A review by lisibee815
Far and Away by Amy Poeppel

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Normally I'd start a review with a small recap but not this time, there were just too many characters and events to do it justice and there's no need to re-hash the description since it tells you everything you need to know going in. I really liked the premise of the house swap, with the two families co-mingling aspects of their lives, and the question of just who they'll be on the other side of the experience. The reasons for the house swap were compelling and set the stage for an engaging plot. The exposition and initial plot set-up has a lot of details and moving pieces, as does the rest of the book. I found that the book was slow-ish to start but it picks up as you go, and I ended up liking the last half of the book much more than the first half. My initial ability to care about these characters waxed and waned, as did their likeability, but thankfully things evened out. Overall there was more tension than I was expecting. Lots of POVs,  which was helpful since there were so many characters and events to keep track of, but that also scattered my focus a bit. There's certainly plenty to keep the reader engaged, from both women's relationships to their children's issues, as well as the challenges they all encounter during the house swap. The cultural differences each family experienced were interesting and added some realism. I did end up liking this book more than I thought I would. Do yourself a favor and keep reading to the end, I'm certainly glad I did as the book improved dramatically as it went on. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.
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