I ALWAYS LOVE how Patrick Ness includes so much diversity.
• LINUS. I adore LINUS, he’s such an amazing character that I want to 1) give a cake to 2) hug. He was properly introduced to the book (LIKE IN THE PRESENT, NOT A MEMORY OR MENTIONING) after one of the DRAMATIC EVENTS and GAH HE’S SO WONDERFULLY UNDERSTANDING. #FAVE CHARACTER. 
• SO MUCH PIZZA IN THIS BOOK .
• It talks about how the family that you were born into isn’t always the only family you have.
• THE WRITING. As mentioned before the writing was BRILLIANT.
• THE SPIRIT. This part was SO COOL. It was so interesting. It really confused me at first, and it was completely set apart from the main story.
• A ROSE. It’s there for the entire book. . .  AND THEN THE MEANING SLAPS YOU IN THE FACE.
• THE BOOK GAVE THE MESSAGE THAT EVERYONE DESERVES TO BE LOVED WHICH IS SO WONDERFUL.

Gah, as I said earlier, after about 150 pages, I STARTED TO LIKE THE BOOK A LOT MORE. It just seemed to BE BETTER. LIKE,, TO THE POINT WHERE I REALLY ENJOYED IT. I wouldn’t say that I looooved it, but it was a very strong LIKE.

1. LINUS. He added A LOT to the book *heart eyes* *gives Linus all the cakes* he will ever need* He just made it better.
2. THE SPIRIT WORLD GOT TENSE AF. And the world nearly ended. HEADS WERE TORN OFF. 
3. ADAM WAS FABULOUS AND STOOD UP TO HIS FATHER. YASSSS ADAM.
4. The sex scene was whoa!! BUT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A REALLY SWEET RELATIONSHIP. 
5. Adam’s best friend was witty as hell, LOVE THAT GIRL. SHE AND ADAM LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH (PLATONICALLY).
6. The pace sped up A LOT and so many things were happening and I JUST STARTED FEELING EMOTIONS.

*WHY AM I ALWAYS BRINGING UP CAKE. . .? BECAUSE I AM CAKE QUEEN!

“Never pass up the chance to be kissing someone. It’s the worst kind of regret.”

• As I said before the book started VERY SLOWLY, and I’m really not a fan of slow books. But it did pick up pace which was really good. BUT GAH. I KEPT ON GETTING INTERESTED, AND THEN DROPPED. 
• I couldn’t connect characters that much throughout the book but that’s not TOO major. I think that it would have been nicer to connect a bit more to them though.
• Adam’s brother is really annoying in the beginning because he was such a hypocrite and was pretty oblivious to what was happening.
• ADAMS PARENTS. THEY MADE ADAM FEEL SO LOST AND were terrible parents that “tried so hard to love {him}” AND MADE ME VERY ANGRY.
• THIS SPIRIT THING. I MENTIONED THIS IN THE “LIKED” LIST BUT. . . THIS DEAD GIRL . . . idk she’s her, then SHE’S A QUEEN. And there’s a magical faun guy that can alter peoples minds??? IT WAS CRAZY.

I really do not have that many dislikes about this book, to me the main problem with this book is that it took me ages to get into. I think that because there was SO MUCH back story and it being set over in only one day, it just took a while to develop. And while I find interesting it slowed the book and down quite a bit and stopped me from properly being ENGULFED by it.

For me I gave this book 4 starts because it took me a while to get into and meh yeah. I really liked the last 150 or so pages, it was just a shame that I couldn’t get into it sooner otherwise I would have given it 5/5 stars!

What did you think of this book? Is it on your TBR? Let me now!

LUUUUUUUUU