Time After Time

This is another one of those three star reviews that will require clarification. I really did like this book. It was sweet. It had a happy ending. The romance was nice. The characters were nice. The plot was nice. Like I say ... I liked it. But it was only okay. That's all. Unfortunately, despite the fact that I liked a lot about this story, it never quite took off for me. But I am not telling anyone to shy away from this story. I still think that it might be worth a look if you think this subject of time travel and romance might appeal to you, especially if you were a fan of the companion book to this one.Time After Time continues the story of Bennett and Anna after the events of Time Between Us. This time the story is told through Bennett's eyes. He has returned to San Francisco of 2012 with plans to come back to visit Anna in 1995 Evanston every few weeks and for important events. Both of them continue to live their lives as best they can in their respective time. It seems like the perfect plan, but complications arise over and over again. Bennett begins to experiment a bit more with his ability to change events in time, and things don't end up well for him. A bit of tension enters into this complicated relationship. Life does not flow smoothly for these two people in love.I really liked hearing Bennett's voice for this story. He is in a serious bind, unable to really keep anything that he wants for himself. His time travel ability seems like it would be such a cool thing, but it really ends up becoming a great burden as this story continues. I thought that his first person narration truly captures the tugging of his emotions as he tries to maneuver within such a weird and unpredictable system.The story itself was okay, but I felt as if it dragged a lot in many places. Much of the story involved Bennett simply living his life. That's it. The conflicts didn't really come up until late in the story, and although I love Bennett, I have to admit that hearing about his everyday life was not enough to really grab me for this story. The story does pick up toward the end as Bennett and Anna really have to face what their life would be like if they continue this bizarre time travel romance. Unfortunately it isn't enough to carry the book beyond a three star rating.There is an interesting theme about the responsibility Bennett might have to be able to change tragic events and save lives. Should he alter events? Does altering the past create more problems in the future? How do you decide who to save and when to just let natural consequences take over? Those are some heavy issues for a seventeen year-old boy to deal with, and I think that the discussion of those themes may have been the best part of the book.I hate to say it, but I think that my main issue with the story is my own mind. Time travel is a complicated thing. Every little action involved can potentially alter one version of reality. Unfortunately I could not lose myself enough in the story that I totally could buy this portrayal of time travel. Bennett was traveling all over the place, changing events whether he knew it or not. I just kept thinking about how his 2012 self would be altered by everything he was doing in the past, and so that would end up changing his 2012 self enough that he would not be able to be back in the past doing what he was doing. It would be like a never ending loop of changes, constantly altering reality so that there was no stability at all. Confusing? Yeah ... confusing. I kept thinking about the logistics of this for the entire book. It began to affect my enjoyment. I think that if you can lose yourself in the story and not get hung up on theoretical time travel issues you would have a better chance of enjoying the book. I wish that I could have turned off that part of my head for a bit so that I could enjoy the romance a bit more.And as for the romance ... I really love Bennett and Anna. I rooted for them. Unfortunately I felt like they were not as prominent as a couple in this story as they were in the last one. They pop in every once in a while, but overall it was more a story about Bennett and how this life affects him. The romance was nice enough, just not extraordinary. The ending of the book was nice. I got the HEA I want in a book. I just couldn't quite see exactly how everything was going to work out. I still had so many logistical questions that I felt unsettled. I wanted to see this couple many years in the future. I wanted to know how they made it work. I needed just a bit more information before I felt completely happy.Although I give this one three stars I still enjoyed it. I think that many will like this sweet story. It fell a little flat for me, but I did not regret reading it. Three stars.

“Time After Time” is the sequel to “Time Between Us”, which told of the remarkable meeting and touching “long distance” romance of Anna, who lives in 1995, and Bennett, who time travels from 2012. The first book is narrated in Anna’s present-tense voice, and Bennett takes over the narration for the sequel, which has more time travel elements and less swooning than the first book. Bennett ponders the moral implications of his gift and whether he should change the past to avert tragedy. He describes his physical agony and emotional frustration as he continues to time travel and pursue his complicated relationship with Anna. The strong connection between the two teens is still there, and this is at its heart a beautifully written love story. I recommend this for those who have read and enjoyed the first book.

Tamara Ireland Stone's writing is so engaging that I finished Time after Time in one sitting. At the beginning it was strange to be in Bennett's head instead of Anna's but he quickly won me over, plus it was so interesting to see the whole time traveling dilemma from his point of view, without the lens of Anna's thoughts and feelings. Over the course of the book Bennett asked himself some questions I had asked myself while reading Time between Us: If you can do something, like say, time travel, does it mean that you should? Where do you belong if you can come and go? What are the consequences, not just for you, but for others of your decision?The drama inherent to time traveling and falling in love with someone 17 years apart from you and all the conflicts it brings up for friends and family alike is much more present in this book than the previous one. Especially when Bennett starts using his talent for more than just going to visit Anna and things start to happen. I like books where actions have consequences and this one definitely is like that.To balance the drama, the romance is also turned up in this book. Anna and Bennett already know each other well, they already love each other, so it made for very different reading than the whole falling in love thing that is usually an arc of YA books. They had already fallen in love, now the problem was how to stay together.The ending, without being too spoiler-y, was good but it left many questions unanswered. It felt a bit rushed, too, which took a star away from my review. I'm glad of the decision Bennett and Anna made but it opened up a whole other bag of questions. Perhaps I like my endings tied neatly in a bow too much. I just felt like the ending could have been more satisfying if it had gone on for a bit longer.I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, time travel, normal travel (there's a very sweet chapter that takes place in Paris,)the 90s, and characters that stay with you even after you've turned the last page.

Great story! Easy and quick read. Sentimental, relatable, appropriate.

I loved the characters and the story. I loved both book's , the first and second. I am just hoping for a third book. Is there any chance there will be one more? If not the ending was happy. Just not ready to it to end.....

Great addition to the first book! The first was great, but I enjoyed having Bennet's side of the story.

Great book!

Amazing book, but I will always love the first. It's a little different from his point of view. Still it is a wonderful read! Definitely read this! Book was received before the arrival date, and was good or even better condition than description :)