Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West!

The Distance Between Us
Author: Kasie West

Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: July 2nd 2013 by Harper Teen

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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.

Jumping into The Distance Between Us I was expecting your typical YA contemporary romance where girl meets boy, girl is poor, boy is rich, parents dislike her, they fight to keep their love alive, or the other way around… you get my drift. The Distance Between Us did have a lot of similarities to other YA contemporary’s out there, but it was different at the same time. The characters were funny, realistic, and overall very entertaining.

Caymen’s personality is what made this book for me. It was so easy to like her. She was snarky, sarcastic, and basically said whatever was on her mind. She didn’t dwell on things and didn’t really care two cents what other people thought about her. Her first meeting with Xander sold me on the whole book and what helped me decide I wanted to keep reading. I never laughed out loud as much as I did reading that chapter. West did an excellent job making her personality come to life with just a few words.

Another great thing about The Distance Between Us is that Kasie West gives you a romance that starts off with a friendship. Caymen and Xander spend time together and really get to know one another. You can feel the attraction, and know that something is going to eventually blossom between the two, but I loved that the author gives us a friendship first, and not an immediate romance. That was a nice change and refreshing.

The only issue I had with the story is that the plot completely changes towards the near end and honestly, I don’t understand why. It wasn't bad and did not, in anyway, ruin the story or the characters for me, but it was one twist I could have done without.

Overall, this is definitely one book I recommend and think tons of readers will enjoy greatly. It’s a fast read that will make you laugh tons!