Review: One of the best debuts I have ever read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
Full Measures is the debut from author Rebecca Yarros and one of the most amazing debut novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading.  I will warn you now; this may be one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write.  Not for any other reason than I loved this book so much and I hope I can convey my feelings adequately.  (feel free to ignore my blubbering from this point on and just buy this book….because it’s that good.)When Ember Howard’s little brother came into her room that morning and said there was someone at the door, and her mother wasn’t answering it, she knew her life would never be the same.  The men in uniform standing on the other side of her front door waiting to deliver their life-altering news would be certain of that.  Now came the choice: break down or be the only person holding it together.  Her father was dead.  An army surgeon….killed in action.  Her mother shuts down, her sister checks out and her little brother needed her.  She could do this.  Little did Ember know she would find strength in her brother’s hockey coach, and former high school hockey star slash huge past crush, Josh Walker.  He’s different now, Ember realizes.  He was something back then, but now?  Now he was so much more.  Mature, kind, patient, gorgeous, sexy…the whole package.  Beyond that he will prove to be the rock she so desperately needs and will ignite the flame she had dismissed as a teenage crush.  Could she be so lucky to call Josh Walker hers?Josh Walker has more of a connection with Ember Howard’s family than he hopes she will ever know. Because if she ever knew how deep his connection went, she would never speak to him again.  After losing her father, he knew she needed someone to help her carry the burden of caring for her family until her mom got herself together and he wanted to be that man.  Wanted it with a passion he knew he couldn’t deny.  As he and Ember spend more and more time together he knows he’s falling deeper and deeper and he’s so scared of losing her.  He’s determined to do any and everything he can to prevent that from happening…but deep down he knows eventually she will find out the secret he’s hiding.  Will the love they’ve found be strong enough to keep them together?The stakes are high when you’re dealing with love this deep and intense and with emotions running high from an unimaginable loss, the obstacles Ember and Josh have to overcome are immense.I can’t say that I remember that last time I got this emotional over a book.  Yes, a whole lot of books make me cry but holy hell, this book had me sobbing uncontrollably.  Please, don’t let that turn you away from reading this book.  The emotions were intense from the very first few pages and carried on throughout but it was unlike recent books I have read in the sense that the emotions weren’t centered on one single relationship.  These emotions were from a loss of a father, husband, son, and soldier and they were so very real and incredibly touching.Ember is a heroine that commanded my respect from the very first chapter.  She was able to push her own emotions aside to help care for her family.  That, to me, is beyond admirable.  She was strong when she needed to be and but her share of breakdowns and it gave her such a real feeling.  Josh is just amazing.  He gave Ember exactly what she needed, even if she didn’t realize it at the time.  He was patient with her, and kind and caring beyond belief for a handsome guy with a player reputation.  He goes down as one of the most amazing book boyfriends.  And knowing how many books I’ve read, that’s saying something.  The heat and chemistry between them was delectable and builds at a delicious pace…with Josh being the quintessential gentleman the entire book.  He is just too amazing for words.Ok, the secret that he’s keeping?  Whoa.  I can’t give it away but I will say this:  just when I thought I had cried all the tears I could shed for this book, the waterworks were back.  Full force.  Big, ugly cry.  That being said, I couldn’t be mad at Josh.  In fact, I loved him even more and it in the end it brought a deeper meaning to Ember and Josh’s relationship and the relationship he has to her family.Now, if you’ve stayed with me up until this point, I hope I’ve conveyed to you just how amazing this book is.  I gave it a “five loves” and I would give it more than that if my rating system went higher.  Rebecca poured heart and soul into this story and it showed with every page.  I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this awesome up and coming author!Thank you, Rebecca, for giving me puffy eyes and for giving us Ember, Josh and this incredibly amazing story!