ShayKay's Review of Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

Goodreads: Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

Synopsis from Goodreads

A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment. Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family including -

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she's quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family's long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can't help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he's learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can't hurt anyone but him.

Thoughts Before Reading

I really cannot wait to jump into this read. I think it is going to be really interesting. I have no clue where else this book can go other than exploring these three siblings relationship. It is going to be an interesting spin, but very much reality. A lot of siblings do get torn apart from one another throughout the foster care system. I'm really curious about what Grace finds out about her biological mother throughout the book. Plus she is trying to come to terms of giving her own baby up for adoption and I think that also puts another spin on the story. How is Hope going to cope with giving her baby up? How do the siblings meet? Did they always know that the others existed? I wonder how the three siblings will get along with one another, just because you are related by blood these are still a group of strangers. So I'm really intrigued by this book and cannot wait to get into it. I will most definitely update as soon as I get to the middle as usual and we will see what direction the book is going in.

(12/03/2018)

Halfway Through Check-In

*****SPOILERS FOLLOW*****

Okay, I'm kind of obsessed with this book. This is the first book I've ever read that had to deal with this kind of family dynamic, which is 100% actually happens in today's society. I'm really curious as to what Maya will say when she hears about Grace's baby? I mean will she understand why Grace gave her baby up, or will she just explode into a super long tirade about how she was completely wrong for doing it? I can understand why Maya and Joaquin really do not want to find their bio mom. Who would want to find a person that has acted like they didn't want a thing to do with you your whole entire life?! Most people don't even want to talk to someone who acts as they hate them, and then that same person is supposed to be a parent. I wonder Grace can ever get over giving her baby up or find her bio mom. I'm also really curious about Joaquin's backstory. So far I've been getting some tidbits of his past here and there but it is only touching on something bigger, I think. The only character that I've just been more annoyed with is Maya lately and it is mainly because she has the younger kid mentality. She is really obnoxious, but on the other hand, I really do like the whole huge circle of this story so far. Because you have one sibling that stayed in the system, one sibling that was adopted by parents who had the choice to get the older sibling and then also an opportunity to adopt the younger sibling as well, and then you have a sibling who was adopted and the parents had a bio kid right after adopting her. Maya's family dynamic is also getting really interesting because her parents are now talking about getting divorced, and now living separately. Maya can't really be defined as either liking or not liking her because I do like her story I'm just annoyed by her attitude. I really do enjoy all of the different views that are going on within this one family, and I really can't wait to finish this book. I really do not have any complaints about the story so far. I really love the character development, the story, and the purpose of the book so far. The first half is definitely a 5 out of 5 stars! :)

(12/09/2018)

Final Thoughts

This book! It definitely made me do some ugly crying! I loved the story. I think it was written so well, the characters were amazing, and I loved the story. This book also had the perfect ending! I really wish there was a sequel to it because there are some things that I would love to see! For example, I would love to see how Joaquin's life plays out! Does he find his family?! Does he end up with Birdie?! Then what happens with Grace? I would even love spin-off stories instead of one that is all about these three. I did end up loving Maya, even though she made it really hard! I missed her and Claire. However, I do feel as though she needed this time apart to really grow into herself. She ended up being okay, but in the middle, she was CRAZY annoying! I definitely want to read more by Benway in the future, she is an amazing writer! I really can't express how much I truly enjoyed this book. It's been a while since I really felt like I was reading something that was completely intriguing to me.

(12-11-2018)