I express my gratitude to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read a digital advanced reader’s copy (ARC) of “Far From You” by Tess Harper. "Far From You" was published in April 2014; however, I'm just getting around to reading it and writing a review. Now, I find myself wondering why I delayed reading this mystery novel.

The plot of “Far From You” centers on Sophie, a 17-year-old returning home after a second stint in drug rehabilitation. Upon her return home, Sophie tries to solve the mystery behind her best friend, Mina’s, death. Was the murder caused by a drug deal gone wrong? Mina died; why did Sophie live? The narrative is told in alternating timelines with Sophie’s account of present-day events interspersed with flashbacks of past events.

I enjoyed this mystery and thought the author did an excellent job with the character development of Sophie, Mina, Mina’s brother Trev, and a host of secondary characters. Sophie and Mina’s friendship began when they were 7 years old, and as the novel progressed, I could feel Sophie and Mina’s struggles, their love for each other, and their friendship. Initially, I had difficulty adjusting to the alternating timelines of events that occurred three years ago, then two years ago, one year ago, and then the present. However, this technique provided me with insight into the characters and created an understanding of their struggles, angst, and the impact of their actions on their family members and friends as the mystery unfolded.

The narrative kept me engaged, filled with twists, turns, and surprising reveals. I must admit, the person I thought was the killer was not, but the revelation was surprising. I highly recommend this book to both teens and adults.

3.5/5 stars

If you like good mystery books and want one with a surprisingly passionate (and unconventional) romance, then I highly recommend Far From You! Even if the ending wasn't my favourite, this was still a great book to read. I think one of the best things it has going for it is that it's different. It's not like anything else I've read lately, especially when you find out what that 'secret' is! ;)

Well damn. I had this book sitting in my unread books for a while now. When I started reading it I completely forgot what it was about but figured it out when I started. Sophie has had some crappy moments in her life where she almost died. What it has left her with though is being known as a drug addict and a liar. But she knows her friend was murdered and she is trying to uncover who murdered her friend.

This book kept my interest and I flew through it to find out who killed Sophie's friend.

This book was awesome. I really enjoyed the characters and all the twists and turns. As a person that's always been hooked on books and movies of this nature, I find myself figuring things out to quickly and ruining the surprise for myself but Far From You wasn't easy to figure out so it gets major points for me. I was shocked when the truth was revealed and it was a great twist!

I remember how pleasantly surprised I was by this book. From the plot to the characters to the surprise reveals, I was invited in these characters and their lives. There were so many moments where my heart went out to Sophie because of everything she had to deal with. I obviously can't say what she dealt with as that would be a spoiler but I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Good suspense, handles difficult issues in a non-threatening way. Didn't read it when it first came out, but purchased for my library. Feedback from a teen who raved about it prompted me to finally read it. I will certainly recommend it to other teens, especially those familiar with the struggles of the main character.

This title ended up being darker than I anticipated. It was not working for me so I will note be rating or reviewing. Thank you.

A well-written and enjoyable book, I am glad I requested this title and will be more than happy to pass the title along to my fellow library purchasers.