Major teen angst alert! I probably would have loved this book when I was a teenager, and Schumacher is very good at capturing the intensity of first love and the loneliness of feeling like an outsider. Unfortunately, if you read the synopsis, you know what's coming the entire time, so the big event near the end of the book lacks some of the emotional punch it would otherwise carry (in other woods, don't read the synopsis!). The story is told in alternating chapters by Weston and Anna, two lonely teens who bond over an assigned duet in marching band. The characters are very likable, but I didn't really understand Wes's "bad reputation" and I'm never a fan of instalove. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for a digital copy to read and review.

So much teen angst! This would’ve been a fav cry book for me as a teen.

Weston feels like an outsider in his tiny little town since his parents divorced and rumors have run amok. He is afraid to get close to people in case they leave.

Anna struggles to be perfect and us chafing under her parents’ protectiveness.

Weston agrees to help Anna with a duet piece and from there things blossom.

When the unthinkable happens how will life move on?

I went into this one completely blind! Maybe that wasn't exactly the best thing but also I feel like I didn't need to know more than what the beautiful cover showed. The characters were so lovely and the story overall was very well written. I know people are going to massively enjoy this one. Especially if you're very into coming-of-age stories and those bonds that form in high school that can change you for the long run.

Thank you for the opportunity to have read this e-ARC.

Through alternating povs we learn about how Anna, a new member of the school’s marching band, seeks help from Weston, a boy who everyone deems as trouble. Between the two, an unlikely friendship starts to form.

I discovered Schumacher earlier this year with Amelia Unabridged and absolutely fell in love with her writing! It’s so heartfelt and beautifully done and she’s for sure one of my new fav authors this year!! Even better -- I buddy read this with my friend (who I’ve converted into a fan) and our hearts definitely broke together!

This book had everything I love about YA -- a connection between outcasts, some tough backstory, love, friendship, and lots of hope + rooting. Reading about their duet practices and the more intimate moments in both of their lives felt so enchanting, yet also heartbreakingly delicate. The first half was a bit too slow for me but the story did pick up and I was still captivated throughout. I especially loved reading about Anna’s Christmas socks, the four-wheeler rides, the cute interactions with their other friends, and just seeing Anna and Weston slowly fall in love, ahhh!!

As for the ending, it left me deflated in tears -- so beautiful yet so heartbreaking. Schumacher knows how to string me along in a romance, douse it with some sad backstory, mend my heart together and believe in the pureness of teenage love, AND THEN DESTROY IT (and she does it so well)

***
Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my arc!

First of all, Ashley Schumacher is a pro at making be cry enormous tears with her books! Sheesh!

Anna is a bit of a perfectionist who always wanted to play in the band. When she finally decides to start playing the saxophone in high school, she has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the band. But she's also determined to win that coveted solo in the marching band competition. When she wins the duet with mellophone player Weston, she has a lot of work to do with her playing as well as navigating a budding relationship. Her parents are extremely strict and Anna starts to live outside her normal code of honesty. Weston does not have a good reputation, but once Anna gets to truly know him, she can see past what everyone else has labeled him as. This is a heart-rending story of how painful gossip can be and the redemption anyone can find.

I was a band nerd so I could relate with a lot of what was going on in the one. At times I was a bit confused about why Weston had such a bad reputation, but just kind of went with it. There was that one part that completely broke my heart, but that seems to be Ms. Schumacher's style.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Caution: this book will give you all the feels and leave you sobbing over young love. I will admit that the beginning of the book was slow for me, but as the story progressed I was hooked! I could totally see my younger self as a version of Anna. The band member that's a good student who rarely gets into trouble. Someone who doesn't believe the rumors and instead gets to know people for herself. I loved Anna and Weston's story. Two band members who are paired together to play a duet during marching band season who fall in love. Their love is so sweet and pure. Just make sure you have your tissues ready because you're going to need them!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free book.
What an ode this book is to high school marching band and the relationships it fosters. If you were in band, I think that this one will resonate with you. If you found your first love in high school, especially through band, then this is for you. However, Schumacher is a heavy hitter in her books and seems to have a focus on grief - so if you're expecting a perfect story with the happy ending - look elsewhere. However, she is able to capture such nuanced emotions about someone when they're alive and after they're gone. Her exploration of love and grief marry well in this story. I fell hard for these characters and was impacted when the tragedy struck. I do wish it had happened earlier in the story, though, to show more of the grieving process. But it was still beautiful, and I thought the ending was well wrapped up.

Anna and Weston live in Enfield, Texas. They are both in their high school marching band, but when she asks Weston for his help, he has no problem saying no. He has the reputation of being the bad boy and he does not want his association to taint Anna's life. When she will not take no for an answer, they discover that each of them needs something that only the other can provide.
Anna hides her growing connection with Weston from her parents, not trusting them to have open minds. Of course, they find out she has been lying and they attempt to end the relationship. Talk about reliving my first love, who just happened to be known as trouble by everyone in the small town where I grew up. This was a little slice of Deja vu, but I digress. I still cannot get over the fact of how realistic the author made me feel about this couple. Somehow, she channeled all those feelings associated with trying to figure out where your life will take you and the often unexplainable but magical connection that you can find when you are young and falling in love.
The only thing I did not fully understand was what happened (besides one unproven suspicion) to make people think Weston was bad news. Anna, I got, someone, just trying to spread her wings, follow her heart, and make her dreams come true.
Full Flight delves into love and loss and my heart broke more than once.
I loved and I mean loved Amelia Unabridged and though this did not affect me in quite the same way, it was still a book full of all the feels.

"To love, he says, is to always know that it can be taken away. The pain is in the having, because you know exactly what you stand to lose."

Short Synopsis:
Young and forbidden love between two marching band high schoolers, Anna and Weston who come together to practice and perform a duet together. A girl who sees past rumors and speculation and falls in love.

My Thoughts:
Another masterpiece from Ashley Schumacher. I absolutely loved this book. I only have one minor complaint. I wish I could have had a little more background on Weston's character. It was obvious many of the characters didn't like him, thought he was bad news and not good for Anna. I was wanting more on why that was. I feel that way about Anna too. It alludes a bit to her loneliness and depression. I wish these two things were explored a bit more in the beginning of the story because these two characters were truly beautiful in how they found and brought out the best in one another. Their connection and relationship had so much depth and it felt raw and deep. It pulled on my heartstrings. They were so good for each other.

What I love about Schumacher's writing is that it plays on your emotions. She has the ability to make you feel the character's pain and heartache. Several times my emotions were so intense I felt like I couldn't breathe and I had to put the book down for a few minutes to let out a good cry. I am not sure how she does it, but she takes this beautiful thing, in this case it was the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird from the islands of Hawaii, and finds a way to connect and weave it within her characters and her storytelling. It's brilliant, breathtaking and authentic. Overall this was a stunning story that I highly recommend.

Synopsis:
Everyone else in the tiny town of Enfield, Texas calls fall football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Enfield Marching Band, it’s contest season. And for new saxophonist Anna James, it’s her first chance to prove herself as the great musician she’s trying hard to be.

When she’s assigned a duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, the boy her small-minded town thinks of as nothing but trouble, she’s equal parts thrilled and intimidated. But as he helps her with the duet, and she sees the smile he seems to save just for her, she can’t help but feel like she’s helping him with something too.

After her strict parents find out she’s been secretly seeing him and keep them apart, together they learn what it truly means to fight for something they love. With the marching contest nearing, and the two falling hard for one another, the unthinkable happens, and Anna is left grappling for a way forward without Weston.

Review:



Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*sigh*

This was so disappointing. This is going to be controversial, since many people loved this, but I am confused. I hate when people say this, but now I think I understand? : Am I reading a different book then everyone else? Because I can't agree with or even understand any of the positive things people are saying about this book.

First of all, the characters were not it, at all. Anna was getting on my last nerve, until the very end of this book. She's so annoying, flighty and impulsive. Plus, I felt like she was really playing into the role of the typical high school "quirky" girl, who's "not like the other girls". If you've followed my reviews, you'll know that this kind of thing makes me angry. Weston, the other protagonist, was the worst. Again, with the one-dimensional characters!! Weston was your average "misunderstood bad boy", and it was never really explained why he was the "bad boy". The side characters felt like they were only there to further compliment the main characters' story, which is pretty much the most harsh thing, in my opinion at least, that you can say about side characters.

The plot was alright.. I had a suspicion that I wouldn't LOVE it, since I don't like hetero romance. But this was not even a good hetero romance. It put a new meaning to "insta-love". Insta-love is probably my least favorite trope, so obviously I didn't enjoy this book, since that was the premise. I didn't understand the romance at all. There was no detail on why they liked each other, they just did. This was just one of many, many plot holes that drove me up the wall.

I'm reading these reviews of 'Full Flight', describing the writing as beautiful, and once again: I do not get it!! I did not find it to be beautiful at all. I actually found it to be quite cheesy/overly romantic, and even a little derivative.

I wanted to add that I felt that there was also close to zero diversity in the book, which pissed me off. The main characters are white, heterosexual, and cisgender. If I'm remembering correctly, so are all the side characters. It's 2021, people! (or 2022! that's when this is going to be published) We can do better than this, at least in terms of diversity.

So. I'm pretty disappointed in 'Full Flight'. I loved 'Amelia, Unbridged', so I was really hoping for more. I'm looking forward to Ashley Scumaccher's new book: she has one good book and one bad book on my radar. What will come next?

I don't want to rant on for too long, because there's not much more to say. I can't think of anything good to say about this book, but clearly some other reviewers can. Which is great! I'm so happy that they are liking it, it just really didn't speak to me. I'm in the minority here, so please, take my review with a grain of salt!

Anticipation: 4.5: Amelia Unabridged was so good for real!
Enjoyment: 0.5: what

--> 0.5 stars. The only 'stunning' thing about this book is the cover.

Reader, when I tell you I cried: I CRIED. This is definitely my fault for not reading the synopsis before starting the novel, but I fell so hard for Wes and Anna's relationship that I just completely lost it when they were separated. I'm talking: I was a sobbing mess on my bed for a full hour, and then had to go and call some people that I loved out of genuine irrational concern.

Like with her debut, Amelia Unabridged (which reading Full Flight has given me a craving to read), Schumacher really knows how to tug at your heartstrings with her characters. We've got Anna, who's sweet and sunny and trying to find her voice & figure out who she wants to be. I really loved her journey of finding her voice with her friends and family while also learning to protect her relationship and fight for what matters in her life. Wes is the misunderstood loner of the novel, and it's immediately clear that the town has just generally mischaracterized him, which is why he's so drawn to Anna when she's interested in him past the assumptions and superficialities.

The main reason that I was so invested in Wes and Anna's relationship was that I had no idea what was coming to them. I think in retrospect this knowledge makes their love all the much sweeter--Schumacher captures this incredible portrait of love and grief twined together that I'll be thinking about for months on end. Her prose is gorgeous, and she narrows down the essence of a storyline and then builds it up from the core in such full layers that I could be analyzing for days. There is no way for me to convey the spirit of an Ashley Schumacher novel in one review. You're just going to have to go read Full Flight for yourself.

The marching band/music connection was so adorable, and I loved the full immersion into that world. I was never in a band, so I couldn't personally relate to some aspects of the story, but I do understand having one of those extremely time-consuming hobbies that basically becomes your community (yes, I was a theatre kid). Schumacher's portrayal of Wes and Anna's existence in this world is so accurate--their ties to the band community and seeing this bring them closer together remind me a lot of relationships I've formed in the past.

I gave Full Flight 5/5 stars. This book wrecked me, and I was so grateful for that. It became a call back to the reasons I love reading in a moment where I thought I'd lost the ability to connect to books. I highly recommend this novel--out February 22nd!

Ashley Schumacher does it again! Full transparency: I accidentally went into this one blind and am not sure if that is why I can’t get over the ending or not. If I had a choice, I would still pick to go in blind. The characters and atmosphere were so well written. I can vividly still see places and faces of this amazing group of characters that will be with me for a long time. I have found my favorite read of 2021 and hope everyone picks this up when it’s released in Feb of
2022! Thank you to publisher for the e-arc. I am so grateful to have read this one!

First of all this one reads like a young YA book which I wasn't expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Do you remember your first love? maybe puppy love maybe the first serious crush. This book is going to remind you that feeling. Especially if you were a band geek, I was not, or fell for the stoic, lonely, "weird" person.

Anna and Weston is just so sweet together, Weston helps Anna with their duet and pushes her artistically, Anna helps Weston with his schoolwork. They spend a lot of time together but they have to keep their meetings secret because Anna's mom doesn't want her to date Weston. I know that it sounds like "A Walk to Remember" and there is also the fact that Weston keep telling Anna he is bad for her. We don't really know why Weston is the lone wolf of the school. We know his parents are divorced in small Texas town where everybody is all up in other people's business. Then comes in Anna bringing back the sunshine to his life. Sounds like you've read this one, huh? But no, this story still feels fresh. Both Anna and Weston are endearing characters. There is a twist around 80% mark that I saw coming and I think it worked for the story but it might upset some readers.

The way Schumacher writes the first love and heartbreak captivated me. I haven't read Amelia Unabridged but I want to read it after this one.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because of how it made me reminisce about that bittersweet first love felling.

What I was expecting: A feel good fun book that was a quick read with no emotions just fun
What I got- Ugly Snot Crying. Tears and completely invested in the book and didn't want it to end.

That's it. That is all I can say about this book. If there is one book you are going to read in 2022, THIS HAS TO BE IT>

Oh my goodness. This book felt like coming home for me. I was a high school band nerd. I lived and breathed band for years, and everything felt so authentic. The competitions, regionals, the marching at football games! I could smell the sweaty uniforms.

This book absolutely tore my heart into pieces. I was not expecting it at all. That was a twist I did not see coming. I give a solid 4 stars on this one. Anna and Weston are adorable and I love how they pushed each other to work harder.

I laughed. I cried. I felt at home.

when i first received this arc, i was jumping with joy that i had the opportunity to read this book. it felt like love at first sight when i saw the cover. however, i think my expectations were too high.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I was reading this while struggling with school, but i felt very bored while reading. I am not going to ignore how Schumacher’s writing was flawless!! I just was not a fan of the story. (maybe because I’ve never been in band…) I was almost skimming pages at some points. The big plot was not delivered well and i didn’t feel like the main two were worth rooting for.

Giving it 3.2 ⭐️, I did like some parts of the book. The topic of doing everything right so you don’t disappoint anyone is something i related to so I enjoyed reading about it. What really pushed me to finish the book was Schumacher’s writing. I love how she perfectly expressed the emotions of characters and how she formed the tone of the book.

—> 3.2 stars.
——— thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me the eARC!!

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 skimmed this one to preview it for our next book order. In particular, I was interested in the part where the character dies and how that is handled, so I focused on that part of the book. I thought it was well done, poignant, and I can see the readers that I would recommend this book to. I will be adding this to my spring book order. Thank you for the chance to review the book -- I have a lot of readers who want books that will make them cry, and this fits the bill!

This story was super uplifting and entertaining. I had so much fun with it and I would definitely recommend this for a heartwarming read.

Ashley Schumacher has a knack for creating imperfect characters that break the mold. I adored Amelia Unabridged, and Full Flight was just as enchanting. The way that Schumacher writes about love, heartbreak, and grief is utterly absorbing. It could be that I find myself in all her characters, but Anna and Weston are perfection. The way they stumble upon each other, the fast paced all in relationship, and the underlying metaphor of the birds was what sealed the deal for me. I felt joy, I cried (a lot), and just found myself wanting to re read it right away, to live under the “Same Sky” as them all over again.