Y'all I am the biggest Amy Poeppel fan! The Sweet Spot is still my fav, but this was such a fun read! I loved the setting, and these characters! So much fun with the house swap.

DNF at 50%. I honestly could not get into this story. It’s cute and mostly light-hearted, but it’s slow and didn’t hold my attention. Also, the mentions of a Tesla really took me out of the story.

It’s not a bad book, but it wasn’t for me. Others may enjoy this.

Thanks to Atria for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoy this author's writing so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Far and Away. I found this to be a fun and quirky read. There were quite a few characters to keep up with but once you did, the story flowed well. Looking forward to more from the author.

DNF REVIEW • I read Poeppel's SMALL ADMISSIONS a few years ago and thought it was just okay. It didn't click with me, but I truly thought it was a case of being the wrong reader for a particular book. Then, a podcaster I love raved about MUSICAL CHAIRS, and I gave it a go. Not long in, I DNFed. When THE SWEET SPOT came out, I ignored all my bookish instincts and gave it a try. Another DNF.

And the siren song of NetGalley's READ NOW button led us here. And I bet you can guess what I'm going to say next... Poeppel's stories are charming, her characters are quirky and multidimensional, and the way she changes perspective keeps the pace moving. By all accounts, her books should work for me. But there is just something about them that leaves me putting the book down about 20% in, for no clear reason, uninterested in seeing what happens next. I think I'm in the minority, so I would not hesitate to tell another reader to give them a try. This is a case of "it's not you, it's me," and I promise... I've learned my lesson this time.

This is a book with some genuinely relatable characters, and for many, it will likely be a perfect escape read. I personally found that the plot relied a little too much on the miscommunication trope, which ultimately made it difficult for me to continue. After getting about 15% of the way through, I decided to set it aside. While it wasn't the right read for me, I have a feeling the story comes to a very fulfilling, satisfying conclusion for those who stick with it!

Oh, oh, oh! What a treasure of a book.

Far and Away for me felt like serendipitous bookish timing at its perfect peak. I started it while on vacation in Germany and there is truly nothing better than reading a book about travel while you’re on your own adventure exploring new places, but what made this even better was the little bits of German sprinkled throughout, oh my goodness I loved it!

Go into this one blind. Don’t read the synopsis, it gives too much away and if you do decide to pick this up you will be so delighted by all the little plot twists and surprises.

The entire book was the biggest treat but the last few chapters had me grinning and giggling and awww’ing the whole way through. The way that worlds and characters collided, it was just so heartwarming and tender.

If you’re looking for a light, charming and very funny read with a lot of heart and a dose of wanderlust, look no further.

I’ve decided that I love anything amy poeppel writes. The end.

Jk I’ll say more!! FAR AND AWAY is about two women on separate sides of the Atlantic swapping houses for a summer — from Dallas to Berlin. I KNOW! What a combo.

What follows is such a fun and emotional culture shock for the two women and their families. Just like with THE SWEET SPOT, I fell in love with all the characters and chuckled through the shenanigans.

In a similar vein to the movie The Holiday, this story follows two women as they swap homes in Dallas and Berlin and things go hilariously wrong. Lucy is desperate to escape Dallas after her son makes an irreversible mistake that has them all wanting to skip town. Greta finds herself signing up to house swap her beloved flat in Berlin, while tipsy and distraught following her husband Otto’s decision to take a dream job in Texas without discussing it with her first. These women have rushed into this house swap and find themselves, not just moving into each other’s homes, but into each other’s lives. Filled with jet lag, family drama, career moves, culture shock, and scandals, this story will follow Greta and Lucy as they decide whether they can ever go home or if it’s better to stay lost abroad. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it was the perfect summer escape with plenty of humor, heart, and a good dose of wanderlust. A great uplit or uplifting read.

Thank you Atria for my copy. Wow I loved this book!! It completely surprised me in the best way with its sweetness and quirkiness. I enjoyed getting to know these families- their differences, their similarities, their challenges and their joys. The concept of a house swap was really interesting and it was so fun to read this one. I found myself laughing as well as emotional at times.

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel
.
Despite having never met each other, Lucy and Greta agree to house swap for the summer. They each have their reasons for suddenly leaving and each will lend to the hilarity of this story.
.
What I loved:
-Amy Poeppel has this awesome ability to write hilarious stories with lots of heart and this book was no exception.
-I was sucked into both Lucy and Greta’s lives, but I think more so Lucy’s.
-I loved how their stories kept intercepting too.
-The whole story was entertaining and I loved how it ended.
.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m not sure I could ever do a house swap but it lends perfectly to an epic story.

At first blush, this story seemed to be along the lines of the film “The Holiday”. Two families chose to swap homes between Dallas, Texas and Berlin, Germany. Or rather two matriarchs organized it: Lucy and Greta. Lucy is trying to escape a scandal her son is embroiled in, while Greta needs to quickly find housing due to her husband’s last minute job in Dallas. I really enjoyed the cultural aspects of this exchange. You can’t have a more disparate way of life than between Dallas and Berlin! It proved to be a source of much of the humor in the book. I also loved how the author touched on every character, including the children, in meaningful ways. Everyone grew, and even the sadder outcomes felt right and true. I happened to have been traveling to Germany while reading this book which further enhanced my enjoyment!

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This book was interesting, heartfelt, but mostly stressful. The plot leans heavily on a cascade of chaos, where one thing after another goes wrong. That kind of tension felt relentless and exhausting. A lot of the conflict hinges on miscommunication, which I always find hard to accept in a contemporary setting. People are hopping on transatlantic flights with ease, but somehow can’t manage a single text or call? I found the two main characters frustrating at first, but they grew into believable and distinct portraits of two very different women. By the second half, I was more emotionally invested, and even softening to the earnest, feel-good ending. It’s not perfect, but it’s engaging enough. It would be a solid pick for a travel read if you’re looking for something light, a little chaotic, and ultimately heartwarming.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

Far and Away is a comical novel about two women who make rash decisions to run away from their problems and house swap between Dallas, TX and Berlin, Germany. Moving their families to new environments lends itself to a number of humorous encounters.

I have to be honest, Far and Away was not my favorite Amy Poeppel novel. I found the two main protagonists rather reckless and short sighted in the decisions made and while I understand it was for the humor of the story, it simple aggravated me to the point of not wanting to finish the novel. In defense of the women, I also found it interesting that while they didn't directly cause their families' demises, they each immediately felt like it was their responsibility to fix the problems that the men in their lives were creating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

Poeppel delivers exactly the kind of fizzy escapism this premise promises. Lucy flees Dallas scandal while Greta abandons Berlin after her husband Otto secretly takes a Texas job—naturally, they swap houses and lives with predictably chaotic results.
The culture clash humor works beautifully. Watching a proper German navigate Texas suburbia while a Southern belle tackles Berlin bureaucracy provides genuine laughs. Poeppel has a gift for absurd situations that feel organic rather than forced—particularly the subplot involving Lucy's husband's mysterious six-month absence (NASA biosphere or jail, depending on who's telling).
The supporting cast shines: Otto's enthusiastic embrace of Texas life, the teenagers discovering inconvenient secrets, and Lucy's past involving a "hot Viking named Bjørn" all add delightful complications. When Greta's career-defining Vermeer purchase gets questioned, the stakes actually matter.
Sure, it's lightweight, but Poeppel writes with genuine warmth and wit. The friendship that develops between these displaced women feels earned, not manufactured. Perfect poolside reading that's smarter than it needs to be.

I always like how Amy Poeppel takes a seemingly impossible premise and weaves in humor and the delight of found family in it. This one took me a little longer to get into than some of her others, but I really enjoyed the ending.

This was the most ridiculous, but fun story. It felt like the Keystone Cops and their kids left the gates open and complete chaos took over. The word MADCAP comes to mind.

A husband is on a faraway planet and unable to communicate with his family - except that is an untruth, a lie, a fabrication - all of those - and if believed, it is happening as his family is crumbling, deteriorating, self-imploding. But why? I wish there had been more detail on that one brilliant but disastrous event leading to the scandal that is going to turn a teenager’s life upside down and take the rest of his family along for the ride. There is the wife of the husband on the not faraway planet who is the also the mother of the previously mentioned teenager who is trying to hold down her job remotely and maybe covertly while being completely sleep deprived. There is so much more but you should discover the laughs on your own terms.

On another continent, Otto is being dissed by his colleagues and beyond depressed - he can’t get any respect until he finds it, despite it being far from home. He is about to grab his lovely, but distant wife, and whisk her away to the other continent where the husband on the faraway planet resides. By the way, that lovely but distant wife is also smart with a challenging career that is about to be upended. Their challenges are so well told that I was able to feel her disbelief and frustration.

WOW, there is a lot going on, with tangents crossing and veering off and people losing their minds or almost. As I said, ridiculous but fun. Thanks to Emily Bestler Books/Atria and NetGalley for a copy.

Thoroughly enjoyed! Both settings felt very real, as did the stakes. While the ending felt a little trite, it was enough of a "classic romcom vibe" to make it work. 4 Stars.

This was my first book by Amy Poeppel and certainly won't be my last. Far and Away was such a delight to read; it was laugh-out-loud funny, charming, well-written, and full of heart. I just LOVED the ending. At first, I made it a habit to read about an hour per day while on the stairs at the gym, but I just couldn't help myself and pretty much devoured it every chance I got at home (kindle) or while commuting to/from work (audiobook). The audiobook was excellent and I enjoyed the narration!

I received an eARC, for which all opinions are my own, and this review is about 6 weeks overdue, which is entirely my loss. I wish I'd read it sooner because I had so much fun with it! I'm going to suggest it for my next book club :)

I found this story to be slow moving and I had trouble connecting with any of the characters. I love a found family element, but this just missed the mark for me. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

Heartwarming, chaotic, and completely charming, Far and Away is a whirlwind of a story that had me chuckling through the antics and holding back tears by the end.

When two strangers, Dallas mom Lucy and Berlin art curator Greta, agree to a spur-of-the-moment house swap to escape their respective personal crises, neither expects the culture shock, neighborhood drama, and unexpected connections that follow. Lucy is fleeing a scandal involving her son, while Greta is reeling from her husband’s surprise move to Texas. What begins as a desperate escape evolves into a series of overlapping misadventures involving hot Vikings, art world scandals, nosy neighbors, and redemption arcs for nearly every character.

Told through multiple POVs that are easy to follow, this story is full of personality and heart. Was it a little far-fetched? Sure, but that’s part of the fun. Amy Poeppel leans into the chaos in the best way, creating a cast of flawed but lovable characters whose growth and hilarity make the journey more than worth it.

And that epilogue? Absolute perfection, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. A delightful, feel-good read with depth and charm, Far and Away is one of those books that stays with you long after the last page.