Far and Away by Amy Poeppel
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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.
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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.
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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.

Far and Away was such a fun and heartwarming story full of quirky and endearing characters. Amy Poeppel has truly written a delightful and charming story filled with hope, discovery and redemption.

I loved how this story focused on family and trying to get away from current frustrations in life. The story itself is based on a misunderstanding and a job change, from there a very charming cast of characters come together to help each other in so many different ways.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

House Swap
Dallas and Berlin
Quirky Characters
Laugh out loud moments
Tender family moments

I thoroughly enjoyed Far and Away by Amy Poeppel. The story centers around two mature women, Lucy and Greta, who swap homes, one in Dallas, the other in Berlin, mirroring the charming setup of the movie The Holiday. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of characters dealing with marriage, parenting, and the shifting landscape of adulthood.

Watching Lucy and Greta navigate unfamiliar homes, cultures, and communities was both entertaining and thought-provoking. The subplot involving Lucy's son getting into trouble at school added a compelling layer of mystery, as the full story behind his actions slowly unfolded and rippled through the characters’ lives.

This book would be an excellent choice for book clubs, offering lots of material for discussion from family dynamics and friendship to personal growth and forgiveness. I'm already looking forward to Amy Poeppel's next book.

OMG I loved this. I have already purchased a copy for my mom and have told everyone I know to read this. I loved all the characters, and the translation/communication errors had me literally laughing out loud. There were so many parts of this I read to my husband because I needed to share them with someone.

An entertaining story about two families house swapping from different countries. Lucy lives in Dallas with her husband, Mason and three kids. When the oldest, Jack gets into trouble, while Mason is away for six months in a biosphere, Lucy decides they need to get away. Greta’s husband, Otto, has an opportunity to prove his medical paper, which is being questioned, so they leave Berlin to swap houses with the Holts in Dallas. There are laughs, tears and great characters making this an enjoyable escape. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm a sucker for "blended family" stories. I love when unlikely friendships form and one big happy (often happily dysfunctional) family forms!

Lucy Holt and Greta van Bosse could not be more different. Lucy lives in Dallas, Texas and she's somewhat of a free spirit. She's lives in a big sometimes messy house with a husband who works for NASA, three kids, two dogs, three cats, a guinea pig and parents who live next door. Greta lives in Berlin, Germany and she's much more refined. She has a daughter who is off at college and a very quiet, subdued life in an apartment with her husband Otto and lots of very breakable heirloom china. What could possibly go wrong when events in their lives cause them to facilitate a house swap for the summer?!

Far and Away was such an enjoyable read. The character development was excellent and I felt connections to all of the characters by the end of the book. Mason, Lucy's husband, actually became one of my favorite characters even though the poor guy was stuck "on Mars:" and didn't know what was happening with his family for most of the book. And I enjoyed seeing Greta's slightly stiff husband Otto's growth as he flourished in his new job and developed friendships with his work bros and his neighbors in Dallas. And the friendship that develops between Lucy's son Jack and Greta's daughter Emmi and Jack's little sisters was also quite endearing. And no spoilers, but I absolutely adored the epilogue. What a special treat!

Perhaps my one complaint about this book is that all of the German phrases weren't translated, but fortunately I was able to figure out the meaning of most of them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5⭐️
The Holiday but make it Texas/Germany 🫶🏻

- house swap!
- comical
- lots of characters
- German sprinkled throughout
- mild romance
- different points of view
- descriptive settings
- fun text features

This was a fun easy read! At the beginning, I got a tad confused by the many characters, but as you get to know them, it’s easy to keep up. Lots of comical miscommunications during the house swap.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

This book had me laughing and tearing up—sometimes in the same chapter! I didn’t want it to end! Far and Away is everything I want in a contemporary novel: sharp, funny, heartwarming, and just a little chaotic in the best way!

I loved watching Lucy and Greta’s worlds collide through a house swap they agree to without really knowing each other! Lucy heads to Berlin with her kids, desperate for a fresh start after a school scandal back home, while Greta winds up in Lucy’s Texas home—resentful, slightly lost, and definitely not where she expected to be this summer! The situations they each get thrown into are often hilarious (I actually laughed out loud at the email Lucy tries to write in German—chaotic, broken grammar and all), but also so relatable!

One of the funniest parts? Greta thinking Lucy’s husband was in prison because he was “away” at a NASA biosphere for work, that had me laughing very hard! And Lucy trying to squeeze her family into a tiny Berlin flat while juggling her job in a totally different time zone? Totally chaotic and oddly comforting to read!

But what makes this book so lovely is how Lucy and Greta—two women with very different lives—slowly connect and build something real out of all the mess and misunderstandings! Their friendship felt honest and earned!

If you enjoy heartfelt comedies with wit, warmth, and a little bit of mayhem, Far and Away is worth the trip!

If you rewatch The Holiday every year, this book is for you. If you loved the humor of Where’d You Go Bernadette, this book is for you.

Lucy needs to escape the summer in Dallas: her 18 year old son is in crisis, her husband is gone on a 6 month research trip, and the walls seem to be closing in on her. Greta’s husband also longs to escape their life in Berlin and, despite Greta’s reluctance to leave her burgeoning career as an art buyer, she agrees to join him in Dallas for a temporary teaching assignment. The two families exchange homes in a last minute attempt to fix their lives. Both women are running from the circumstances in their lives, but come to understand themselves and those they love much deeper as a result of their summer experiment.

This book was full of the humor of culture shock and a large lovable cast of characters who are rendered in humorous detail. It would make an excellent television show and I can picture all of the characters so clearly. I loved Amy Poeppel’s The Sweet Spot and this one didn’t disappoint.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Amy Poeppel book, and she's now going to be on my list as a go-to when I need to read something uplifting. Lucy Holt's son is implicated in a scandal just before graduating highschool in Dallas, where they live, and the family finds themselves ostracized by former friends and neighbors. In desperation, Lucy decides to swap houses with a total stranger, Greta, in Berlin (where Lucy had spent time as a young adult). Greta is reluctantly agreeing to her side of the swap, following her husband to Dallas for a job opportunity that could be career-changing for him. Both families adapting to their new surroundings makes for endearing, and sometimes funny and heartwarming, scenarios. There are so many levels of relationships that are explored - teen friendships, teen romance, marriage, adult friendships, parent/child bonds - it's a veritable feast of emotions, all ending on the most uplifting and heartwarming notes. Not particularly fast-paced, but a very pleasant read, and a good antidote to the current state of the world.