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Faye, Faraway

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This was the second time I tried to read this book and I was able to complete it this time, however I still had to take long breaks because it just was not capturing me like I had hope. I liked the time travel element was intriguing and liked the tie in with the shopkeeper and her life, but felt that there was a lot of this that just did not go anywhere and it ended up being a lot of back and forth about whether to go, or stay. The main thing that did not work for me is whether the main character would be there for her own kids, or would choose to go. Knowing the grief that she dealt with, I could not imagine that this would be a choice for her after her childhood. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was a good read.

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I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A heart warming drama novel. Perfect for readers who love women's fiction.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to finish the story so I won't be leaving a full review.

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Faye, Faraway
By Helen Fisher

Haunted by her mother’s mysterious death. Torn between two worlds, one where her mother still exists, and one that’s far too painful to endure without her, Faye one day finds herself back in time to a point where her mother was still alive.

This book was compared to the OUTLANDER series. And the vast differences between the two explains why this one fell flat for me.

There has to be some kind of reasonable explanation for characters being able to time travel. They have to exist in a world where that is possible.

When Faye first travels nothing is disorienting about it. She immediately knew what year it was and was searching for her mother right away. I need a little more information than was given in this book.

Dare I say, I wanted it to be longer!! Maybe not longer, but I desperately thought it needed more depth.

A spot of character development in the beginning would go a long way. I did not feel connected to the characters before the big events of the book took place.

Overall, I just didn’t buy it!

Solid writing, interesting tangents but a little light on texture and world building.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced copy!

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I did not love this one. Too many descriptions taking up paragraphs. I normally love time travel but this one was a dud for me. Faye was so one dimensional and blah for me.

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What a fantastic premise.
.
Sadly, for me it did not keep me going. I found it very, very slow. Time travel is a hit or miss for me. For this one, it was a miss.

I decided not to continue reading. Thank you for my review copy.

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Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher is a very enjoyable book about mother-daughter relationships with a dash of time travel. Faye is a married mother in her thirties who lost her mother when she was only 8 years old. This loss has always marked her and she aches to remember more about her. She accidentally discovers a mechanism to travel back in time to her and spends time with her mother and herself at age 6. I loved how Faye meeting her mother as an adult added a unique dimension to their relationship. I also enjoyed pondering fate and how the past connects and our decisions connects to the present. The time travel element is not scientific or really explained, but is used to propel the plot. The conversational tone and plot kept me hooked and I was so riveted for the last third of the book. I had to know what was going to happen! The ending was really beautiful. I listened to the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated by Sophie Roberts.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

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Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher is an emotional look at grief. It is also a book about faith and belief. The ending, when it comes, is not really a surprise. However, for me, it takes the book from an intellectual and emotional consideration of possibilities into an unrealistic science fiction realm. That being said, the longing for people gone and the pull of an opportunity of more time with them is one I and, I think, everyone will relate.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/06/faye-faraway.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

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This is one of my new favorite books. This book absolutely broke my heart and, as someone who also lost a parent, I absolutely understand Faye's desire to keep her life as it is now but also get to spend as much time with her mom as possible.

This book is just a lovely story and I couldn't stop reading it.

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I love a time travel narrative. It's just one of those things that captures my attention, especially when it's not done in a heavy sci-fi way. This book is a good contemporary/sci-fi mix with an interesting premise and a rather creative way for the time travel to take place.

The story does start off a bit slow and takes some time to establish its footing. This makes for a slightly languid pace that bleeds forward through the majority of the book. This movement does work in some ways, as it makes things feel a bit more emotional and even semi-dreamlike, as if the whole story were taking place inside Faye's mind. The emotional complexity to the narrative is intense. There's so much exploration of grief and repressed guilt/sadness. Though I couldn't completely identify with the situation, I did feel as though all of the emotions & thoughts were presented in a way that felt genuine & impactful. The writing was perfect for this conveyance as well. It wasn't pretentious or inaccessible, but instead very open & raw, delivering the narrative in a way that wholly wrapped me up in the story.

I loved the use of the box as a portal. There were some pieces where the logic didn't quite work out, but this is a common issue with time travel novels. It's a hard thing to do in a way that isn't questionable simply because it doesn't yet exist as something truly possible. That being said, I found it hard to pick apart those things that didn't quite gel when I was already dealing with something that so admittedly fantastical. It's just a pass that has to be given.

While my overall read was a success and I was able to connect with the feelings that the character was experiencing (while also sometimes simply shouting NO, DON'T DO THAT at her), I wasn't a big fan of the ending. I enjoyed where the story went, but it left things feeling a bit too open for me. I ALWAYS struggle with open endings, so this may not be an issue for other readers. It was an ideal way to allow for a sequel, but as far as I know, that isn't planned. I still have a LOT of questions.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

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This book is compared to The Time Travelers Wife. That is one of my favorite movies, how could I not read this one? Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! This book is beautifully written. I loved every second of it. The plot and the characters are amazing. I highly recommend checking this one out!

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As a debut author, Helen Fisher proved herself a big risk-taker in the construction of her novel Faye, Faraway. It’s a time-travel story, risky in itself. But then it’s also a deeply involving relationship story- and every one of the relationships depicted in the story was believable and well developed. The characters lived and breathed throughout the tale. This mix of realism and fantasy occasionally made me stop to question the likelihood of such an adventure. But if you can suspend disbelief and overlook a few unanswered questions, you will find Faye, Faraway to be both a lovely escape and a thoughtful meditation on life and love.

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For anyone who has lost a parent, particularly a mom, Faye, Faraway might hit you in all the places, just like it did me. We have our main character who is able to somewhat magically transport herself back in time to when she was a child, and her mom was still alive. Her younger self is there, too, and the three of them form a bond. To say anymore would spoil the emotions to come.



Faye, Faraway is a lovely portrait of a mother-daughter relationship when one of them leaves this earth much too soon. Faye is given the chance that I think many of us would take to see her mom again and have a relationship with her and even see her in an entirely different, yet luminous, new way. It's not often that a book will bring me to tears, but this one certainly did. I miss my own mom far too often.



Faye, Faraway was a beautiful way of remembering her and even bringing her back, just for a little while.



5/5 Stars

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A fantastical story for anyone who lost a parent at a young age and longs for an opportunity to spend time with that person. Witty and heartfelt.

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What a different kind of book! Sweet and tender, with charming characters. Philosophical and thought provoking. Very inspiring. The character development was strong, and the plot moved forward quickly. I was surprised at the ending and not sure I liked it, but overall I did like the book. It is definitely something I will recommend. I found myself very touched by the talk of faith and how it is different for everyone. I loved Eddie, the husband. He was very understanding and committed to his relationship and marriage even though he didn't know what was going on with Faye, he took care of her and showed his love by how he carried her and washed her in the tub,

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A time-travel book that is written in a very believable way, this story focuses on love and loss, the relationships of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives. It did drag a bit in the middle but pulled me back in toward the end. For me, there was a bit too much talk about God and faith, but for someone else, that might be perfect.

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This is one of my favorite books I've read in a long time. It was lovely. It touched on love, loss, memories, and the pain of losing someone you love. The time travel part was believable and not overdone, so it flowed really well. I am excited to see more from this author, and I would recommend this book to anyone. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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From debut novelist Helen Fisher comes FAYE, FARAWAY, a magical combination of tenderness and grief starring an unforgettable protagonist.

Faye is a 37-year-old woman with a handsome, intelligent husband and two young daughters who fulfill nearly all of her dreams for a well-lived life. But deep in her heart, she knows there’s an emptiness: the hole left by her mother’s sudden death when she was only seven. Although Faye was fortunate enough to be adopted by a kind elderly couple and treated as their own daughter, she has never quite gotten over the pain of losing Jeanie.

Now as an adult, Faye dedicates herself to making sure that her daughters never know a similar emptiness or loneliness. Though she reminds them nightly that they are special and loved, she knows that a child’s belief in her mother’s love is built on faith, and faith is something that Faye has always struggled with. Her belief in something greater than herself has never mattered more than now, as her husband has announced that he wants to become a vicar. Though he claims that he has felt called to the profession for a few years and can no longer ignore God’s wishes, he realizes that he is asking a lot of Faye, as the position of “vicar’s wife” is public and all-consuming.

One night, as Faye is considering her husband’s news and reminiscing on her past, she discovers an old, taped-together box that once held a Space Hopper from her mother and has followed her on every move, through every flat and finally into the home she shares with her family. She recognizes it from an old photo of herself at six, but she cannot stop obsessing over the edges of the picture, the parts of her happy childhood that no photo could have captured, and, most importantly, the woman behind the camera: her mother. Suddenly, like Alice falling through the rabbit hole, Faye finds herself on the floor of her childhood living room, gazing up at the Christmas lights, knowing full well that her mother --- and her six-year-old self --- are sleeping soundly upstairs, with no idea of the future that awaits them.

Carefully, desperately, Faye manufactures a run-in with her mother, inadvertently saving her childhood self from a car accident in the process. Jeanie forms an instant attachment to Faye, welcoming the girl into her home and claiming her as a “sister from another mister-meets-guardian angel." Faye is captivated by her and studies her every move, both as a woman and as a mother, but she has her own children to return to and feels the pull in her heart as strongly as the grief that has lived with her for 30 years.

When Faye returns home after approximately 12 hours in her mother’s house, she finds that three hours have passed in her adult life --- and nothing will ever be the same for her again. As Faye continues to plan and embark on furtive, longing-filled trips to visit her mother, she and Jeanie strike up an unbreakable bond, even as she is forced to wonder how much her meddling in the past will affect her future --- and vice versa. Meanwhile, in the present, Faye struggles to hide her secret trips from her husband and children, which puts a wedge in her marriage, already tense in the aftermath of the announcement of his decision to become a vicar. With her faith in everything she holds dear on the line, she inches closer and closer to an impossible choice: put her future, her husband and her children at risk, or give up the mother she dreamed of knowing for decades.

FAYE, FARAWAY is an instantly engaging novel, with Faye addressing the reader directly, pleading for someone to believe and understand her out-of-this-world story. She is equal parts humble, vulnerable and witty, giving the book an almost conversational feel that is immediately inviting and warm. Fisher writes gorgeous, lyrical prose, and every scene is infused with magic and heart. With a skillful hand, she focuses on tiny, life-changing moments with a keen and compassionate eye, drawing natural but thought-provoking questions in a way that feels universal and timeless. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief a little, of course, but Faye’s delivery of her straight-out-of-science fiction tale is so straightforward and honest that even the more fantastical elements feel perfectly real and authentic. (I love that Fisher makes no effort to explain the science of time travel in Faye’s world. Her acceptance of the phenomenon forces the reader to follow along and, ironically, provides all the explanation you need without ever giving it.)

What sets FAYE, FARAWAY apart from novels like OUTLANDER and THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is the love story, not between a man and woman, but the infinitesimal and groundbreaking love that occurs between mother and child. Fisher’s exploration of motherhood --- and the women who become our mothers --- is moving and engaging, nearly spiritual in its depth. She is careful to write every mother in her novel not as a superwoman or goddess but as a flawed, real woman who has illicit interests and makes bad mistakes but is irreplaceable in her child’s life and all-powerful in her love for that child.

Full of emotionally drawn scenes and careful ponderings about faith, spirituality and love, FAYE, FARAWAY is riveting, surprising and deeply touching.

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This book started with a bang and I was sucked in. Sadly, I lost interest as it became repetitive and slow.
Wasn't for me. DNF

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Faye, Faraway is a fantasy story that features a happily married woman with two children whose one sorrow is that her mother died when she was only eight. While cleaning out the attic she rescues a cardboard box, a box her last Christmas present from her mother was in. When she accidentally breaks a light bulb in the attic, she steps into the box to avoid stepping on the glass and is somehow transported back to her childhood landing in the box.

Yes, this is time travel, but Helen Fisher does not bother coming up with an explanation for how it works or why. As to the butterfly effect, well, in this version of time travel, the things she changes are necessary to bring about her future, so she’s quite blithe about it. Of course, she finds out some shocking facts about her mother’s death.

For some reason, she is more comfortable telling a client at work than her husband that she is time-traveling, so they work together to solve some of the problems of time-travel such as the rough landing. This struck me as ludicrous.

Can Faye save her mother? Did her mother even die? If Faye goes back again, what if she can’t get back? These are the questions facing Faye.



Faye, Faraway is one of those rare books that get worse the more you think about it. It seems like Fisher wrote this to make a point about faith and yet, I think the point she made is contrary to the one she intended. As to the book, this is one of those books that has the author telling us every last thought Faye has. It’s all telling, little showing, and I longed for a less indecisive, dithering, inane voice. While Faye was appealing at first, by the middle of the book, I really didn’t care what happened.

I received an e-galley of Faye, Faraway from the publisher through NetGalley.

Faye, Faraway at Gallery Books | Simon & Schuster
Helen Fisher on Twitter

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