Alice feels lost ever since her mother died of cancer years before. The only solace she finds is in her boyfriend Blaze and in the music she writes and plays with her best friend Claire at church. Her father has remarried and they no longer cook and make up jingles together and her step mother is expecting a baby girl. Alice is not excited about her new half-sister. Then her life goes from bad to worse; Claire tells her that the church thinks Alice’s songs are too sad and they don’t want them to play and sing anymore. She and Claire stop talking and hanging out and Alice feels even more alone; thank God for Blaze but she even has some confusion about him. Then after her new sister is born, her dad tells her they are driving to California from their Seattle home to visit Victoria’s parents for Thanksgiving. Her dad is called away on business Thanksgiving night and Victoria, Alice, and Ivy make the return trip to Seattle. They wind up caught in a blizzard and Victoria’s and Alice’s icy relationship begins to thaw even as the temperature drops. When Victoria goes for help, Alice focuses on keeping Ivy alive and learns things about herself and her dead mother in the process. The story is told in poems that have an authentic teenage voice. ( )

I love all of Lisa's books, and this one was right up there with the others. I couldn't put it down and finished in one day!!! ( )

3.5 stars

Lisa Schroeder is becoming an author I admire. She has a wonderful writing style and create a range of emotions using limited words. Her books draw me in and take me on enchanted, touching journeys.

In "Far From You", Alice is struggling with the death of her mother and the fact that she has a new step-mother and baby stepsister. I didn't really like Alice at the start despite her feelings of loneliness and despair. People who loved her tried to reach out but she continually pushed them away. However, after a near tragedy, she did learn to love and heal, and the final song she wrote was extremely moving.

Reading "Far From You" was like reading a different poem with each chapter. Each one was short, lyrical and powerful. Although a quick read, I thoroughly enjoyed following Alice's journey of acceptance, healing and the importance of family. I absolutely adored the focus on a mother's all-embracing love. ( )

Enchanting read. This book is written in verse. This is the second book I've read by Lisa Shroeder, I loved the first and I loved this one. Her style of writing is beautiful. If you've never read a book in verse, it might be a little hard at first but trust me you get used to it. And its really magical to read a book like this.

The story is about this girl named Alice whose mother dies of cancer and her dad remarries. Alice is still grief stricken by the death of her mother so she hates her new stepmother and the baby that's on the way. On a thanksgiving trip to her stepmothers parents, they get stranded in a snow storm. This gives Alice the time to figure out herself and the feelings towards her new stepmother and baby sister. And to learn to appreciate the little gifts in life.

This is a wonderful book about grief and the road to recovery. About love and friendship. And about the meaning of life. ( )

The book is great if you like books about romance and loss, it proved that things can get better. I read this book because I have read all of Lisa Schroeder’s other books and loved them, and this book had a resemblance to my life.