Review: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Title: Time Between UsAuthor: Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: Time Between Us #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Pages: 368
Format/Source: Hardback/Purchased
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction
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. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads)
You Had Me At “Travel Through Time”…
Seriously. I LOVE time travel. I love the show Doctor Who and The Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite Harry Potter book. You say the words “time travel” and I’m hooked.
And Time Between Us was a great time travel book. I love the limits to Bennett’s time travel, and I love that there are consequences every time anyone time travels, and I love that there’s always the possibility that he’ll be thrown back into his own time.
And I love that this book takes place in 1995. I was 15 in 1995, so I was listening to the same music as Anna and doing the same things she was doing at that time. And, I don’t mean to name-drop or whatever, but I met Tamara Ireland Stone when I went to the Austin Teen Book Festival last year and she and I had a discussion about time travel, and how her characters don’t go very far back in time. I think she said that she asked herself what time she’d go to if she could time travel, and she thought she’d go back and relive some of her favorite moments of her life, and that’s why she decided to make Bennett only travel so far back in time. (Don’t quote me on that, though. I was fangirling pretty hard at the time, so I might have that wrong.)
Girl Power and Awesome Parents…
I really loved Anna. And Bennett, and Justin and Emma. But I loved how Anna wasn’t the type of girl to be okay with her love interest just popping into her bedroom at night. And she totally called him out on another thing he had done which was a big no-no. I was reading and I found myself saying, “Yes! This is how it should go!”
And I loved Anna’s father. He knew that she wanted to travel and so he made her a huge map for her wall so she could put pins in all the places she traveled. And there was a really great scene between Anna, Bennett, and Anna’s parents that I really loved. Yea for great parents in YA books!
Great Quotes…
I’m going to do my “Great Quotes” section a little different this time, because I have little notes that go with my favorite quotes from Time Between Us.
I loved this line in Anna’s narration: “I make a weird gesture, as if I know the universal sign for time travel.” It is just so funny and it reminds me of my best friend from college and how we would make some kind of ridiculous gesture and then say, “Yeah, that’s the universal sign for it.”
And I really could relate to these lines of Anna’s narration: “I feel the tears start to well up and I fight, with everything I have, to keep them locked behind a wall where they can’t do any permanent damage. If I cry now, he’ll think I’m sad. But I’m not–I’m furious.” I HATE crying when I’m mad, because I really do feel like some people might take it as me being sad or overemotional. So I totally know what Anna means here.
And another couple of great lines that I just had to add: “The scratches on his face and body may be superficial, but they make him look like a porcelain doll that’s been dropped on the floor and put back together. I’m pretty sure the glue’s not yet dry.”
My rating for Time Between Us, by Tamara Ireland Stone:
5 huge stars. Mrs. Stone is one of the nicest people I’ve met, and she has written a wonderful book. She deserves all the accolades she has surely received from this novel. I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!
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Kay
January 17, 2013 at 5:36 pmLove your review. I think it is a little strange that the time traveling doesn't span hundreds of years, but I think it makes me more curious. I love when the plot of a book stands out to me as something different.
Also, it is refreshing when a young adult book actually has a good set of parents in it. That doesn't happen all that often.
Thanks for sharing this book with us!
Andrea @ Cozy Up
January 17, 2013 at 7:16 pmI would love to meet Tamara, she seems like such a fun person, and this book was absolutely amazing! I'm glad you loved it, I myself just started getting into Doctor Who in the past couple of weeks and love it. I found that by making limitations to the time Bennett can travel to makes it a bit more realistic. Great review!
Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide
January 17, 2013 at 9:02 pmI love time travel too! This one was so well written and I really loved the interactions between Anna & Bennett. Lovely review! :)
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
January 18, 2013 at 11:33 amI'm so glad you loved it! I almost picked it up and started reading it the other day, but then I decided on a different book and I kind of wish I picked up this one. Oh well, perhaps I'll make it my next book.
fakesteph
January 18, 2013 at 3:22 pmI haven't decided on this one yet, but you have definitely swayed me toward getting it… hmm….
Sarah Elizabeth
January 19, 2013 at 11:52 amWow! 5 stars! I'm not the biggest fan of time travel cause I tend to get a bit confused but it sounds like this is one I should give a go :)
Kate Midnight Book Girl
January 19, 2013 at 3:06 pmI own this, but of course haven't read it. It's definitely one I want to read, now more than ever! And I feel you on the angry tears. I hate that I cry when I'm mad! My skin gets all blotchy and then I start to cry, and it totally ruins the furious rage I'm trying to portray… stupid tears.
LHughes
January 21, 2013 at 4:20 pmI love time travel too!!! (Hint: It's in my Top Ten Tuesday post this week!) I think that's why I love Prisoner of Azkaban too! It's definitely always been my favorite in the HP series. I love that you said there were consequences to the time travel in this book, and I love that it takes place in the 90s! Definitely want to check it out now!
Lauren @ Hughes Reviews
Bittner
January 21, 2013 at 5:21 pmGreat review Andrea! This one sounds really good and I added it to my list of books I would have bought in January…if I had allowed myself to.
Sam Kasbrick
January 21, 2013 at 7:29 pmI love time travel too, if it's done right. Sounds like this one did a good job. Thanks for the review, I'll have to add this to my TBR list.
Irene Jennings
June 19, 2013 at 3:12 pmI've been waiting to get my handson a copy for ages. I'm glad you liked it! I cant wait to start reading it myself :)
Great review.
Irene (Alaskan Pay Dirt)