Translatte reads

“When you want freedom, you must let go.”
Amalie, a gifted young girl from a small Norwegian town has one big dream – to be admitted to the Design and Arts School in Portugal but her father disapproves her plans… Seems like a typical family dispute, huh? How wrong. We soon come to realize that although it may seem so on the surface, there is much more than that and Amalie’s life turns out to be a nightmare. 
Is permanent struggle to please other people and make them feel comfortable a good way to cope? Can being confronted with a sheer hate and constant exposure to blows make a person strong? Is true love enough to overcome all hardships when your soul is so much wounded and your self-esteem has been consistently and methodically trampled for so many years? Do family ties always mean unconditional love, respect and support?
A reader gets a truly emotional, heartwrenching and psychologically well-developed story. What I liked about the book was that the author really let readers into Amalie’s world. We receive an in-depth insight into her emotions, see and feel what is behind her decisions and actions. Characters are diverse and interestingly developed.
The book kept me interested to the last page and left curious about more stories to come from Alexandra Winter.