When NetGalley said here, read this now, I said yes please! I loved Amelia Unabridged and had been hearing buzz about Full Flight.

My biggest word of caution about this book is if it’s at all possible, avoid the blurb. At least the very last line/paragraph. I wish I had. Knowing that tiny piece of information kept me from being fully engaged in the book. Knowing the thing (trying not to give spoilers) was coming and not knowing when made me question everything in the book and as a result, I think some of the magic was just ruined.

I loved the friendships in this book and the family dynamics and Ashley is an incredibly talented writer who I suspect I will one click for the rest of her career so please give yourself the gift of ignoring the last paragraph of the synopsis and go in blind. I promise you it will be a better experience for you.

This book is also a love letter to the band kids. I always wished I was one but lived on the outskirts of their crazy. Can’t imagine what it would have been like inside but I have a decent idea.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books through NetGalley for an advance copy. 3.5 stars

I loved this book so much! This filled the John Green YA shaped hole in my heart I didn't know I had. I thought the plot twist was a little bit unnecessary, but overall I thought this was a sweet book (and I now know a lot more about marching band than I did before). Excited to keep following this author!

I really wish that I had liked this book. A year ago I had the opportunity to read Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher and I loved it. Therefore, I was hoping for more from this novel.
I will start off by saying that it is important to take my review with a grain of salt. I have never been a band kid, so I could not relate to the majority of the events of this story. I do have a background in music, but not in marching band. I also am much older than the characters in this book.
I think what this book does poorly is execute the message of learning to deal with grief. To compare it to its predecessor, Amelia Unabridged does this well by setting up the tragedy at the beginning of the book and allowing the journey to progress from there. However, Full Flight sets up the tragedy very near the end of the book, pulling a 180 on the characters and the reader. I did not appreciate this twist in All the Bright Places and I did not appreciate it here. Additionally, both Amelia Unabridged and Full Flight both use the same type of accident so that only made me sit there and compare the books that I wasn't trying to compare even more.
I do love Ashley Schumacher's writing, and that brought the characters and the narrative to life. Even though I would not have normally cared for the bad boy falls for the sunshine girl trope, she does execute a good twist on that by showing just why they are the way they are. This just wasn't a book that I could love.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was my second book by Ashely Schumacher; Amelia Unabridged was one of my favorite books last year, so Full Flight was a tall order…and wow, it did not disappoint!

There is something about Ashely’s writing that I just cannot get enough of. It’s whimsical and poetic, I often find myself wanting to highlight every other line. Furthermore, her characters are very relatable, especially to me. As someone who is big into music (I was in choir and orchestra in high school, and had lots of band friends), this book spoke to my music-loving dorky soul. I also grew up in a similar setting in Texas where band was a big part of high school, so the plot of Full Flight really took me on a nostalgic ride back to those days.

Like Amelia Unabridged, Full Flight will make you smile, laugh, and cry (seriously, have some tissues nearby). You will instantly love the characters and world that Ashley has created. Honestly, I only docked half a star because the ending was hard for me to swallow. I read this a few months ago, and am still having a bit of a hard time processing it; regardless, it was a beautiful story and highly worth the read. Ashely Schumacher has affirmed herself as an instant-buy author for me from here on out. Can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4016116690

The characters were easy to connect with and the story moved at a pace that kept my interest throughout until the end. It shared all the "feels" of being a teenager. I easily read it on a snowy afternoon and enjoyed my time. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Full flight was really good! The first half was a little bit slower and I thought the first I love you was a little bit fast.

But the middle of the book and the end changed my mind about the pacing and I ended up liking the story. I didn't like the plot twist that happened suddenly because I definitely wasn't expecting it.

One minute things were normal and then bam everything changed next chapter.

The author handled that event well and I liked the band competition scenes too.

This ended up being a four star rating. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review.

Heartbreakingly heartwarming. Full Flight tells the story of a young adults looking for friendship, love, and a way to find and be their true selves. Weston Ryan is standoffish; Anna James is outgoing and eccentric. When Anna knows she has to work harder than anyone else to keep her part of the duet she was awarded, she seeks out
Weston, the other half of the duet, to help her polish her part. What ensues during their practices is a hesitant friendship that may challenge both of them to open their hearts and minds to the possibility of friendship, and maybe more.

I don't want to say anymore to give away any of this powerfully symbolic tale of friendship and love, and how love can be life changing. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. I can't recommend this one enough.

4.5 Stars. This book was so good and completely shattered me at the same time. Ashely's writing is just gorgeous. She has this ability to pull you in immediately, make you completely invested, break your heart and help heal it all at the same time. Here characters are well written, developed and very relatable. This book tackles growing up and finding love really well. I loved the dual perspectives from Weston and Anna and how they came together. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Okay, so, I am absolutely not the right audience for this book. I know little to nothing about marching band and I am not religious in any way. Both of those things played a large role in this story. Along with that, the romance felt a bit insta-love and when I did finally feel like I was invested in the romance, one of the love interests DIES which I am incredibly upset about. So, I can safely say that I didn’t like this book.

I absolutely loved Ashley Schumacher’s first release, Amelia Unabridged, and was thrilled at the chance to read Full Flight, which definitely didn’t disappoint.

Full Flight is beautifully written, and tells the story of two teens who are struggling with their own issues, coming together to work on a duet for their school’s marching band. Through music, they form a relationship, which is tragically cut short.

This novel had my emotions all over the place, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I would highly recommend this book to my students and anyone looking for a contemporary teen story.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anna James is late to the party - the Marching Band party in her small Texas town.  Most of the band members have been playing since middle school, but due to Anna's family and financial constraints, she wasn't able to join until freshman year.

Anna is assigned a duet with the talented Weston Ryan, a boy from town with a reputation as a trouble maker.  Anna's strict parents find out she's been lying to them to practice the duet with Weston and keep them apart.  Anna and Weston's relationship goes from band partners to friends to first love in a realistic portrayal of teen loneliness and wanting to be accepted.  

Schumacher beautifully portrays teen dynamics of band members, cliques and being in the friend zone.  She ties music  and band culture with self discovery and legend in a heartbreaking story. 

Thank you to Wednesday Books for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.  This book will be released 2.22.22.

4.5/5 stars!

Ashley Schumacher has written a book that is not only lyrically written, but she creates characters in such a way that you feel all the feelings for and with them. My heart was fulfilled with these characters and my heart broke with these characters. The author writes the emotion and angst of teens so well that it gives a voice to emotions that are not often talked about.

The first 70% or so of the book had me feeling like it was a typical contemporary, with the added twist of an entire town judging Weston and his family for things that were beyond Weston's control. The last 30% of reading like this book had me sobbing like a baby. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters Anna and Weston and like how they just fell into their relationship. It is reminiscent of typical teens. Yes, some of it felt a little insta-love, but then again what teen relationship isn't filled with instant love?

One of the things I didn't like about this book was the summary of it. It tells us that something happens to Weston and Anna needs to cope with it. I wish it never said that. This doesn't happen until quite late in the book and knowing that it was going to happen made it feel less climactic for me.

I also really liked the marching band aspect of this. So many books are focussed on the football team, or the basketball team, but this book really gave in to a different type of team, one that is not based on sports or academics, but something that is an integral part of all these teens lives.

This was the first book I have read by Ashley Schumacher, but it will not be the last. Her writing was compelling and I loved her story telling. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ashley Schumacher has done it again! I immediately was invested in the characters and wanted to see how this story would unfold.

Schumacher is a fantastic story teller and knows how to keep you wanting more. Again, she wove such wonderful stories of friendship, love, and loss together. I fell hard for the characters and my heart broke with the characters.

I’m not a re-reader but Schumacher makes me want to read the story again and again, and leaves me wanting more! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC of this book!

The first 80% of this book felt like a 90’s YA about so many cliches that I wanted to throw the book away. The last 20% was amazing and beautiful. But considering the ratio, I couldn’t give this one more than two stars. So I will try to write out why.

First, Anna and Westin felt young. This whole book felt like it was done for a very juvenile YA audience. I wouldn’t recommend this to older YA fans.

Anna and Weston’s teasing and banter wasn’t very good. And it was SO insta-love that their interactions started feeling very very forced and trivial. I didn’t feel like they actually liked each other much besides when they told me they did? It was weird.

I hated the cliche of the strict parents “forbidding” their daughter from seeing a boy. One, they told her ONCE that she shouldn’t date him. Two, she decided to lie to them for WEEKS about being with him. It was horrible and I hated it. She can’t be a “good girl” and then decide lying like that was okay. I’m sorry, but that was very hypocritical of her. She could have easily brought him to the house and told her parents straight up, “I would like you to meet Weston because I like him.” Done. These parents are NOT bad parents. And we obviously see that later. So why the unnecessary sub plot? It didn’t add a single thing to the story.

Also, I didn’t much care for the wildfire and shadows references to being lonely. It wasn’t developed enough for me to care.

The other thing I disliked greatly was Weston’s opinion on “dreams” and “what’s the point of getting good grades?” It just felt like something that shouldn’t be reinforced in a book directed at teens? Of course you should follow your dreams but he seemed to think there was no other reason to work hard in life?

And no, Weston, music is not math. Math is math. Thanks.

Ultimately I did like the ending BUT can you not tell us what happens at 80% in the SUMMARY of the book?? That’s really annoying. I knew before starting that he would die and my brain was focused so much on that that I didn’t get to enjoy it.

I feel like this was a miss for me… and I really wanted to like it.

This book is so poignant, for teens and adults alike. So many great lessons learned from reading this book! Even though this book is a YA, I feel like all humans suffer from feelings of ostracism, and being judged too quickly. This book offers a story where we learn that we need to give others the benefit of the doubt, before it is too late.

The writing in this book is so poetic, it was enjoyable to read. Even when the message the book was portraying was hard to ingest, the words were delectably offered, making them easier to take. I was completely engulfed in the thoughts and lives of the two main characters, making this book fully enthralling.

My favorite are books with twist endings, but this one full on rips your heart out. It was still good though, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves YA fiction with a good message.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. My review is my own and unbiased.

I loved Ashley Schumacher's first book, Amelia Unabridged, and I feel the same about Full Flight. For fans of Contemporary YA Fiction this book hits all the top notes. Anna and Weston are both in marching band at their high school and are thrust together for a very important duet. Anna is the golden girl that is hiding just how hard it is to maintain under pressure and Weston is the town bad boy that doesn't want to care that everyone thinks he's weird. When the two start rehearsing together, they come to know what the other is hiding and start to fall in love with each other. It's a slow burn that is as sweet as it is exciting. When things go wrong though, they really go wrong and Anna has to learn how to live her life without Weston. Full Flight is a quick read, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in other ways. The characters are well-developed and we get to see the internal struggle that each feels like the have to hide from the world.

Maybe not quite 3 stars, but it’s not lacking enough for me to round down to 2.

A really good contemporary takes a mundane slice of life and makes it feel captivating and important. Unfortunately, that feeling is what Full Flight lacked for me. A major part of that disservice is the book’s description, which— with a few basic inferences— tells you the whole plot.

Anna James has a happy life in her small town, but she’s always felt a bit out of place. Weston Ryan is more infamously out of place, treated as an outsider despite growing up in town. But when Anna desperately needs help nailing a marching band duet with Weston, the two team up and find unexpected joy and connection. Like just about everyone else, Anna’s parents are weary of Weston’s reputation. The young couple does their best to keep things quiet, but it isn’t too long until they’re caught. But soon, Anna finds out how small her problems really are when the world tears Weston away from her.

And that’s the whole plot, really. It’s a 300+ page book, and it’s pretty easily summed up in a few sentences. Before the “unthinkable” about 80% of the way through, very little actually happens. I actually found myself skimming a lot through the middle of the book, just trying to get to a place where something meaningful occurs.

Marching band is a big part of this book, discussed at length. I wasn’t a band kid, but I wasn’t too bothered by the band talk. It’s necessary to help you understand what these characters are working toward and why they love music. That said, it’s not always the most exciting part because it’s often procedural information.

The characterization of Weston made me itchy. He’s constantly called weird or an outcast BY EVERYONE, but the couple of reasons provided as justification? They’re utterly stupid. (He’s quiet! His parents are divorced! He wears the same jacket all year long!) He's wildly charming in every interaction he has. You can have every other character <i>say</i> he’s awkward and off-putting, but then he should actually <i>be</i> a little awkward and off-putting. Likewise, Anna talks about feeling lonely and out of place, but we never actually see that. It's like someone trying to declare themselves quirky for doing a couple things outside of the norm: No one is buying it.

One of the major rumors aimed against Weston is that he cut down a memorial tree sapling planted on the high school campus. While the novel established he did not commit the “crime,” I found myself weirdly outraged that the book never tells us <b>who did.</b> If you’re gonna repeatedly bring up a tree being cut down like it’s important information, at least follow through with more details. I honestly would’ve been psyched if it were Anna who cut down the tree.

Anna and Weston each have two real friends. In both cases, one of them is more genuine (Andy and Ratio) while the other is less reliable (Lauren, who loses the title by the end, and Jonathan, who gets redeemed.) They’re all pretty decent secondary characters, with Ratio and Andy obviously being more fun and readable. Anna’s family also comes into play, but in a more typical fashion: Concern, advice, consequences, support.

So why even give it 3 stars, even though I thought the plot was thin and the characters underdeveloped? The last 20% of the book. Yes, I knew it was coming from a mile away, but the writing hit a turning point and <i>finally</i> formed the emotional connection a book like this promises. It definitely wasn’t perfect. In particular, I would’ve liked to see a little more liveliness and fire in Anna in the wake of it all, because she has cause to make a statement, but instead she’s docile as ever. But it worked. There’s a lot I didn’t like, but it’s not a BAD book.

Like most books I went into this book not knowing much, I just knew I loved Ashley Schumacher's writing so much I had to pick up Full Flight...

Beautifully written. Stunning. I was not prepared for the crushing sadness of this book. Ashley Schumacher has a way of building her world and characters so fluidly and real, you feel like you can reach out and touch it. I fell in love and then fell apart, the emotion this book evoked in me was staggering towards the end. I absolutely loved the passion for music in this novel, it felt like every single scene with the band and any music described leapt off the page. ​Anna and Weston, what can I say? The way they slowly fall together and shape each other was a pleasure to read. I will hold their story close to me for a long time to come. I highly recommend picking this one up.

After reading Amelia Unabridged last year, I knew I had to get my hands on an ARC of Full Flight.

“I feel homesick for a place I’ve never been.”

When it comes to playing music, Weston knows what he wants. When it comes to life outside of band? His world has crumbled apart, and he’s carrying a lot of hurt. What’s worse is that the rumors spread around school have labeled him an outcast. Anna knows to look past the gossip. She wants to give Weston a chance, especially if it means she can perform the band duet, so the spot isn’t given to someone else. Maybe while they’re practicing together, each of them will peel back the layers to see the people they are underneath.

“…I quietly collect them, the moments that make me hungry for something I’ve never tasted…”

Oh, oh my. This book, the feels, be prepared. While reading, I highlighted so many things that resonated with me and will stay with me for a long time. Both Anna and Weston have incredible insight into the world. They feed off each other, making the banter incredibly amusing. I love the honesty and rawness in the way they communicate. This is an absolutely beautiful read. If you haven’t read Schumacher before, you need to start asap. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along!

Ashley Schumacher has done it again. This book was beautiful, special and so heartbreaking. I had tears rolling down my face while reading Anna & Weston’s story. I loved it very much, but wow it hurt.

I truly believe that this is a book you should go into blind. The synopsis gives a lot away and I wish I hadn’t read it in full before diving into this emotional story.

Full Flight was all about music, self discovery and first love. I enjoyed every second of it. I was so invested in the story and I could really relate to the main characters. Anna & Weston were so sweet. Both had inner struggles that they were dealing with. I’m happy that they felt like they could be open and honest with each other. Together they were able to learn and grow a little bit. It was beautiful.

I cannot wait to see what this author releases next! After reading both of her books, I am hooked on her writing!