Tess Sharpe

Far From You

Nine months. Two weeks. Six days. That's how long recovering addict Sophie's been drug-free. Four months ago her best friend Mina died in what everyone believes was a drug deal gone wrong - a deal they think Sophie set up. Only Sophie knows the truth. She and Mina shared a secret, but there was no drug deal. Mina was deliberately murdered. Forced into rehab for a drug addiction she'd already beaten, Sophie's finally out and on the trail of the killer. But can she track them down before they come for her?

Far from You

This was such an emotional read. Reading from the main characters pov as she struggles with addiction and all the mystery surrounding her best friends murder. It was so addicting to read and I found myself so invested in finding out what happened. The ending was unpredictable. Tears were shed. Definitely worth reading. 

Daisy Gosnell

althea

maia

denise

decided to reread this book…and now i feel like joining mina

Kgrace

** spoiler alert **
           “mina’s night-lights will endure. year after year, trev will replace them when they dim. and i know that someday, when i’m ready to come home, they’ll light my way.”

this book broke me and put me right back together again. as someone experiencing heavy amounts of grief, though in completely different ways to anyone in this book, this hit really hard. my new favorite and a book that i will carry with me for the rest of my life. its beautiful and messy and the twists are insane. tess sharpe has an incredible mind.

Lacy W

If I could give this book all the stars, I so would. Because this book deserves it! It deserves so much more recognition then it gets. I didn't even know this book existed until I got the Overdrive app. But in a way, I'm glad I didn't read it until now. I wouldn't have appreciated everything this book offered. Young Lacy wasn't into character driven stories like the current Lacy is. 

I'm going to be honest. I didn't expect much out of this book. I didn't expect this book to rip up my heart, stomp on it and throw it back at me. I was intrigued by the pretty cover and the synopsis seemed okay. I figured I would end up dealing with a whiny woe is me MC who refuses to accept her mistakes. I have read enough drug related YA books to know what I was getting into it. 

 I was wrong. 

This book wasn't just about Sophie, the MC, getting and staying clean. It was about her understanding her past and coming to terms with herself and finally  maybe  understanding the person she loved. It was about getting answers and clearing the guilt and blame from herself. It was about mending old wounds and beginning the process of healing the new ones. 

I was a mess of emotions during this book. There was heartbreak and that was a  major theme during the course of this book. Nothing but  pure heartbreak. It radiated off the book in spades. I almost couldn't go through with reading it because the heartbreak was almost too much. Sophie is completely lost without her other half. It's a pain that nobody ever wants to experience. Hell, I wouldn't wish it upon my most terrible enemy.

I mean, I was  crying reading the last few chapters. Tears were streaming down my face and I didn't know until one of them hit my Kindle. No book has made do that since I read  My Sister's Keeper  by Jodi Picoult. I usually cry in bursts during books. A tear there, a tear here. Not this full on, almost sobbing because this book was just so damn sad.

Seriously, you all need to read this book. But be warned. It's not an easy book to get through. It's very character driven and the chapters bounce back and forth from the past to the present. But it works. All of it works and it creates such a beautiful story that will make your heart heart so much. But it will be all worth it you learn a valuable lesson. That lesson is that you find all your friends and family, you tell them that you love them and you hug them until they can't breathe. Because none of us really truly know when it's going to be our last day. 

 I'm going to go find the happiest book I own now.

menna

Jamieson

“But my heart isn't simple or straightforward. It's a complicated mess of wants and needs, boys and girls: soft, rough, and everything in between, an ever-shifting precipice from which to fall.”


As soon as I started this book I knew it was the book for me. Far From You immediately places you into a setting thats a little gritty, with characters who are a little rough around the edges and honestly? thats what is great about this. I immediately draw comparisons with this book and Netflix' Riverdale - not all of it, but in the kind of gritty aesthetic, but most of all the way the murder is framed. 

Far From You follows recovering drug addict Sophie - who's best friend and also girl she was in love with Mina was murdered four months ago. Sophie, determined to uncover the truth about Mina's murder launches an investigation of her own, leading her to uncover some of her towns deep dark secrets. 

I really liked Far From You as a mystery. It definitely drove me to keep reading and to start questioning every character. but what I really liked about it was the characters. Especially Sophie, the main character. She's the kind of badass woman I absolutely dig in YA - not afraid to throw a punch, not here for anyone's shit. I loved her friendships with the women around her, and I loved the representation of her as a bisexual woman. I thought this aspect of identity was well written. Sophie also dealing with being in recovery for her drug addiction, as well as her disability, but I liked how these aspects of her identity were presented. Sophie fights everyday, and her strength and perseverance was, to me, a highlight. Sophie is also a disabled character with chronic pain and this review talks a little about that rep from a more personal perspective. 




Far From You felt needed to me. Yes, the mystery element has been done before - but the centring of such a strong, queer woman really made me so happy. 

However, there are some elements I did not think were perfect. I do think the middle slumped a little, just before the investigation really starts to pick up. I also found the timeline confusing at times, and the flashbacks jarring. I don't like when flashbacks take me out of the action, I critique this in soo many books so I think it's just me, but it does mess me up. I also think the representation ethnicity wise was lacking - I would have liked to see more people of colour. Finally, while I loved the process of the investigation, I personally wasn't satisfied with the reveal. (view spoiler)[I felt that the character was kind of thrown in and so I didn't feel shock it was them because I had no reason to question their motives prior to the reveal (hide spoiler)]


  “We walk into the rest of our lives together, not knowing it'll end before it's truly started.” 


Overall, Far From You is gritty, compelling and centres a nuanced protagonist. The focus on diverse representation paired with the investigation and mystery plots was the perfect blend for me, and I loved that this book was so dark and there was an imminent sense of danger throughout.

Sophie Winters a failli mourir. Deux fois. Survivante. Blessée à vie, elle est accro aux antidouleurs. Droguée. Mina, sa meilleure amie a été tuée sous ses yeux. Traumatisée. Personne ne croit à sa version des faits. Ni la police. Ni sa famille. Seule au monde. Elle se battra pour qu'éclate la vérité. Au nom de l'amour. Prête à tout.

roman

Si loin de toi

Loéva 

Superbe lecture, personnages et histoire travaillé ! Les retours dans le temps très intéressant

brianna

fizzy

Sophie? Strong AF. She kept holding to the truth until she solved the case herself. I dare you stop reading.


2022 review: i’ve read this book a lot and it still makes me cry

grace richards

god i cried at this book. i love my little fictional gay people

i wish some of the language had been a little different though but other than that just wow

alex

to say that i was shocked by the ending would be an understatement

mahi

** spoiler alert **
           ... "i'll choose you, no matter how hard it is. no matter what people say. every time, i'll choose you. it's up to you to choose me back."

oh my god! i am absolutely in love with this book. death trope is my favorite and this was such an interesting take on it. i enjoyed the present and past pieces. it brought depth to this book and we got to learn about mina and sophie's life before she died.
i am trying so hard not to start crying. this book was so sweet and sophie, omg. she's such a badass and her story was a reality check. she endured all the pain and bumps that were thrown at her. and mina, my purple loving princess, absolutely a ball of sunshine. this book took such a turn that i didnt expect adam to be the murderer. and rob the fucking bastard. anyways, 100% recommend this book

ingrid

Lillian

04/02/2022 - 

things i disliked: writing style (was a little plain for me). mystery plot (only gripping about two thirds of the way in)

things i liked: sophie. mina. sophiemina. even trev.

3.5/5, rounded up

31/01/2022 - i decided to finish this on a whim last night because it's been sitting on my tablet prettily forever...i'm so sad omg

soph

** spoiler alert **
           no hay palabras para describir el sentimiento de vacío que siento después de terminar esto

sophie nadie nunca te amará más que yo

jupiter

4.5 
what am i supposed to do with myself now

alyssa

3.5
kys death trope, im actually sobbing rn.
never reading death trope again

to absolutely no one's surprise, this was a rec from bina and it has RUINED my life. sophiemina you'll always be famous and loved.

“You like girls, don’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
“So you like guys, too.”
“It just depends. On the person.” 
“Best of both worlds, I guess.”

In another life, if I had been a different girl, if my heart had gone traditional instead of zinging off after the unexpected, I might have loved him like he wanted. But my heart isn’t simple or straightforward. It’s a complicated mess of wants and needs, boys and girls: soft, rough, and everything in between, an ever-shifting precipice from which to fall.
 

4.75 stars 
Death trope is in my top 3 tropes (yes I'm mentally ill) but this reminded me how much pain it actually puts me thru.
SOPHIEMINA I LOVE YOU <3333
SAPPHICS FOR THE WIN!!!! 


  I’d loved her. The real her. The half version she’d shown to the world and the scared parts that ran from me as much as they reached for me. Every part, every dimension, every version of her, I knew and loved. 

I want to remember everything because it’s the first time.
Later, I’ll remember everything because it’s the only time. 

“She loved you. She wanted to be with you. That’s why she told me about herself. She said she’d made her choice. It was you. I think it was always you.”

how am i supposed to move on from this , continue my life SOPHIEMINA COME BACKKK

3.75 stars! 
while i was reading i was in a massive slump (i still kinda am) so idk if that’s what’s affecting the rating but the only thing that kept me reading was sophiemina. my best girls <3 it had short chapters so that’s a bonus. but alas death trope sapphics for the win. the plot was pretty cliche so… yeah

Far From You

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