Far From You - Tess Sharpe

Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Source/Format: Netgalley (Thank you, Disney!) || e-galley
[I received this book for review from the publisher. This in no way affects the thoughts expressed in my review.]

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 (from Goodreads)

Far From You is one of those books surprised me... in a good way. It was thrilling, and convoluted, and twisty, and substantial. Three things really stood out about this novel: (1) main character Sophie, (2) the unusual time jump method of storytelling, and (3) the mystery.

Sophie was incredibly likable, in spite of being a slightly unreliable narrator. What really drew me to her was that she was so full of conviction. She knew the facts about her involvement with drugs, and she knew there was more to Mina's death, and her conviction steered her through this entire novel. With her clever mind, her intimate best friend knowledge of Mina and her sheer determination, she accomplishes more for the murder investigation than even the official detective assigned to the case... even though I wouldn't always necessarily endorse her methods.

The time jumps kept me on my toes, as I had to make sure I was keeping track of when we were in each chapter. It was admittedly confusing initially, but grew easier to identify the more I read of the book. Using this method of story-telling allowed readers to get to know Sophie of the past, including her relationship with other characters in the novel. I love that Sophie's character development, the differences between her then and her now really, felt truly organic because of this method.

I really liked the mystery too! I was right alongside Sophie every step of the way, from when she was gathering evidence to when she would interview people who were potential suspects or witnesses. I honestly could not predict what would happen next, nor did I predict that entirely surprising turn of events at the end.

Did I expect to like Far From You? Yes, absolutely. Did I expect to like it as much I actually ended up liking it? No way. It was a solid mystery tale, with Mina's murder and Sophie's investigation being the point which this novel revolved around. But it also had a great contemporary aspect -- Sophie's friendship with Mina and Mina's brother Trev, her former drug problem and what it did to her family , Mina and Sophie's shared secret -- really stood out as well. It was the kind of mystery-contemporary novel that reads well, and it pleases me that I enjoyed it from beginning to end.