Review: The Distance Between Us

Book: The Distances Between Us by Kasie West
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Series: None
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Overall Review:
This is my first Kasie West book and after reading The Distance Between Us it will certainly not be the last! I had heard tons of good things about this book, and all of West's books really, so my expectations and hopes were high and this book met them tit for tat! It was a one sitting kind of read for me! It was such a quick yet adorable read that I didn't want it to end. All the characters (save for a few jerks) were so likable, even the ones we only get to see for a short amount of time. All the characters were able to flow and mix together so well, despite the fact that they technically weren't suppose to. The Distance Between Us definitely jumps around a bit with their chapters. One chapter could be about Caymen and Xander hanging out, the next would be Caymen having issues with her mom. Sometimes it would be a little hard to completely absorb all that was happening or get a distinct timeline in terms of what happens when and how much time is going on but overall everything flows really well. My favorite part about The Distance Between Us is while the story was very romance orientated between Caymen and Xander there's also this hidden lesson about prejudicial thoughts, judging people before you get to know them, as well as this really strong bond between mother and daughter. The romance may have been up and down at times but the love and trust between mother and daughter never faltered for a second. The Distance Between Us was full of swoons, heartache, understanding, love, and really strong emotion.

I adored Caymen so much, she was like my spirit animal. She was witty, sarcastic, funny, and a very loyal person. She tried so hard to hide her true feelings behind sarcasm and jokes, but once you really got to know her you could tell how she really felt about things. I just loved her sarcasm and her "I don't care" attitude. I know some people might be turned off by that or not like it, but I do! I wish I was half as sarcastic as her if I'm being honest! Growing up it was really only her and her mother so she was loyal to her mom to an absolute fault. She did whatever she could to make her mom's life easier, even if it meant she missed out on something. I liked it about her but at the same time I felt she was a little too loyal. She had this strange responsibility to her mom and went out of her way constantly to help her mom, make decisions for her, and make things as easy as possible. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but Caymen wasn't living and her mom wasn't really being a mom. It almost at times seemed like the roles were reversed. Not that Caymen's mom acted like a teenager and went out and partied or whatever, but Caymen babied her mom and never gave her enough credit. That was my main issue with her was. She had to know everything about her mom's life and was afraid to leave her mom's side for a second, no matter the circumstances. Everyone but her really saw that it was no way for her to act or live. Xander really helped her break out of her shell and start acting like the seventeen year old girl she was, not the forty some year old woman she lived like.

The relationship between Xander and Caymen was just downright cute, though sometimes I got a little annoyed. Caymen spends a good portion of the time constantly denying her feelings for Xander, and sometimes she was so self centered she didn't really think about him. There was that crazy obsession with her mom that definitely messed things up a time or two between Caymen and Xander. It seriously bugged me how such silly and petty things always seemed to stand in their way of being together. I spent a majority of the time reading wanting to shove their heads together and shout, "Shut up with all your nonsense and kiss already! We all know you want to make out, so dooooo it!" Despite sometimes wanting to slam my head against something, Xander and Caymen were far too cute together. It wasn't all about the romance either, they genuinely cared about each other and wanted to help each other. Both felt misunderstood and had no idea where they stood in the world, and they were able to help each other figure things out. While the kissing, hugging, holding hands, romancy stuff was swoon worthy adorable, they also had a strong and deep bond together.

The Distance Between Us was surprisingly fast paced and over way too soon for my liking. As my first Kasie West book it certainly made me fall head over heels in love with her writing and storytelling, making me eager for more of her books! This was just the kind of book I needed, I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in one sitting! It was all kinds of adorable, funny, swoony, but also had this deeper feeling to it. The Distance Between Us is very romance orientated but there's also a lesson in judging people before you know them, putting money as the most important factor in someone, and being prejudice to both rich and poor. There was also this huge and deep bond between a mother and daughter that I honestly don't see enough of in YA. Caymen's relationship with her mother was borderline stalkery obsessive but Caymen and her mother cared and loved each other, wanting to put each other's needs above their own. Sometimes it got ridiculous, but really their bond is something more authors would write in YA. I would love to see more child parent relationships in stories. Caymen was such a likable character to me with her wit, sarcasm, and tough girl persona. I wish I was as sarcastic as her! She wasn't good at expressing her emotions so she hid behind her dry humor, but really she was just a seventeen year old girl who was torn between doing everything for her mother and going out and having a life, spending time with Xander and her friends.It was a constant struggle for her. Xander really helped her come out of her shell and start discovering herself, which is one of the reasons I liked their relationship so much. They genuinely cared about each other, no matter their social standing, and wanted to help and just be with each other. There were some petty and quite honestly, stupid, things that kept them from furthering their relationship at times but they were always able to overcome it. They were so adorable and I shipped them together from beginning to end! I really like the cover. It's not too fancy or lovey dovey, like people making out or something, but still has that certain cute charm to it!


Overall Rating: 
I give The Distance Between Us a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I adored reading this book and it was just what I needed to read. I can't believe I waited so long to do it! It was a spur of the moment read and it turned out to be such an amazing book! I would definitely recommend this to people who love contemporaries, Kasie West books, adorable romances, and/or books with good, strong parent/child relationships. The Distance Between Us was seriously so good, and I never wanted it to end! Can't wait to get my hands on other Kasie West books! Thanks for reading!

4.5/5 stars

~Kayla~