Audiobook Review: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
The Measure
Author: Nikki Erlick
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: June 28, 2022
Audiobook: 10 hours 57 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 26-31, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.
But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?
As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?
The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.
Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
Jessica’s Review:
The Measure has a simple but fascinating premise: Overnight, every adult worldwide ages twenty-two and up receive a box which contains a string. The length indicates your exact life span: Did you receive a short string? Then you aren’t going to live very long. A long string means you can expect to live to an old age. But importantly: The quality of your life is not known. For those that are not of age, when you reach your twenty-second birthday your box appears to you and then you have a decision to make: To open or not open?
We have eight ordinary people whose lives are the focus of The Measure, and they are all interconnected! I was pulled into every story and seeing what would happen to everyone. The story is intense, should you open your box or not? How will you react to seeing your string? What if it is long or short? What do you do? How does the world react to the strings? We get to see how the world reacts to the strings and for me it seems that is what in fact would happen.
The novel unfolds and progresses based on the decisions that each character makes in this crazy new world. Be ready for some emotions, especially as the novel closes in to the ending. This is a spoiler, but can be important to readers who will want to know everything: We do not find out where or how the strings came about.
I listened to the audiobook, and Julia Whelan is the narrator! All I will say is this: If you have read my previous reviews then you know I adore her!!
This is a very strong debut and I look forward to reading more that Erlick writes!