Release Me by Tahereh Mafi

Here is a summary with spoilers for Release Me by Tahereh Mafi

Rosabella has been confined for a week and hasn’t talked and has hardly moved at all. For Aaron Warner, it is causing tension and problems because it is taking away time from Juliette, and also because the reason there is this whole mess is because of his little brother James. Aaron lets James know that he messed up on his mission and when it comes to Rosabella, and because of that, James loses all security clearance. This starts a week of James’s life where he feels like a subordinate soldier. Kenji tries to tell him that he did mess up and that he needs to go apologize to Aaron, as it will make things easier in the long run. James, believing he is in the right and wanting to be on Rosabella’s side, is upset that he is being treated this way. He wants to make things right, be involved with Rosabella, and make sure she is being treated right and fairly. Eventually Aaron comes to talk to James, mostly to figure out what James knows about Rosabella’s plan, especially concerning the vial, not about anything else. While they are together, Aaron is notified that Rosabella has escaped the prison. James, wanting to prove himself, decides to run off on his own to try to find Rosabella.

Rosabella has been waiting for her moment. She has been quiet, patiently waiting to run. Now she knows she has at least an hour head start on anyone looking for her. She ditches her clothes and finds a children’s cat suit to hide in. She finds an airfield, believing that if she waits and watches long enough, she should be able to steal a craft and get back to the Ark. Though James knows Rosabella, and he finds her much quicker than she expected. Rosabella has an inner monologue, debating if she could kill James or not. She has been trained to kill her whole life, but for some reason she cannot seem to kill him, nor does she want to. While thinking this, James knows what she is thinking and tells her that she cannot kill him and should not run away again because he will just find her. The two sit there while James tries to talk to her about what they are going to do next. Aaron and his team arrive quickly, this time with the order to take down James as well, as it seems he has chosen a side since he is with Rosabella. Aaron’s team captures them both, and Aaron leaves, putting Kenji in charge. They forget to disarm Rosabella, and she shoots James in the arm and takes her chance to run. Rosabella knew exactly where she was shooting. Kenji tells James that he could have died, even with his healing abilities, as he was a few inches from dying. Kenji and James discuss their next plan to find her. James wants to be at the front of the decisions and plans because he created the mess and still cares for Rosabella. Kenji tells him he is crazy for liking her, but James insists on helping. Kenji says James needs to find her first because Aaron has put a kill order out on Rosabella.

Rosabella manages to run and get her hands on an aircraft, but James reaches her before she fully escapes. This time Aaron is also able to talk to her, which is their first direct conversation. During it, Aaron wants James to stop touching Rosabella, but he refuses because she was shot during the escape and he is holding onto her so she does not feel the pain. Aaron sees this as a sign of which side James has chosen and becomes more frustrated. To try to regain trust, James mentions that they need him and Rosabella together because she said something big is going to happen in seven weeks. Rosabella says James should not have said anything. In response, Aaron puts Rosabella in a coma and sends James away.

Rosabella is in a dream state, trapped in a nightmare. Her sister Clara appears, begging for help and acting strangely. Rosabella wants to leave the dream but does not know how. Kenji, James, and Aaron meet in Juliette’s room, as she is on bed rest at 37 weeks pregnant and the doctors are concerned. They decide that when Rosabella wakes, someone will need to watch her. James wants the job but is not trusted to do it alone. During the discussion, a soldier arrives to say Rosabella has woken up but is not okay. When James arrives, she is having a seizure. Between Aaron’s coma and her trying to shut her own body down, her body is failing. James panics, trying to help her. Aaron tries to shut her body down again, while Rosabella is attempting the same internally. James continues trying to heal her, and eventually stabilizes her. Aaron allows James to take Rosabella to a safe house, with Kenji checking in regularly.

James takes Rosabella to a safe house, where he holds her and finds comfort in it. Kenji, Adam, and others question why he is falling for someone who keeps trying to kill him and others. James says he cannot explain it and feels drawn to her. When Rosabella wakes, she tells them they have been infiltrated and that an attack is planned. She says she needs to return to the Ark to stop it or they will all die. They refuse to let her go, and she has to accept that she is stuck there. James tries to get her to eat, but she struggles. Clara continues appearing in her dreams, and Rosabella focuses on finding a way back to the Ark.

James receives a backup call about a suspect contained in a warehouse, and Rosabella warns him that his world has been infiltrated for years and that he should not trust anyone blindly. When James asks what she is hiding, she deflects by questioning his past, including who raised him and where his mother is, which unsettles him. An explosion creates a fire cloud in the distance. James agrees to let Rosabella accompany him if they discuss terms later. It is revealed that Klaus, a synthetic intelligence on the Ark, read James’s mind and manipulated his escape. At the same time, Warner and Kenji are caught in a firefight with enemies using advanced weapons, and Warner realizes their communications have been hacked and that the attackers are mimics wearing rebel uniforms. A firestorm begins, and Warner discloses that he planted decoy vials with trackers, ordering Kenji to retrieve one while he investigates the firestorm.

James and Rosabella head toward the warehouse as another explosion destroys a hospital wing, which Rosabella identifies as a diversion while real information is being manipulated from within the rebels’ command center. She states she cannot trust anyone, including her own sister, and tells James he is different. They steal a car to reach the site, where she warns that his inner circle may be compromised. They arrive at a bulk retail warehouse that appears out of place, and Rosabella questions its purpose. James explains its function and notes that several rebel scientists have died under unexplained circumstances. Inside, Rosabella disappears into the aisles, and James fights multiple attackers. One masked figure dies by suicide pill, and another is revealed to be Allie, a high-level rebel with access to his family, who also kills herself. James finds Kenji and others restrained and frees them before confronting a final attacker pursuing Rosabella. He subdues and unmasks the man, who identifies himself as Sebastian, Rosabella’s fiancé from the Ark, and states he has come to take her home.