Time Between Us
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publication date: Oct 9, 2012
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary:
Anna is a 16-year old living in Evanston, Illinois in 1996. Bennett is a 16-year old time-traveler who exists in San Francisco in 2012. At the beginning of the novel, a woman (whom we can easily presume is 32-year old Anna) goes to Bennett in San Francisco and gives him a letter. As you can already tell, this is a love that will be fraught with problems.
Anna and Bennett meet for the first time in 1996 when she sees him appear and disappear on a track (Anna’s a runner). He tries to stay away from her, but he can’t. It doesn’t help that he knows that she must be the Anna from the letter, or that he’s not actually there to meet her.
Review:
For the first hundred pages of Time Between Us, I kept thinking, “Oh, this just seems like the YA version of Time Traveler’s Wife.” It started out pretty slow for me, and I didn’t feel like I connected with Anna, who seemed very ordinary compared to her fun, sassy English friend Emma or her music-loving buddy-who-wants-to-be-more Justin.
But then Bennett shows up, and Anna starts interacting with him, and yes, time-traveling with him and falling in love with him, and I realized that maybe that was the whole point. Anna *is* normal, but she’s also adventurous and loyal and rash and beautiful. She’s not the most popular or out there girl – but she’s strong and independent and pretty awesome.
Bennett was really well done as a character as well. He was cute, of course, but he also felt very real and masculine. He’s funny and charming, but also aloof. And he gets that he’s got a pretty awesome gift, but he sometimes doesn’t think before abusing it. He’s just as much of a doofus as I remember 16-year old boys being, but he’s also just as passionate and sweet as a teenage boy can be. Anna really has to slap him down a few times. =)
Tamara Ireland Stone also didn’t give us the short shrift with the secondary characters – Anna’s parents are fully realized characters who are overly concerned with their daughter’s safety. Emma and Justin are awesome sidekicks who never feel like they are there in service to the plot even though they were – to an extent – a big part of how Anna and Bennett’s relationship develops.
Bonuses:
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| Photo: stereogum.com |
90s music: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Phish all play a big part in the novel.
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| Photo: katerha |
Heart-squeezing romance: The kissing. The rock-climbing. The souvenirs. Bennett’s hair. Squee!
Travel: Anna goes to so many awesome, deserted places that I now want to go.
The Final Word:
This is one of the most gorgeous romances I read in 2012. For me, Time Between Us is what The Time Traveler’s Wife should have been. Anna and Bennett’s romance was just as lovely and instant as the romance in Audrey Niffenegger’s bestseller, but Tamara Ireland Stone takes it one step further and allows us to experience the actual joys of time travel. For me, that’s what the former novel was missing – here, we get to see both the bad and the good of time travel explored fully.
I really loved Time Between Us, and I can’t wait for the sequel that the author says is coming!
I haven't read this book. Actually, i haven't even heard of it till now… But it seems like a nice read, should give it a try. 🙂
I haven't read this book, but I have read some very positive reviews so far. A lot of people seem to like their romance and sometimes, that's all I want to read 🙂 I can't wait to give it a shot. Great review.
Mel@thedailyprophecy.
I had the chance to read this and passed it up because I haven't had the best luck with time traveling in books. But I think I might have passed up on a good one this go round. The thing that actually intrigues about this novel, though, isn't the time travel. It is the characters. Characters who are normal, written as real teenage boys and girls. That isn't something that I am finding a lot of nowadays and it is something I think I would enjoying seeing. Thanks for the awesome review. Short and sweet, and told me everything I needed to know to help me make a decision. Thank you for that!
Sometimes reading a really awesome book getting through that first hundred pages is a chore, but I certainly understand that feeling of it being so worth it. Thank you for sharing with us.
This is a new book to me and it looks good. Adding it to my TBR..
I'll def have to check this one out. I haven't heard of it, and I love time traveling stories! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I've been hearing that this was similar to The Time Traveler's Wife and I enjoyed that so I'm hoping to enjoy reading this too:) thanks for the review!
I loved Time Traveler's Wife and look forward to reading this one soon. Thanks for your thoughts!
I love time travel books and TTTW remains of the top of my all time favorites so off to snag a copy of this.
Great review. Thanks for linking this review on my WOW post. I haven't read Time Traveler's Wife, but I have heard this books is similar. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for sharing and great review.
This is a new-to-me book and author. Great review! Thanks for putting this on my radar.
I love time travel romances not that I've read many. This is a new one to me. Thanks for sharing your review thoughts.
A time travel romance. And the book did not just concentrate on the romance part but also on the time traveling part. A good book to check out!
I love this kind of book! I had the oportunity of reading it last year and I really enjoyed so much, I loved; I think it was the kind of reading I just need that time! Thank you so much for your review is so great! THANK YOU! 🙂
This seems to be a very popular book and I love the idea of time travel but for some reason I just can't get excited to read this one. Nice review though.
I just got this one because I'm on a Time Travel Romance kick. I'm so glad that it is a good one. I appreciate your thoughts so I know what to expect.
I really want to read this book from I don't remember when. The story really intriguing me. And reading your review, can't wait to read it soon.
Thanks for the review.
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