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!

On My Wishlist #3

I only received a couple of books this week so I am going to save them for a bigger Stacking the Shelves next week.  I think it's time for another Wishlist post!  I did manage to pick up one book from my last Wishlist post, I got a cheap used copy of It a couple weeks ago, but I have yet to get the others.  Here are a couple of new books I have added to my Wishlist recently...

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.

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore 

Absolutely nothing is sacred to Christopher Moore. The phenomenally popular New York Times-bestselling satirist, whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination,” has already lampooned Shakespeare, San Francisco vampires, marine biologists, Death... even Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. 

In his latest novel, the immortal Moore takes on the Great French Masters. A magnificent “Comedy d’Art” from the author of Lamb, Fooland Bite Me, Moore’s Sacre Bleu is part mystery, part history (sort of), part love story, and wholly hilarious as it follows a young baker-painter who joins the dapper Henri Toulouse-Lautrec on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the supposed suicide of Vincent van Gogh.

The Star Dwellers by David Estes

After rescuing her father and younger sister, Adele is forced to leave her family and Tristan behind to find her mother in the cruel and dangerous realm of the star dwellers. 

Amidst blossoming feelings for Adele, Tristan must cast his feelings aside and let her find her own way amongst the star dwellers, while he accompanies Adele's father to meet with the leaders of the moon dwellers and decide the fate of the Tri-Realms.

Will Adele be able to rescue her mother and make it back to the Moon Realm before the President and the sun dweller soldiers destroy her family?

Can Tristan convince the moon dweller puppets of the error of their ways?

Was Adele's lost kiss with Tristan her one and only chance at love?

In her world there's only one rule: Someone must die.

I think I will leave it it at just three again this week! What's on your wishlist?