Review: Wonderful debut novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2014
This was quite a debut novel. Not only did I absolutely love it, but hours later I am still sitting here thinking about it. I had to go back and reread the last few chapters of the book because I wanted to feel everything all over again. I can't remember the last time the first and last chapters of a book made me cry, but that is what happened when I read Full Measures. The story started off very emotionally when Ember and her family were notified that her father was killed while serving in Afghanistan. One knock on the door changed her life forever.I loved Ember. She had an amazing strength for 20-year-old woman who was forced to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of her entire family. Ember barely had a moment to grieve, but she was so unselfish in putting her family first. I can't imagine watching your mother fall apart like that and knowing that your siblings were depending on you when all you wanted to do was mourn the death of your father and be taken care of yourself. The way she interacted with Gus in particular was both heartwarming and devastating. He was so lucky to have an older sister like her, but at the same time it was so incredibly sad knowing he would never have his father in his life again.Sweet, sweet Josh. I'm not sure how anyone couldn't like Josh and his offer to be Ember's "whatever." He was so supportive and patient with her. I appreciated that he was very honest about his feelings for Ember, but he never pushed her for more than she was able to give. I completely understood why Ember was reluctant to start a relationship with him while she was in a place of such turmoil. Even when she tried to push him away, Josh never wavered in his support and faith in her. I figured out his big secret relatively early in the book, but if anything that just heightened the anticipation about what was to come. My heart broke when Ember found out the truth.The last few chapters completely did me in. The tears were streaming down my face. There was so much beauty and wisdom in those scenes and the advice given to her by both her mother and her father. The messages in this book ran deep, and I felt this story did a great job highlighting the different ways that people can grieve. It also showed all of the different emotions, during both highs and lows, that military families face. I have to say that one thing I really adored about Ember and Josh was that they loved and cared about each other so much that neither was willing to let the other sacrifice his or her dreams and ambitions.There is so much more I could say about this book, but the bottom line is that it is a wonderful story of love, loss, grief, and hope. It is not often that a standalone novel makes it onto my favorite books list. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what Yarros writes next, whether it be more Ember and Josh or something completely different.