Time Between Us

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

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. (Goodreads)

First off, time travel= awesome.

Romance, especially with kissing= awesome.

Time travel + romance = Happy Me.

The Story:

Anna lives in Chicago in 1995.  Her life has always been sort of hopelessly simple.  She’s never experience any real degree of excitement and she dreams of one day traveling and finally seeing the world.

On one of her morning jogs, she spots a cute guy watching her from nearby.  He smiles as if he knows her, but Anna has never seen him before. Imagine her total surprise when later that morning at school she see him again, only this time he clearly has no recollection of ever crossing paths with her. And later, when they officially meet (because he’s The New Guy, so everyone is buzzing about him) he seems startled when he finds out her name.  So right away, this guy seems a little weird.  His hair is a little shaggy, he’s distant one moment and warm the next, but there is something that draws Anna to him.  They have these great moments where it seems like they’re connecting and then suddenly, Bennett (The New Guy) shuts down.

So, he’s a typical guy, right? Ha ha. Just kidding.  He’s actually very cute, but he’s obviously conflicted and Anna really doesn’t know what to make of it all.  Finally, it seems that Bennett gives in to whatever mysterious thing it is that draws them together, and the two very naturally and easily begin to fall for each other. Honestly, Bennett pretty much had Anna at hello, but they’re finally able to forge a relationship with more substance. And that, of course, is where the truth comes out.

Bennett has some pretty amazing abilities, time travel being the main one.  He isn’t actually from 1995, but he’s come all the way from 2012 in an effort to find his sister.  He’s been unable to locate her since he took her on a time traveling adventure and was unexpectedly jolted back to 2012, inadvertently leaving his sister behind.  Now that he knows Anna, he wants nothing more than to stay with her, but he has a family waiting for him in the future, hoping to see both Bennett and his sister return safely.  And more important, time isn’t completely in his control. He can often manipulate it, but there is always, always a cost.

My Take:

I was so psyched to get my hands on a copy of this book. I mean, there was so much buzz and then the film rights were snapped up instantly and everyone was calling it the YA version on The Time Traveler’s Wife (only my favorite book ever!).  While all of this hype can be so hard to live up to, I think this is a truly solid, likeable book that held its own.

The basic story, time travel being the main element, had me from the first pages.  We actually begin with a glimpse of Anna in 2012 as she approaches a young, unsuspecting Bennett.  It reminded me a bit of Somewhere in Time. Have you seen that film? When I was a kid, my mom used my intense fascination with Christopher Reeve and all things Superman to get me to watch it, and I think it’s what laid the foundation for my love of time travel stories (spoiler: the movie opens with an old lady approaching a young man, handing him a watch and croaking out “Come back to me.” And Christopher Reeve was the to die for handsome young guy). Anyway, that moment in the book captivated me and made me long to know what transpired between Anna and Bennett all those years earlier.

Somewhere in Time. OMG I love that movie.

Stories about time travel can be tricky, but I felt that Stone did a fantastic job at explaining Bennett’s abilities, the limits to his powers and the basic timelines.  And while at first, I had a difficult time falling for Bennett (I think it was because he was so standoffish at first), eventually I was sold on him because what he and Anna have is romantic. For me, their relationship didn’t completely soar, but it was sweet.  My only real complaint is that much of the time travel in the book is spent visiting exotic locations–all fine and well–instead of going deeper and exploring the pain and choices associated with Bennett’s gift.  I would have appreciated more detail about the repercussions of playing with time.

Crush Intensity: 3.75-4/5  Overall, I enjoyed Time Between Us. I never fell totally head over heels, but I still liked it. More than anything, I absolutely love the premise and am looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Disney/Hyperion Books for providing me with a review copy of Time Between Us!