Time After Time: A Book Review

Hi!

Title: Time After Time

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone

Published: October 8th, 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 368

Genre: Young Adult / Romance

Source: Gift {thank you, grandparents!} / Hardcover

Series: Time Between Us series | Book One

Summary: Calling Anna and Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995 Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though they knew they shouldn’t. And they found a way to stay together, against all odds.

It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work… until Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen {and certainly never expected to}. Will the decisions he makes from that point on cement a future he doesn’t want? {from Goodreads}

My Thoughts: Ah, the Time Between Us series. It makes me so very happy :) I really enjoyed the first book, so I was ecstatic to receive book two for Christmas! Going further in to the complications of Anna and Bennett’s passionate relationship, which spans over a period of over ten years, Time After Time was truly a delight to read. Tamara Ireland Stone constructed a sequel that lived up to my high expectations {that came from reading her outstanding debut} and that’s completely different from what is on the young adult market today. I don’t think I can recommend it enough, and I eagerly await the next book from the author!

Bennett and Anna were never supposed to meet. Anna, who lives in 1995, and Bennett, who lives in 2012, came together through Bennett’s ability to time travel. I think these two are just so adorable together! Despite what different lives they lead, both of them, and their relationship, felt entirely realistic. You could understand their struggles and their decisions, which only made them developed characters. I know I was always rooting for things to go right and feeling bad for the two if things went wrong. I haven’t read a book lately where I could completely get lost in the characters’ lives, but I actually cared for Bennett and Anna constantly! When the ending came around, I was about to lose it; at that point, I couldn’t bear to see them not together.

Another thing I adored about Time After Time was the story itself. I loved learning more about Bennett’s power {is that right word? perhaps ability?} and seeing what he could do with it. I liked discovering how Bennett’s going back in time and fixing tragic events affected the future. While many of the specifics regarding the actual time-travel were never explained, I just went with it. If there is a third book, however, I would love to learn why the after-effects of Bennett’s time travel are different each time. The romance was particularly strong, but my favorite relationships were the ties between family. Bennett has such a good connection with his sister, Brooke, and Anna has a terrific relationship with her parents. Since strong ties with family is so rare in YA, I love seeing them when they pop up.

Overall, Time After Time delighted me in every which way. I couldn’t see myself not loving it, but I wasn’t sure if this sequel could live up to the first book. Thankfully, my prediction was wrong, and I fell in love with the characters from the very first page. Please do yourself a favor, and get your hands on this series as soon as possible.

Pros: The relationships between characters were fully developed, and the plot was engaging and entertaining. I also liked how realistic Bennett and Anna were – they acted like real teenagers, as they should in a young adult book!

Cons: Nothing that I can think of!

Heads Up: Some romance and language.

Overall: I give it 5 stars {*****}, and I recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Have a lovely day!
Bella