I have been anticipating Erin Bartels’ new story for a long time – pretty much since her debut novel, “We Hope for Better Things”, released! Published by Revell in the late summer of 2019, “The Words Between Us” is a memorable, complex, rather haunting novel that fascinated and challenged me even as it swept me into a world that lingered in my imagination long after closing the book. As the back cover summarizes so well, “With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words – the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write – have more power than we imagine.”

Written as a time slip novel with time described simply as ‘then‘ and ‘now’, this book interweaves the past and present of Robin Windsor as she grows from confused and hurting girl into a woman just trying to make it through the days without the past coming back to haunt her. When the boy (now a man) who was the one bright spot in her painful past mails her a book laden with memories, what does that foretell about her future?

If you enjoy rich, carefully-crafted stories that are challenging, mysterious, beautiful, and compelling, I highly recommend “The Words Between Us”. With incredible talent, Ms. Bartels brings to life a riveting world and complex characters who sweep us up in a story that leave a permanent impression on our hearts and imaginations.

I received this book courtesy of Revell Publishing, in participation with a Revell Reads Blog Tour.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.