With appeal for fans of Jonathan Tropper, Tom Perrotta, and Laurie Notaro, this snarky mashup of Girls and Oz is so painfully honest you might think you’re reading a memoir—except the author isn’t a smart-ass guy in a wheelchair who works in a prison.
Recently paralyzed in a car accident, thirty-year-old Graham Finch spends his days trying to rehabilitate a caseload of unruly inmates and his nights on one bad date after another, attempting to rehabilitate his heart—
—until his high school crush Drew Daniels walks through the prison gates one hot summer morning. On the run from a painful past that’s nearly crushed her faith in love, Drew is a new teacher at Lakeside Correctional. Graham, smitten all over again, tries to redirect his unrequited feelings. But when your heart keeps looking back, it's not easy to turn it forward.
Amidst escalating violence at work, Drew is forced to confront her secrets, find a way to forgive old sins, and learn how to listen to her heart and her head when it comes to men. Graham must also learn to make peace with his own past. Together they realize that if you’re going to save yourself, sometimes the best way to do it is by saving someone else first. If only finding their way to one another was easier than working with convicted felons.
Loaded with twisted humor and pathos, MANDATORY RELEASE is a darkly comic look at friendship, forgiveness, and love. A story about broken people putting themselves back together. People who learn that no matter what you lock up—a person, a secret, or your heart—sooner or later, everything must be released.
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Biography
Wisconsin native Jess Riley spent much of her childhood being punished for lying and passing notes during class, both of which qualified her for a future as a novelist. She won her first short story contest in high school for a tale told through the point of view of a seven-year-old black boy living in Cabrini Green because as a middle-class white teenager, she knew a lot about that kind of life.Jess has been a waitress, a blue cheese packager, and a grant writer. She worked at a toy store during the Tickle Me Elmo craze and lived to tell about it. She's also worked at a medium-security men's prison, which was much less stressful. She shares a drafty old house in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with her husband and a neurotic dog that despises public radio.
Her debut novel, DRIVING SIDEWAYS, was released by Random House in 2008. Selected as a Target Breakout Book, it returned to press four times within three months of release. Jess drank lots of wine to celebrate. Her second novel, ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE, was released in fall 2012; CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR, her first novella, is available now. For more about Jess and her books, visit jessriley.blogspot.com or find her on Facebook: facebook.com/jessrileywrites.
Well Jess Riley is a one of a kind! This story was really different from anything I have ever read! From the setting of a prison to a twist that was so twisted I didnt see it coming! This book will have you wanting to peek at the end (DONT DO IT) I love that the characters felt real. So many books dont do that anymore! This is deff. an author that I'm adding to favs.
"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
"Thanks to the publisher or author for sending me this copy!"
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1 comments:
Thank you so much, Jessica! I really appreciate it. :)
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