SYNOPSISWhen I was seventeen years old there were only three things that I knew for certain: I was a mixed up mixed kid, with weird hair and an unhealthy love of comics; I wanted to forget I’d ever heard the words depression and anxiety; and I was hopelessly in love with a girl named Annalise who was, in every way that you can be, a goddess. What can I say about Anna? She wasn’t the prom queen or … queen or the perfect girl from the movies, she was my weird, funny, messed up goddess. The girl of my dreams. The reason I’m writing these words.
I’d loved Anna from a distance my junior year, afraid to actually talk to her, but then one day during lunch my best friend threw a french fry at my face and changed everything. The rest, as they say, is history. Our History. Our Story. Annalise helped make me the man I am today, and loving her saved my teenaged soul from drowning in the depths of a terrible Bleh, the worst kind of sadness that there is, a concept Anna taught me about a long time ago, when we were younger than young. So flip the book over, open up the cover and let me tell you Our Story, which is like Annalise, herself – complicated, beautiful, funny, and guaranteed to teach you something by the time you’re through. Maybe it’ll teach you the complexity of the word potato, something I never understood until the very last page.
*EVERY PRE-ORDER COMES WITH A COMPLIMENTARY SWAG PACKAGE – email pre-order verification to [email protected] along with address to receive a special ‘thank you’ for pre-ordering. This offer ends once the book goes live on April 24th.
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What a wonderful YA story!!! However, don’t think it’s just for YA because it’s a everyone story. I knew when I was 3% in and already crying it was gonna be good. I also knew with each turn of the page as Logan was telling about high school, home life, his best friend Pete, and his first love Anna. I had indeed fell into the rabbit hole of this book not to be seen again until I finished with this book.
Christopher Harlan hit so close to home with this story. I don’t think I could ever find the right words that will do justice for Away From Here because I’m actually speechless about the story of Logan and Anna. I went through every emotion possible while reading this book.
So all I’m going to say is, Mr. Harlan my hats off to you. For your first YA you created an absolutely totally amazing book!
I wish I could give Away From Here more than five stars because it most definitely deserves so many more!
Yes I do recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in crawling into this story and getting lost within its pages but fair warning you will have a whirlwind of a roller coaster ride of emotions all throughout this story.
Touching Story! Flove!
These characters pull you through every emotion which is exactly why I read young adult novels. I’m in love with books that make you feel and that’s exactly what Away From Here does. You’re going to love it!
Poignant, wonderful, and heartbreakingly real. This is one YA read that’ll stay with you for a long time. Well worth the read!
I almost made this my first vlog book review but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my composure with this book. And becoming a rambling crazy woman on video is not my idea of fun lol. I pre-ordered Away from Here because it sounded good and because I like the author, Christopher Harlan. Yet, it has taken me this long to actually be able to read the book. I have to be honest what I read was NOT what I expecting to read. I thought (or rather assumed) that it was going to be a generic love story. Truly, I should have known better. What I got was an amazing eloquently written book about first love, first loss, and dealing with mental illness.
Logan is your typical high school boy, from the outside anyways. He feels like he’s a mixed up mixed raced kid. He has a crush on the hottest girl, Anna. Has only one true friend, Pete. What many don’t know is what his family life is like. It’s actually probably more typical than what anyone knows. Logan’s mom deals with depression.
Anna is the girl of Logan’s dreams, if he could only work up the nerve to talk to her. Yep, typical high school stuff. Then Anna and Logan are assigned to work on a group project together. Thus opening up the communication between Anna and Logan. I’m not going to reveal everything about their relationship. Anna is struggling with her own demons. Demons that are dark, deep and hard for an adult to handle, much less a teenager.
Harlan brings a light to mental illness and dealing with loved ones who have it or dealing with having it yourself. I know those struggles all to well. Which is why I said I couldn’t do this as a vlog without rambling. I have dealt with depression since I was young. Depression runs in my family sadly.
We (meaning society) don’t talk enough about depression. It’s taboo, a secret. While it needs to be brought to the light. Christopher Harlan does this beautifully in Away from Here. Having just finished reading AFH I am in a reflective mood. Growing up I never knew that having to pretend that I was happy 24/7 was not normal. I didn’t realize that most kids don’t have to be in counseling by the 4th grade. I could tell my story but that’s not what this post is about.
This book will open your mind up and let you into the mind of a young man as he deals with not only his mothers illness but his first love, who also deals with the blehs (as Anna calls it). This is a perfect read for a teenager who needs to know that they are not alone. It reminds you that there are people out there who will just listen. And who knows you may just end up with #potato.
Life and love is not always about the happy endings. My favorite quote from Away From Here is “It was totally meant to be. But not everything that’s meant to be is meant to last. Everything ends. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t the best thing that ever happened to me.” Just because a happy ending wasn’t given doesn’t mean the experience and the moment wasn’t beautiful and to be treasured.
I know I haven’t done this book the justice it deserves but this is a must read for all people in my book. Eye opening, thought provoking, and heart embracing.
One of the best books I have read this year. If you have a teenage child. This is the perfect gift.
This is a fabulous book that should be read by everyone! I highlighted so many parts my book was more yellow than white! Definitely recommend this one!
Loved this book! I felt like I was sitting in a diner having a cup of coffee with Logan and he was telling me his story.
This is a great book. You fall in love with the characters and wish them the best. It takes you back to your high school days It gives you insight into the kid you wouldn’t have paid attention to while in school. It’s aabout first love and the angst involved with that/ This is a highly recommend book for all teenagers and those still young at heart.
I can’t even begin to tell you the last time I read a YA book. I’m sure I could look and it probably wasn’t as long ago as I think, but I can guarantee I didn’t feel this way when I finished that last YA story.
Christopher Harlan takes us to high school, but he does it in the most perfect of ways. You feel like you’re there, you feel like you’re walking the halls, you feel like you’re in love with a girl for the first time.
And then there are the emotions and the feels and just all the things. I hate to limit this to YA readers because obviously anyone can read that genre, but to put it in such a box is unfair to the story. It is more than just a YA book. It’s a book many people can relate to on some level. It’s a book for all, not just some.
“Away From Here: A Young Adult Novel” by Christopher Harlan is a great read. I enjoyed Logan and Annalise’s story. This story takes readers on the journey of high school, young love, friendship, dealing with mental illness, and more. Recommend to all fans of the young adult genre.
“The people we love the most exit stage left, never to return, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t leave a mark. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t change us for the better.” This was my favorite quote in this story. This book told from a young adult perspective, deals with some very adult topics. Christopher Harlan pulls out all the feels in this book. You can not help but love Logan from the start through the very end of the book, through his ups and downs of his senior year in high school, his first love, his best and only true friend, and growing up way too soon. Away From Here can be enjoyed by all ages.
A great story. Characters are written so well, they seem like they are your friends. The emotions are written so well, made me smile and cry, depending on what was going on. I know this was written from the heart by the author. Loved it! Would definitely recommend it to anyone, you will identify with some part of the story.
This story and the feelings shared of high school and first love between Logan and Anna pulls you in and keeps you there. The message is of hope and inspiration for others dealing with the daily struggles of mental illness either for themselves or family members.
I want to start off by saying that I haven’t read Christopher Harlan before and I typically don’t read young adult books, but this book called to me and I was completely blown away by the way Mr. Harlan told such a compelling story that takes place in high school. There is no sex or any sort of filler, it is just a really well-told story about all of the emotions you go through in high school.
This is a wonderful first love story that is told in such a way you can’t put the story down. I remember my first love and my first heartbreak and the Mr. Harlan’s words brought them all back to me as I read Logan’s story. There was also a very real view of mental illness and depression and how teenagers deal with it. Whether they are suffering from it or a loved one is, dealing with it in your teenage years is a confusing and difficult time. Mr. Harlan did an awesome job depicting some difficult situations.
The story is told from Logan’s point of view which was light most of the times and very to the point. He was very relatable and I fell in love with his story. It was a great read!
“Who you are isn’t just acceptable and it isn’t just good enough, who you are is everything.”
I have put a lot of thought in to this. I mean, a great book deserves a great review, right? I only hope I can do this book justice, as it far transcends any other I have read to date. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Really? Transcends any other?”. Well, I’m here to tell you, without pause, that yes, it is THAT good.
The story is narrated by the adult version of our main character Logan Santiago. While it tells of Logan’s experiences in his last year of high school, it is told with the wisdom of the life he’s lived since then. He tells us the story of Annalise, the girl of his dreams- his Peruvian Goddess. He tells us of their journey together through young love, both dealing with a mentally ill parent – of having to grow up too fast, and of fighting their own demons. The narration is heartfelt, humorous, and heartbreaking all at the same time. It’s a love story. It’s a coming of age story. It’s a story of choices, both ones made independently and ones forced upon them. It’s a story of finding out who you are and embracing it, warts and all. It’s a story of survival.
Logan tells us how Annalise helped form the man he became. I have a feeling he had the same effect on her.
Reading this book moved me in a way no other book has done before. I laughed out loud, I teared up, I smiled, and I suffered heartbreak right along with Logan and Annalise. I could see a little of myself in both of them, and I know you will too. Away From Here will stay with me forever, no doubt. This book is not just a Young Adult novel. It’s for everyone.
In closing, Potato.
Incredibly personal, flawless in its honesty, in how we cope when someone who is supposed to care for us suffers from a mental illness. The friends and love that helps us cope – to give us support and balance.
THIS IS A MUST READ STORY!
Growing up as a teenager is most likely one of the toughest and hardest experiences for us to navigate. Not only are we testing our wings, finding ourselves, learning independence, – we are dealing with adult issues when we’ve not even reached adulthood. For some this experience is filled with drama and angst, for others it’s a breeze. Yet there is some , like Logan – where life is tougher than most because you’re caught up in a world of hurt and familial mental illness surrounding you. It’s that life that moulds us and shapes us into who we will become.
This breath taking and beautifully told YA story by Christopher Harlan is for the most part autobiographical. It’s not only a coming of age but it’s how we deal and cope with the harsher, sad stuff that boggles the teenage mind. How we deal, how we cope and the beautiful friendships that get us through the harsh realities faced. When we live more inside our minds, we don’t know where to turn to. Life can be a precarious balance. So when a special person(Annalise) comes into our lives… your journey becomes something intrinsic.
This book is more than deserving of every 5 star and more. It makes you feel, (sad, happy, angsty, angry and outright laughter). It gives you a perspective and insight into the world of mental illness, to think about others, that this is a world that for the most part it hidden behind closed doors. That what’s on the surface is hiding a world of hurt deep within. We all need nurturing, care, support, and compassion – to take a moment to listen with our hearts being fully engaged. To take time to listen to another’s story if and when they need to talk.
Such an incredibly personal and flawless read. A must for all to read. Christopher Harlan… OUTSTANDING!
Anyone will tell you that high school can be one of the most difficult times in a teenager’s life. Between what and when to study, parental nagging, and trying to figure out where you stand with the “cool kids,” it is hard to just be yourself, especially if you tend to be an independent non-conformist. It doesn’t matter if you are a straight-A student, artist, musician, athlete, or actor — some people never fit in.
It shouldn’t really matter if you are accepted by the popular kids, but they will be the first ones who will make fun of you if you are different. It helps if you have that one friend who understands you like no one else does.
Logan had been in love with Anna from afar for a year, and sometimes he felt as if he would never meet her. To him, she was a beautiful goddess who didn’t even realize the extent of her exquisiteness. She seemed carefree and happy as she moved effortlessly through the hallways. It wasn’t until he met her that he realized that they had more in common than he could have ever imagined.
Fate played a hand in their meeting when their psychology teacher assigned them to work together on a group project. The other kids in the group were not important, and they probably wouldn’t contribute to the project, which gave Logan even more time to spend with Anna. He thought he would have a heart attack when he saw her reaching across the desk to write her phone number in his notebook. This was the best day of his life. A friendship with Anna no longer felt unattainable, and he was looking forward to spending as much time with her as possible, even if it was only at school.
How will the friendship between Logan and Anna develop?
Will they feel comfortable enough with each other to share even their darkest secrets and truly personal feelings?
What can I say about “Away From Here?” It is personal, emotional, refreshing, and made me reflect upon the journey we all take through life. Logan and Anna became friends when they needed each other the most and for awhile, all of their problems seemed to fade just a little bit. Christopher Harlan is truly a gifted and passionate writer and I know this book will be in my heart forever.
I’m not against Young Adult genre, but it’s not something I typically pick up. I applaud Author Christopher Harlan for addressing issues of mental health and social status all in context of “teenagers”. What a very hard time in life, and probably more so in today’s society.
It was hard for me to connect with almost the first forth of the book, because, times have changed so much in the nearly 45 years since I was of this age bracket. The “this is our story” was endearing, hard, sweet, beautiful. I’m sure this book will cause many to reflect back on their “first love”.
Glad for the opportunity to support this new to me author!