October 17, 2012

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.

9 comments:

  1. Yes! This book looks so good! I've only read one other time travel romance book this year and I wasn't a huge fan because the rules were so vague -- but this one sounds like it would be better.

    Thanks for sharing, Ashley! Great review!

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  2. Hm, sounds kind of fun. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, b/c we didn't really know what this book was about, even though we've seen the cover around. :)

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  3. Well, there are always plot holes when time travel is involved, I think, so yeah I see how that could have knocked the grade down a little.
    The story still sounds fun :D

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  4. Well, I didn't read your review yet because I want to be completely surprised but I'm glad you liked it enough to give a 4/5. Will have to get my hands on this book soon!

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  5. While I'm not the biggest time travel fan (seen it done well but it's a tricky thing), this one sounds pretty good. Meh about the plot holes but at least it didn't affect the grade too much.

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    1. I definitely liked the characters enough that it kept me interested

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  6. I don't really need to hear any more than "TIME TRAVEL!" but your other points are just adding to the want! I love what you've said so far about Anna... sounds like my kind of heroine :) Great review, Ashley! Can't wait to read this one.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment; I appreciate each one!

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