Review Detail

THE IN BETWEEN is a YA contemporary story about grief, loss, and depression. Tessa has been on her own for a long time, as a foster child who feels separate from the world around her. Everything changes after a chance meeting in a movie theatre when a handsome boy helps to translate the film. Skylar is perfect in just about every way, and they feel like magnets coming together.

Told in alternating timelines, the reader knows that this ends with an accident that leaves Tessa in the hospital and Skylar gone but follows the start of their relationship interspersed with glimpses from the present where Skylar is gone.

What I loved: This was an intriguing look at consuming love and terrible loss. Skylar and Tessa have an immediate connection that grows as they spend time together. For someone who feels as lonely as Tessa does, this connection changes her life. Her life is then changed again when he dies and she is again refinding her way on her own. The supernatural elements of a connection from beyond adds something extra to the story - a closure so many wish they could have from their own losses.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the dual timelines could be confusing at times. Some of the connections and characters did not feel as deep as I was hoping, making it harder to really connect with them and fully buy into the relationships. Tessa seems to be dealing with a lot mentally and emotionally, in both timelines, and I would have appreciated some deeper examinations of this in past and present.

Final verdict: An intriguing look at grief and loss, THE IN BETWEEN is an emotional read about consuming love and the pain of losing a loved one.