Book Review: Release Me by Tahereh Mafi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Really liked it! Highly recommend.

Read Release Me if you like chaotic banter, high-stakes espionage, and tension so good it’ll ruin you without a single spicy scene.

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*This review is of the second book in the series. If you want to read my thoughts on book one, here’s my review of Watch Me.

📖 What’s Inside:

Multi POV
Touch HIM and die
On-page intimacy 🟢
Espionage 🥸
🌈 Inclusive
🤫 Secrets upon secrets
Explicit language
He cooks for her 🍲

Book Boyfriend Meter: ❤️

Would date. (I can fix him)

(…but let’s be honest, the Anderson family is causing problems for my Book Boyfriend Leaderboard )

Want to build your own book boyfriend leaderboard? Download my free Morally Grey Book Boyfriend Starter Pack with a printable scorecard and individual character cards to make your favorites official!

✨ Vibes:

We’ve got top-tier dystopian vibes in the Shatter Me universe, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith energy by the end — basically expect tension, chaos, and romantic mayhem.

💭 My Thoughts:

I started this sequel completely opposite to how I started Watch Me.

I was not in the mood to read this book.

Like… full-on book hangover.
Emotionally unavailable.
Still recovering from the last series I devoured.

And yet—

I opened Release Me on a whim.

Big mistake.

Because once again, Tahereh Mafi proved she can drag me into a story against my will.

Starting with Warner’s POV??

Unfair advantage.

My man shows up and suddenly I’m invested.

Next thing I know?

I’m halfway through the book and my mood is scrambling to catch up.

This has literally never happened to me before.

Now let’s talk about pacing—

Because this book is fast.

Like:

“I’ll just read one chapter”
→ suddenly it’s 2am
→ you’re emotionally compromised
→ and the ending is looming

That kind of fast.

This is a true page-turner.

The only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting?

Responsibilities.

Rude.

Now—

We need to talk about James.

Because…

James, my guy.

You were doing so well.

He was a standout in the first book—fun, sharp, compelling.

But here?

I don’t know if it’s the writing or the circumstances, but…

Warner absolutely eclipsed him.

And it doesn’t help that James himself is out here hyping his brother up like—

Sir. Please.

You are losing your own spotlight.

At this point?

He’s still in the running…

But I’m leaning toward honorable mention instead of full leaderboard status.

(We’ll revisit after book three.)

Also—

Can we talk about how everyone treats James??

Because I got tired.

Fast.

Yes, I understood it in book one.

But here?

It felt dragged out.

The constant lectures—especially from Kenji—started to feel less like banter and more like bullying.

And listen, I love Kenji.

I do.

But when every line becomes a joke at James’s expense?

It stops being funny.

It starts feeling repetitive.

And some scenes?

Felt like they existed just to fill space.

Like we were trying to hit a word count instead of move the story forward.

So yeah—

Those things knocked it down a star for me.

BUT.

Let’s talk about what Tahereh Mafi does flawlessly.

The tension.

Because WOW.

There is zero spice in this book.

None.

And yet—

The intimate moments?

Hotter than most spicy scenes I’ve ever read.

That soft, swoony, breath-stealing tension?

The kind that makes you pause and just sit in it?

Yeah.

She nailed it.

You will be an emotional puddle by the end.

And then—

That ending.

Because of course she does that.

Of course she rips the rug out from under you and leaves you sitting there like—

“Excuse me?? What just happened??”

So yeah.

I need book three immediately.

Preferably yesterday.

📚Read Alikes:

If you love fast-paced dystopian fantasy + high-stakes + elite-level romantic tension, try:

• Shatter Me — chaotic energy, romance, and iconic characters in the same world
• Silver Elite — high-stakes missions, mutated powers, political intrigue
• Conform — dystopian action, high stakes espionage, and ‘something isn’t right’ energy

Should you add Release Me to your TBR?

Yes. Plain and simple.

Come for the chaos.
Stay for the tension.
Suffer through the ending with the rest of us.

🛒 Buy Now

If You Liked This, Read Next…

I’m building my dystopian fantasy book lists as more amazing books are released. In the mean time, you might also like these other book lists:

👉 If you’re obsessed with morally grey book boyfriends, you’re going to want my free Morally Grey Book Boyfriend Starter Pack—it’s packed with even more dangerously irresistible favorites.

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