Tuesday 6 May 2014

Review: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Indigo
Publication Date: March 27th 2014
My rating: 3 stars


Nine months. Two weeks. Six days. That's how long recovering addict Sophie's been drug-free. Four months ago her best friend, Mina, died in what everyone believes was a drug deal gone wrong - a deal they think Sophie set up. Only Sophie knows the truth. She and Mina shared a secret, but there was no drug deal. Mina was deliberately murdered. Forced into rehab for an addiction she'd already beaten, Sophie's finally out and on the trail of the killer - but can she track them down before they come for her?

Far From you really was a much different book to what I was expecting. Seriously don’t let the pretty little cover fool you, it was a dark gritty book, but one which took me by surprise in many aspects. 

Sophie had to deal with a lot in her life, she’s been left with a dodgy leg since she found herself in a car accident and then she found herself hooked on pain medication and now she’s lost her best friend. The worse thing is that Sophie can’t do anything about it, as everyone seems to assume that she was back on drugs again, her parents don’t even allow her to prove her innocence by being re-tested and showing she’s clean, just having the drugs on her is all they need to assume she’s guilty. But once Sophie’s finally out of her rehab facility, she wants to get to the bottom of the truth. What happened to Mina that unfortunate night?

I really enjoyed the way Sharpe flicked between the chapters, by giving us snippets of Sophie’s past and the present day. Also these snippets weren’t ordered by their date as well, sometimes we were given snippets to four years ago, and then to two years ago, some may have found this jumping from scene to scene a little confusing, but I think that the scenes fitted in perfectly together. They were perfect in giving you a back story of Sophie’s character, of her relationship with Mina and her brother Trev, but also a better understanding of why things were the way they were. And the snippets worked perfectly in unravelling parts of Sophie’s story, there was a lot of that we didn’t know about, so I enjoyed uncovering bits piece by piece.

 The mystery behind Mina’s death was also wonderfully written too. With Far From you, it was one of those books where I didn’t discover who the killer was until the very end, I had made some guesses along the way, but I ended up being way further from the truth. Sharpe also wonderfully weaved some heart breaking romance into the story, again I was quick to make assumptions about who had romantic feelings with one another and who were likely end up together, but I liked the alternative romantic relationship we were given, I just wished things had worked out differently.

Far From you was a beautifully written story, it’s a book which will keep you on your toes guessing who the killer could be, but also full with gorgeous heart breaking scenes. I am glad that I gave this story a go, because it is so different to a lot of the books already out there.




21 comments:

maya said...

I have a copy of this on my TBR and it sounds great so I'm really looking forward to reading it. It's good to know that it's well written too - thanks for the review!

Carina Olsen said...

Great review sweetie. <3 I'm glad you liked this book, but sorry you didn't love it. I decided not to read it; after peeking at the ending :p I just want there to be happy romance. Sigh. But I do like dark and gritty books, so hmm. Might read it one day :D Thank you for sharing. <3

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great review, Jasprit! I must say, this book has definitely sparked my interest!

Joy said...

Why do I have a feeling the random time change will confuse me? I'm glad you liked it, Jas. Though I might have to postpone reading this one.

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

I'm all about dark, gritty and powerful novels, so I'm obviously very intrigued by this one, Jasprit! I worry about the change in time by chapters, but I think there's something that could really work in it for me, so I'm definitely going to need to read this! Wonderful review, girl :)

Anonymous said...

I need to pick this up soon! it sounds like an intense thriller, and I'm definitely up for that :D Great review, Jasprit!

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

The flashbacks aren't dated? That makes it a bit more difficult to stay with the story but it does sound like it all pulls together and works well. And poor Sophie! To have to go through all that and have a heartbreaking romance, too? Poor girl.

Anonymous said...

Lovely review, Jasprit. It sounds like the mystery part was very well done and I love it when I can't guess who the murderer is until the very end. I wasn't really going to read this book, but your review has me rethinking my decision. It sounds like a great mystery book. I'll have to check my local library for a copy.

Mel@Thedailyprophecy said...

I like it when authors use snippet's to show situations in the past. It always makes it easy to see the whole picture of a story :) And it's great that the author kept you guessing. The thing I look for in a thriller is the surprise when you finally find out what happened.

Faye M. said...

This book was really complex relationship-wise. The only thing here that didn't work for me was when the killer was revealed! Unlike you, I thought it was too sudden and random, haha. I'm used to mysteries where there is at least a hint, and where the suspect is not only mentioned once and then forgotten. In any case, I'm glad you found this decent overall, Jasprit. The relationship in this one surprised and moved me a lot.

Faye at The Social Potato Reviews

Emma said...

I've seen a lot reviews of this book, both negative and positive. This one is rather like a tug a war with me and I feel that I may not enjoy because of the hype and the story-line as well. Although the mystery and suspense sounds really intriguing, I think its the concept that has me stimey sometimes and I have to be in the right mood to really get to grips with it. Lovely review, Jasprit. Sorry for the rant. Hehe! :)

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I do like darker books, so this sounds like a good fit for me. I'm glad to hear the mystery was one you didn't guess either!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

Sounds like a dark read, and I like that you were kept guessing until the end regarding the killer.

Unknown said...

That cover is tricky! It definitely makes FFY look like a romance. Oh, and I love when I can't guess who the guilty party is until the very end.
Thanks for the review, Jasprit!

Unknown said...

Found lots of mixed reviews on this one, but ultimately glad you enjoyed it!

Melliane said...

It's nice to have something different even if it's not all wonderful. I confess that I wouldn"t have expected a story like that with such a cover either, it can be sometimes a bit tricky... thanks for the review.

Jess said...

I picked this up expecting a really good thriller and whilst I got that I was surprised that I loved the romance and issues more! Couldn't agree more that it's different to a lot of things out there. :)

Unknown said...

Ooh, I love that you actually didn't know the killer until the end. I can usually guess and it kinda spoils the fun of readin it. Love your review!

Amanda said...

Honestly, that cover bores me. But it doesn't sound like it's representative of the book at all, which makes me happy. I like that this apparently is a more atypical sort of story - always a good thing in contemporaries, in my opinion! I'll have to keep this one in mind when I want a darker read. Great review, Jasprit!

Glass said...

Great review, Jasprit. This sounds like something I might like - I love darker reads.

Lauren @ Love is not a triangle said...

I"m glad the mystery kept you guessing to the end! Something about this just sounded so sad to me, so I've avoided it, but I've heard a lot of great things about the story so maybe I will read it one day.

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