A review by lynnedf
Between Me and You by Allison Winn Scotch
3.0
3.5 star read.
I have mixed feelings about this book ... I liked it - and more than "this was an ok read" - I was eager to keep reading and to find out how it ends. But I also felt that at times it stalled, that it just didn't move quickly enough and repeated itself one time too many.
Tatum and Ben fall in love ... and then life gets messy and complicated and things happen.
What we get is a story in two parts.
Part 1 told from alternating points of view, Ben and Tatum's depending on that chapter, and also told either in chronological order (Tatum) or backwards (Ben). The first 70% of the book is told either as Tatum falls in love with Ben and then leads to the eventual separation, while every other chapter gives you a snippet of Ben as he goes back in time - from the separation and what lead to it, to falling in love with Tatum and what made him choose her.
It sounds more complicated than it is. But it's also the reason I felt that a lot of the story was repetitive - because you have alternating points of view on similar events, or times in peoples' lives; you end up with things repeated... things that maybe don't need to be repeated. And so that's where I found it dragged.
Then you get to Part 2 - the present day. Both Tatum and Ben take turns bringing us to the "grand finale" - and that moves faster. Far less repetition and it reads more like a traditional novel.
Overall, this is a book about two people who love one another but get caught up in life - either trying to live up to expectations, or trying to surpass expectations. It's well written, a little long-winded, but an enjoyable read. If you have read [b:Firefly Lane|1472878|Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)|Kristin Hannah|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362435448s/1472878.jpg|1463850] - I think you would enjoy this book. It's about relationships and finding yourself and finding happiness.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy in return for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about this book ... I liked it - and more than "this was an ok read" - I was eager to keep reading and to find out how it ends. But I also felt that at times it stalled, that it just didn't move quickly enough and repeated itself one time too many.
Tatum and Ben fall in love ... and then life gets messy and complicated and things happen.
What we get is a story in two parts.
Part 1 told from alternating points of view, Ben and Tatum's depending on that chapter, and also told either in chronological order (Tatum) or backwards (Ben). The first 70% of the book is told either as Tatum falls in love with Ben and then leads to the eventual separation, while every other chapter gives you a snippet of Ben as he goes back in time - from the separation and what lead to it, to falling in love with Tatum and what made him choose her.
It sounds more complicated than it is. But it's also the reason I felt that a lot of the story was repetitive - because you have alternating points of view on similar events, or times in peoples' lives; you end up with things repeated... things that maybe don't need to be repeated. And so that's where I found it dragged.
Then you get to Part 2 - the present day. Both Tatum and Ben take turns bringing us to the "grand finale" - and that moves faster. Far less repetition and it reads more like a traditional novel.
Overall, this is a book about two people who love one another but get caught up in life - either trying to live up to expectations, or trying to surpass expectations. It's well written, a little long-winded, but an enjoyable read. If you have read [b:Firefly Lane|1472878|Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)|Kristin Hannah|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362435448s/1472878.jpg|1463850] - I think you would enjoy this book. It's about relationships and finding yourself and finding happiness.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy in return for an honest review.