ARC Book Review: Will She Run by Alyssa-Ray Bouman

Will She Run

Alyssa-Ray Bouman

Will of the Heart, #1

Publisher: Independent

Published Date: March 1, 2025

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Suspense, Fiction

465 Pages

Date Read: February 18-19, 2026

Format: 📱

Source: LoveNotes PR

This is the first book in a three-part standalone series. As always, if you prefer a spoiler free review please read my quick review instead of the in depth review below.

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About the Book

Adeline was used to heartache, control, and pain. For six years, Adeline has dealt with the loss of her father and her new family dynamic. Now, she's on the run. Hiding as Della, she finds a job and a new set of friends that she keeps at a distance. How long until her past catches up to her? Can she trust Caiden and let her walls down? Or will she continue to run?

Quick Review (Spoiler Free)

I devoured this book in a handful of hours. I could not put it down for very long at all. I loved the characters in this book. I loved the relationships that Adeline formed with everyone. The pacing felt intentional to build suspense with the story. The romance was nicely placed into the story and not over the top. The author tied up all the stories introduced without leaving any major cliffhangers. the writing style allowed me to create pictures in my mind that made me feel like I could see the scene in my head.

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Now, let's get into the details!!

(Note: Some text may appear to be blocked out, just highlight that text to read it.)

Firstly, this is my very first ARC received. I remember laying on my couch until 3 am reading through this one because I did not want to put it down. Before I started reading romance books, I read primarily mystery/thrillers. I had dove down into the rabbit hole of romances from TikTok recommendations and hadn't felt a style of romance that I loved. Now, I love a good suspenseful romance. And that's what this one was for me. It hit that sweet spot of both romance and thriller.

This romance focuses on Della as our FMC. Her life is a wreck and she's planning a way out. But her plans did not pan out like she had hoped. The majority of this story focuses on Della figuring out life as she is running. She did not expect to meet the twins, Caiden and Callie. She did not expect to meet anyone she could trust. This whole story is emotionally conflicting. I wanted to be sad for her and scared for her in the beginning. There is a push-pull relationship because of her past and I feel like it was very nicely written in. And I love Caiden as an MMC. Sometimes I find that the MMCs that I want to like are written into darker stories than I prefer. Caiden wasn't just a tough guy in words but he actually made choices to try to protect Della from not only her stepfather but from herself when she felt like she couldn't be anything of value to anyone. I love a good protector in real life situations.

That's another thing that I found that I love about the way the author put this story together. She addresses real world issues in a way where they don't sound made up. It's like a mini-movie that plays out in your head while addressing real problems and how to navigate them. The bonds that these characters have and the things that happen both good and bad to them along the way feels so real. It takes the "fluff" out of the situation and makes them raw and relatable.

The pacing felt intentional to build suspense with the story. The elements of the story seems to drive the pacing versus an overall momentum which I love in a suspense. The romance was nicely placed into the story and not over the top giving it a good mix of the two genres.

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I would like to thank LoveNotes PR and Alyssa-Ray Bouman for this eARC opportunity!

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Ratings