I have yet to meet a Robin Benway book I haven't liked, friends. Far From the Tree will give you so, so many feels. This is a lovely story about adopted siblings finding each other at some pivotal moments in their lives. This book is quite character driven, beautifully written, and not one to miss. I really have nothing negative to say even, so let's talk about what I liked, yes?
- The characters were incredibly well-developed and I basically loved each of them. Talk about a group of kids pulling at heartstrings. They didn't have terrible lives or anything (well, for the most part), but they were all going through some rough, rocky times. And who among us can't relate to that?
- Oh, the family focus! I don't even know where to begin with this. This was the heart of the book, which is so incredibly rare to find. First, can I just say how much I wanted to scoop up Joaquin's foster parents, Mark and Linda, into a giant group hug? Holy crap, I loved them. And Joaquin so desperately deserved to have them in his life and the three of them gave me so many feels. And absolutely none of the families were perfect, by any means. But they did all care, and they were just trying to do their best- even if they didn't always manage to. (Except Mark and Linda, who always managed epic levels of awesomeness.)
- Building the sibling bond was incredible. We get to watch these relationships form from nervous meeting right on up to family bonds. It's sweet, and it isn't without hardship, but their devotion is clear.
- All. The. Feels. Oh, yes, you will have many of the feelings. Grace giving up her baby, who she referred to as "Peach", gutted me. I cannot even imagine Grace having the love and bravery for her daughter to go through that. And it is emotional, and definitely not portrayed as anything but immensely difficult. Maya struggles with her family breaking apart. Joaquin struggles with his sheer identity, in a world where his sisters were adopted and he wasn't. It's amazing to watch them tackle these things, and heartbreaking, and heartwarming all at the same time.
- There is romance, but it isn't the focus. The romances develop in the book seemingly like real life- it's part of their lives, not their whole identity. Maya struggles with being too closed off to her girlfriend. Joaquin pushes his away in an effort to protect her. The father of Grace's baby is the actual worst, but a nice guy comes along, but is Grace even ready for such a thing? It just seemed like a nice addition to the story, and didn't overwhelm it.
Bottom Line: Oh look, Robin Benway just earned auto-buy status!
*Copy provided for review