Thursday, August 30, 2012

REVIEW: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

I first heard about Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone at the Random House Blogger's Brunch, in which it was described as 'The Time Traveller's Wife for teens.' That's HUGE and that description left me incredibly intrigued by this story.  And I have to say, Time Between Us did not disappoint.

It's very addictive reading - I really didn't want to put it down at all and every time I was forced to, I felt sad.  It's also very romantic - I really loved Anna and Bennett together.  Theirs is a relationship that I was rooting for right from the very beginning.  But at the same time, there's a huge level of uneasiness and dread (and heartbreak!) as you know that this relationship isn't supposed to work.  He's from 2012, she's from 1995.  They never should have met, but when Bennett goes back in time to correct a mistake, their two worlds collide.

I do love me some good time-travel stories, and Time Between Us is no exception.  I loved the rules that Bennett has in place to minimise the damage his time travel wreaks on others around him, I loved the restrictions of his ability, and also I loved the conversations and thoughts that Anna and Bennett have about the morality of altering events.  Should Bennett have the control to stop an armed robber? A car accident? Should he alter events that remove the choices from another person?

Anna and Bennett were great characters.  I loved Anna especially, with her dedication to running and her love and fascination with travelling the world.  She's been almost nowhere in her entire life and now suddenly, Bennett is able to give her the world.  And poor Bennett, he's kind of afloat at the beginning of the novel.  He doesn't connect well with his family apart from his sister who is lost in time. What he really wants in the world is what Anna has - a history and roots in one place.

I love that this book is about the choices we have and that we make.  We don't all have the ability for do-overs, so make it count the first time.  I also loved Anna's conflict in this story.  She doesn't seem to be the one in control of whether or not Bennett stays, but she is in charge of her own life and following her own dreams and aspirations.  And that's something we should all remember.

I loved this book.  I loved the emotion of it, the romance, the strength of these characters. I can't wait for you to meet them.  When this book is published later in the year, I urge you to read it!

12 comments:

  1. Eeee! Ok now I'm excited for this one! I've been really hesitant to pick it up because of the comparisons to TTW, but you've convinced me :)

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    1. You *didn't* want to read it because of the comparison? I had the opposite reaction!

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  2. I'm so excited to read this book now! Fab review, this sounds brilliant - I love time travel novels! :O

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    1. I do too, Cliona! Time travel is one of my favourite things to read about :)

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  3. I'm so excited to read this book. gr8 review

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  4. Loved this book... it inspired me to have a time travel feature later on in the year. Fab review

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    1. LOVE the idea of a time travel feature! I'm looking forward to that :)

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  5. I'm glad to hear it didn't disappoint, Michelle, I thought the same! I adored Anna and Bennett, and just the whole feel of the book. Thanks for the fab review!

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  6. glad to hear you enjoyed this one, I cant wait to get round to my copy now!! :)

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