title: Far and Away
author: Amy Poeppel
publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
publication date: June 10, 2025
pages: 400
peppers: 1 (on this scale)
warnings: none
summary: When Lucy's son Jack's life blows up just before his high school graduation (which doesn't happen because he gets expelled), she impulsively swaps apartments with the sister of a long-ago friend in Berlin. Greta, who follows her husband Otto to his new job in Dallas, is surprised by Lucy's house and pets and life.
tropes: This isn't a romance, and it's not really trope-heavy. It's very trading-places, if that counts as a trope.
what I liked:
- characters of multiple generations
- dealing with real issues at every age
- snappy dialogue and humor
- clever details
what I didn’t like: honestly, I almost stopped reading after the first couple of chapters. I was confused and not engaged. (To be fair, I was sick with pneumonia and might not have been my most attentive, open-hearted self.) Then, I got completely into it and ended up loving the book.
overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)