IN TIME WITH YOU, by Kristin Dwyer, Wednesday Books, March 3, 3036, Paperback, $15 (young adult, ages 14 and up)
A girl saves her first love’s life by falling for his best friend in In Time with You, a speculative YA romance, by Kristin Dwyer.
Nieve Monroe is devastated after her boyfriend Carter dies saving her from drowning. Even worse she blames herself for his death… and so does his best friend, Max. He was there with them on that fateful day, and he’s never liked Nieve.
Unable to pull herself from her grief and wanting to hide from the accusation in his eyes, Nieve goes to stay with her grandmother, who has always had strange stories to tell of uncanny happenings, of magic and make believe. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on the first day of college, the year before.
This time she plans to make sure Carter never follows her into that river. She’ll do everything in her power to keep him safe, even if it means losing him in other ways. But the more distance she puts between her and Carter, the closer she gets to Max, drawn to him in ways she never expected. But is she betraying Carter if the only way she can save him is to move on? And can she ever forget her past to embrace her future? —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
In Time with You is a story that very much starts out as a story about loss and the lengths a Nieve is willing to go to save the person she thinks she loves most. Over the course of the book, some of that changes, but it’s a premise readers will be able to relate to.
Nieve is a sympathetic character who, over the course of the novel, grows and learns what she truly wants. Nieve is surrounded by some strong supporting characters, particularly Max who starts out as mystery and turns into someone with a lot of depth, and Nieve’s eccentric grandmother who often steels the show.
The premis of In Time with You is dependent on readers liking/understanding author Kristin Dwyer’s time slip/loop elements. And those elements work fairly well, although they may trip up some readers. Some of the confusion is echoed in Nieve’s own disorientation as the world around her suddenly changes.
In Time with You is an upper YA contemporary romance that should appeal to fans of magical realism and time travel.
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