Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Far Away

AUTHOR: Bryan T. Clark

PUBLISHER: Cornbread Publishing

LENGTH: 266 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2020

BLURB:

First love can save you … and ruin you …

Eighteen-year-old Noah Rothenberg spent the perfect summer with his first love, the charming and seductive Spiro. He fell head over heels in love from what started as a clumsy crush. But that was twelve years ago. His relationships since have been spectacular failures because of how things ended with Spiro. If he has any hope of moving forward, he needs to find Spiro and get some closure … even if he has to fly halfway around the world to do it. Too bad he instead finds himself falling—again—for the man who ruined him for all other men.

Love isn’t an emotion Spiro Papadopoulos entirely trusts anymore. He’s far too pragmatic for that. His focus these days has to be on his art and caring for his ailing mother. Being with Noah again is easy and feels so right … but is it love? Spiro isn’t sure. Besides, with his entire life being tied to Greece and Noah’s to New York, love might just be a luxury neither of them can afford.

Can Spiro and Noah overcome the oceans and years between them—or will their second chance at love end as badly as their first?

REVIEW:

You better bring tissues for this one, because holy cow. Shew. I read this yesterday and am still reeling from it while writing this. It’s heartbreaking in some ways, and I will warn you, there may be a few possible triggers for some. There’s some major homophobia from family members and the loss of a twin in it. So please be careful if that kind of stuff gets to you. The good thing about this book, though, is although there is heartbreak, it’s also a story of second chances and love that lasts time. It’s the story of learning that family isn’t always blood, and true family cares no matter what. 

For Noah, his life pretty much ended about 10 years ago, when tragedy struck. And since then, life with his parents has been pure torture. And yet again, for his birthday on his 18th year, nothing has changed. He’s sent off to his grandmother’s for the summer and he’s dreading every minute. But this summer, things are different. He’s learning that what he’s thought of himself is true and he finds out for sure when he meets his grandmother’s worker’s nephew, by the name of Spiro. Life with Spiro had to be captured in secret moments that summer but what started as a crush, turned into young love. And they were happy, until caught by a jealous friend, who blabbed everything. And they were torn apart. Now 12 years later, and after bad relationships over and over, Noah’s roommate says it’s time to end the what ifs. And find Spiro. When he goes to Greece to find Spiro, he does, and it’s like things slide finally home. But life isn’t as easy for Spiro and these two may not have the second chance they so much desire.

UGHHHHHH! I swear some parents shouldn’t be allowed children. I grew up in a Christian home, father was a pastor, but yet I’m the black sheep because I’ve never seen the color of someone’s skin or what their sexuality is or anything else. I’ve always seen the person for who they are. And for it, like Noah, I was treated like crap. I hurt for Noah in this story so bad. And for someone like Spiro, who didn’t even know Noah, to see the sadness in his eyes from the minute he saw him, should tell you how bad Noah’s life truly was. And I don’t say this lightly, but I truly hate his parents. Even if it is a fictional book. Noah deserved better. And I was grateful that he met Spiro and finally had a chance to see what happiness truly was. Until it wasn’t.

I love Noah’s roommate in this story as well. When you meet him, you will see what I mean. He’s a hoot. But he was right with Noah. It was time to poo or get off the pot, so to speak. Why continue to mourn over young love and see if it is truly real. And I love the reunion between them. It was like a second start in life for both of them, in spite of the problems that were there for Spiro. But see, that’s the thing. True love, true relationships, communication and compromise. True love finds a way to make things work for them. And it was a hard time for them at first. Because of their pasts and other things, it was hard for either to trust the other that it was real. And for communication and the lack there of for a bit, it almost cost them everything. But if it’s real and something you want, you both have to make the effort, and take the chance that things will work. 

Bryan has quickly become another one-clicker for me. If you guys haven’t read his works, you really should. I know not everyone has the same opinion or the same views, but he knows how to weave words into one heck of a story. I’m glad I got the chance to read this one. 

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

amazon

cornbreadpublishing