Summary
A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment.
Being the middle child has its ups and downs.
But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—
Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.
And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.
Sourced from Goodreads.
Review
My rating:
Hi there, fellow readers! I’m back with another review, this one being on the book Far From the Tree by Robin Benway! I was pretty excited to read this book since it’s by Robin Benway, author of Emmy and Oliver! I remember how much I loved that book and couldn’t wait to get into this one because of it. While I didn’t read it in one sitting (I never get to these days 😦 ), I did read it fervently, wanting to know more about Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. I read anywhere I could, making sure that these characters had my full attention.
As I said, it was all about the characters for me. Benway has done it again by portraying this lovely complex characters that you’d like to know in real life and just hug them. Each one was going through their own struggles, but together, they took that step to moving forward. I loved this immensely! It was as if they needed each other this whole time without realizing it. I also am a fan of each of their POVs, how they fit and correspond with one another. I’m really glad that she chose to write it that way because I first thought it was only through Maya’s perspective for some reason. It was really gratifying to read and easier to empathize with these amazing characters!
I’m not going to lie: this book had me in tears by the end. These characters got to develop and learn more about themselves in the duration of the novel than in years! My only qualm is that the end was a bit too fast, which made wrap-up a bit short and simple. The ending, while satisfying, was kind of jarring since the pacing didn’t really match up to the rest of the novel…
Well, that’s all I have to say about Far From the Tree by Robin Benway. It was a pleasant surprise to read another book of hers, especially after Emmy and Oliver. I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Full disclosure, though: you might end up needing a Kleenex box or equivalent with you near the end. But for those of you who are still interested after the sniffles warning, the book comes out this Tuesday, on October 3rd, 2017!
Take care, everyone! And keep reading!
– Sumaya
I received this copy from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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