Satisfying Mystery Romance by Renee Collins

Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Until We Meet Again is a story of a time warp that brings together 17 year old Cassandra from 2015 with Lawrence from 1925. Renee Collins brings the two together in a story that combines romance with mystery in a very satisfying read.

Cassandra's family has rented a home along the beach in New England for the entire summer of 2015. The beach is private and consists of a stretch of sand along a rocky cove. This is Cassandra's sanctuary, as she is terribly bored and wishes to be anywhere but here; specifically Paris with her best friend Jade or NYC with her father and friends. She escapes to the beach to watch the full moon rise.

Lawrence has turned 18 in 1925 and his uncle Ned has thrown him a birthday party at the home he built in 1922; the same home rented by Cassandra's family in 2015. The party is not really to his taste and he escapes to the beach to watch the full moon rise.

Suddenly a flash of bright light allows Cassandra and Lawrence to see each other. This bit of magic only extends as far as the borders of the beach. They soon discover that leaving the beach causes Lawrence to return to 1925 and Cassandra to 2015. They only can see, hear and touch each other while on the beach. The couple meet often on the beach and find themselves falling in love.

Being the curious teen she is, and with access to information on the internet and through library microfilm, Cassandra makes a terrible discovery about Lawrence. Records from 1925 show that Lawrence will be murdered on August 6, 1925. That date is two weeks away.
Who would want to kill Lawrence? Can Cassandra and Lawrence stop the murder? What long-term impact will it have on history if they do? And, can Lawrence and Cassandra find a way to be together?

The theme of meeting across time is not a new concept, but Collins handles it well. The young couple is charming and yet very much the product of their ages and era. The mystery is well defined and the writing keeps us in suspense. The ending is satisfying and logical. The magic is kept to a minimum and never fully explained, as magic really cannot be.

I very much enjoyed the relationship of Lawrence and Cassandra and found the mystery kept me anxious to return to the story whenever my reading was interrupted. Collins gives us a glimpse into life in the Roaring Twenties and limits the connection to 2015. Cassandra's modern day relationship with a boy called Brandon feels very strained and his jealousy for Cassandra feels a little premature given their lack of contact. I don't really know if his presence adds much to the story, but this is a minor criticism.

Overall, this is a book I would recommend to teens looking for a romance with a good mystery. Light reading, but satisfying.




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