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“But my heart isn't simple or straightforward. It's a complicated mess of wants and needs, boys and girls: soft, rough, and everything in between, an ever-shifting precipice from which to fall.��

As soon as I started this book I knew it was the book for me. Far From You immediately places you into a setting thats a little gritty, with characters who are a little rough around the edges and honestly? thats what is great about this. I immediately draw comparisons with this book and Netflix' Riverdale - not all of it, but in the kind of gritty aesthetic, but most of all the way the murder is framed.

Far From You follows recovering drug addict Sophie - who's best friend and also girl she was in love with Mina was murdered four months ago. Sophie, determined to uncover the truth about Mina's murder launches an investigation of her own, leading her to uncover some of her towns deep dark secrets.

I really liked Far From You as a mystery. It definitely drove me to keep reading and to start questioning every character. but what I really liked about it was the characters. Especially Sophie, the main character. She's the kind of badass woman I absolutely dig in YA - not afraid to throw a punch, not here for anyone's shit. I loved her friendships with the women around her, and I loved the representation of her as a bisexual woman. I thought this aspect of identity was well written. Sophie also dealing with being in recovery for her drug addiction, as well as her disability, but I liked how these aspects of her identity were presented. Sophie fights everyday, and her strength and perseverance was, to me, a highlight. Sophie is also a disabled character with chronic pain and this review talks a little about that rep from a more personal perspective.




Far From You felt needed to me. Yes, the mystery element has been done before - but the centring of such a strong, queer woman really made me so happy.

However, there are some elements I did not think were perfect. I do think the middle slumped a little, just before the investigation really starts to pick up. I also found the timeline confusing at times, and the flashbacks jarring. I don't like when flashbacks take me out of the action, I critique this in soo many books so I think it's just me, but it does mess me up. I also think the representation ethnicity wise was lacking - I would have liked to see more people of colour. Finally, while I loved the process of the investigation, I personally wasn't satisfied with the reveal. (view spoiler)[I felt that the character was kind of thrown in and so I didn't feel shock it was them because I had no reason to question their motives prior to the reveal (hide spoiler)]

“We walk into the rest of our lives together, not knowing it'll end before it's truly started.��

Overall, Far From You is gritty, compelling and centres a nuanced protagonist. The focus on diverse representation paired with the investigation and mystery plots was the perfect blend for me, and I loved that this book was so dark and there was an imminent sense of danger throughout.