Far from the Tree

Perfect for fans of This Is Us, Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms—how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.

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.

Grace, Maya, and Joaquin are strangers, but they share a past. Can they find a way to build a future?

Found Family: Three estranged siblings—Grace, Maya, and Joaquin—brought together by a secret, who must learn to trust each other and form their own messy, beautiful family.

Adoption and Identity: A powerful exploration of what it means to be adopted, as Grace, who gave up her own baby, and Maya, who feels like an outsider, search for where they belong.

A Realistic Look at Foster Care: Through Joaquin’s eyes, this story offers a heart-wrenching and honest portrayal of growing up in the foster care system and the walls built to survive it.

Told from Multiple POVs: Experience this moving journey from three different perspectives, with each sibling’s unique voice weaving together a complete and emotional story of love and forgiveness.