Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Alice has been hurting since her mother died of cancer a few years back. Her father is now remarried and has a new baby daughter, making her feel more alone than ever. To cope, Alice writes music, plays guitar for her church with her best friend, and spends time with her boyfriend, Blaze. She's tried to distance herself from her new family, but her attempts are futile when they drive to California to visit her stepmother's parents. On the way home, Alice, her baby sister, and stepmother, Victoria get lost in a snowstorm. Food and water are running out, and seems like there's no way for the three to survive. As the hours turn to days, Alice seems to think there is someone looking out for her after all.

I actually liked this book a lot. I'm not really a fan of poetry, so I was a little skeptic to read Far From You since it's written in verse. But the poetic flow of the novel worked. I could never write like this so I was amazed at Lisa Schroeder's ability to create vivid images out of so few words. I would have like to see a little more detail to the plot and the characters, but it was still beautifully written. This is a very fast read, since each page only has a few lines. I read it in less than a day, it's 300+ pages feeling like 100. And like I said before, I felt the part where Alice and her family are stuck in the car could have been elaborated on, to feel like they were out in the cold for four days instead of a few hours (which is what it felt like since I read it so fast). Even though it took a crisis, I'm glad Alice finally accepted her stepmother and new baby sister. It was good to see her grow and change, because it doesn't seem like much fun to feel unwanted in your own home. And this book is perfect for the current weather conditions outside because it's snowing and I even had off from school today because of the weather. Makes me glad I'm in my warm house.

8 out of 10.