Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Release Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 384
Series: n/a
Review Source: Finished copy for review from Hachette Book Group Canada (@HBGCanada)

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.

My Thoughts:
The concept of this book intrigued me, as I’m a sucker for time travel and romance. Put them together and I’m almost guaranteed to enjoy the book. That was definitely the case here, as ‘Time Between Us’ was a book where I easily identified with the characters and fell into their world.

I really loved the connection between Anna and Bennett. The time-crossed lovers bit upped the ante on the romance, and the characters just felt right together. I also loved how despite the fact that Anna puts trust and faith in Bennett, she doesn’t let him walk all over her. She demands respect and a stake in things: she won’t let decisions be made for her, and she wants Bennett and herself to be equal partners. This was a refreshing change from a lot of YA romance, and I applaud the author for writing such a strong character. The characters were awesome together, as I mentioned, but I would have liked some more discussion about what their relationship meant, considering their huge time barrier (the one that actually makes them very different ages in “real life”). I was definitely swept up in the romance, but the realist in me wanted some more concrete discussions about their future(s).

The one other part that prevented this from being five-stars was the wibbly wobbly timey wimey part (A+ and a cookie to those of you who appreciate that reference). Granted, I was reading this really quickly, but I didn’t quite understand the bit about Bennett’s sister and how that situation got resolved. I also would’ve liked an explanation about why Bennett’s abilities were stuck at that one point, and why a certain decision fixed them (how’s that for trying to explain but still remain vague-ish to prevent spoilers?). It was good for the characters, and a great ending, but in terms of time and space travel I was really lost as to why it mattered. Some stricter time travel rules and explanations would have really strengthened this book for me.

Despite those questions I had about the time travel rules, I was still impressed with this book. It made me want to sit there and just keep reading until the end, which isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially for a debut author. I loved the characters, and the writing style in general, and I have a feeling that there are many more great books to come from Tamara Ireland Stone. If you enjoy contemporary romance or sci-fi lite you’ll definitely appreciate ‘Time Between Us’.

The Cover:
Pretty!

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.