Review: Time After Time

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone
Grade: B+
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?

Told from Bennett’s point of view, Time After Time will satisfy readers looking for a fresh, exciting, and beautifully-written love story, both those who are eager to find out what’s next for Time Between Us's Anna and Bennett and those discovering their story for the first time.

The Good: I loved seeing Bennett's POV.  Hopping back and forth between 1995 and 2012 was awesome.  It was cute to see how much Anna and Bennett cared for each other.  I found Bennett's growth of character fantastic and realistic.  Neither protagonist was melodramatic or unrealistic, which was refreshing and satisfactory.  The climax of the book was well-written and kept me reading.  The ending was...interesting.  That's the best way to describe it.  Part of it, I liked.  Part of it, I didn't (more about that later).  Oh, and the part where they went to Paris was so cute!  It was also interesting to see Bennett doing more rock-climbing.

The Bad: I think Tamara could've really taken the two different settings and run with them.  I feel they could've been more contrasted (i.e., the different music, the slang, the celebrities, etc.), especially since this book is from Bennett's POV and he lives in both places.  Also, I feel like the ending didn't satisfy what I expected.  It seemed too ambiguous and loose.

The Ugly: A bit more language than I remember in Time Between Us.  Romance is the same level, though, I think... Some underage drinking at a party, although I don't believe Bennett or Anna participated.

The Verdict: Despite the bad, I did like Time After Time and I'm so happy I bought it.  It looks so pretty on my shelf next to Time Between Us.  And I think you should get them both, too, and do more than admire them on your bookshelf. ;)