Far and Away is a perfect book to add to your beach bag. The story of a home exchange between Berlin and Dallas reveals cultural differences and multigenerational attitudes in a most entertaining fashion. It will appeal to women of any age looking for a fun easygoing book.

In Dallas, on the eve of her eldest son’s high school graduation, Lucy is devastated to find out that a scandal has happened and her son is not going to graduate. On the other side of the world in Berlin, Greta is astounded to find out that her husband has taken a job in Texas without any input from Greta. In a strange chain of events, these two women decide to do a house swap situation as Lucy is trying to outrun her problems and Greta is just trying to keep her marriage afloat. The result is a dual point of view fish out of water situation in which chaos definitely ensues for both women.

I thought this was a super cute entertaining read. I enjoyed the dual POVs, and appreciated the growth of both of the main characters. Sometimes the pacing was a bit lacking and it felt a bit contrived, but what brought this book together was the third act and how all the characters intertwined. I loved the ending, which left me feeling very content. Definitely recommend it if you enjoy a light and fun read that involves some strong women who are doing what is best for their families. 3.75/5 Stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I kept reading about how this was one of THE books of the summer, so I tried to give it the best chance I could, but I just could not get into it and wasn't able to finish. Definitely wish it moved a bit faster

Thank you Atria and Simon Audio for review copies!
Read if you like heartwarming family dramas, dual POVs, and stories where strong women take charge, grow, and sometimes accidentally swap lives. Far and Away is like a cozy holiday movie with a twist—two women from opposite sides of the world (Texas and Germany) exchange homes for the summer, bringing their messy families, miscommunications, and unexpected friendships along with them. I adored the quirky Holt family, found Greta completely endearing, and fell hard for Jack and Mason—yes, the women shine, but the men hold their own too. While the pacing lags here and there and some parts felt a bit convenient, the third act pulls everything together beautifully, ending with the kind of satisfying emotional payoff that left me smiling (and maybe a little teary-eyed). From laugh-out-loud moments to sincere reflections on marriage, motherhood, and second chances, Poeppel nails the balance of humor and heart. The full cast audiobook is fantastic and made the multiple POVs easy and engaging—I couldn’t stop listening and now I miss them all.

As a fan of the author's previous works, this was a little disappointing to me. I found the characters and little hard to connect with, the German phrases distracting, and some of the situations silly. However, I enjoyed the humor and lightness to the stoeylines and didnt have trouble finishing.

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel is a whip-smart, heartwarming, and delightfully chaotic novel that proves sometimes the best way to find yourself is by living someone else’s life—literally.

When Lucy and Greta, two women on the brink of personal implosions, impulsively agree to a house swap between Dallas and Berlin, they’re hoping for a clean break. What they get instead is a hilarious and poignant culture clash filled with smart homes, schnitzel, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. Lucy’s suburban life is unraveling after her son’s scandal, while Greta’s carefully curated art-world reputation is on the line thanks to a possibly fraudulent Vermeer. Add in a missing husband (maybe on Mars?), a hot Viking ex, and a cast of quirky neighbors, and you’ve got a story that’s as emotionally rich as it is laugh-out-loud funny.

Poeppel’s signature blend of wit and warmth shines here. She juggles multiple POVs and plotlines with ease, crafting characters who are flawed, lovable, and deeply relatable. The novel explores motherhood, reinvention, and the messy beauty of starting over—with just the right amount of gin and jet lag.

Perfect for fans of *Where’d You Go, Bernadette* and *The Switch*, *Far and Away* is a summer read with brains, heart, and a passport full of surprises.

What a delightful read from Poeppel! Loved the foreign travel/cultural differences, relationship ebbs and flows, and interwoven story lines among the two families and side characters. A great summer read!

Lucy's (in Dallas TX) and Greta's (in Berlin) lives fall apart at nearly the same moment, and for both of them, an opportunity to swap houses for respite from their disappointments seemed like a great idea (especially after a few drinks). When reality sets in after the impulsivity and hangovers, the house swap ends up being just what both families needed to heal from the unanticipated directions life is taking them.

I adore Amy Poeppel's books, and am always eager to read the next and newest. This one did not disappoint at all - I immediately connected with the characters and ended up staying up past my bedtime to finish it. Full of humorous situations, but realistic enough that the reader can be very empathetic, makes this a perfect summer break book. I love all the chance encounters, crossed paths and coincidences. Grab this one (and any other titles by this author) if you are looking for a realistic fiction about the struggles of mom-life and dealing with family dynamics and challenges in modern day society.

This was Holiday movie but make it exchange for family. We have Lucy's family that experienced a scandal and in need to get away. At the same time, Greta in looking for a place to live while her husband reaches in Texas.

They exchange homes for the summer and we see their lives unfold in Texas and Germany.

The story is full of laughs and miscommunication.

The full cast of narrators (Patti Murin, Lisa Flanagan, Jennifer Jill Araya, Kevin R. Free, Pete Simonelli) made it easy to follow the different POV.

Thank you @simonaudio @atriabooks for a copy of the book.

I really love Amy Poeppel and this is one of my faves of hers. It’s just the right level of light without being superficial and I loved how the settings/cultures were characters too. The characters were so well done and relatable and interesting and I felt compelled by all of them. The book was also just a fun good read. I flew through it in a day. Overall it manages to be exactly what it was intended to be and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Great story about 2 families who in the midst of crisis find each other and create a beautiful bond. I loved the interaction between all the characters and the families.

A fun heartwarming big book of a novel about a house swap gone away. Tborpughly enjoyed ab dhated to see it end.

While I had high hopes for this book, it ultimately fell short for me. Lucy's husband is away for six months in a NASA experiment and their 17 year old, brilliant son is implicated in a huge scandal. She is a social pariah and his whole future is in peril. Greta is a German art collector and is struggling with a newly empty nest. When her summer in NYC with her daughter is cancelled and her husband decides to take a short term faculty position in Dallas, she is left untethered. After a night of drinks with her sister, Greta takes a chance to house swap with her sister's acquaintance in Dallas.

There are funny cultural clashes and heartfelt moments of connection. But, at the end of the day, the plot wasn't at all feasible and there were too many side plots that distracted from the main story. And, as lifelong traveler, stories of implausible travel and missed connections is awfully anxiety producing and distracted from the plot.

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Far and Away.

I loved Poeppel's Musical Chairs and Far and Away was just as enjoyable. It centers on 2 women, 1 German and.1 from Texas, who swap houses for various reasons. The characters were charming and it was just an entertaining, easy read. Loved getting to know both families and the culture shock they both experienced was so fun. Highly recommend if looking for a heartwarming, lighter summer read with some substance. I am excited to read more of Poeppel's backlist! Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 3.75 stars.

Unfortunately this is a miss for me. Women's fiction is either hit or miss depending on how relatable the characters are and how cliche the plot and themes are. This one has a ton of miscommunication which can either be quirky or aggravating. For me it fell into the aggravating bucket. Cute concept if you like house swap stories but it's a very surface level introduction to the characters and the humor almost felt entirely forced.

Lucy's life is taking a big twist. Her son, who is supposed to be graduating on the weekend, is expelled and becoming the town pariah. He honestly didn't do anything wrong. He makes a graph about how much it would take some of the girls in his class to go out with him. It gets turned around into someone saying he was giving the girls a price on themselves. Her husband is on Mars, not really, that's what they call his project with NASA in New Mexico. She is at wits end when she sees a Facebook post about switching homes with another family in Berlin. Thinking she can ride out the scandal, she says okay. She flies her son, twin daughters and herself to Berlin and the couple from Berlin, Greta and Otto comes to Dallas. Culture shock! They were supposed to be spending the summer in New York but their plans are upended and he ends up working at a medical office in Dallas instead. Otto adapts amazingly well, Greta, not so much. So much change for both families. I loved their progressions and how they really got to know just what they were capable of.

You can never go wrong with Amy Poeppel! One of my very favorite writers. She scores again with this lovely novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for this copy for review.

This book gave me major The Holiday vibes—comforting, fun, and full of heart—but with a fresh, clever twist all its own. It reads like a mini vacation: warm, hilarious, and filled with characters you’ll actually want to spend time with. It’s a joyful, moving celebration of women’s lives in all their strength, messiness, and complexity, with lovely threads of family, identity, and reinvention woven throughout. Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

My favorite read of Summer so far!! Far and Away by Amy Poeppel is a breezy, heartfelt summer story with a quirky house-swap twist that just clicks. Picture this: a Dallas mom escapes a scandal-magnet son by swapping homes with a Berlin family—no plan, just a desperate need for a fresh start .

I really loved The Sweet Spot and I've been in a bit of a slump so I'm really looking forward to this.

Eh, this did not live up to The Sweet Spot for me. I didn't fall in love with the characters as much. I did like how it ended though.

Greta and Lucy are each at turning points in their lives. Greta needs to quickly find a place to live in Dallas and Lucy needs to get out of Dallas quickly. So, with that connection, and not really any due diligence, they trade homes. As you might expect, both with the creativity of Ms. Poeppel and the circumstances of the home exchange, all kinds of craziness ensues. You can always count on Ms. Poeppel for an entertaining and creative novel!
The book has a little bit of everything, including both young and older mean girls, Themes of women inventing themselves as they grow older (typically seen in Ms. Poeppel's novels) are present in this one as well. A few of the storylines were a bit far fetched and the ending wrapped everything up a bit too nearly. But, Far and Away was an interesting and entertaining book and I especially liked the glimpses into life in Dallas and Berlin.
Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read Far and Away. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.