What a great read and a totally addictive storpline. As each person opens their box to reveal a piece of string. It becomes clear that the length is the same as the persons liife. This had me hooked from the start and kept me wanting to know more. Brilliantly written

This was an interesting concept poorly executed. I was wondering what kind of story could be woven around the premise. Turns out, no kind. Not a lot happens, so while it does pose the moral dilemma of whether you'd want to know the time of your death, it doesn't make for an exciting story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

The idea for this story caught my attention, and I have to say I was not disappointed! It poses a really interesting question and I think tackles it well from a range of different viewpoints. There are not so many that the story loses focus or you forget who is who, but enough that you get to consider a variety of angles which helps give the overall story greater depth.
What would you do if you looked, or if you didn't? How would you react if you had a long string - or a short one? I thoroughly enjoyed how these dilemmas and how these and the others the characters faced were tackled. I found I devoured the book quickly as the story was always on my mind and I could not wait to finish!

Brilliant Black Mirror-esque concept.
One night, mysterious boxes appear outside people’s houses. Inside is only a piece of string and the note “this box contains the measure of your life”.
Panic sweeps the world, as these boxes have been delivered everywhere. People believe that the length of the string determines the length of your life. In fact, “short stringers” start to die young.
Some people refuse to believe in the idea. Some refuse to open their boxes, some going as far to throw them away.
Scientists start to study the correlation between length of string and existing pathologies. They study the boxes and the strings themselves, trying to determine an origin for the unknown materials. Where did they come from? And the biggest question- WHY?

Amazing psychological dystopian fiction.
Would you open the box if you got one?
I don’t know if I would!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me listen to an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my feedback.

Wow - what a rollercoaster of a read!!!

I absolutely loved The Measure and it’s a book that will stay with me for some time to come. It is highly original and very thought-provoking - raising moral and ethical dilemmas. It has spawned a lot of conversations between me and my friends and family when I’ve given them the hypothetical question and basis of the book - On your doorstep is a box. Inside the box is the exact number of years you have left to live. Do you open it or not?

The story’s characters are weaved together beautifully like the threads in said strings.

Huge thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, The Borough Press, and NetGalley for making the ARC available to me.

A totally captivating concept, The Measure is a breath-taking debut asking an impossible question, would you choose to find out the length of your life? I read this book originally on submission and I was fascinated. This is one of those books that will hook you from page one. Beautifully written, thought-provoking, and at times, unbearably tense, this is ideal for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Christina Sweeney-Baird.

The Measure has at its heart a great premise - that everyone, overnight, received a box containing a string of a length equal to their allotted lifespan. It's improbable - and probably impossible - but taking the concept forward it offers a bullet point list of issues that could/would arise:

* should people look at their string or not?
* should the state have a right to see the strings?
* should prospective employers be able to ask to see the strings?
* should election candidates be able to use their strings for political capital?
* if lifespans are predetermined, is someone culpable for ending a life?
* should people with short lifespans be able to have children?
* can relationships work between people with different lifespans?
* should people with short lifespans be entitled to legal protections?

Each one of these questions is then addressed in turn using characters specifically created for the purpose. These characters never feel as though they have any life beyond illustrating their particular dilemma. The world in front of us seems to be populated in equal measure between people with short and long strings when the real (American) world would have almost everyone with a lifespan of between 65 and 85 years.

So the great idea (3 stars) kinda falls flat on execution. It feels like a series of ethical essays rather than a novel. It's perfectly readable and does provoke thought, but there is very little emotional engagement.

What if you knew how long you had to live?
This will be a book that will spark the imagination and will spread through word of mouth and could well be one of the most talked about books of 2022.
It is thought provoking, intriguing and allegoric - though that is no where near enough to describe this book.
The concept on first read is simple but once you start to get into the story it raises many questions and parallels to so many areas of life. It will raise questions and make you think about what is important.
To say much will give the areas away and this is such an incredible book every reader should discover them and get their own thoughts from the reading of it. The characters are well drawn out and drag you into their stories each of which are different.
I really can not recommend this book highly enough it is such a great work of fiction and one that I will think about for many years to come.

I very much enjoyed this book. The premise intrigued me and it did not disappoint. I loved the way the character’s lives intertwined, all coming together in the end. The writing is clever but simple and it certainly made for interesting conversations with others who have read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

A box you never asked for arriving on your doorstep - is probably not a good sign. Humans are curious by nature and so some open the box and... some don't. The contents contains a string which tells you how long you have to live. The social and political ramifications of this unfold and obviously influence the lives the author brings into focus. This dystopic novel was a wonderful read with a good balance of gloom and hope.

This was such an intriguing concept and the world building was excellent. I enjoyed the different narratives and the story pacing worked well.

The idea of getting the measure of something is toyed with here in an intriguing book, which got off to a slow start but which drew together in an eminently satisfying way. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before publication in exchange for sharing my thoughts.
We are asked to imagine a world where the world’s population is, one day, given a delivery of a wooden box left on their doorstep. For those who open it they discover a piece of string. Nobody knows where the boxes have come from or what the string signifies and the initial confusion/panic was well-presented.
Introduced to quite a number of characters, this made it quite hard for me to get into. I felt a certain disconnect initially, perhaps mirroring the sense of unease and uncertainty about the boxes.
Over time we learn that the string length represents how much time you have left. This, quite naturally, throws up some interesting ideas about how we live our lives and the extent to which others should control our lives.
As we develop our knowledge of the scenario and see how characters respond to events, it was easier to feel some affinity with them. This raises some interesting questions, and I can see this book proving a hit with many readers. The closing message felt rather earnest, though in current times where we are facing (potentially) further restrictions it will certainly resonate.

I have just finished reading this book and have mixed feelings.

The concept of boxes arriving containing an indestructible piece of string the length of which is a direct correlation to the length of your life, The idea is very interesting.

The characters were real and likeable but I did find the first third rather laboured with not a lot happening. When the relationships started up and how they were connected to each other it became really good and certainly made me think if this was for real would I look in the box or not? It also made me aware of how minorities of any kind religious, racial or indeed short stringers become scapegoats for abuse and prejudice.

I did enjoy this book it did hook me in about half way through..

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

After reading the synopsis to this book I have to say I was very intrigued - I will let the description say everything:

“Your fate arrives in a box on your doorstep. Do you open it? It seems like just another morning. You make a cup of tea. Check the news. Open the front door. On your doorstep is a box. Inside the box is the exact number of years you have left to live. The same box appears on every doorstep across the world. ...”

The story is written from the perspective of several different characters and it is very clever how these individual stories cross over, sometimes obviously, sometimes in a much more discreet way. The concept is potentially so simple, you are told the date when you will leave this world, and I can completely understand how this would affect people in so many different ways.

This is a really enjoyable book that makes you question what would happen if this was indeed the world we lived in, shows how different people would react and how the media, politics etc would use the power of these boxes to their advantage, something I can truly believe could happen should this have been a true story - which is pretty terrifying really! Maybe reading this through a pandemic brings the content much more relevant but still, a very interesting read that will definitely get you thinking! Would recommend!

I was keen to read this having read the premise, what would you do if you could find out how long you had to live, would you want to know?
I was instantly hooked, but I still couldn't decide for myself if I'd want to know, Even having seen it from both sides of the people who found out and those who didn't want to and especially seeing what a polarising issue it was between the short and long stringers.
I liked the characters and particularly Ben and Amy's story and I enjoyed how chapters were told by different people and at different points in time, I found it a little slow in parts and I would have liked a bit more information on why the boxes turned up and where they came from.
Overall and enjoyable and interesting read which had me starting from one viewpoint and then changing my mind throughout and broke my heart a few times.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

I was desperate to get started on this novel as soon as I read the premise. Such a unique concept, and one that gave me lots of thought as to what I would do in that position. I enjoyed the characters stories woven in and the ending was completely unexpected. Definitely one to watch in 2022.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick was a book I was really intrigued to read as it was based around such an interesting concept. It certainly raised a lot of questions for me and made me think a lot about what I would do if placed in that situation. I felt that some of the characters and their outcomes were slightly predictable, as was the plot in places, but overall an enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Gosh, wha an intriguing and very original story line. The author has thought very logically about the impact of everyone in the world receiving a box with an insight into how long they have to live. I couldn’t even begin to think of all the offshoots from this worldwide phenomenon on social media and the impact on everyone’s lives. How has Nikki come up with this amazing theme, it’s absolutely pure genius? This book deserves every one of five stars.

This book has quite the intriguing touch to it.

The concept is rather interesting and it's what pushed me to request it in the first place. Therefore, it goes without saying, that I was looking forward to an enjoyable ride. Unfortunately, that did not happen, mostly because none of the characters had any depth to them, leaving me only with the good premise the book had and nothing else.

All in all, a good plot idea that had a high potential of turning into a memorable read. I'm still quite sure other people will enjoy it; it just wasn't my cup of tea!

This was a fascinating idea for a novel. Everyone 22 and above receives a mysterious box with a length of string which accurately depicts the length of life they have left. Not everyone chooses to open the box and this book is a very insightful depiction of what happens when people decide whether or not to know how much time they have left. This has far reaching effects on society and is a novel that really makes you think. I only deduct one star because I felt the writing was a bit dull in the first third following the introduction. However it later got going again and the way the characters inter-related was clever. There were some very touching, beautifully written sections too. I am sure this book will be talked about for a long time.