The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us

by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence - he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact he seems to be 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 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. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can they close the distance to each other? A perfect mixture of bittersweet and charming, this new paperback original from house author Kasie West is an endearing romantic comedy that will steal your heart.

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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The Distance Between Us is a super cute and refreshing YA romance. Caymen is just your typical high school student. She's good at science, and works at her mother's porcelain doll shop after school. She also has no idea what she wants to do with her life. Then walks in Xander. He comes across as the typical, spoiled rich kid as he picks up a doll for his grandmother. Caymen initially writes him off, but then he comes into the shop again, and walks her to school, and they bond. Their friendship grows as they try to help each other find what interests them career-wise, and of course, a romance blossoms from it.

I really liked Caymen (but not her name!). She just felt so normal and real. I loved her sarcasm and dry humor! She reminded me a lot of myself in that regard, since sometimes my jokes are entirely missed by people who don't know me well, i.e. almost everyone. I also liked that there was nothing exceptional or overly unique about her. Yes, she works in the creepiest store ever, but that's just to help her mom. It's not who she is; that's something she's still figuring out. I was a bit annoyed at some of her attitudes toward rich people, but that's something her mom has ingrained in her after being burned by Caymen's absent father. Caymen isn't as judgmental, especially after she starts falling for Xander and realizes that they have more in common than she expected.

My favorite part of The Distance Between Us was that it had a nice balance between the romance, Caymen's personal struggles, and family. While this was ultimately about the romance, there was a lot of focus on Caymen's relationship with her mother and their store. The store is really struggling, and Caymen is doing her best to get things on track, since sometimes her mother is a bit too nice to customers with the discounts and freebies. She's also been hiding something, and Caymen isn't sure what. Her mom goes out to strange meetings and there's a man lingering around and calling. Then there's the issue of Caymen's mother not speaking about her father, or letting her meet him. Of course, everything wraps up with a nice bow in the end.

I really enjoyed The Distance Between Us. I loved that it was simple and sweet without anything too over-the-top about it. Sure, the whole poor girl and rich boy fall for each other is cliche, but I thought Caymen and Xander were cute together, and the friendship first was a nice change of pace from other romances. I'll definitely be checking out more books from this author!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 April, 2014: Finished reading
  • 30 April, 2014: Reviewed