Reviews

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

mindfullibrarian's review

5.0

It is incredibly rare that I come across a young adult title that I have such a visceral reaction to as an adult. And not just an "out of high school" adult, but as a middle aged mother. And while I definitely think this story will have young adult appeal, that's not the main audience I will be shouting about this book to. I'll be telling every parent I know to read it because it hits ALL the parenting feels. It not only touches on the very definition of parenthood and what it means to belong to a family, it brings up the "what if" that every single parent thinks about at some point........what would I do if my child gets (or gets a girl) pregnant??? How would I react? This story hits on the experience of motherhood from all angles and induced SO MANY tears.

As for teens, they get all the feels too. There is adoption, the foster system, teen pregnancy, teen relationships, parents, siblings, ALL OF IT. The relationships are so well-written and the interactions between the young adult characters are raw and witty.

Required purchase for all high school libraries and required reading for parents. Moms will cry. Dads will cry. Adoptees will cry. Children in foster care will cry. Foster parents will cry. Pretty much anyone with a heart will at least THINK about crying.

lizuki's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't stop reading. I love Robin Benway's writing style, all of her characters seem so real to me. Maya annoyed me sometimes but I could really sympathize with her and Joaquin, maybe that's why I loved the story so much. The ending was a bit cliche but I still had to cry a lot

notesonbookmarks's review

5.0

Oh, this book. This book is phenomenal. Robin Benway takes three siblings who are essentially separated at birth and walk three different journeys through the adoption/fostercare universe. We have Grace, who is adopted by a childless couple and raised as an only child. We have Maya, who is adopted by a different childless couple that is unexpectedly blessed with a biological child just a short time later. She feels like she doesn't fit in with her adoptive family as they are all light-skinned and light-eyed, but they love her well. And then we have their half-brother Joaquin, who is bounced from family to family, adopted and rejected and sent back to the system, struggles with anger and is scarred inside and out from his time in the system. The three meet right at the end of high school, and we get to walk with them as they learn about love and family and blood relationships versus the ones you are adopted into and how they are different and how they are the same. The whole book is just so wonderful. I couldn't put it down, even when it meant walking through the grocery store on Mother's Day weekend, with tears running down my cheeks.

debi_g's review

3.0

It's great to see another angle regarding adoption and teen pregnancy. In the hands of a good writer, this could have been an engaging and deep exploration. Instead, readers are not given enough meat to chew off the bones of this story. Perhaps there were simply too many characters to warrant full development. The supporting cast have about as much animation as cardboard cutouts, and the main characters exhibit only a little more dimension, though they do possess approximately two problems apiece. Moreover, it seems that a duplication of traits (hiding feelings, speaking with a certain pattern, babbling when nervous, enjoying mayo) among characters is meant to pass as genetic similarity, but it comes across as lazy or inept writing. Editing issues further removed me from the story. For instance, on page 341, a deceased character is mistakenly described as having "suddenly stopped and smiled sheepishly."

I still enjoyed the book. I still finished it quickly. I still had an emotional response. The overall reading experience, though, was still somehow unfulfilling.

elidhios's review

5.0

Sin dudas uno de mis nuevos libros favoritos.

sahdays's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kthomas4415's review

5.0

This book was amazing. I can't even wrap my head around all my emotions right now definitely gives me perspective as we go through the adoption process now and foster program later. Highly recommend.

mdettmann's review

4.0

4.5

A beautiful story about family told through the POV of three half-siblings that were adopted/fostered by other families. Joaquin, Grace, and Maya may not have known about each other for 15 years, but now that they do they are exactly what they need during some tumultuous times going on in their lives. I loved this book. Realistic fic at its finest. The book kind of remind me a little of that NBC show This is Us. Definitely a must-read feels book.

stephtherose's review

4.0

4.5* so good. Characters were amazing!

smutty_vibes's review

emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0