Book Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

 

Book Title: The Distance Between Us
Author: Kasie West
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: July 2nd 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, YA
Age Range: 13-17 years old
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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.

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MY THOUGHTS

First of all, let me tell you that I bought this book because of its cover. I know, I’m a horrible human being. Don’t judge a book by its cover, and all that… blah blah. But when I read the summary, I thought it would be another really cliché rich-boy-meets-poor-girl love story. Well, it kind of is—but this is different in its own way.

Before I explain why I absolutely loved this, let me tell you the two things I didn’t like about this. First was the lack of depth for Xander’s character. I just didn’t know more about Xander’s character (and life) outside of their relationship, so as a result, I didn’t quite connect to him more than I would like to. The other thing is the ending. Granted, the ending is sweet and adorable and all but I think that it was just too good, too convenient.

Now let me mention the things that made me swoon over this book.

First of all, I love a book that could make me laugh and this one made me laugh out loud loads of times. The banter in this book is really entertaining and I savored every bit of it.

Another thing I adored is how the story doesn’t just revolve around Caymen’s love life. It actually tackles problems: poverty, indecisiveness of what to do in the future, family history/drama and struggles in health.

If Caymen Meyers, the main character, was a real person, there’ll be no doubt that we would be the best of friends. I relate to her so much. We share the same dry sense of humor or at least I think we do. Much like her, I also don’t have a clue on what the future holds for me. When reading, I always just find myself thinking about how similar we are. She is definitely my favorite character in the story.

There wasn’t insta-love. That was another thing I was worried about before reading this. Luckily, it turned out really good. It wasn’t rushed I loved how I could feel Caymen and Xander’s chemistry.

When I hear the word “doll store” the first thing that comes to mind are creepy dolls. Now in this story, Caymen’s mother runs a doll store. I didn’t feel uncomfortable whenever the shop was being described; it almost feels homely. I don’t know if you even care about that but it’s a pro for me. I just think I should include that.

I heard a lot of great things about the author’s works and I’m looking forward to trying out her other books.

Would I recommend this?

If you like contemporary books or you’re in the mood for a cute romantic story that would make you laugh and feel for the characters, this one’s for you!

All book cover photos are taken from Goodreads.

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