A review by belles_bookshelves
Far from You by Lisa Schroeder
4.0
Alright, I admit that at the beginning I wasn't all that excited about reading this. It's in poem form and I don't usually understand poems. People in poems are usually really depressed, which in turn makes me depressed or totally confused. I found this book surprisingly easy to read though. It's strange at first because the sentences sound kinda choppy, but you adapt pretty quickly and the words start to flow much better.
Quick Overview: Alice has lost her mother to cancer and has to deal with a dad that pushes her away because she reminds him so much of her. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that her mother has died and time hasn't done much healing. She's angry at her dad and doesn't like her stepmother, even if everyone else seems to think she's nice. She's also a new big sister, but she doesn't feel like pretending to be a happy family. The only bright lights in her life are her friend Claire, her great boyfriend Blaze, and playing her music. So when her dad and her stepmother Victoria tell her that they're all going to Victoria's family for Thanksgiving she's not happy. But something happens that forces Alice to look at the life she has and to "find the gift in the little things".
First off, I absolutely HATED Alice at the beginning. I thought that she was totally selfish and mean and it made me really want to stop reading the book. It also annoyed me that it constantly talks about how much she kisses and loves Blaze. Even if Blaze proves to be a great guy I kept thinking: Alright I get it, they love each other! But seriously the second half of the book totally makes up for it! It was so beautiful and I loved how she bonds with Victoria and Ivy. I thought the thing about teen sex was dealt with really well, and she decided not to do it for the right reasons. I was so worried about how everything would end, and I was very satisfied with the outcome. A very beautiful story, you just have to get through the depressing beginning. It's totally worth it.
Quick Overview: Alice has lost her mother to cancer and has to deal with a dad that pushes her away because she reminds him so much of her. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that her mother has died and time hasn't done much healing. She's angry at her dad and doesn't like her stepmother, even if everyone else seems to think she's nice. She's also a new big sister, but she doesn't feel like pretending to be a happy family. The only bright lights in her life are her friend Claire, her great boyfriend Blaze, and playing her music. So when her dad and her stepmother Victoria tell her that they're all going to Victoria's family for Thanksgiving she's not happy. But something happens that forces Alice to look at the life she has and to "find the gift in the little things".
First off, I absolutely HATED Alice at the beginning. I thought that she was totally selfish and mean and it made me really want to stop reading the book. It also annoyed me that it constantly talks about how much she kisses and loves Blaze. Even if Blaze proves to be a great guy I kept thinking: Alright I get it, they love each other! But seriously the second half of the book totally makes up for it! It was so beautiful and I loved how she bonds with Victoria and Ivy. I thought the thing about teen sex was dealt with really well, and she decided not to do it for the right reasons. I was so worried about how everything would end, and I was very satisfied with the outcome. A very beautiful story, you just have to get through the depressing beginning. It's totally worth it.