Its Anna’s first year in marching band and she is determined to prove herself. She gets assigned a duet with Weston, a boy that has a bad reputation in her town. As they practice, Anna sees there is so much more to him and starts to fall for him, but her parents don’t want her to see him.

I knew this book would wreck me, but the way it happened was so devastating. This started out a beautiful story of first love and getting to know someone for who they are. And unfortunately I got a little too comfortable when about 80% in this book shattered my heart into a million pieces and I was sitting in my bed ugly crying by the end.

Ashley Schumaker has a beautiful way of writing about tragedy. I fell in love with her writing last year after reading Amelia Unabridged and Full Flight was just as moving. It was so easy to fall in love with these characters and root for their love story. I devoured this book in one sitting because it completely enthralled me and I could not put it down. This book is truly incredible.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

As an ex-marching band kid, the band setting was the big draw for me in this book. In that aspect, it certainly delivered! The romance and the rest of the story wasn't really to my taste, but I'm certainly not the target audience, haha.

I was pretty confused by the decision to essentially spoil the dramatic final twist in the jacket flap description. It might've had a stronger emotional impact if I wasn't waiting for it the whole book.

Overall, a sad but fine YA contemporary drama. I think at my store I will recommend this to teens who are fans of John Green.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of Full Flight.

I first must say, I loved Amelia Unabridged, but Full Flight took it to another level of awesomeness.

I’m not wordy enough to express how this book made me feel. But with the simplest words I’m going to try.

I’m crying and it’s been awhile since I’ve cried while reading. This book is very emotional and beautifully written. It’s incredibly sad yet it’s absolutely breathtakingly amazing. It brings so many emotions and feelings, that even though I feel drained and sad, it couldn’t have been written any other way, no matter how you look at it.

Do I wish for a different ending? God absolutely, yes! But this is the way the author decided to end the book and I have to respect that.

When a book makes me feel happy, sad, devastated, hollow, excited, emotional, that’s when I know the author has touched me body and soul with her words. And this book did all of that. It was an incredible story, with characters that I just wanted to crawl inside the pages and hug them so hard, and just cry with them and love them and hold them.

Just read the book.

A well written YA book. This was a book about people finding each other when they don’t quite fit in. Tough to read at times, but heartfelt and more mature than I thought it would be.

CW: death of loved one, grief, divorce, bullying

I'm not 100% sure how to feel about this novel. It's beautifully written and captures first love so perfectly, but it's also heartbreaking and had me in tears by the end. Full Flight brought me right back to high school and the giddy, lighter than air feelings and excitement that come with new love. I felt the progression of Anna and Weston's relationship was really well done and was very accurate. Doesn't every relationship at that age feel all consuming and meant to be forever? Unfortunately, even knowing what would happen to one of the main characters didn't soften the blow to my heart. That knowledge actually cast a pretty grim shadow over the entire book, and made it hard to feel invested in Anna and Weston at times. I also found the pacing a bit off, with a lot of page time spent on band details, which were interesting but a bit overwhelming. I think the author made the transition between before and after the tragedy intentionally abrupt, but it was hard to recover from that gut punch while also rushing towards the end. Also, I'm not sure if it was just an ARC issue, but was chapter 25 supposed to be missing? Ultimately, the message of Full Flight is an uplifting one and finding out how personal the story was to the author only made it more special.

I both read and listened to this one and thought the performances by Cody Roberts and Tina Wolstencroft were really well done. Oftentimes, narrators can sound too mature for the teenage characters they're voicing, but the casting was great and their voices complemented each other nicely.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

3.5 stars

I enjoyed Schumacher's debut and this follow-up; this is an author who does not shy away from sadness, and that's especially apparent here. Come to this one for a teary moment or two.

Anna and Weston alternate perspectives, and they carry out a fairly traditional misfits-who-fit routine. Their relationship is endearing, if somewhat chaste, and they are both generally likeable characters. It's easy to root for them because of the challenges they face in and out of their high school environments. This likeability is what makes it particularly tough to stomach the unfortunate turn of events. For me, it's a huge bummer that the descriptions of this novel all make obvious what's going to happen. I was always waiting for it, and when it happened, I think it was less striking because I anticipated it and wouldn't let myself get too close. My strong suspicion is that I would have enjoyed this book even more if the marketing had been reconsidered. I couldn't forget this major plot point and felt like it really clouded my entire reading experience.

Taking all of this into consideration, this is one of the better YA books I've read recently that centers on this theme (which, for some reason, seems to be a popular focus lately). I particularly enjoyed the epilogue, which rounds out some apt symbolism and motifs. This is a good read overall and a useful one for readers who find a mirror here. I do not at all understand the marketing perspective (which seems like it came from maybe people who do not read much...? Odd...) and hope there are some reconsiderations on that front for future works.

If you want emotions, high-school feelings, marching band talk, a cute YA romance, and a sad yet satisfying ending, then you ought to read Full Flight.

I'll be honest, for the first half of the book I wasn't sure how I was going to like the whole story. It didn't grip me. However, it was easy to read and sped along at a nice pace. By the climax, I stayed fairly teary-eyed for the rest of the book. The intense emotions were very relatable.

I wasn't in marching band in high school, but from what I remember from my friends, this was a pretty accurate representation of that vibe.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC.

I am really not much of a romance reader, but every so often, a YA romance comes along and is exactly what I need. Full Flight by @ashwritesbooks was that book for me.

Here’s the set up: Anna and Weston are band kids who are scheduled to perform a duet together. The only problems? Anna is not prepared and is terrified that her part will be given away; Weston, a musical whiz, is distracted by his parents’ recent divorce and struggles to maintain the passing GPA needed to be in marching band. When Anna coerces Weston into helping her practice the duet, the two become close and start secretly dating, hiding it from Anna’s disapproving parents. Told in alternating perspectives, the story also includes interludes about a lonely Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird, the last of its kind who sings for a mate that will never come.

Full Flight is a sweet story of first love and acceptance, but it’s so much more than that. I thought I knew where the story was going, until I hit the 80% mark, and holy cow, this novel turned my world upside down. I went from enjoying the story to absolutely loving it. If you pick this one up, do not read the goodreads reviews – just go in blind and let the story take you away.

Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher releases February 22; thanks to #netgalley for the e-galley. Highly recommended for 8th grade and up. I cannot wait to share this with my students!

This is my second book by this author that I have read and honestly this author got me yet again, I cant stop the tears. I really cant. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book. I cant wait until it gets to these shelves and people get lost in this beautiful story. Anna and Wes are the cutest.

Anna is in band and needs to get it TOGETHER, and perfect her piece. She was offered a duet and Weston, and of course he's the odd kid in the school, the alleged trouble maker, she's the good girl. Their relationship blossoms, into the sweetest romance ever, they are each others first love, and little do they know they have so much in common. They lift each other up, and encourage each other. Something happens, but its a happy ending nonetheless, the end doesn't really mean THE END, and Anna realizes that.

This book was just awesome, it was everything I needed and then some, we get love, family, high school drama, and moving on, we get a little bit of everything, even mourning, which is the part that made me cry the most, but we wont be getting into that, this author never disappoints.

First, thank you to Netgalley Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

When I clicked “request,” I thought I was going to read an easy YA romance book. I was so wrong! Schumacher’s words are an English teacher’s dream. So beautifully woven and deliciously detailed. I tried and failed multiple times to highlight passages that were extraordinary.

Anna and Wes’s love was unique for a HS relationship because of the honesty and maturity of their feelings for one another. Pretty quickly they are together, and you wonder where the story will go. It goes straight to a “punch” to the heart.

This book is beautiful; a must read for people who love beautiful writing: metaphors and symbols and similes, etc. This story is both gorgeous and devastating at the same time.
Thank you, Ashley Schumacher, for writing and creating two beautiful teens, and the love and healing they find in one another.

Is it possible that I'm getting burnt out on YA insta love romances? I found myself eye rolling a lot at the characters in this book. I also wasn't sure I understood some of the angst involved. I didn't understand why Anna was assigned to a duet in the band when she was a new musician and was obviously struggling. I also didn't understand why Weston was so despised in the town - he wore a leather jacket? Oh no? I didn't like the way the twist (which is hinted to in the description) came out of nowhere. I did like the references to the Kauii-0-0 bird.

"She is doing that staring thing, the one that makes me feel like there are sparklers in my blood."

This book is the most exquisite form of heartbreaking torture that I've experienced in a while. And yet, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

"That’s what Weston’s slow smile reminds me of: a pirate’s smile. A rogue’s. It makes my legs question whether they remember how to be legs."

With flawed, relatable characters, deep emotions, and a compelling story, Full Flight is one of the best YA books I've ever read. I wasn't a band kid in high school, but I felt like I had been while I was reading this. Will you cry huge crocodile tears? Absolutely. And it will be worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for my e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Content: death, divorce, strong language, teen ansgt, one fade to black intimate scene

Thank you so much, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

In the tiny town of Enfield, in Texas, fall means football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Bearcat Marching Band means contest season and Anna James, the new saxophonist, is ready to prove her talent and herself. When she has to duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, she's both intrigued and intimidated, since the whole town thinks he's nothing but trouble. But rumors and expectations will not stop Anna from learning who Weston really his and while she starts to see other sides of him, like his smile and his help, Anna starts to understand maybe they are helping each other. When her strict parents discover their bond and prevent her from seeing him, Anna and Weston are ready to fight for themselves and their blooming relationship. When something unthinkable happens, Anna is forced to move one without Weston.

After being emotionally destroyed and reshaped by Amelia unabridged, Ashley Schumascher's previous novel I was both intrigued and scared to read Full Flight and I was absolutely right to feel that way. The author possesses a wonderful and intimate way to express the character's feelings, in a powerful and painful act of sharing their sufferings, hopes and dreams and it's impossible not to FEEl while reading these books.
Maybe I'm a masochist because I loved them, even if they are actively and emotionally destroying me.
Full flight isn't an ecception and I acutely felt Anna and Weston's love, their bond and dreams and then Anna's pain and how the first love shaped her, how she struggled to move on and accept this new reality.
I loved this romance, I found it really sweet and compelling and I loved how the author dealt with their feelings and the characterization was amazing.
While suspecting what would happen, I lived this book with a bit of tension and if I was prepared for the worst and expected, I wish it would have been a surprise.
Overall this book, like the previous one, is beautifully written, heartwrenching and I loved everything from the plot to the characters to their feelings.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review through @NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book and I am a big fan of this author! I read her first book "Amelia Unabridged" through NetGalley as well.

This was a wonderful story about two high schoolers who seem very different on the outside, are really not all that different. One is a high achiever, one is misunderstood. They decide to work on a duet for band and their lives are changed. It was about young love and struggles and just wanting to be with your person.

I really enjoyed the intermingling of a story of birds who were thought to be almost extinct who sing a duet. Only one bird was found and it was missing the other half of its duet when it sang. It was a really neat spin on this book and a fun way to weave their story together.

I had a little bit of a hard time getting through the middle of the book, but that was not due to the story, just my lack of being able to stay awake at bedtime to read. Overall, I can't wait for more from this author! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book!

This was wonderful and terrible all at the same time. Wonderful because I loved the characters, the writing, and so much of the story. Terrible… because I spent the whole last 20% sobbing in my pillow. I love emotional books but this was a little much for me.

Anna James need help with a duet in marching band. She started late and is behind those band members that have been doing it forever. Weston Ryan is the guy to help her. Weston and Anna come from a small town and Weston doesn’t quite fit in. But he fits with Anna. They become friends and so much more. They relate to each other and I loved them together.

Anna’s parents are a bit strict and don’t want her dating anyone, especially someone like Weston, but they come around. I loved watching these two fall in love. Reading about first loves are just so dang beautiful. I truly loved Weston, Anna, as well as their friends Ratio and Andy. This could have been such a sweet YA romance, but then it wouldn’t have been an Ashley Schumacher story, would it?



This author always seems to bring the feels. This one was so emotional. It tackles grief and loss and you’re going to need some Kleenex for this one. I would recommend this one, but be prepared for all the feels.

If I was rating this book based on the first 80% I would have given it 4 maybe even 4.5. But I could just sense that things were going too well with way too many pages left. Those last couple chapters completely lost me. From a writer's perspective, I could appreciate the artistic vision, the poetics in throwing in a tragedy, but from a reader's perspective I was annoyed. I was definitely not a fan of how the story ended.

I will say though, that I was impressed at the consistent tone: somber with little bits of light sprinkled in.

FULL FLIGHT is a heartfelt, emotional, and lovely YA contemporary about love, loss, and the people who will always stay with us. Anna James was a latecomer to band, and she loves being a part of it all and playing her saxophone. A duet has come up for her as part of the marching band performance, but it will only be hers if she can nail it by the band director's deadline - state championships are on the line this year and she has to be perfect. She requests help in working on the duet with the other player, Weston.

Weston has always felt a bit on the outskirts of things, especially after his parents' divorce and attending private school for a year. He feels lonely and mostly ignored, a state which he is okay with, until Anna begins begging for his help with the duet. As he interacts with her, he becomes wrapped up in who she is and starts to help her in earnest, finding himself and a great love in the process.

With her parents' disapproval hanging over them as well as their own insecurities, their relationship is anything but easy. However, the connection they feel is one of soulmates, and they are not willing to let that go - at least until fate conspires against them.

What I loved: This was a really emotional and heartfelt read about the power of first loves and the way that people can remain with you after they are gone. The romance really sweeps the reader away into Anna and Weston's insecurities, hopes, and dreams, as well as their connection and love. This was a consuming romance, and it was easy to see where it wrapped them up - and also where it overwhelmed. They were each influenced by the other in positive and sometimes less positive ways, but this is certainly true of platonic and romantic relationships more generally.

This is definitely a tear-jerker with some beautiful lessons about the lasting impressions people will leave and the ways that they change us permanently. Other themes around snap judgments, friendship, divorce, loneliness, achievement, bullying, and family issues were also compelling and added to the overall story.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the beginning of the book moves slowly, and based on the synopsis, it feels a bit like something bad is looming over a lot of the story. I think I would have liked it split a bit more so show before and after in more equal measure with a quicker start.

Final verdict: A lovely and heartfelt story, FULL FLIGHT is a consuming YA contemporary romance that should be read with tissues handy. Recommend for fans of WHEN THE STARS LEAD TO YOU, THE TRAGEDY OF DANE RILEY, and COUNTING DOWN WITH YOU.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was provided a free copy of this from @netgalley and @stmartinspress in exchange for my honest review.
@ashwritesbooks 's first book, Amelia Unabridged was amazing, and one of my favorite books last year! I still think about it quite often. So I was super excited to get a chance to read and review this one as well!
Weston is the strange boy who has rumors following him wherever he goes. Anna is a high achieving student everywhere, except band. When they are assigned to do a duet together for a big competition, their practice time leads to a growing understanding of each other, and a relationship begins to form. But, will Anna be able to help others (her friends and her parents) realize Weston isn't who they think he is!
My biggest problem with this was the spoiler in the synopsis that didn't occur until 83% into the book! 😳 Because I knew what was coming, it made me tense during a lot of scenes expecting the worse. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Don't get me wrong, I loved getting to know Anna and Weston, but I definitely needed tissues! Her first book dealt with grief and working through it SO WELL, so the quicker take here felt too short. Maybe if I hadn't read Amelia Unabridged first I wouldn't have been expecting more depth with that. But definitely would recommend a rewrite of the synopsis to not give it away!
Overall I still really enjoyed it. I love Ashley's writing style and will be anxiously awaiting her next book! 😁
This one is set to be published 22 Feb, so you have time to clear out your TBR pile and make room for this at the top! Just maybe don't read the back of this one before you start!
#NetGalley #FullFlight

dnf - honestly not up for a sad book at the moment but hoping to eventually read this but today is not that day.

also i realized i’m slowly falling out of love with ya and that makes me sad

As someone with no attachment to "band life", this one was a slow start for me. However, the more I read, the more my heart attached itself to the story, to the characters. "Full Flight" brought out so many emotions and if I'm being fully transparent, reminded me of some of the highs and low of high school. Schumacher writes such beautiful stories and I can't wait to read more from her.