FAR FROM YOU by TESS SHARPE

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 written by Tess Sharpe and is Published by Orion Publishing. It is 327 pages and was published on March 27, 2014.

THE FAERYS VIEW

 

Far From You by Tess Sharpe addresses so many of today’s social issues all while keeping a who-dunnit guessing game going of extremely high caliber.  It is extraordinarily heart-wrenching and incredibly thought-provoking.

Sophie was in a terrible car accident with her best friend Mina and Mina’s brother, Trev. The accident caused such severe damage to Sophie’s legs that she became both physically and emotionally addicted to narcotic pain medication. Now, I want to stop right there because the way that Ms. Sharpe delves into the physical and emotional addiction process was remarkable. I applaud the realism in which she explored this very real epidemic. After Sophie returns home from rehabilitation with her aunt, she is with Mina when there is another life altering event. Mina is murdered and Sophie remembers very little of the event. When it is made to look like it’s a drug deal gone bad, Sophie takes to sleuthing.  Danger lurks in strange places and what is found out about Sophie and Mina’s relationship delves into society’s narrow-minded views and the extent that some will go to protect others.

I am not a big fan of flashing back in time. This is a big part of Far From You, and guess what? It works! This is one of the rare times when I enjoyed going back in the past to relive someone’s memories. In this case, it provides fantastic insight into the minds of the characters and what leads the story into the direction it is going. There was nothing written that didn’t have purpose and intent.  

Far From You is a haunting suspenseful thriller that incorporated significant social issues in a true-to-life manner. I look forward to more of Tess Sharpe! She is definitely on my watch list!