Publish date:First published October 25, 2024
Genre: Contenporary romance
Short description: Two people with very different lives are brought together by an unexpected connection and a shared mission that pushes them far outside their comfort zones. What begins as a reluctant partnership slowly turns into a journey of understanding, second chances, and the quiet courage it takes to face the unknown. Set against heartfelt moments, witty exchanges, and emotional undercurrents, Between Then and Now is a story about finding hope where you least expect it and the bonds that form when you stop running from what matters most.
At first, I honestly thought this book was a bit too cheesy for me. The premise felt like it was leaning hard on the usual romantic tropes, plus the technicalities on “joining the mission” setup was something I decided early on not to overthink. But the more I read, the more I realized I was starting to care about the characters. Bon and Ryan’s dynamic slowly pulled me in, and I found myself connecting with their vulnerabilities in ways I didn’t expect.
Yes, their back-and-forth about fears and reasons for pushing through gets repetitive at times, but it also shows just how tangled and complicated their emotions are. It’s not perfect, but it’s heartfelt. What started out feeling like a fluffy romance turned into something more layered. Still cheesy though, lesser than before, but still. Lol that’s love irl. 🫶🏻🤷🏻♀️
Four stars for the kilig and karekare. 💁🏻♀️
Between Then and Now by Kyra Isabel was one of those books I didn’t expect to like as much as I did. When I started it, I honestly found it cheesy — the kind of romance that feels a little too on-the-nose, with too many emotionally charged speeches in a short span of pages. Bon and Ryan explaining over and over why they were scared, why they wanted to push through, why they couldn’t let go — it felt repetitive. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. I connected with them. Their voices started to feel less like fictional characters and more like two very real people trying to figure each other out.
The premise itself hooked me: Bon and Ryan, two people with shared history, forced to face their unresolved feelings while on a mission together. I’ll admit, I brushed off the technicalities of the whole “join the mission” setup — not because it was bad, but because I wasn’t reading for the logistics. I was here for the heart of it. And that’s what kept me turning the pages.
What really stood out to me was how personal it all felt. The book didn’t shy away from showing the messy parts of love: fear, hesitation, self-sabotage. Bon and Ryan weren’t perfect — far from it — but that made them believable. Bon’s tendency to retreat when things got too real, Ryan’s stubborn determination to close the gap between them… those flaws were exactly what made me root for them.
There were moments that felt heavy-handed, yes. But there were also lines that stopped me in my tracks — moments where I could almost hear the crack in their voices. And there was a softness too, in the way the book gave space for little gestures, shared glances, and the unspoken weight of their past.
One thing I absolutely have to mention: the Blank Book Archive. The story includes a reference to a real place — the Maywang A Libro Du Vatan in Mahatao, Batanes, inside the old San Carlos Borromeo Church. It’s an archive of blank books where visitors can write messages, thoughts, or stories. I loved that touch. It made the fictional world feel more grounded, like a bridge between what’s imagined and what’s out there in the real world.
By the end, I was surprised at how much I cared about where Bon and Ryan ended up. Yes, it had its cheesy, over-explained moments, but it also had real emotional weight. It’s the kind of book that sneaks up on you — you roll your eyes at the start, and then suddenly, you’re fully invested, feeling every high and low right along with the characters.
For me, this was a solid 4-star read. Not perfect, but full of heart. And sometimes, that’s enough to make it stick with you.
View my vlog when I read Between Then And Now!
A week in my reading life 📚 including Between Then and Now by Kyra Isabel, a book that I wasn’t sure about at first but slowly pulled me in. Along the way, I also dip into a few other books from my TBR, because self-control is clearly not part of my reading habits.