Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Release Date – October 9, 2012
Publisher Website –  Hyperion/Hachette Canada
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating- 3/5
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

I am sure a lot of people initially thought of The Time Traveler’s Wife when hearing of this title. A doomed couple, a guy desperate to stay, and a girl who would be willing to wait. A romance that is light on the science fiction will appeal to those who are looking for something a little lighter.
The writing in this novel is enjoyable. Tamara Ireland Stone weaves the story together in such a way that creates mystery and kept my interest. The beginning especially piques your curiosity and makes you want to unravel the mystery. Her characters are rather endearing as well.

The time travel aspect starts out interesting. There are logical rules set in place that would make sense. Towards the end however things took a leap into a more illogical direction and I had a harder time staying in the story. This is a case where I wish the science had been a little more explained and it might have prevented this.

The romance is quite endearing. The only word I can think of to describe it is cute. The ideal of being swept away to anywhere in the entire world is pretty romantic. The notion that they are fighting against something they really can’t control, and their age difference if they were to meet in 2012 all made it seem that much more intense.

The ending while sweet, left so many questions that I wanted answered. I am not sure if there are going to be subsequent books to make this a series, and the ending does not make it clear either way. The ending may reflect the relationship between Anna and Bennett and how everything is uncertain, but, as a reader, I wanted those answers.

There is an entire plot point featuring Bennett’s sister that becomes almost a throw away line later in the novel with no real explanation for how that issue resolves itself. The entire “why” and “how” of Bennett’s abilities are never really explained either. The science aspect is less developed and since it is the main drive of the story, I wanted it to be explored.

A sweet romance, a sound premise that just left me with too many questions. Fans of science fiction may wish for more, those who enjoy romance will find this one more than satisfies.