Far From The Tree by Robin Benway (Simon And Schuster)
I was really excited by the concept of this book. It’s a cute story but with three perspectives, I found it to be rushed and a bit hard to follow. That being said, I’m looking forward to seeing what this author does next.

Rating: ★★★

This was a touching story about family in all shapes and sizes. It looked at the ups and downs of adoption and fostering and the importance of finding your place in it all, whatever stage you're at. It was really interesting to see the three siblings meeting each other for the first time and how they got along. I felt this book did a good balance of showing the biological siblings and the adopted families and how it affected them all.

Relationships are a massive part of this book. The relationships in Maya's family and especially the relationship between her and her sister were interesting. Being the adopted daughter in a family of redheads cannot be easy. It was also good to see her sister's reaction to her looking for her birth mum.

The character's felt really realistic. I got very invested in them and wanted them to succeed. Joaquin broke my heart a few times with his various issues with his foster parents. They were just so perfect for him but he couldn't see past his fear that they would send him back.

This was touching, very emotional but so, so good. I definitely want to look out for this author in the future.

Oh boy, this book got me. Teenage pregnancy, the adoption/foster care system, divorce, alcoholism... so many issues tackled wonderfully. It was lovely watching the siblings bond over time, beginning as strangers and ending as a committed family. The thing that hit me the most though was definitely the emotional journey that the characters go on - I'm not much of a crier at books but good lord I was sobbing towards the end. I originally gave the book 4 stars on Goodreads but I'm going to bump it up to a full 5 stars on here as I've been thinking about the story ever since reading it.

Grace, Maya and Joaquin are siblings who didn't even know of each other's existence until now. When Grace gets pregnant at 16 and decides to give up her baby, it sparks a need to find her own birth mother and from this she discovers that she has a brother and sister. All three have ended up in different families but live close by. As you read it is almost like a puzzle, meeting each sibling. Despite being through different things in their lives, they fit together so well and there is an instant bond between them. I loved the way they were all fiercely protective of each other and immediately wanted to support any issues they had.
Wow, I just loved this book so much. Though it is written from all three character points of view, it never feels confusing. You can really feel what all of them are going through and I had tears in my eyes so many times.

In Far From the Tree Robin Benway tells the story of three children in care. First we meet Grace who, like so many young girls before her, becomes pregnant and decides that the best thing for her daughter is to give her up for adoption. Her parents, her loving, adoptive parents, support her in her decision even though it then leads her to finding about more about her biological family. Her birth parents remain elusive but she does meet up with two siblings she never knew she had - Maya, her younger sister, who is living with adoptive parents and a little sister, loved but sticking out like a sore thumb as the only brunette in a family of flaming redheads, and Joaquin, their older brother who has moved from foster home to foster home (although he is now settled with a couple who seem to want him as a part of their family). All three have their own secrets and fears which they reveal as they get to know each other and learn about the years since they were given up by their mother. The last secret to be told is Grace's - how can she tell Maya and Joaquin, who are still angry with their mother for abandoning them, that she has given up her own baby?

I have no personal experience of the care system (in the UK let alone the US system this book is set in) so I can't comment on its accuracy but some of the events ring true to how I think such things work. Girls are more likely to be adopted than boys, babies more likely than older children and white children more likely than those who are Hispanic/mixed race: all factors which work against Joaquin. That said, I really liked Joaquin as a character. He seems to be sensitive and caring - he becomes very protective of his sisters very quickly - as well as, sometimes, angry and unhappy. He pushes away those who try to care for him and the more we learn of his past the more I wanted to fight on his behalf. Although the book starts with Grace's experiences it was her brother I cared about most. I wanted his ending to be the happiest of all - goodness knows, he'd earned it - even if I know that, statistically, this is unlikely.

In the end this is a book about family. Grace, Maya and Joaquin are bound by blood and by genetics. The families who take them in, or who have rejected them are also important to the story and we learn that there can even be love behind the decision to give up a child to others.

Grace is far gone when she finds out with boyfriend Max she's expecting a baby, their baby she nicknames Peach after its size when finds out. At forty weeks gone, best friend Janie talks her into going to homecoming where Peach makes her arrival!



Grace gives Peach up for adoption and finds out shockingly she too was adopted but even more so, she has a half sister Maya she can contact and a half brother too supposedly. From first loves, finding family and righting your life each sibling gains more than family in meeting each other.



This book shows us how family ties can be made and grown even if they weren't there from birth. It was a unique look into a different take on the perfect family and how accidentally finding out something can create something wonderful!



Many thanks for allowing me to review this book for them!

"That's what happens when you love someone: they're brave when you can't be"

I don't even know how many times I cried reading this book, but it was a lot. Sometimes because it hurt, sometimes because it made me so happy.

Top marks for diversity here too, none of which felt forced which is always a big plus.

The relationships are written so well, from parent-child to sibling to romantic. Everything feels realistic and I really think that helps the reader to become more involved with the characters, all of whom I am intensely emotionally invested in.

Grace, Maya and Joaquin and their budding newly discovered sibling relationship are the centre of this story and oh my lord it is perfect. Their bond is so beautiful and precious and grows every day. Their interactions left me in tears (of joy) so often.

Grace is my favourite of the three- I've always been fascinated by teen pregnancy stories and hers is beautiful. She gives her baby up for adoption and the way Robin Benway has written Grace feels so authentic. She's in pain and everything is so raw and she's trying so desperately to heal. The scene when Maya and Joaquin found out about Peach was absolutely perfect. I had to put my kindle down it was so hard hitting and gorgeous. Also I need more Rafe in my life- can we please start a petition for love interests in YA who are actually decent people?

Joaquin probably has the most intense story, I loved finding out about his life. Mark and Linda are the perfect people and I was so pleased every time they stuck up and fought for him. I'd love to know more about his relationship with Birdie. When he pinned Adam to a wall for calling Grace a slut I think I had a 10 minute meltdown. And again when he first referred to Grace as his sister. I also loved his relationship with Ana, it was brilliantly written and her pride in both her job and Joaquin was so lovely to read about.

Maya was the one of the 3 who had a picture perfect life with much more trouble underneath. I loved her relationship with Claire as well as her family. Her story was raw and really delved into the whole idea of 'perfect' families. I found her situation incredibly relateable. Nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

This book tackles a lot of serious issues from teen pregnancy (which is almost never discussed in YA but really should be), racism, adoption, abandonment issues, alcoholism, divorce, slut shaming and it does so seriously but those conversations are woven through a book with such a huge heart and a lot of humour that it never feels preachy. It's just honest and it's beautiful and I loved it.

----------------------------------

RTC tomorrow.

I currently have no words to describe how absolutely beautiful this book is in absolutely every way.

This book was an intense read about family that plucks at the heartstrings until it hurts. All of the characters are so real and you feel their pain and joy at every stage.

This is such a heart warming and emotional story. I can’t find the words to explain how much I loved this. It was amazing.

An extremely deserving winner of the National Book Award - you MUST read this once it is finally published in the UK.

The premise of the book is fairly straightforward YA fare - three teens who share a biological mother but have grown up in separate homes become aware of one another’s existence, but Benway’s execution of her story is far from run-of-the-mill. Joaquin, Maya and Grace are all outstandingly well-developed characters who all represent different issues relevant to teens but without ever feeling contrived. The story is perfectly paced without being predictable. The ending is perfect. This is a fantastic, original exploration of love, trust, family, race, identity and belonging that will strike a chord with anyone lucky enough to turn its pages.

DNF. I couldn’t get into it at all. I’m a big YA fan but at 29 some YA doesn’t hold my interest and sadly this was one of those books.

Rating:4.5/5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. The three different perspectives gave such great insight into the lives of all of the siblings that it gave feeling of depth to the novel that couldn't have been accomplished by one single perspective.

It had yet to see a novel that depicted nature vs nurture and this has done it so beautifully.

I loved getting to know the differences between Grace, Maya and Joaquin and how they were also very much the same. As some one with siblings I enjoyed being able to see how we compare with the ones in the novel.

I loved the characters, particularly the sassy and sarcastic Maya.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and found that the plot - while confused me for the first couple of pages - was easy to follow and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen for the siblings and how they would not only confront their own demons as a group but also their individual ones.

This is a book that I would highly recommend everyone read.

Grace wants the best for her newborn baby girl, just like any other parent does but the best for Peach is the hardest for Grace. Choosing a loving family for Peach wasn’t easy but what about Grace’s birth family? Where did she really come from? After handing Peach over to her new family Grace sets about to find out just that.

We follow Grace, Maya and Joaquin three siblings on a journey of discovery, both of themselves and of their family around them. Alternating chapters gives us a view from each of the sibling and how life goes on with relationships, friendships and family.

Grace tries her best, doing what she thinks is right and tries to live with, Maya portrays herself as strong and confident looking after other people and Joaquin feels the need to protect his sisters and deals with raw emotions from his time in foster care.

The book flowed very easily, making me want to read more and more. Before reading this I had never heard of or read a book from Robin Benway but now I already have reservations for some of her other books from my local library

Themes: Foster, adoption and alcoholism

First can we take a second to appreciate this breath-taking cover. Okay, now that that's done. Far From The Tree is the story of three half-siblings who were all put up for adoption and have only just been made aware of each other's existence. Grace recently had to give her own daughter, Peach, up for adoption as she was only 16, Maya's family have a lot of problems under the surface, and Joaquin has through a lot of foster families and the couple he's living in now want to adopt him. Together, they want to try and find their birth mother. 

It's about feeling like the odd one out, and trying to find the people who feel like family, and sometimes, they turn out to be just that! 

I cried so much at the end of this book. I guess, I didn't realise how connected I was to the characters until that point. Except, I knew from the very beginning that I loved Joaquin, I would've read 400 pages JUST about him. Seriously, I was only trudging through Maya (who was mostly unbearable) to get to Joaquin. Grace had the most secrets, and her story was one of repair, so I was always excited to get back to her POV since her emotions were so complex. 

I really like books about siblings and this was no exception. The only thing is, the pacing was a bit off for me. Joaquin was the last to be introduced so it wasn't until 30-40% through that we learned about his ex-girldfriend, etc, and they all felt like things I needed to know right away, so in a way it was like reading three beginnings, then three middles, but one ending.

There was also an issue with repeating conversations, so I'd say the stand out scenes were when the characters were on their own, rather than together because there was almost too much catching up to do. Still, reading about their progression from perfect strangers to devoted siblings was so heartwarming to read. Obviously, it didn't happen over night, but there wasn't one moment where It bought they wouldn't accept one another.

Far From the Tree obviously took me by surprising, I was hoping I'd love it, since Emmy & Oliver is one of my favourites of all time. The emotions are raw and the characters are the bravest I've ever encountered. Now, please can I have a companion follow up book about Joaquin and Birdie?

I'm clapping my hands applauding this author for the wonderful beautifulness that is this story, be prepared to cry happy tears, sad tears and feel all the raw emotions
of these three wonderful characters.

Grace has found herself in a difficult place in life, she just give birth to a daughter whom she put up for adoption but given the heartbreak of doing so it makes her desperate to know more information
about her own adoption where she finds out she has siblings. Maya is the youngest of the three children, at fifteen she she is loudmouthed, quick witted but attempts to keep her emotions hidden from the world. Joaquin is the big brother but the only one whom was not adopted but instead spent his last eighteen years in foster care which has lead him to be the person he is today. Together they must discover how they fit into each other's lives and repair their own family tree.


I can't say enough good things about this book, it was beautiful, filled with raw emotion and honestness and it felt like i was part of the journey these characters were on.
Grace was a character whom could have been written wrongly but no, she was written beautifully and i felt all of her pain and heartache along with her, it just felt so real.
Maya and Joaquin were both very different characters although they had some similarities in the aspect that they felt like they were never good enough for the person they were in a relationship with, i found this very sad but i was glad that they helped each other through this.
Joaquin's journey was probably one of the hardest given he went through so much but he was such a brave young man and it really showed and i shed so many tears reading some of the things he went through.

As for side characters, i loved Rafe and Claire they were both amazing, It was great to see one of the main characters was a lesbian and that the realtionship was done right.
Then there was Rafe and Grace's relationship which to me was everything that most YA books lack, it wasn't juvenile or immature at all. He listened to her give her advise and she listened to him and they really got to know each other,it was great growth within a couple and i loved seeing it play out.

I loved the diversity within the book too, the fact that Joaquin wasn't white was just great and the added important discussion on racism, i thought was very relevant to today's society.

This is my favourite book I've read all year and i know it's not out in paper back form until next year but honestly everyone needs to pick it up, you will not regret it!

I will be reading more by this author in the future, in fact i can't wait to see more from them.

I’m sorry I struggled to get into this book will try again another time

After adoring Benway's other novel Emmy and Oliver, this was a definite read for me. but I'm sad to say I didn't like it nearly as much. The story is touching, but honestly, the characters are just down right irritating. I couldn't really enjoy myself because I just couldn't get past my annoyance at them.