Review: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Format: Hardcover (signed), 368 pages
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: Bought

Description 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.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.

I have been so pumped to read this book ever since I bought it. It looks like a super sweet time-traveling love story. And it is. But it is also more, and I loved it!

This is the story of Anna and Bennett. I like that we jump into that right off the bat. Along with that, we are already given some mystery as to what, exactly, is going to happen with these two. At first glance, this book seems so predictable, but once you get into it, it's really not. I was surprised by this story more than once. I was expecting this book to follow a particular path, and while it did follow that path somewhat roughly, there were things I never would have expected before reading this book thrown in, too.

So, yes, this is a romantic time traveling story. But it is also more than that. And that "more" was unexpected for me. But it also dragged me into the book that much more. I liked watching Anna grow and change and develop a deeper undersatnding of herself. In a way, this is both Anna's story AND Anna and Bennett's story.

Character Rundown:
Anna: I loved Anna! As her best friend says, she has fight. But even though she has fight, she's not cocky about it. Plus, she's insanely cute. There was one time in the book where she made a big deal out of returning a pencil to Bennett, and I thought that was just too cute. And, as I already said, she grew so much as a character, and I enjoyed watching that. I wish there was more to read of Anna!
Bennett: Bennett. I really, really, REALLY like Bennett. I may even love him. It's hard, though, because he can be something of a liar. I suppose, overall, I certainly do love this boy. He's sweet and kind, and he has things he cares about. Anna, for one. His grandmother and sister. I liked seeing him care about them, too. His only little flaw was the lying. That does not float my boat.

The ending. I'm not going to say the ending was unexpected. Because I kind of did expect it. The CIRCUMSTANCES, however, I did not. I wasn't expecting Anna to be where she was or even to hear what we heard. If this makes no sense to you now, trust me--you'll get it once you read the book. Still, the ending left me with a happy feeling.

Overall, ...well, overall, you know how I just said the ending left me with a happy feeling? Well, it's more like THIS WHOLE book left me with a happy feeling. I found myself smiling more times than I could count as I read this. It's such a sweet, fun book. I strongly suggest you give it a try. Everyone deserves a chance to read Anna and Bennett's story.

♥Jessica(: