What does it mean to be a family?

I’d been looking for a realistic YA novel to read—er, listen to because I have very little time to sit down and read these days. When I came across Far From The Tree by Robin Benway, I loved the fresh storyline about adoption and foster care. These are topics near and dear to my heart, so I couldn’t pass this up.

The story is told in three points-of-view (Grace, Maya, Joaquín), three half-siblings who were either adopted as infants (Grace, Maya) or went into foster care as a preschooler (Joaquín) and all have three very different stories to tell about their upbringing.

Admittedly, the first chapter starts out a bit predictable, but once we get going into the other characters’ storylines, all three points-of-view weave in and out of each other’s lives so beautifully and flawlessly, it's impossible to put this book down. Grace, the teen who gave up her own child for adoption, is portrayed with such conviction and humanity, I ached for her with every turn of the page. Maya, the entitled brunette, rich kid, who doesn’t fit into a family of redheads, has the biggest heart and the funniest personality. And Joaquín, the older brother who grew up in the foster system, is the big brother every girl could want and never knew she had. I didn’t love that the only boy (and only Latino character) was the foster child as it felt a bit stereotyped, but Robin tied this up so perfectly at the end, I was able to reconcile this point in my mind.

I couldn’t wait to wash dishes, because that meant I could open my Far From The Tree audiobook. I couldn’t wait to drive my kids to their sports practices, because that meant more time to listen in the car. And walk the dog? I’m on it, just let me grab my earbuds! I have been raving to everyone who will listen about this honest, compassionate and gorgeously-written book.

Thank you, Robin, for such a wonderful read!

You can find Robin and her other books at www.robinbenway.com. And as a bonus, you can even read the first three chapters of Far From The Tree for free! Heck ya!