Review Detail

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.