thank you netgalley for the arc! 🌟 after reading The Sweet Spot, i knew this book was going to be a RIDE.... and i was so right. this book took me a bit to finish bc ive had so much going on in my life that i really wanted to make sure i had the time to really dive into the diverse cast and setting that amy usually has in her work.

the #1 thing i love about amy's work is that she always has such a huge cast but you end up loving EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. her plots are so original and so fun. you wouldn't think that these 2 families would ever run into each other but amy ties everything together in such a perfect way. i loved the German throughout the book too! it was nice to brush up on some vocabulary. this was so much fun and such a great escape from the world right now. i definitely need to dive into more of her past work.

On a whim, Lucy and Greta swap homes for a year. Greta is from Berlin, Germany and Lucy is from Dallas. Lucy needs to get her 18 year old son away from a poor misunderstood thing he did ranking girls with how much he'd have to pay them for them to date him and Greta's husband has a surgery job in Dallas. Lucy didn't tell Greta she was bringing her kids (9 year old twins) to Greta's fancy apartment. She also didn't mention the many pets Greta was going to have to care for in Texas. A fun read!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Truly enjoyable. I read it in be sitting because I had to know how it ended! The characters were truly enjoyable- and while there were ups and downs, the general tone of the book was realistic and refreshing- the storyline was not predictable, and it didn’t feel cumbersome. The character arcs were genuine, and there were pleasant surprises throughout. It was both humorous and touching. Fans of the authors other books will enjoy this, as will readers new to the author. Highly recommend!

This reminded me of the holiday/ wife swap. It’s a funny but charming story of a house swap gone wrong. Two complete strangers end up needing each other in ways they never could have imagined. I thought the book was well written. It really kept me entertained and smiling. I have so much anxiety, I could never house swap with someone but the idea seems fun.

Thank you NetGalley, Amy and Atria Books for the E-ARC!

Publication Date: June 10th 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#NetGalley

I love a book that sparks my sense of wanderlust, and Far and Away did just that! This novel beautifully weaves together themes of motherhood, marriage, and family, all set against a backdrop that makes you want to pack your bags and go on an adventure.

This was my first book by Amy Poeppel, and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is engaging, witty, and full of heart, making the characters feel real and relatable.

Call it the perfect book (for me!), call it the perfect book at the perfect time, I don’t care - I really loved this!

Amy Poeppel’s books are always such a delight and FAR AND AWAY was exactly what I needed. The drama is light but totally entertaining and the characters are charming and lovable. Plus, I’m always a big fan of a book that can give me a dose of wanderlust.

When a (mild) scandal rocks Lucy Holt’s world, she makes an impulsive decision to get the heck outta Dallas and flies her kids to Berlin so she can swap houses with a woman she’s never met.

I adored the quirky Holt family and found Greta so endearing. I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to these characters and really wanted to savor my time with them, but I also couldn’t put the book down.

The last few chapters had me smiling so big that my cheeks hurt. I absolutely loved how worlds collided and all the pieces fell into place. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something fun with a lot of heart!

A huge misunderstanding leads to a rushed house swap. From Germany to Dallas to New York, lives collide, friendships develop and a wonderful cast of characters come together in a great story about motherhood, marriage and family.

Amy Poeppel has been a favorite author of mine ever since I picked up my first book of hers, and now I’ve read every single one. Her writing is truly a breath of fresh air—unexpected, unique, and unlike anything else out there. With each book, I feel like I’m learning something new, and this one was no exception. My art education has expanded twofold thanks to this story.

One of the things I love most about Amy Poeppel’s books is how her characters evolve. I want to be friends with each one, even as my opinions of them shift throughout the story. No one is ever quite what they seem at first, and watching them grow and change is so much fun. Every character is layered and interesting.

I also can’t help but wonder if Amy Poeppel’s husband is as kind, nerdy, and lovable as the men in her stories, since that seems to be a common thread running through all her books.

Amy Poeppel has surprised me again, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Two families on different continents agree to a house swap and then adjust to fitting into the others’ social circle and cultures while dealing with their own struggles and issues. Lucy’s trying to keep the family running smoothly while her husband is on a six month mission for NASA with limited communication, which gets much more challenging when her son gets expelled from school the day before graduation. Leaving the country seems like an ideal opportunity. Greta was banking on a NYC sabbatical and time with her daughter but has to adjust to moving to Dallas for her husband’s job instead.
An enjoyable read about families and their tricky dynamics. I had wished there was more resolution about what happened after Lucy and co. returned to Texas.

Oh I loved this book!! The light-hearted feel amongst in the inner (and outward) struggles in the lives of Lucy and her family from Dallas and Greta and her family from Berlin. Two women from two different cultures and sides of the world are brought into each others' lives from the idea of a house swap. Both needing it for different reasons, it is interesting to see the adjustments to the different ways of life and the changes it makes in the way they see their own situations. Really cute! There is quite a bit of German language in this book and no real translation for a lot of it, but context clues so be prepared to translate!

Funny story for sure. I was laughing while reading during most of the book! Poeppel has a way of writing a comedy that works so well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A house swap between two families on opposite sides of the world—what could go wrong?

When Lucy’s teenage son, Jack, makes a monumental mistake, she sees only one way out: escape. Enter Greta, a German woman whose husband has just accepted a job in Dallas—right where Lucy and her family live. The solution seems perfect: Greta and her family will move into Lucy’s house, while Lucy, Jack, and her twin daughters, Alice and Zoe, take up residence in Greta’s Berlin flat. A fresh start for everyone.

But swapping houses doesn’t mean escaping problems. As Lucy navigates motherhood, a demanding job, and the fallout from Jack’s actions, Greta struggles with leaving behind her beloved flat, sister, and mother. What unfolds is a lively, heartfelt, and often hilarious tale about family—the ones we’re born into and the ones we find along the way.

Poeppel’s characters leap off the page, brimming with personality, quirks, and dreams. Lucy and Greta, despite being separated by an ocean, become quickly entangled in each other’s lives. Greta envies Lucy’s spontaneity, while Lucy admires Greta’s discipline—though only sometimes. Meanwhile, Greta and her husband, Otto, are drawn into Lucy’s world thanks to her well-meaning parents, who live in her backyard. Clueless but endearing Otto embraces Texas life with gusto, donning cowboy boots, diving into barbecue culture, and developing a love for Costco, while Greta struggles to find her footing, focusing instead on her complicated relationship with her teenage daughter, Emmi.

Poeppel masterfully weaves these storylines together, blending humor with heartfelt moments. Lucy’s absent husband, Mason, is at a NASA training facility in New Mexico—or, as Greta thinks, possibly in jail. "Mason is on Mars." Regardless, Lucy is left to handle everything on her own. Despite a colorful supporting cast, the novel never feels overcrowded; every character serves a purpose.

Equal parts funny and poignant, FAR AND AWAY will have you laughing one moment and tearing up the next. From hilarious moments (you’ll never hear The Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" the same way again) to the deeply personal struggles of marriage and parenting, Poeppel delivers a rich, emotionally resonant story.

As a longtime fan of Poeppel’s novels, I can confidently say this one continues her tradition of witty, character-driven storytelling. When I reached the final page, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. And the epilogue? Absolutely perfect.

Be sure to save a spot at the top of your TBR (to be read) pile. If you have read books by Amy Poeppel before, no doubt you have really enjoyed each one.. Far and Away is her very delicious new novel. Two families swap houses for the summer. Lucy's family is running away from a scandal in Dallas that was accidentally, on purpose, created by her 18 year old son. Greta's family is running from Berlin toward a career opportunity at the Dallas Medical Center. Two women that couldn't be more different both made a spur of the moment decision. Where they end up makes up for a summer read that should not be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read a complementary digital ARC. This review is in my own words.

Lucy and Greta decide on a house swap without meeting each other. They don't know what either one of them is going to get into and they are in for a wild ride.

I loved this book so much! Ever since I finally dove into Amy Poeppel's backlist last year, she's quickly become one of my new favorite authors, and her latest was just as delightful as the rest. FAR AND AWAY follows Lucy and Greta, two complete strangers who agree to a house swap that changes both of their lives. Lucy's idyllic life in her Dallas hometown goes from dream to nightmare when her son Jack makes a huge mathematical mistake he can't take back. Meanwhile in Berlin, Greta's world turns upside down when her husband Otto takes a job in Texas—without even telling her first. Lucy and Greta decide to swap houses for the summer—but in their exchange of homes, neighborhoods, and lives, neither of them could have truly predicted what would come next. As their families embark on this new adventure, they'll have to decide whether they can ever really go home again...or if they even want to.

An Amy Poeppel book feels a lot like a Gilmore Girls episode—quick, witty writing and dialogue, lovably quirky characters, and a world that's so cozy and comforting, you won't ever want to leave! FAR AND AWAY is no different. Poeppel's experiences living in both Dallas and Berlin make the setting feel extra vivid and realistic, and I loved seeing how Lucy, Greta, and their loved ones all adapted to each other's lives and learned new things about themselves and each other. The story has so many hilarious moments, but it also offers relatability and wisdom at the same time, touching on what to do when you make a mistake you feel like you can never undo, how to ask for more out of your life (from career to relationships and everything in between!), and the heartwarming healing powers of true family and friendship. The art history and space travel-related subplots added interesting, unique touches to the story, too! I also enjoyed how Poeppel explores the concept of what "home" really means, and the impact a change in environment can have on someone, for better or for worse. While the house-swap trope may be one you've seen before, her take on it is so creative and fresh, making FAR AND AWAY a read you certainly won't forget! Needless to say, I would definitely recommend this one, and will be eagerly awaiting Amy Poeppel's next book! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so great! I wasn’t sure how all of the characters would relate, but it all came together so perfectly in the end. The story was so heartwarming, and being from Dallas, it was also very accurate. I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this book!!

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel is so much fun! I inhaled it in just two days. Last year, I loved The Sweet Spot and why Poeppel isn’t a household name yet is beyond me. But hey, fingers crossed this gem of a book puts her on everyone’s radar. Poeppel divides her time between Dallas and Germany, so I love that she took some of her own experiences into this book.
The setup is delightfully chaotic: two families, one in Dallas and one in Berlin, decide to swap houses after life throws them some wild curveballs. Lucy’s son commits a colossal mathematical flub that tanks his graduation and torpedoes his shot at MIT. Meanwhile, her husband? Oh, he’s locked up in a New Mexico biosphere (or is it prison?) and has no instant way to contact the family—totally normal. Then there’s Greta, whose husband Otto just up and decides to hightail it to Texas for a job, without so much as a heads up.
So, what do these two families do? Obviously, they strike a deal and swap houses for the summer. No solid plan, no clue what they’re doing—just a desperate need for a reset.
There's a fun mix of drama and surprises. Handsome neighbors? Check. Juicy family secrets? Double check. Art history lessons, soul searching about what "home" really means, and more twists than you’d expect? Triple check. A little bit of art history, quadruple check! I enjoyed looking up Vermeer, the artist of Girl With a Pearl Earring.
It’s all here, served with charm and unpredictability. While Berlin was far more descriptive and fun than Dallas, I found that there is A LOT of German in here. If you don't have a Kindle, be prepared, the translations can be tough if you don't follow along closely.
This book is such a quirky, refreshing take on a genre that’s often full of clichés. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, and now I’m counting down the days until Poeppel’s next book lands on my shelf.

Planes, trains and automobiles only with characters.
Big fan of the author but not my favorite a bit too slapstick at times.
And happy endings abound!
Especially liked the significance of the title.

With thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-ARC.

Another hit from Amy Poeppel! Two families have their own reasons for needing an urgent "house swap" and their lives end up changed forever. I loved all of the characters and wanted them to succeed and be happy.

In Far and Away, a home switch novel by Amy Poeppel, a family needs to get away from Dallas in a hurry when their high school senior son is expelled the day before graduation for "sexist actions." and a family from Berlin needs to move to the US when the medical researcher father gets a better offer from his company after a crushing blow to his ego. Of course, neither family has time to ask too many questions about their new (temporary) home before confronting the reality of what they had signed up for. The Berlin apartment is lovely but much too small, and the Dallas "smart house" confounds the new residents.

But the author makes it all work through her uniquely detailed characters. The Dallas patriarch is a scientist who has agreed to be mostly incommunicado for six months as the only male in a biosphere simulating life on Mars, and eventually emerges a different person. The German man finds himself opening up and becoming more social in the freewheeling Dallas atmosphere. Both of the mothers are savvy professionals who struggle to juggle their careers with their family responsibilities. And the younger members of the families--two teenagers and 8-year-old twin girls-- have their own adventures, with unexpected results.

I didn't buy the premise of the young man being expelled without the opportunity to explain himself, but otherwise I found the intertwining stories both entertaining and satisfying.

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bester Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide and honest review of this book.

Amy Poeppel does it again with a witty, entertaining, multi faceted novel that will keep you entertained until the last word. I found the fist couple of chapters slow, but now realize she was just laying the ground work for a banger of a story!