Book Shelf: 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.

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Review:

Time Between Us explores the beauty of first love and the power of friendship, in this beautifully written debut by Tamara Ireland Stone that is a delightful mix of The Time Travellers Wife, and The Future of Us!

From beginning to end Time Between Us was a joy to read. Tamara Ireland Stone’s debut novel was beautifully written, perfectly paced and effortlessly compelling. Stone’s writing was simple, but flowing and effortless; detailing the story wonderfully but never going into over the stop, unnecessary detail.

The storyline was simple; boy with ability to move through time from the future and a girl set squarely in the present that meet and fall for one another. Featuring a time travelling teen, I was surprised to discover how delightfully normal this book was. Set in 1995, the “supernatural” aspect of this book wasn’t a strong feature, but rather Bennett’s abilities slipped easily into the contemporary feel of things.

Our main characters, Anna and Bennett are prefect within the story. Both are believable and reflective of teenagers everywhere, regardless of the time period they grew up in. Anna was such a normal teen girl, with all the hopes, fears and expectations everyone experiences. And yet she was strong too and it was easily to get lost within her head as her voice was so easy to follow. Independent and driven, Anna was the best possible protagonist to have in this kind of novel.

Bennett on the other hand, was quite a mystery to me throughout this book. As Tamara Ireland Stone steadily revealed Bennett’s secrets and the truth about who he is and where he comes from, I found him to be a real sweetie. One thing I found really interesting is that Bennett’s family were so aware of his abilities. Usually with these kinds of books, the teen’s family are in the dark about what they can do so it was refreshing to know Bennett’s parents knew what he was capable of. Even if we never got to meet them personally.

The romance within Time Between Us that blossoms between Anna and Bennett was sweet. It wasn’t over the top, but still came across strongly....if that makes sense. What I loved was that Bennett and Anna truly got to know one another over time; talking and sharing their hopes, dreams and secrets with one another. These two were sweet and endearing.

Stone writes a lot of mystery surround Bennett and his abilities while Anna learns who he is, that at times I found myself scratching my head over the various “Bennetts” at different times and moments throughout the book. Personally, I would have liked to see Bennett and his family explored a bit more seeing as they intrigued me so, but that’s just me.

The ending seemed a tad rushed for my tastes and I would have loved to have seen it stretched out and expanded on a touch more. Tamara Ireland Stone left me wanting to know how Anna and Bennett’s story continued, long after I turned the last page, but I was thrilled with the hope she left us with.

An enchanting, time travelling debut that sweeps you up from start to finish, Time Between Us is a must read for fans of Nicholas Sparks and The Time Travellers Wife!


Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Random House Australia (Thank you Dorothy!)
Format: Paperback.
AU Release Date: Available now!
Buy it: Booktopia // The Nile // The Book Depository
Recommendation: Fans of Nicholas Sparks and The Time Travellers Wife will love this one!
Cover: Unfortunatly, I'm not a fan.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: This is a stand alone, but I'd defintely be interested in reading more by Tamara Ireland Stone.