Young Adult. Review of "Time Between Us" by Tamara Ireland Stone

Title:  Time Between Us
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Publisher:  Hyperion
Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Genre: YA
Format:  Hardcover 384 pages  |  Kindle 708 KB

Buy this book on Amazon:  Hardcover  |  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://tamarairelandstone.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Tamara Ireland Stone 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

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.

My Thoughts...
I thought this was a pretty good read.  It was a YA version of The Time Travelers Wife but much less confusing!  There is never a point in the story where you don't know what the timeline is.  You are always aware of where and when the characters are without needing a little heading to tell you.

The story opens with an 30-ish Anna giving a letter to 17 year old Bennett in 2011.  Then you find yourself in 1995 back with Anna when she is only 16.  She falls for the cute new boy in school, but soon realizes that he is full of secrets.  He is determined from the beginning to stay away from her and she can't figure out why but try as he may they just seem to be drawn to each other like magnets.  Something happens and he is forced to use his time travel ability to save Anna.  Since he is no longer able to keep it from her he is actually pretty open with her.

Anna has always longed to travel and Bennett has been all over the world.  He is able to take her places in the blink of an eye, places that she would never be able to visit on her own.  Bennett is very cautious about how he uses his ability and he's always weighing the consequences and how what he does can affect others lives.  This makes him seem much more mature than most boys his age.

I love the 1995 setting, I remember those days quite fondly!  I loved the supporting characters, especially Emma.  I think that Anna and Bennett are really solid characters.  The only thing that bothered me is that there is no explanation for why he is able to time travel, it's just something that he does.  I also found it odd that Anna never really questions it.  She does ask a lot of questions, obviously, but never asks what makes it possible.

Overall, this is a really good story.  It's a nice YA love story with a bit of a twist.  As far as I am concerned the twist is what makes a good YA book these days.  I would recommend it to anyone who liked the concept of The Time Travelers Wife, but wants something a bit less confusing.  Also if you like a good YA Paranormal then you will probably like this one.  It's a really well written book also which is always a good thing!