Review: Far From The Tree - Robin Benway

Far From The Tree by Robin Benway, published by Simon and Schuster on 8th February 2018

Goodreads synopsis:
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.

Review:
'Far From The Tree' is a contemporary YA novel which made me cry. Have your tissues handy for this one!

I have to admit that although I really love Robin Benway, I wasn't overly excited about the premise of this book when I first picked it up. It just didn't particularly strike a chord with me.  I picked it up and put it down a number of times before finally settling down to read it and then I quickly became completely immersed in the story and the characters. 

The third person perspective, alternates between the three main characters.  There's 16 year old Grace, 15 year old Maya and soon to be 18 year old Joaquin.  Their lives are complicated. They're all adopted and at the start of the book, they are just finding out about the existence of each other.  They all have secrets and issues to deal with.  Grace and Maya were both adopted but Joaquin has lived in foster homes his whole life and has never known what it's like to have a real family.  I really loved the character of Joaquin.  He's scared that he will be rejected by people and is always worried about letting people down.  His defence mechanism is to push people away first before they leave him.  His story is sad but also happy.  Life has been rough for him but he discovers throughout the course of the book that he's not alone and he does have people on his side. I enjoyed seeing the three siblings meeting for the first time and following them as they bonded and opened up to each other. 

The book deals with a lot of different issues, such as teen pregnancy, alcoholism, racism and adoption.  It also highlights the complexity of family dynamics.  Families are extremely complicated but ultimately the book shows that families are always there for each other and always willing to help and support each other through thick and thin. The ending of the story was very uplifting and finished on such a positive and upbeat note.

Overall, I thought that 'Far From the Tree' was real and truthful and a good reflection of real life. It has its ups and downs but Robin Benway doesn't sugarcoat anything and shows it as it is. I wish that I hadn't waited such a long time to read it as it turned out to be fantastic and extremely enjoyable.
 

Review: Emmy and Oliver - Robin Benway

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway, published by Simon and Schuster on 16th July 2015

Goodreads synopsis:
Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. But now Oliver is back, and he's not the skinny boy-next-door that used to be Emmy's best friend. Now he's the boy who got kidnapped. A stranger - a totally hot stranger! - with a whole history that Emmy knows nothing about.

But is their story still meant to be? Or are they like the pieces of two different puzzles - impossible to fit together?

Review:
Emmy and Oliver’ is a wonderful contemporary YA novel from an author who is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine.  I thought from looking at the cover art and reading the blurb, that this book was going to be a romance.  It was in part but it was largely a book about friendship and family.  It is about learning to understand and accept each other for who you are, not what someone wants you to be.  It is about learning when to let go and when to hold on.  There are a lot of poignant messages and themes in the story which struck a chord with me.

 

The characters were brilliant, particularly Emmy who I loved from the start, as well as her two best friends Caro and Drew.  Their friendship was epic!  I would have loved a close-knit group like that when I was growing up.  It took me a little longer to warm up to Oliver but that was okay because a bit like Emmy and co, I needed some time to learn more about who he was and to understand the different sides of his personality.  He had definitely won me over by the end of the book. 

 

I adored the small town setting, close to the beach and the sea.  I would love to live in a seaside town like this.  I think the setting helped to illustrate how hard it is for Emmy to follow her own dreams.  She is more than ready to leave behind the protection of her parents but doesn’t want to hurt them in the process.    

 

I enjoyed the story immensely.  It’s quiet and moving and creeps up on you.  It teaches the importance of having good friends and how a good friend can be in your life forever, even if you are not physically together.  I would highly recommend this book.  

Review: Sleuth or Dare - Robin Benway

Sleuth or Dare by Robin Benway, published by Simon and Schuster on 27th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver.

Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo.

Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to bring the wrath of the now corrupt Collective down on all of them. Can Maggie and her "new team" defeat their former allies?

Review:
'Sleuth or Dare' was fantastic and such a fun read.  The second book about Maggie Silver, teenage safecracker and spy, sees her becoming embroiled in a new case which her parents can't help with.  Luckily she has best friend Roux and boyfriend Jesse by her side, as she sets out to prove that her parents didn't steal evidence from the Collective. 

Maggie loves the new people in her life but she's getting bored of nothing exciting ever happening.  Being a spy is in her blood and she misses the danger and adventure that she used to experience on a regular basis.  When trouble comes knocking, she is torn between keeping Jesse and Roux safe and letting them in on her secrets so that they can help her.  Although she is dealing with life and death situations, she also has normal teenage problems to deal with, such as her friend being bullied and her boyfriend wanting her to get to know his family a little better.  If anyone can handle it all though, it's Maggie. 

The story takes on an international slant, when the action moves to Paris.  It was fun to get to know some new characters, such as Ames, Elodie and Ryo and it will be interesting to see if they crop up again in later books in the series.  Ames was a particular favourite of mine and I loved the fact that he and Roux immediately clicked.  Roux deserves somebody special of her own and I think she's finally found that person in Ames. 

Robin Benway is onto a winner with this series.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading about Maggie and her life.  This book was fast-paced and exciting with plenty of romance and adventure to keep me gripped and I absolutely loved it.   

Blog Tour: Spy Society - Robin Benway

I have a great guest post today from Robin Benway who has put together her own 'Spy Society' soundtrack.  There are some fantastic songs here!

Do I have a music playlist for AKA???? Of course I do! I'm always obsessed with making playlists for my books. This one is up at Spotify and 8tracks.

*******

I'm obsessed with making playlists for my books and listen to music constantly while writing them. (Also, for you aspiring writers, making playlists is an excellent procrastination tool!) I always think that if movies can have soundtracks, why can't books?

SPY SOCIETY SOUNDTRACK

1. La Roux, "In For the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Mix)

The book opens with Maggie breaking into a safe in Reykjavík and I listened obsessively to this song while writing that scene. It's creepy and eerie and then kicks into high gear at the very end.

2. The Kills, "What New York Used to Be"

This song is pure Roux. Roux is very New York and very tough...or so she seems. She's the first person Maggie meets in New York and manages to make quite an impression.

3. Charles Trenet, "Que Reste t-il de Nos Amours?"

Whenever I wrote Angelo, I always found myself listening to a lot of Charles Trenet and Django Reinhardt songs. It's very mellow and calm and assured, just like Angelo.

4. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, "Two Against One" (feat. Jack White)

I quote this song in the beginning of "Spy Society", and to me, it's a great description of Maggie and Jesse's first meeting, of Maggie learning to reconcile the two very different parts of her life. "It's just you and me against me."

5. Kasabian, "Club Foot"

The soundtrack song for house parties everywhere. I listened to this at top volume while writing the Halloween party scene.

6. The Sounds, "Goodnight Freddy"

There's a sweet scene between Maggie and Jesse right after the Halloween party and to me, this is what their conversation would sound like.

7. Django Reinhardt, "Please Be Kind"

Another Angelo song. Maggie confides in him when things start to get difficult for her and I always imagined that this is the song that would be playing in the background while they spoke.

8. Rosie Thomas, "Snow Day"

I love Rosie Thomas's songs so much. Without giving too much away, this is the soundtrack for the ice skating scene. I can't say anymore!

9. Hurts, "Unspoken"

Maggie has to have a serious conversation with Jesse.

10. Foxes, "Youth"

To me, this song has always represented Roux and who she becomes at the end of the book. She grows up a lot over the course of its pages and ends up having quite an effect on the plot.

11. The Prodigy, "Voodoo People"

The perfect song for a chase scene. Ah, I've said too much!

12. Pictureplane, "Goth Star"

I've been trying for several years to get this song onto one of my book's soundtracks, and it finally fit here. If a book had end credits like a movie, this is the song that would play during them.

Happy listening!

 

 

You can find out more about Robin Benway by visiting her website or follow her on Twitter @robinbenway

 

Review: Spy Society - Robin Benway

Spy Society by Robin Benway, published by Simon and Schuster on 18th June 2013

Goodreads synopsis:
Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Review:
If you love the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter (as I do!) then you'll adore 'Spy Society' which is a fun read about a teenage spy cracking her first big solo case.

Maggie is a great character.  She and her parents, who are spies, work for a secret organisation called the Collective.  She is an expert safe-cracker - capable of breaking even the toughest combination locks.  Being part of the spy world is in her blood and it is a life she loves.  As a family, the Silvers end up moving to New York where Maggie is assigned her own mission.  This turns everything on it's head because now she has to face the teenage realm of school, try to be a normal teenager and crack the case at the same time.  This will be the biggest challenge Maggie has had to face so far. 

Brave, smart and funny, I really loved her as a main character and she makes a great lead.  She has to get close to Jesse Oliver as part of her assignment but things don't quite go to plan when they have a lot more in common than she expected.  It's not a typical YA romance but some of their scenes together were among my favourite in the book. 

The story is fast-paced and the plot fairly speeds along with some big twists and turns along the way.  I enjoyed every second of reading it and really didn't want to get to the end!  Robin Benway has hit upon the perfect formula for a fabulous series with brilliant characters and plenty of intrigue and excitement to keep you gripped from start to finish.  It was a big winner with me.   

I'm so glad that this is going to be part of a series because I can't wait to catch-up with Maggie Silver again and follow her on her next big case.  'Going Rogue', the next book, is due to be published in 2014.