Far From You

Reader reviewed by Jessica

In this beautifully written novel in verse, the reader is introduced to a teenage girl who's mother has died and her father is remarried with another daughter. As she tries to cope with living with a new mother and a new baby sister, she learns more about herself along the way, and about letting go of the past. After getting stranded in the car with her stepmother and baby half-sister during a blizzard, she learns quickly that she needs to trust her new step mother in order to get out of this alive.

Powerful words and chilling descriptions, "Far From You" is a wonderful read filled with passionate emotions about acceptance and love. While the majority of the novel is set inside the car which is slowly being buried by the winter's snow, flashbacks and thoughts truly tell the tale with a shockingly new voice. In today's society, a stepmother is something that isn't too shocking any longer, and this story is a wonderful novel for teens who are struggling to find a way to cope with this, or any teen who has ever felt as though they couldn't stand their family. Because in the end, family is all that we ever have.

Reader reviewed by Jessica

This book was great and sad. Great because its an amazing story about a girl whose lost her way and finds the road again with the help of her dead mother. Sad because it reminds me of my friend who lost her mother about a year ago. Im so impressed with how Lisa Schroder can write in poetry and still get the same picture out of it. I cant write one poem let alone get a picture out of it. Alice was a relatable character for me. She deals with her mothers death by distancing herself from her family. She throws herself into her music and the love of her boyfriend. I really like this cover because of the snowflakes. I also like how the girl is a shadow and it sais "do you believe in angels?" I don't think I really have a favorite character because there really aren't that many characters to chose from, but I like Alice's boyfriend because he's really supportive of her and that's a good thing to have in a guy. Looking for more Lisa Schroeder? When looking for more books she has written I came across a book that I love and didn't know had the same author, the book is called I Heart You You Haunt Me and it's a really fun fast read. Also go check out her website at, http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/ Find out what happens when Alice is stuck in a snowstorm and her options are work with the people she has been avoiding ever since they came into her

Reader reviewed by Severa Drabczyk

This was an excellent book. I love books that are in poetic format, it makes them a quicker and lite read. This book had a great message to it and made me think about how I treat my family and how I should change myself, and not take my family and my friends for granted. You never know when something tragic might happen, so you should forgive and forget. Always live life to the fullest, as if you'll die in a few hours. Then maybe we can all experience life as if we've just entered it every single day. Wonder book, i recommend it to everyone.

Reader reviewed by Lauren

Far From You is a poetry book by Lisa Schroeder. The poems follow Alice as she copes through her life. Her mother died from cancer, leaving her heartbroken, and then her father got married. Alice doesn't feel like she belongs anymore, and is constantly trying to lose herself to a life with her best friend and her boyfriend. When her step-mom gets has a baby, she doesn't want to be related to her new stepsister, but also feels like she doesn't get any attention from her family anymore.

Everything changes when she takes a road trip home and she, her stepmother, and her new baby sister get stuck in the car in the middle of a snowstorm. Forced to work together with one of the people she just can't stand, Alice tries to survive with little food for all three of them. The question is, will Alice learn to accept her new life in the days trapped in the car?

Anyone who enjoys poetry books (like Ellen Hopkins) would enjoy Far From You. It's the perfect tale of acceptance, and living life even when depression strikes.

Reader reviewed by Julie M. Prince

Lyrical prose written in verse, FAR FROM YOU is a great follow up to Schroeders debut novel in verse, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME.

FAR FROM YOU is a memorable story about Alice, a teen still troubled by the death of her mother several years prior. No one seems to understand why Alice isnt ready to deal with her new step-mother and the excitement of a baby sister on the wayespecially her clueless and distracted father.

Alices music and her boyfriend, Blaze, are the only things she has going for her, so when she and her best friend have a huge fight and stop playing music together and then her family drags her away from Blaze for a Christmas road-trip, things look bleakbut theyre about to get even bleaker.

The pages of this book seem to turn themselves as the tale unfolds, moving forward faster and faster through the phenomenal second half. The story is mesmerizing with the constantly heightened tension, bringing a strong climax that will keep the main character squirming and readers transfixed.

The gorgeous language strikes a chord that resonates long after the tale is done.