This lovely, quiet book focuses on a brother and sister who were separated when they were very young. After several decades, the sister finds her brother and they begin to forge a relationship. While this is happening, personal crisis for both occur - and can either pull them together or push them further apart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Half a World Away.

This is my first book by the author but it won't be the last!

This was such a sweet, tender and hopeful book about family, love and second chances.

Noah and Kerry were separated at a young age when they were taken into care. Decades later, Noah has grown up to be a well respected barrister and Kerry is a single mom with her own cleaning service.

Despite the years apart and their very different lives growing up, brother and sister reconnect but must also come to terms with the pain of the past and the tragedy that will come in the future.

Noah and Kerry are likable, relatable characters and the author crafts two distinct voices for each of them, not an easy task.

Noah may have been adopted into a life of privilege but he is aware of his luck, that his life could have gone in a disastrous direction if not for his adopted parents or the love and protection of Kerry.

He is a grateful and gracious man, kind and understanding. I loved his family, his parents and siblings, his daughter, and eventually his wife, the love and support they all gave him unconditionally, demonstrating that love knows no genetic boundaries. Love is love.

Kerry is a strong character, her fierce love for her son almost overwhelming, not surprising since she is a single parent of an only child, but her support and empathy shines through, something she never received from her own deadbeat parents.

The ending is sad, almost Lifetime-y, but hopeful, kind, without being silly or sappy.

It was great to read a book with kind, decent characters you enjoyed reading about and wanted the best for everyone.

I'm not one to cry when I read a book, but this one brought out a tear or two from me. The story of siblings separated by circumstances beyond their control, but then brought back together is heartwarming. Kerry and Noah are characters that anyone could relate to. Kerry is an "every woman' that you fight for the entire book. Noah is the "hard nut" to crack, and when he finally does, you are relieved. Throughout this book, I was surprised time and time again. The various plot twists were unexpected, but seem to make perfect sense. Readers of this book should be ready to learn about themselves while reading this book.

I love Mike Gayle so I was super excited to see his new book and to receive an early copy.

This book didn't disappoint and I couldn't read it fast enough. A beautiful and emotionally charged book so well written. I was completely absorbed in the characters especially Kerry. A true family saga that you will totally need a box of tissues for but it's so worth it.

Thanks Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

Taken from their mother as children, Kerry and her half-brother have lived very different lives. Noah was adopted by a loving, wealthy family and is a barrister. Kerry struggled in foster care and an indifferent group home and cleans houses for a living. They had different fathers, are different races, and Noah doesn't even remember Kerry. But both are parents, and both are searching for something - even if Noah isn't always aware of what he needs. When they meet again, decades later, will they be able to reach across the barriers of time, class, and race to support each other?

There's a lot to like in this book. The themes of rediscovered family and the lure of kinship are well-developed, and the author does a good job of exploring the connections that make a family, whether a blood family or a found family. Some of the individual scenes are affecting, particularly those involving the children and a character's illness. Noah's adoptive parents are charmingly daffy. And the author clearly conveys the characters' different speech patterns and accents, which is not that easy to do.

I wish the author had shown more and told less - or maybe just told less. The book is told in alternating first-person POVs from Kerry and Noah, both of whom share a great deal of what they are feeling and why, almost like a diary. The narrative might have been stronger if much of this exposition were removed, allowing the reader to infer state of mind from the characters' actions. Kerry is almost implausibly saintly and self-sacrificing, which makes her less relatable.

Still an interesting read. Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.