If you haven’t read a book by Patrick Ness, you are really missing out. He is one of my favorite authors, and everything I’ve read from him has been a hit, including Release. I’ve previously reviewed one of his books More Than This review  but I cannot recommend his Chaos Walking trilogy enough. Published the same years as The Hunger Games, it was a pioneer in the modern young adult dystopia genre and is FINALLY getting a film adaptation. I plan to reread the series next year. He also wrote A Monster Calls, which is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a long time. You might have also seen the very well done movie. So, anytime a Ness book comes out, I clamber to get my copy.

I had no idea what Release was about, and honestly, I didn’t care. That’s how convinced I am to read his books. The story is simply one day in the life of a teenager named Adam. Adam is like most teenagers, struggling with his family, his love life, facing a senior year he isn’t prepared for. But one added element to his story is that he’s gay, in a relationship with another boy, and has seriously Christian parents who condemn gays. He has been hiding his relationship to his parents, but his best friend Angela and her family are there for him in ways no one else is. There are several uncomfortable scenes in the book that deal with adults, namely his boss and his parents, forcing their ideas onto Adam, And Adam doesn’t handle these ideas well, as you would expect, but he never betrays himself or agrees to change who he is.

This book should be required for any parent with a gay child as what NOT to do. I have two kids, both still very young and exploring who they are. They love Transformers and My Little Pony equally. I bought my oldest a Love is Love pride shirt yesterday. Because no matter who they end up loving, they will still be mine. Nothing could ever change that. I am so thankful for authors like Ness who give teenagers a character that is so familiar to them. There are thousands of kids like Adam out there, struggling with being gay, with parents who refuse to accept this, who deem their children broken, who turn their backs, but maybe slowly, through books like this, voices like Adam’s, and people with open minds, we can change how LGBTQ people are viewed and treated in this country. Happy Coming Out Day.

Review by guest contributor Kristy Elam. Kristy is an avid reader, former English teacher, current tutor and book editor, and a life-long learner. She is married and the mother of two amazing boys. She loves Harry Potter, Stephen King, own voices stories, and dystopian novels.