I loved this book so much! The premise is each person in the world over 24 receives a box with a string. The string represents the lifeline of the person opening the box. It becomes controversial, with groups on both sides feeling adamant that they either would or would not look to see the length of their string. This book is perfect for book club discussions, as it makes you think about what you would do in that situation. Would you want to know?.

A wonderful book that tugs at the heartstrings while also exploring humanity’s divisive nature. It’s interesting to think about the societal changes that would occur if the events in the book were to unfold. The author does a great job of exploring this while simultaneously highlighting the divisiveness we face in our society today. Politics, race, sexuality, longevity, health care, the nature of happiness, the nature of time - all of these things are touched on throughout the book with some sweet love stories at the heart of it. Although it did tend to drag on in places where characters were communicating with each other at times, but I feel that this can be forgiven considering the overall impact this novel has.

Would you live your life differently if you knew how much time you had left? The Measure is about what would happen if everyone in the world finds out how long they have left to live. I listened to the audio and appreciated Julia Whelan's narration. Sometimes the pace got a bit slow, but overall made me feel a lot of feelings.

First of all, always here for a book narrated by Julia Whelan. Her work here was perfect, no complaints.

This book is such a ride. I was kind of surprised by the format — there's no central plot. It's a lot of different character perspectives, so it's a lot to juggle but I got a hold of it about a quarter in. there's a blurb somewhere that's like "perfect for book clubs" and I cannot agree more! What a thinker!

This book is incredible. It will definitely be one of my top books of the year. It's one that you can't stop thinking about and inserting yourself into the story - what would I do if I received a string on my doorstep that indicated the length of my life? Would I look at it?

While the plot is certainly interesting, it's the characters that made a lasting impression on me. The author managed to create people that I cared about. I loved the multiple points of view, the different reactions to the strings, and how the characters overlapped in unexpected ways.

I'm so excited to discuss this with my book club later this week. I really enjoyed a zoom call with the author and hearing about her experience writing this. I look forward to more work from her.

This is one of those books that everyone seems to love but me. The premise of the book is strong, every person above 21 years old receives a box with a string in it. The string represents your life. The longer the string, the longer your life will be, etc. The problem I had was with the characters. They all were flat and boring. Nothing was keeping me interested in them.

This book was a breath of fresh air. The concept of people knowing how long they are going to live is intriguing, yet this story shows some positives and negatives of knowing. Great book to listen to.

I loved The Midnight Library so I had really high hopes for this one. I loved the multi-pov and how thought provoking it was. While I definitely connected with some characters more than others, I loved how intertwined everyone's stories were. And the ending...ugh heart BROKEN.

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. There's usually something inherently intriguing about a novel that takes our current society and places a supernatural twist in it. The Measure explores what would happen if everyone in the world finds out how long they're going to live. However, the pacing was remarkably slow and the connection I was hoping to find with the characters never came.

I chose not to review this elsewhere since I'm hoping others will find the book more enticing than I did!

I am a huge fan of books where you find out when or how you're going to die. The obsession started with "Denton Little's Death Date," but I thoroughly enjoy all of these kinds of books. Erlick made me feel so many things throughout this book, and the narrator was phenomenal!

One day in March, everyone aged 22 and older received a box with their name on it. Once opening the box, they received a string, which was either long or short, and told them how much time their lives had left. Very much reminiscent of the Fates from Greek mythology (also brought up with Pandora's box, and that scene made me cry so much...). Everyone immediately panics and the United States proves yet again they can't be trusted to treat people as humans.

Told from many different points of view that all tangle together (the metaphors, I swear), and all weave a beautiful story. Some of the characters I truly disliked, but their stories are just as important as anyone else's. The ending was just a work of art, and I really really appreciated this book. Like we're told many times, in many stories, but always need the reminder, it's not the length of your life that matters, but what you do with it.

The book The Measure is a debut novel by Nikki Erlick. I loved the premise and I was super intrigued. Everyone in the world, who is 22 years of age or older, receives a wooden box. The wooden box holds the string to how long you have to live. It might be a long string. It might be a short string. I was hooked and wanted to love this audiobook. It is a dystopian thriller but I feel it fell flat. From the beginning of the book, I was questioning myself, how would I live life differently if I had a short string rather than a long string? It truly is a book about love and decisions. It really makes you question, what would you do? Would you even open the box? A definite 3 1/2 stars from me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this audiobook!

If you had the chance to find out how long you’ll live for, would you?

This book ya’ll!!! I loved it. It was NOT what I was expecting.


The writing was easy flowing and had so many quotable moments that will leave you deeply reflecting. I did not anticipate how much political commentary would be involved in this one. The way the author weaves this into a beautiful storyline is surreal. I have truly never read a book like this before.

The only “wish was better” comment I have is that the alternating point of views felt uneven. The POVs were not split equally so I ended up feeling like I knew lots about 1 person and little about another.

Clever and reflective, highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ty for the advanced copy

Interesting concept. I didn't love the ending. It didn't hold my attention the whole time and I had to return to it to finish the story.

This was a very thought-provoking story that has spurred many interesting conversations between myself and friends and family members. If you are looking for a sci-fi mystery-type story about how the strings arrived and where they came from, this is not that book. Instead, this is a snapshot of life in a post-string world that inspires many questions about life and society. Narrator, Julia Whelan is phenomenal, as always. This would make a great book club pick.

The Measure is one of the best books that I have read this year. The concept of a string being the measure of your life is so simple but complex at the same time. I liked that Nikki Erlick thought of so many scenarios in where having a short string, a short life, known before your actual death. Health care was brought up and job discrimination was a big part of the story with two soldiers switching strings. Even though you knew who was going to die early in their lives it was still heartbreaking to read. I will recommend this book to everyone and look forward to more from this author.
Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators and she added so much to this story as she usually does. Her voice is so unique but at the same time applies to so many different characters. I love everything by her and also recommend audiobooks with her as the narrator. This book was a wonderful experience all round.

4.25 🌟 Thank you partners @bibliolifestyle and @williammorrowbooks for this #gifted copy of The Measure by @nikkierlick (out today!), and to @netgalley for the ALC!

What would you do if a mysterious box appeared at your door revealing the length of your life? Would you open it?

This book was so thought provoking! I absolutely loved the concept and how the plot revealed itself.

It contained so much social commentary paralleling today’s society regarding discrimination and politics and how we as people respond to it.

The book follow eight different perspectives of people handling receiving their boxes and how they lived based on being a “short stringer” or “long stringer”.

I personally felt more invested in some characters than others, but felt they all contributed to the overall message of the story with purpose.

This will be a great book club pick, and I’m excited to chat with mine about it in July!

One day a box arrives on your porch. The box contains a string that indicates how much longer you have to live. Do you open it or not?

This was a really good book. I enjoyed the audio narrator. The concept for this one was really interesting too. It was like something out of the Twilight Zone, mixed with Lord of the Flies and has lots of POVs with various scenarios to consider.

This book went a lot deeper than I anticipated. Especially into the benefits & consequences of knowing how long you’ll live. It also addresses politics, dangers of mob mentality, prejudices and how others would treat you with knowing how long your string is. For instance, did a patient receive less care because her string was short or was her string short because she received less care? The chicken or the egg scenario.

The characters were likable and interesting. I loved Nina and Mora so much. Nina’s sister Amy was adorable and I loved Ben too.

In the end, it reminds us that we can each find our own measure of happiness. It drives home the point that, no matter how long your string might be, your life is finite. However, the impact you make and the legacy that you leave behind could be eternal.

The Measure is a thought provoking tale of perspective and insight…a deeply well thought out story of the human condition.

This is a really good book it lagged a little bit here and there but overall the pacing was good. The story was solid and although it was sad, the last 8% or so of the story was so beautiful.

This books starts with an incredible premise and delivers on the content. This was a thoughtful exploration of what may happen when people know when they are going to die. While this knowledge exasperated some of the evils already plaguing our society, the author also left room for acts of courage and hope. This would make a great book club pick for some heavy existential discussions.

I loved this book. It was engaging and an easy listen. The author did a really good job of making you feel as if the characters could be your friends or family members making those decisions. As a reader you got to develop a real emotional connection to the characters and their stories because the decisions they face are decisions that we, as readers, face on a daily basis.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick - Audiobook ARC 

I will be thinking about this book for a while. 

One morning, everyone at the age of 22 wakes up to find a wooden box on their doorstep with a single string inside and the inscription "“The measure of your life lies within.” If you knew the length of your string corresponded with the length of your life, would you open the box to find out? And if you did, how would you live your life? In The Measure, we follow a cast of gripping characters who grapple with decisions of whether or not to open their boxes and what it means for their coming days if they do. "Short stringers" grieve for and resent their fates, and we watch as they're discriminated against by long stringers in power. This novel has elements reminiscent of They Both Die at the End and The Immortalists, both books I loved and still think about. 

The author provides incredible, moving perspectives with its various characters and the choices they make, and the weaving of the stories is told beautifully. And of course, Julia Whelan's narration is always an added bonus. 

I highly recommend this one, which comes out on June 28. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for this advanced copy.