The Distance Between UsAuthor's website | Goodreads
by Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Published: July 2nd 2013 by Harper Teen
Source: Won (Thanks Dianne!)
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.
I really truly certainly undoubtedly think… that I have
found myself yet another one of the greatest contemporary novels of all time.
And I’m totally not kidding you.
The summary on the book’s cover was vague and I totally have
no idea regarding Kasie West’s style since I haven’t read any of her books
until this one. But wow—she wowed me.
Because… wow, oh God, all I can say right now is wow because wow… and… wow. The Distance Between Us rendered me
speechless.
I realized I was in for something unputdownable when I
turned the first page a blink too faster than normal. The writing wasn’t really
special (don’t get me wrong), actually it was plain—and maybe that’s just
exactly how I liked it. It didn’t waste any time saying this or describing
that; it went straight to the story. I like the clear-cut structure of the
writing. It was both efficient and effective for the novel.
Before anything more, can we just talk about the romance and
the chemistry and the everything that made this book the perfect—yes, perfect—YA contemporary romance book? Of
course we can.
I just loooove how Kasie set up the romance. It is not often
that I encounter the issue of social status in YA books. In TDBU, this particular matter made the
conflicts bitter but the fruit even sweeter. It tested the main characters’
ties and made them even closer with one another.
Also, undeclared love is just TOO MUCH TO HANDLE. Ahhhhh!
It’s so… satisfying (for me, I guess) to see the main character deny and fight
against what she herself obviously feels. Especially when Xander gets
(accidentally or not) flirty with her and it just gets her all jittery and then
bam every single promise she made to stay away from him explodes into tiny
little pieces. It’s too many adorableness to bear! (Especially their habit of
Xander pre-sipping every drink first before handing it to Caymen… !!!!!!)
I really really love Caymen. I like her dry humor and her
sarcasm. It was absolutely hilarious. The humor didn’t feel forced, but rather
natural. But what I admired most was how she selflessly helped her mom despite wanting
to have an own life for herself. She stayed strong for her mother, and she
stood as the foundation of their family. Caymen did what she knew best to
salvage their family business. I think she’s the image of a perfect daughter.
Xander was as likable as Caymen. He was the rich guy who
preferred not to boast about it. He’s humble and knows how to interact with
others. I like him because he tangles Caymen’s intestines when he’s around her,
and I like him because he’s always there to untangle the problems Caymen is
facing. And he’s thoughtful, kind, funny, and all the possible nice things to
describe a teenage guy. He definitely was the nice guy, but this time, nice
guys don’t end up last.
I delayed the tons of works I have for school just to read
this one. For so many times, I actually put it on the bedside table and tell
myself that school is more important. But then, after hopelessly trying for a
minute, I’d pick it up again and get absorbed in the story for hours. And I
tell you, putting it off for just a minute is far worse than flunking a quiz I
failed to prepare for.
Kasie West had something more than potential. It was a gift.
There was no distance between her and talent; they were typically one entity. The
Distance Between Us is for ALL the contemporary lovers out there. It’s one of
the most bestest (yes, redundancies for emphasis). #KasieWestIsTheBest
THE NUB AND GIST: 6 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buy the book from: Amazon / The Book Depository
