I'm beginning to suspect that crying comes with the territory of reading an Ashley Schumacher book. Yes, I can say this with confidence even after only having read two of them. Full Flight was just as beautiful, haunting, and heartrending as Amelia Unabridged.

This book will break your heart. But it should also show you that we can recover from loss and heartbreak, and love is worth it every time.

I adored Anna and Weston instantly. I'm here for all of the band romances, even when they end. Full Flight had me riveted from the first page. Character-driven with a wonderful band-contest plot full of the marching band and high school drama, I loved everything about this book. I can't get enough of Schumacher's deft, poetic writing, and I can't wait to see where she takes us next.

Rating 3.75

I’m having a hard time rating this one. Part of me thinks it was a beautifully written book while another part of me thinks it was predictable and too angsty. Let’s start with what I loved. I absolutely adored Weston’s character. He was an outcast and didn’t care about being one. He loved Anna before he even started interacting with her and what he thought about when it came to her was so sweet. He really did remind me of a teenager having a huge crush on a girl he never thought he would get. I liked Anna’s character too. I liked that she didn’t care that Weston was an outcast. She needed his help and she was determined to get it. I liked that their relationship helped one another be better people when it came to school.

What I didn’t quite enjoy was all of the band information. Now I knew this book would obviously include some considering what it’s about. But I felt like there was just too much unnecessary band information given and not really explained. If you don’t know much about band you might feel a bit lost. It could also take you out of the story. Like most YA stories Anna and Weston’s relationship was very insta-love. They also decided to hide their relationship from certain people due to Weston being an outcast which I didn’t understand. Weston was an outcast because he wore a leather jacket even in the heat and because his parents got divorced. I know this story takes place in a small town but it was hard to see Weston as a true outcast when he didn’t really do anything. Obviously, them keeping their relationship a secret causes major problems later in the story. I didn’t care for that because again I think it could have all been avoided. I also hated what happened at about 75% in. If you don’t want it to be spoiled then do not read the synopsis as it will give it away. I just felt like having that happen took away from what could have been a great first love story.

Overall, I recommend this to teens or anyone who wants a well written story about first love.

Thank you so much @stmartinspress & @wednesdaybooks for a #gifted copy on #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never read an Ashley Schmacher book before, but I thought the cover and blurb looked sweet... I was not ready for the utter devastation this book would make me endure. It was beautiful, but I was not mentally prepared. Do I regret it? Naw, but as a frequent romance reader, I will need to read 2 small town romance and one instant love fluff book to recover from this.

The prose was poetic and beautifully done; the characters were believable and lovely.

Once upon a time there was a girl from a small Texas town obsessed with band and football.

Wait - are we talking about me or this book?!

Because this book was legitimately set in my high school life, I was a little distracted by some of the unrealistic parts (she doesn’t know this guy when there are only 43 people in band? The band teacher gives the duet parts to people who could mess them up? There are showers in the band hall?!)

I know these are minor things and I’m just getting distracted because this was my life an undisclosed number of years ago.

Back to the book, Anna and Weston’s relationship starts with necessity and quickly grows into friendship and (forbidden) love.

The book portrays the loneliness, love, loss, and grief in small town life and the teenage experience in such a lovely way. I found myself in the band hall right there with them - practicing my music and doing my homework. My heart broke and rejoiced with them.

3.5 stars

this broke my heart and had me sobbing for the last hour of reading but god it was good

This book was wonderful. Although I felt it was a bit slow to begin with, and I had a hard time keeping up with the band terms, the book was beautifully written and magical. The book is about two teenagers that come together like to puzzle pieces. Their stories are heart achingly beautiful and I love seeing how they blossom with each other. I also loved reading about Anna’s family - especially Jenny. She was kickass. Tissues are absolutely required to read this incredible book. All the stars (under the same sky).

I was highly anticipating this YA book as I loved the author’s debut (Amelia Unabridged) last year.

Set in a contemporary small town in TX, this is a story about high school bandmates Anna and Weston, who are virtually strangers when they begin practicing together (saxophone and mellophone) for a duet during contest season. Anna struggles with pinning down her future goals (music or writing) and parents who are overprotective/strict. She has always felt that she has to be “good” and excel. Weston struggles with coming to terms with his recently divorced parents as well as being seen as the “weird”, leather-jacket-wearing, nothing-but-trouble musical genius.

I did enjoy this one, but I didn’t relate as well to it as the previous one. I think a big part of why was the pacing. I felt everything was a bit rushed (especially the romance). And while I felt I knew Anna fairly well, I didn’t feel that with Weston. He seemed a bit over-the-top (with the divorce) and a little too obsessed with Anna. But one of the things the author does well is how she understands and writes teenage fears, insecurities, and confusion.

All-in-all a good book about first love and the euphoria that comes along with it.

My sincere thanks to #NetGalley and #WednesdayBooks for providing me the free early arc of #FullFlight for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

"Never thought we'd have a last kiss, never imagined we'd end like this"
.
Full Flight is a beautiful story about young love. A story about the outcast and the girl trying to master her band solo. A story so well written that you'll NEED tissues for no matter what.
.
Weston is the "bad boy James Dean" of the town with the leather jacket and 1/2 of the band solo duet. Anna is the girl who walks in assuming Weston will help her nail her the other half of the solo duet. Although Weston has thousands of doubts rolling through his head, he agrees to help Anna... behind her parents back. As the band competition dates get closer and the school year rolls on, nothing will stop the duet from mastering their notes......
.
I'm going to stop there... because I can't ruin this for anyone. The synopsis? Gives away more than it should, so trust me. Stop there, find tissues and take flight in Ashley's newest novel.
.
Thank you to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley or this arc in exchange for my honest review. Full Flight releases TODAY, February 22nd!
.

Absolutely beautiful, funny, sweet, romantic. I won’t ruin the ending, but it’s just so honest and real. I loved the writing in this book. I loved the sweet relationship between Weston and Anna.

4.5 stars

Okay, if you are or were a band kid, you're going to love this. If you weren't, but you get band kids, then it's likely you'll love this. I belong in the latter category and I really did love this story. I loved Anna and Weston's love story but I also really loved Ratio and his relationship with both Weston and Anna. This was a beautiful story of first loves, and I definitely had many tears at the end, but my only complaint is that the blurb really does give a lot away, so I knew where the story had to go. In that sense, it felt predictable to me. That said, I loved the note of hope that the ending left us with. The author did a great job using music to tie them together and there were many times I wished I could actually hear the music. In this respect, I think this could make a great movie. I also loved the story of the Kaua'i'o'o bird and how the author used it in this story. I looked up the bird and yes, it is extinct, but I love the hope that comes from thinking of the bird and its call to its mate.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is being published February 22 so look for your copy soon.