Review: Beyond What is Given by Rebecca Yarros (Flight & Glory #3)

Note: This ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

"But, Samantha, it doesn't matter if I'm at our house at Rucker, or walking the beach here. I'm still yours. Sitting next to Grace? Yours. Studying for my next flight? Yours. Arguing with my sisters, my parents, the Bowdens...I'm still yours. I might not say it, but if I happened to you, well, you sure-as-hell more than happened to me. You challenge me, transform me every day. It doesn't matter what everyone sees, or what role you play, you're under my skin, and when I come here, you're along for the ride. This is not a temporary thing between us. There is no deadline. I. Am. Always. Yours."

I wish I could simply say "I have no words" and be done because I highly doubt that I can come up with words fitting enough to explain to you what was going on in my head before, during, and after I read this book and  how this amazingly heartbreaking story made me feel. But the fact is, this is a book review and reviews need words, so I shall try my very best to let you know why Beyond What is Given, the third book in one of my all-time favorite new adult (NA) series, Flight & Glory, brought tears to my eyes, made my heart squeeze in pain, and had me smiling and sighing in satisfaction. Rebecca Yarros has done what she does best but has taken it up a notch or two (or more), and has proven yet again why she's a trusted go-to author by many readers and why I truly believe she's one of the brightest writing talents out there today.

Samantha Fitzgerald left Colorado and all her problems behind and is trying to make a go of continuing her studies in Alabama. Unfortunately, her mistakes continue to hound her, making it difficult to truly move forward. Her three new roommates have been more than understanding but she doesn't want them constantly picking up her slack, especially Grayson Masters, who has made it clear that she needs to get her act together. He doesn't say much, but when he does, she knows he means it. So, when he promises to be catch her each time she falls, she wants nothing more than to trust him...because she's falling for him in ways that she's never fallen for anyone else. But while he reassures her of his feelings for her, the fact is, Gray's heart already belongs to another girl, and Sam isn't sure if she's willing to be just his second choice.

I've already written two paragraphs in this review and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts together so that I don't sound like a babbling fool. It's just that...how do I tell you guys how heartrendingly beautiful both Sam and Grayson are and how they surprised me with their strength and resilience in the face of so many challenges to their relationship? Rebecca Yarros has weaved together a tale of two individuals who have feelings of guilt regarding events that have changed their respective lives. Should they feel such responsibility? Yes, but only with as far as their own actions are concerned and they've chosen to react differently--Sam with running away and Grayson with remaining stuck--but there's no doubt that these two are kindred spirits who make it easier to breathe rather than suffocate from all the self-imposed guilt.

There were twists in this story that I so did not see coming and as desperate as I was to have Sam and Gray get to their much-deserved happily-ever-after, I learned to appreciate the journey they were on, not just as a couple but as individuals. After all, two broken people together in a relationship doesn't lessen the wreckage in their lives. They had to conquer their fears and issues if they really wanted to find that happiness that they owed themselves because it isn't something that's owed to us. We work at it and fight for it because it's worth it and that's what Sam and Grayson had--a love that was worth the pain and heartache that they had to overcome. With every challenge they had to face, they had to make choices, and regardless of what those choices were, lessons were learned, the most important being: they were worth it.

When this book was first announced, I assumed it would spell the end to the series, what with all three guys--Grayson Masters, Jagger Bateman, and Josh Walker--falling in love with the women--Sam Fitzgerald, Paisley Donovan, and Ember Howard--who would change their lives and whose lives, in turn, they changed as well. But Rebecca Yarros isn't done with the Flight & Glory series (thank God!) because a fourth book is slated for release in January of 2016. If I had a wish, it would be that Will Carter and Morgan, whose last name escapes me at the moment, get a novella as well. Hint, hint. This is me desperately holding out hope that a thing as good as this series never ends, but then all good things do, right? Now, I'll simply have to wait several more months for the fourth book to be released to get my fill.

The highest rating I give is five-plus stars, but if there was ever a book that had me more than tempted to add ten stars to my rating system, it would be this book. Five-plus stars simply doesn't give Rebecca Yarros's latest masterpiece the regard it deserves. The story was full of heart and evoked a variety of emotions from me. This is a book that you invest time in because it's over 450 pages long but it's just so damn good that you won't even notice how much time has flown by before you get to the end. Grayson and Sam, as well as the other supporting characters, will linger in my heart and mind far longer because I was invested in them and their story. So, when I say Beyond What is Given is a five-plus-starred read, multiply that a hundred-fold because that's what this all-time favorite book is owed. It is storytelling at its finest. ♥

Read my reviews for the Flight & Glory series:

Full Measures (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review

Eyes Turned Skyward - five-plus stars - My Review

Beyond What is Given - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

Release Date: 28 September 2015

Date Read: 28 September 2015

Learn more about Rebecca Yarros here.

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