Review: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

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Title: Far From You
Author: Tess Sharpe
Released: March 27th, 2014
Genre(s): Young Adult, Mystery, LGBTQ+, Contemporary
Page Count: 352
Purchase: Amazon - Kindle

Synopsis:
Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.
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My Review:

"It was Mina this whole time, wasn't it?"

I don't know what I was expecting from this book. I bought it on a whim, this gorgeous cover realing me in. I've had this book for the longest time and my app finally chose this book for me to read. After reading the first chapter, I didn't think I was going to like this book. Just the way Sophie interacted with her therapist made me not like her at first. 

When I finally got into the story and over my bad first impression with the main character, I fell in love with this mystery. I thought I had it figured out. I thought I knew who the killer was. I thought. 

"I'll choose you. No matter how hard it is. No matter what people say. 

Every time, I'll choose you. It's up to you to choose me back."

This is an engrossing story of Sophie trying to figure out who murdered Mina. Her best friend. Her secret. I was wondering from the start. I needed to know. Boy, was I wrong about who the killer was. I wasn't expecting that and it left me staring at this book like an idiot. 

This book isn't just about the mystery, though. I think that's what I love. You get to see Sophie fighting with her family. Her family not trusting that she's been clean and will stay clean. You see friendships falter and come back together. You get a glimpse into life before Mina is murdered. There is so much to this book, I'm surprised it was fit in such a small book. 

“But this is the thing about struggling out of that hole you've put yourself in: 

the higher you climb, the farther you have to fall.”

I really enjoyed my time reading this. I just don't think it's five-star worthy. I hate the "scooby-doo" trope, as I call it. I hate that the kids go out looking for the answers and putting themselves in unnecessary danger. I know that without that, this wouldn't have been much of a read. I'm still rating it pretty high. Just not as high as I could have.

I loved the past and present feature in this book. I loved getting to know Mina even though she is dead. I'm not a big fan of their relationship though. I think Mina was an addiction for Sophie. I was not a fan of how Mina seemed to tease Sophie to just go and date a guy. It was abusive. Mina couldn't make up her mind and they both had to suffer. This unintentional abuse from Mina is another reason why this book didn't get five stars. 

Mina did not deserve Sophie. Fight me.

4/5 Stars