THE WORDS BETWEEN US is Erin Bartels' second novel, following WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS, and it is probably the better of the two. I would categorize it as a young adult novel. So it is as YA that I praise it.

In alternating ”Then” and “Now” chapters, the main character, Robin, gives first-person accounts of her past and present until the two finally meet.

Robin begins her "Then” chapters when she was 14-years-old and sent to live with her grandmother after both her parents landed in jail. She went to a new high school and met Peter, the love of her life. But first the two became friends when he gave her books and she paid for each with a poem.

The “Now" chapters are 18 years later, after Robin fled her new hometown, Peter, and the law. She owns a used bookstore and is suddenly receiving unsigned packages in the mail. They are obviously from Peter because each package contains one of the books he gave her so many years before.

It’s a YA love story, the kind I used to read, with no teenaged sex, just sweetness.

Books, books, books, and one bookworm. Well, quite a few bookworms and one from Robin's past.

Hiding since she was fourteen from a scandal that her jailed parents were involved in caused Robin to have no confidence and become a recluse.

We get a glimpse into Robin‘s life as a child before the scandal as well as present day. Because of this scandal Robin had to live with her grandmother in another state where she met Peter who loved books too and shared books with her. They became good friends until an incident that caused them to never see each again.

Peter had been out of touch for years, but all of a sudden the books they shared as children started showing up in her mailbox at her book store from different states.

Meanwhile Robin’s book store was in jeopardy because she didn't have any customers.

Robin was sweet and will pull you into her life, her situation, and her love of books.

If you also enjoy mysteries, THE WORDS BETWEEN US will appeal to you because added to Robin’s dilemmas in her life was a secret her grandmother supposedly had and that Robin never knew about.

THE WORDS BETWEEN US will resound with book lovers simply because of that gorgeous cover, the title, and of course the story line.

The reader will again be treated to Ms. Bartel’s wonderful storytelling skills. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.