Far and Away is an endearing yet quirky house-swap a la The Holiday, but replace Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet with two mothers escaping their own family crises, then plop them in opposite ends of the spectrum; one in Dallas, Texas and the other in Berlin, Germany. There are cultural nuances and lost-in-translation scenes that had me chuckling with knowing.

This novel is mainly told from two points of view; that of renowned art curator Greta, and interior designer Lucy, who could not be any more different. Then about halfway through, we also get a glimpse into the perspectives of their respective college-aged children, Emmi and Jack. 

Unexpected mishaps, adventure, lots of self-discovery and growth all come into play in this epic journey. 

It’s ultimately a lesson that life can change very quickly but also evolve over time; a lesson to never assume — things are not always as they appear, and a lesson that it's okay to change and grow with the various seasons of life. The ending and epilogue tie the story up beautifully, filling my heart and soul with joy. 

𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮:
-Light family drama
-Self-discovery
-Found family 
-Literary travel
-Chick-lit

4.25 ⭐️ Overall

PUB DATE: June 10, 2015
Thank you so much @atriabooks and @netgalley for my complimentary advanced copy. All opinions are 100% my own.

Big life changes happen to two strangers on opposites sides of the world. Greta’s husband accents a year long positions and Southwest Medical Center in Dallas. He can’t commute since he and Greta live in Berlin, Germany. Lucy needs to get her family out of Dallas for the summer, so these two strangers swap houses. “Far and Away” is such a fun read about miscommunication, cultural differences, community and family.

It is so much fun reading a book that part of it takes place in a place you know. Must read!

Thank you NetGalley & Atria/Emily Bestler Books #FarAndAway #NetGalley

Thanks to Atria Books and Simon Audio for the gifted copies! 4.5 stars

This is classic Amy Poeppel — if you’ve enjoyed her previous books, you’ll probably like this one too. It leans more into family dynamics than some of her earlier work, but still delivers the ensemble cast, LOL moments, and sharp insights we’ve come to expect from her.

The story starts a little slowly as the characters are introduced and the scenes are set, but once I found my footing, I was fully invested. By the end, I didn’t want it to be over! Every character felt SO real and well developed, which is no small feat in an ensemble novel. As expected, there are a few different storylines unfolding throughout the book, and I loved and felt invested in them all without getting confused on who was who. It was so satisfying to see how everything came together in the end!

Highly recommend for fans of family dramas with humor, ensemble stories, and Amy Poeppel novels in general!

Audio: I absolutely loved the audiobook! It’s performed by an ensemble cast led by Patti Murin and Lisa Flanagan, and each voice fits the character perfectly. Ensemble novels can sometimes be tricky in audio format, but with such distinctive and strong performances, I never lost track of who was who.

I absolutely loved Far and Away and it has reminded me that I definitely need to work my way through Amy Poeppel's backlist since this is only the second book I've read of her's.

Living in Germany, Greta is getting ready for a year in New York for her husband's sabbatical. But, when his university changes things at the last minute, their plans change and they are heading to Dallas with no where to stay. In Dallas, Lucy is planning for her son Jack's high school graduation party, until a math formula he created ends up in the wrong hands, and he is in a lot of trouble with his school. With her husband participating in a NASA experiment where she can't even reach him, Lucy decides a trip away from Dallas is what her family needs and her and Greta swap houses.

The way Poeppel wrote all of the characters in the book, their personalities really leapt off the page and I felt like I knew them all. As they were navigating life in their temporary residence it was done with so much heart and humor. The Greta and Lucy that entered Texas and Germany, were not the same characters as the story evolved and I really loved the journey that they both went through. The side characters were an excellent addition, especially with Greta's husband embracing all that Texas had to offer and he was hysterical in his newfound love of Costco.

Far and Away
By Amy Poeppel
Release Date: 6.10.25

Thank you @atriabooks for an e-ARC of Far and Away!

We are following two main characters named Greta and Lucy that are complete strangers from different parts of the world. Both characters are seeking an escape and end up taking. Part in a house swap with one another. They quickly find that their ways of life are the complete opposite, yet they share so much.

For fans of the movie The Holiday, this lighthearted novel explores themes of self-discovery and reinvention, community and belonging, overcoming obstacles, while being charming and humorous. A great read to escape.

There are some scenes that are a bit "out there" 😉 but still a great read. I would even be interested in seeing this become a movie adaptation (modern day The Holiday).

Amy Poeppel fans will find everything you are looking for here: hilarious observations, a big cast of messy characters, and a satisfying resolution. Recommended for summer reading!

After a scandal in their hometown of Dallas, Tx involving her son, a senior in high school, Lucy decides she needs a change and enters a house swap. Meanwhile, in Berlin, Otto is offered a job opportunity in Dallas. What follows is a very quirky story about the house swap and the many ways the families change during their time away from their homes. While this was difficult to read at first, I’m so glad I kept going. I ended up really enjoying the characters’ interactions and most of the many subplots.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Two strangers swap houses: Greta comes to Dallas, TX, with her husband Otto, and Lucy brings her three children to Berlin, Germany. These two ladies switch houses for the summer, each with their reasons for leaving their homes. Greta, to support her husband's new job, and Lucy, to remove her children from a rocky social situation.

I had a rough time at the beginning of this novel. The story felt a bit too quirky at first, and I wasn't sure I'd want to continue reading. However, it picked itself up a bit later, and by the end, I had really enjoyed the journey. There's a lot of characters and a lot going on, and you'll have to use your Kindle translator for the German talk (which was fun!), but hang in and it will pick up.

4.5 stars.

After having read and loved this author’s previous novel, The Sweet Spot, I knew I had to read this one. I’m glad I did.

Told in a dual location/dual POV, this story about found family, parent-child relationships, friendship, taking chances, and romance, had a lot of heart.

Although it had a bit of a slow start, I was soon wrapped up in the story and its very likeable main characters. There were many secondary characters to keep track of at first but they were such a great addition. A couple of plot points were a bit far fetched but the charm of the story and the storytelling made that only a minor quibble for me. The ending was very satisfying and the epilogue was so heartwarming. I turned the last page with a smile on my face.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I had a little trouble getting into this book at first, but probably about halfway through it picked up and I enjoyed it. There was a lot going on in the book but I think most of the problems seemed to be wrapped up in the end. The one issue that was never really addressed in terms of how everything was handled was what happened to the parents who were super upset and trying to kick the twins out of Rockwell? The three students came and apologized in the end but it never seemed like the parents ended their crusade and I wish there would have been some kind of acknowledgment of what happened when they moved back to Dallas. Overall, I enjoyed this story!

This was a cute story about two families who house swapped last minute and how their lives unfold and intertwine from there. It took awhile to get into the story, but it tied up very nicely. There are several characters that are well developed, although the story is told in a dual location/two main POV. Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC.

This wasn't my favorite Amy Poeppel of all time but even being my not favorite of hers doesn't mean it wasn't still great! I love how she weaves together families, stories and all sorts of drama that you could never anticipate. And yet, she gets to the end and everything is resolved (even if not perfectly) in the way it should be! Definitely add this to your TBR!!

Far and Away comes out next week on June 10, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

The students involved in the scandal that spring may have been Rockwell's best and brightest, but most kids at the school didn't even know who they were. Lucy found out who was involved when her son texted: D + R + S + me = big trouble.
She was having lunch at Haywire on McKinney, sitting between Bryn and Harper, the impressive young CEOs who had hired her only six months before. She found them intimidating. Lucy worked remotely, and twice this powerhouse duo had flown her to their chic headquarters in LA for an in-person meeting. But today they had come all the way to Dallas just to see her. Lucy had no idea why.

This book started off very slow for me. I had to put it down for a while and come back to it. The premise was weird and the situations were reaching.

It felt like there were a lot of moving parts. You didn’t just have these two families swapping houses. You had their parents, siblings, in-laws, bosses, kids, friends of kids, neighbors, exes and their families all involved. It was… a lot.

There was also a lot of traveling back and forth to try and keep track of. Who was where? Why? And how can they all afford day of cross Atlantic flights?!

Overall it was a fine read, if you could keep all of the stories and characters straight. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Just because we’re living in each other’s houses doesn’t mean we have to get involved or wrapped up with these people.”

If someone handed me a copy of Far and Away with the author’s name redacted, I would have a guessed within the first chapter that it was another fun novel by Amy Poeppel!

Lucy from Dallas and Greta from Berlin haphazardly enter into a house swap agreement under different circumstances but with the same sense of urgency. Their family and professional situations are as different as their cultures but they have more in common than they imagine. Their families bounce back and forth over the Atlantic as they come to terms with big hurdles and unavoidable change. Ms. Poeppel’s signature cast of chaotic and lovable characters have the best intentions along with questionable choices, my favorites being some of the supporting players.

Normally the miscommunication trope doesn’t work for me, especially combined with a social media element but the archetype floats above the surface and what lies beneath kept me fully invested.

If you have an affection for The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary and/or the Nancy Meyers movie The Holiday, this new novel might be a perfect summer read!

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

As she’s preparing for family from out of town to arrive to celebrate son Jack, Lucy gets a call from the school. When she arrives in a panic, it’s to find her sweet, sensitive son has been expelled on the eve of his high school graduation.

What she’s sure is a misunderstanding turns into a full blown scandal that’s destroying their lives.

And she can’t consult her beloved husband, Mason, because he’s working with NASA and is incommunicado for six months.

On the other side of the world in Germany, we meet Greta and husband, Otto. Otto has had an embarrassing situation at work, causing him to lose a fellowship, but he has found a university that wants to support his research. In Dallas.

And while Greta is surprised by this unexpected plan, she wants to support her reserved husband, and so agrees. What she didn’t expect was for Otto to embrace Texan culture so fully.

So like our favorite girls in The Holiday, these two women agree to a house swap for the coming months.

What happens next unfolds in dual POV as myriad characters - all fishes out of water - find themselves thrown together and wrenched apart until a heartwarming conclusion that will leave you grinning.

If you’ve enjoyed her previous work, like The Sweet Spot, this will thrill you! Poeppel has a talent for creating a large cast of characters and imbuing them with individual personalities, crises, and desires. Everyone is so charming in this farcical romp about a house swap gone somewhat awry.

What I love best is Poepple’s ability to create characters who are so dissimilar as to have no reason to even be in the same atmosphere but end up as found family, people who love, support, and accept one another despite differences.

Poeppel is an autoread author for me and if you like big, messy, character dramas, do not miss this one!

Amy Poeppel’s signature charm and whimsy SHINES in this delightful story of two families needing a change - and getting more than they bargained for in a home swap! This book has everything: illicit (and I’ll-planned) trips across the Atlantic and country lines, a smart home system that won’t stop playing Goodbye Earl, math formulas for nerdiness, a house full of animals and no one to clean up after them, an art-world mystery for the ages, a mars-simulation and the hot astronaut living in it, a hotel that looks like a brothel, German indie rock music, and so much love, of all kinds - romantic, platonic, familial, wonder at the world- and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Through all manner of complications, Texan Lucy needs to make a quick escape out of the country with her three children, and impulsively swaps houses (a la the holiday) with Berliner Greta who needs to be in Texas with her husband for his job. The small intersections and interactions bring their two families together - maybe closer than they had anticipated - as they adjust to their new settings and try to make sense of their circumstances. I found myself so engrossed in this world and the tangled web of connections as I was reading, and cannot even begin to state how much of a fun lil romp this was! Lucy and Greta’s unlikely friendship is at the heart of both of their journeys - encouraging and supporting each other to make the choices they need to make for themselves, their children, and their husbands (mostly in that order)!

As wild and goofy as the plot is, what really drew me in here was the characters!! Our main players Greta and Lucy felt so grounded in reality and represented different needs of middle aged women - Lucy on the familial side and Greta on the relational side! The other characters that really drew me in were Lucy’s son Jack (wrongfully accused of sexist behavior and all around gentle soul) and Greta’s husband Otto (a slightly older man who just really blossomed in Texas, went full Buddy Garritty). However; the character I felt most connected to was Greta’s daughter Emmi, who felt like the emotional center of the story and (I think) got the best deal of all in the end!!

This would be a good one to read on kindle, as I took major advantage of the translation tool to understand all the wildly long German words (with too many consonants)! Thanks so much to Amy Poeppel and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook galley and to Simon Audio for the audio galley.

I have to admit I wasn't sure about this book at first, it took me a minute to get into the characters and the storyline. But in the end, I found this book to be a very beautiful and moving story with lots of humor (I laughed out loud several times!) I ended up finishing this book in a day. This book is read by a full cast including Patti Murin, Lisa Flanagan, Jennifer Jill Araya, Kevin R. Free, and Pete Simonelli. I was familiar with the female narrators but not the male ones. However, I would listen to audiobooks narrated by any and all of them in the future. Overall, if you are looking for a story with a lot of heart and humor, I definitely recommend this book and I can't wait to see what Amy Poeppel writes next!

Thank you Atria Books for my #gifted copy and thank you Simon Audio for my #gifted listening copy of Far and Away! #AtriaPartner #atriabooks #AtriaInfluencer #simonaudio #FarandAway #amypoeppel

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐥
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧, 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧, 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚, 𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐑. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟱★

Heartwarming, hilarious, chaotic, charming! This was seriously so much fun! Two women swap houses to escape their already messy lives. What could go wrong? You guessed it…more chaos! Poeppel developed the most amazing characters in Lucy and Greta and I fell in love with this storyline! There was so much humor and heart blended into this beautiful story and I loved how it also blended two cultures as well. If you’re looking for a book that will have you falling in love with every character, this is one you will not want to miss!

🧳House Swap
✈️Dallas & Berlin
🧳Quirky Characters
✈️The Holiday Vibes
🧳Characters you will LOVE
✈️Heart & Humor

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which predominantly narrated Patti Murin and Lisa Flanagan but also included Jennifer Jill Araya, Kevin Free and Pete Simonelli. I LOVED this one on audio. It was so easy to follow and I loved having the distinct voices narrate this one! You are in for a real treat if you listen to this with Murin, Flanagan and crew! I cannot recommend this one enough!

Posted on Goodreads on June 5, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around June 5, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on June 10, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Far and Away" is another delightful, heartwarming book by Amy Poeppel! Like in her other novels, we follow a hilarious and sweet cast of characters navigating family, career, and relationship drama. I had such a wonderful time reading this book; it felt like a hug and a belly laugh in novel form. Highly recommend!

A gem! Lucy's life and that of her son Jack is turned upside down when he uses math to rank the possibility that various female classmates would agree to date him. Oh and her husband is unreachable because he's in a biosphere meant to replicate Mars. SO what to do but take Jack and her twi daughters and flee from Dallas to ...Germany. More specifically to Greta's apartment because Greta also needs to move to Dallas for her husband Otto's job. Two women who could not be more different find themselves navigating a changed landscape. Simple, right? Well, there are other interesting issues here such as Greta's work as an art consultant and a Vermeer painting. And Bjorn (no spoilers). Poeppel has created a lively universe with two highly atmospheric settings-she nails both Dallas and Berlin-but more important are her characters. Yes Greta, Lucy and Jack but also Lucy's parents, Otto, Emmi, and rest are all terrific. This is so much more than I expected. The storytelling is great and it's got a huge heart. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend.