Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

Welcome to my tour stop for Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins! Hailed as "The Time Travelers Wife for teens" this new YA novel is packed with time travel, mystery and romance. The tour runs from October 26th thru November 6th and consists of reviews, excerpts and interviews. There is also a tour-wide giveaway for some really awesome prizes so be sure to stop by any or all of the stops for your chance to win! Please visit the tour page for all the details & to follow the tour and don't forget to enter the Giveaway at the end of this post for your chance to win!!!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Author: Renee Collins

Available Formats: eBook & Hardcover

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: 11-03-15               Pages: 336

They exist in two different centuries, but their love defies time

Cassandra craves drama and adventure, so the last thing she wants is to spend her summer marooned with her mother and stepfather in a snooty Massachusetts shore town. But when a dreamy stranger shows up on their private beach claiming it's his own—and that the year is 1925—she is swept into a mystery a hundred years in the making.

As she searches for answers in the present, Cassandra discovers a truth that puts their growing love—and Lawrence's life—into jeopardy. Desperate to save him, Cassandra must find a way to change history…or risk losing Lawrence forever.

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My So-Called Review:

When I was given the opportunity to join this blog tour I was a little hesitant at first but only because I don’t typically read time-travel books. The whole concept behind time-travel is rather complicated and so I worry that a book of this genre could potentially become bogged down with trying to explain the science of it and all the ripple effects that I’ll lose interest in the story itself. After reading the synopsis for Until We Meet Again I didn’t get the sense that it was that type of time-travel story. It actually sounded more like a YA Romance shrouded in a mystery beyond the questions of how and why one of its main characters was from 1925. There was so much potential for where this story could have gone and so it quickly became one of my most anticipated fall reads. Plus that cover…………just stunning!!

Cassandra is on vacation with her mom and stepdad in a Massachusetts beach town and she’s bored out of her mind! This all changes when she meets Lawrence, a good looking guy who just shows up one day on her family’s very private beach claiming that it’s actually his own. Cassandra notices immediately that there’s something quite different about the way Lawrence speaks and how he’s dressed and doesn’t know what to think when he tells her it’s 1925. Cassandra becomes swept up not only in Lawrence but also in figuring out why he’s there and why they can only be together there on the beach.

There were so many elements to this story that I absolutely loved! First was the dual POV and timeline, this type of storytelling has been a longtime favorite of mine and of course it worked perfectly here. I especially enjoyed Lawrence’s chapters from the 1920’s; it’s not an era I’ve read much about in fiction so I found these chapters about the roaring 20’s so much fun! The second element that I loved was the character development; we don’t get nearly enough of this in YA fiction. At the beginning of the novel I didn’t care too much for Cass, she comes across as rather spoiled and self-centered. But it was such a joy to see how she matured & evolved into this amazing young woman. The things she goes through and experiences in this novel shape her into who she becomes by the end of the novel. She ends up with such a deeper understanding of life and love, it was touching and I just adored her. Then there’s swoon worthy Lawrence who is extremely sexy, sweet and sensitive and yes girls…….. he even writes poetry!!

Now onto the romance, it’s seriously one of the best I’ve read in a very long time! Yes, I guess it is a little “insta-love” or “insta-attraction” but that doesn’t bother me because it sometimes needs to happen for the sake of moving the plot along. The same thing happens in movies yet people are less bothered by it there, why is that? There was such a great connection between these two characters and I was completely invested in their story and their future. And then finally, there’s the whole mystery surrounding Lawrence and why he’s there. I of course am not going to give any details away here because it’s best discovered on your own but I will say that I enjoyed this aspect of the story very much. Some of it I was able to figure out on my own once I could see the possibilities of where the story could be going. But I had no idea which route Collins would take or how it would all play out in the end which kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning to finish the book, tissues in hand.

Until We Meet Again is a book that I would absolutely recommend to readers who enjoy a little bit of everything in their story telling! Even though it’s categorized as a YA read there’s a complexity to the story-line and its characters that will make this book just as enjoyable to adult readers. Because of this, it would also make a wonderful Book Club selection; there are so many themes and possible ending outcomes that could be discussed! I’m so glad that this one lived up to my expectations and excitement and I look forward to reading Renee Collins’ next novel :)

A huge thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for putting together an amazing blog tour and to the publisher, Sourcebooks, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

About the Author:

I'm a YA writer who loves historical settings, magic, and semi-tragic romance. I'm represented by the amazing Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media.

Fun Facts About Renee:

1. I grew up in Hawaii, right across from the beach. And yes, I know how to surf.

2. I have a twin sister. She’s my best friend and Official Story Consultant™.

3. I have a passion for History. My favorite areas to study are Asian and American Histories, though in my crazy college days I had a special fascination with Communism.

4. My writing fuel is air-popped popcorn with a chilled Dr. Pepper on ice. Doesn’t get any better than that.

5.I am represented by the amazing Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary +Media

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Giveaway:

  3 Finished Copies of Until We Meet Again
by Renee Collins (US Only)

Contest Ends November 8th, 2015

  Prizing provided by the author, hosts not responsible

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