The Distance Between Us: A YA Romance About Love That Bridges Class Divides

Kasie West debuted earlier this year, and she's pretty much one of my favorite authors already. She excels at characters and romances. Basically, her books make my heart oh so happy. The Distance Between Us has a little bit in common with Pivot Point, but is largely a departure from the much more serious tone of that series. The Distance Between Us is fluffy good times of the highest order. To figure out if you would enjoy The Distance Between Us, ask yourself if you like the following things: Pretty in Pink and The Gilmore Girls. If you answered yes to one or both, then you should probably make reading this book a priority. If you haven't seen them, then you should probably rectify that AND THEN read this book. If you don't like either one, well, GOOD DAY SIR. Caymen, whose name is never explained, which is to me the biggest flaw of the book, is my girl. Seriously, she is acerbic and sarcastic like you would not even believe. I imagine that some readers will be rubbed the wrong way by her attitude, but it was like coming home. People never know if she's serious or joking, because she always says things with a straight face. Also, she cannot resist answering a stupid question with an especially sarcastic response, and, oh, how I love her for it. Here's where things get quirky. Caymen works in a doll store, owned by her mother. Dolls and More barely pays the bills, and Caymen has been raised to hate the privileged, like the man who left her mother. As such, Caymen is disgusted when this obviously rich guy comes into the store and beckons to her, as he talks on the phone. His outfit alone would probably pay expenses for her and her mom for a month. He also happens to be kind of cute, but, ugh, so stuch up and rich. Of course, that's not all there is to it, because cute, rich boy (Xander) comes back. The relationship between these two is super sweet, especially because all of their problems coming together are really internal aside from her mom being iffy on her dating a rich boy. However, otherwise, the only obstacle really is Caymen's trust issues, which are pretty mighty. Xander definitely becomes a candidate for best book boyfriends, because he is so considerate, doesn't overreact, and apologizes when he's been out of line. There's a lot of bonding and banter here, and, though they do get serious, it feels real and not like forever love; maybe it will last and maybe it won't. Social classes and economic disparity are central to The Distance Between Us, which is pretty great. Caymen's poor, like shops at thrift stores because she has to poor. There's an incredibly adorable moment where Caymen takes Xander there because his clothes are too nice for a particular outing. The treatment of some of it's a bit idealized, since most of the discomfort about her economic status comes from her. However, Caymen does have some insulting friends, like the ones that show up in Pretty in Pink. Anyway, I really appreciate that West chose a heroine who's not in the upper or middle classes. On top of that, West, like in Pivot Point, does a fantastic job building out the supporting cast. There's a healthy female best friendship depicted between Caymen and Skye, who couldn't be more different, but love and support each other endlessly. Skye's boyfriend, Henry, who initially is kind of weird and didn't mesh with Caymen or me, turns out to be a sweetie and hilarious. Xander and Caymen's families both are well built as well. I love that West doesn't skimp out on the supporting cast. I love it so much. When you find yourself in need of a fluffy, happy-making read, look no further than The Distance Between Us. With well-developed characters, snappy dialogue and abundant humor, Kasie West's novels are must reads for me.

Even a couple chapters into this book, I knew I was really going to enjoy it and I had to ask myself why in the world I waited so long to start it. I'm so glad my friend Jessica read it recently and reviewed it, because it reminded me how much I'd wanted to read it back before it was released last fall. I was in a bit of a slump, so I decided to buy the audiobook and start it at work. I'm so glad I did! I found Caymen both likable and relatable. I loved her dry sense of humor and sarcasm. She took on more responsibility than she probably should've had to at her age, but I didn't see that as a flaw. I know she was trying to do what was best for her mom and their doll shop, but I still wish she had been maybe just a little more selfish in going after what she wanted instead of putting herself behind the store's needs. Her relationship with her mom might not have been perfect, but I thought it was pretty believable. It was obvious how much her mom's opinion of rich people affected Caymen's own views in how fervently she fought against liking Xander. I'm also glad that was a battle she lost. Because really, I adored Xander. At my age I probably shouldn't be talking about the swoony factor of a teenage boy in a book, but I'm going to do it anyhow. I loved Xander from the beginning. I enjoyed his sense of humor and the banter between him and Caymen. He too was struggling to find his place in the world – and decide what the future held for him – so they connected pretty easily over that. Xander might have been from an incredibly wealthy family but he wasn't the kind of rich person Caymen's mom had warned her about. (Warnings which become rather ironic late in the book, but you'll have to read about that yourself.) Xander was pretty damn close to perfect, even if I spent a couple chapters wondering otherwise. I really enjoyed this story. There were some twists that took me a bit by surprise, but it wasn't too overly-dramatic or angsty. I loved Caymen and Xander together. Despite a small love triangle, it was always clear to me who belonged with whom. I swooning over the innocence of first love and Kasie West writes it so very well. I started reading this in audiobook format and read about 2/3 of the book this way before switching to Kindle because I couldn't wait for a good opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I had to find out what happened! I really liked the narrator of this book. I thought Jorjeana Marie did a great job of voicing Caymen, Xander and the rest of the crew. It was easy to imagine that I was listening to Caymen speak. Kasie West is two for two with contemporary books as far as I'm concerned. Of course, I'm already anxiously awaiting The Fill-In Boyfriend, but as much as I've enjoyed her contemporary stories, I'm considering taking a chance on her Pivot Point fantasy series.

Man. Considering this book was Kasie West's first foray into YA Contemporary Romance, she absolutely knocked it out of the park. I think it's proof that her pivoting (ba-dum-tsss) to this genre after PIVOT POINT and SPLIT SECOND was a great decision. This book is like an AU of GILMORE GIRLS. You have the smart, beautiful, snarky daughter. The mother who got pregnant young, ran away from her wealthy parents, and now eschews anything related to that world. The quirky cast of side characters. The rich, privileged heir courting the small-town girl, who seemingly sweeps him off his feet after their first meeting. Only, the rich, privileged heir in question is a lot more likable than Logan Huntzberger. (Sorry if I just offended all the Logan fans out there; I'm Team All-Rory's-Boyfriends-Kind-of-Suck, personally.) And the smart, beautiful, snarky daughter has a better head on her shoulders than later-seasons Rory. This book has less of a plot than some of Kasie West's other offerings, but Caymen's wit and palpable chemistry with Xander carry the story regardless. I must say (and do not intend this as a back-handed compliment): THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a bit more descriptive than some of Kasie West's other books. She did a fantastic job with the world building in this one, painting a portrait of a sleepy beach town and the two different classes that inhabit it. I'm such a sucker for the "poor girl, rich guy" trope, so I absolutely loved all the scenes that highlighted how different Caymen and Xander's worlds truly were. The banter in this one is absolutely top-notch, and considering that I think the dialogue in every Kasie West book is second to none, that's saying something. I loved all of Caymen's sarcastic remarks about her mother's doll shop, even if I'm a dyed-in-the-wool doll collector who has probably spent well over a thousand dollars on my hobby at this point. I adored her friendship with Skye, who's the sort of ride-or-die friend we all need in our lives. And Xander. Oh my goodness, Xander. Can we just take a moment to talk about how adorable he is? I absolutely love his devotion to Caymen. I love their easy chemistry that practically leaps off every page. I love how he could've come off like a walking rich-boy stereotype but instead proves both Caymen and the readers wrong about him. I just love Xander, okay? He's by far one of my favorite Kasie West love interests, and if I had written this book, I'd be wondering how on Earth I was supposed to write a love interest that outshined him. (For the record, Cade from P.S. I LIKE YOU did just that, and Hayden from THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND also came close.) No, but really, I've never found a book that gives me so many GILMORE GIRLS feels while also being its own completely separate and unique thing. And while I think Kasie West's plots and pacing have gotten a lot better since her first attempt at this genre, it boggles my mind that she'd never written YA Contemporary Romance before this. Because THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is fantastic, plain and simple. Better yet, it's completely wholesome and clean! Side note: I'm kind of sad she's never written another book in first-person, present-tense. Maybe it's just me who thinks this, but I feel like her voice shined even more than usual in this book. I can't help but wonder how it would look if a current-day Kasie West wrote another book in first-person, present-tense. Anyone else out there curious about this, too? Okay, random tangent over. Buy this book. I promise you won't regret it, particularly if you are as obsessed with GILMORE GIRLS as I am.

Pretty in Pink meets Pride and Prejudice. That's the best explanation of this book I've seen so far. Kasie West has done it again... I thought I was a fan of her writing after I read Pivot Point. After reading The Distance Between Us... I may have escalated to fangirl. photo anigif_enhanced-buzz-4736-1360291424-7_zps31c6f0c2.gif This book made me all kinds of happy. First reason... that cover. I love love it. Caymen Meyers lives with her single mother and learned early on that the rich are very different than her. Working the register at her mother's doll shop, she's encountered her fair share of them and her mom hasn't exactly been secretive about her feelings toward them. Then Xander Spence enters the store. He's tall, gorgeous and obviously rich. From the first 'beckon' the evolution of their friendship hooked me. I'm not going to tell as much about the story itself because I'm afraid I might give something important away... instead I'm going to tell you about what I loved most - the characters. From the first chapter, West had me hooked. I want Caymen as a best friend. I think that we would hit it off. Her sarcasm and dry humor made her completely likable and relatable. "Is that your subtle way of saying you missed me last week?" "I've missed my hot chocolate. I just think of you as the guy who brings it to me. Sometimes I forget your name and call you hot chocolate guy." Where she is in her life made me want to hug her. She has one friend in her life and almost all her time is spent working in the shop. She shoulders so much for a 17 year old, that it's hard not to feel a bit of anger towards her mother. Xander.... photo anigif_enhanced-buzz-28338-1360290338-2_zps2aea24d9.gif The boy made my top five swoony boy list. I don't know what exactly it was about him... maybe it was that he didn't take himself too seriously even though he is who he is, and he really truly cares about Caymen that made him so lovely. I don't know, but he totally won me over. He can have the first sip of ALL my drinks... I'm totally okay with this. Now the two of them together had me smiling like a fool. Watching them get to know each other and learn about each other and fall for each other was the best part of this book for me. Xander opens the compartment above my knees and takes out a pair of leather gloves. As he pulls them on I can't help but laugh. "What?" "You have driving gloves." "And?" "And it's funny." "Funny adorable?" I shake my head. "If you say so." Cayman soon finds out that Xander is being groomed to take over his father's hotel business but he feels like he's being forced into it and Caymen isn't entirely sure what she wants to do after graduation but she thinks it will be helping her mom in the store even though that's the last thing she wants. Xander is convinced that they have the same problem going on in their lives ... they just don't know what's next, but they can work together to try and find out what exactly they should be doing with their lives by creating 'career days' for each other. Of course everything isn't easy and their circumstances seem to make things complicated but not in the way you might think, and she quickly learns that his family isn't made up of the horrible people that she's been led to believe. Along the way, Caymen finds out that some of the things she's been led to believe aren't exactly true and her world is turned upside down. If you're looking for a sweet contemporary with some wonderfully developed characters then you must pick up The Distance Between Us when it comes out in July! I know I'll be buying a copy for my bookshelf. After loving both Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us, Kasie West is now on my auto-buy list.

he Distance Between Us was actually my first Kasie West novel. Naturally, I had pretty high expectations, not to mention I was still coming off the high that the beautiful The Summer of Chasing Mermaids gave me. I'm not really surprised that I was a bit disappointed in this one. I definitely enjoyed it, but it's not something I'll still be thinking about in a week. Or even tomorrow, probably. It was more of a mindless read for me than anything else. Caymen is basically living my dream, besides being dirt poor (would you look at that, we have something in common!) and living in a house full of porcelain dolls. (They would infiltrate my nightmares.) She's got this rich guy interested in her with a private jet at his beck and call. And he takes her on it. She is, understandably, uncomfortable with it, which a lot of people are. But I'm ALL HERE FOR A GUY TO TAKE ME ON HIS JET FOR A DAY. I'm secretly always holding out hope to marry rich, which started out as a joke but has become reality as I watch my debt grow and think about ALL THE FUTURE DEBT. Plus, I want cats. For the most part, I did like Caymen. I liked that she wasn't your typical MUST-GET-INTO-IVY-LEAGUE character that we see in a lot of YA contemps. I liked how lost she felt, how she struggled with wanting to know her absent father in the same way I struggle with my own feelings about my mother. But sometimes I was just...bored with her, I suppose. Or maybe that was the plot. Overall, I found The Distance Between Us to be very light. It only really touched the surface on things that I think could have had much deeper meanings and messages from the book. I also feel like there's a few too many loose ends - what's going to happen with her grandparents now? And after all that talk about her father, you can't tell me Caymen's not going to try and contact him. 3 stars.

Loved this YA contemporary. I have heard people call this a bit of Pride And Prejudice and the 80's movie Pretty In Pink. I see what they mean but I wouldn't have expected the book I got if I'd have gone in with that expectation ahead of time. In guessing what audience this book would most appeal to, I am thinking perhaps fans of YA contemporaries such as Huntley's Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door. I loved the voice of the main character Cayman. She has a dry wit and uses sarcasm and humor as her shield and defense mechanisms. She has been raised by her single mom who was abandoned by a wealthy guy the minute she found out she was pregnant. This mom was "disowned" by her parents and left very bitter, especially towards anyone with money. Cayman was raised around this class bias her entire life. She even agrees by default until a guy named Xander enters her life. Now she has to decide if there really is more to him than what she has always been led to expect from someone from money or if he is just playing around with her. On top of all of this she is trying to decide whether to follow her own heart into a a career she loves or loyalty to her Mom in helping out with her mom's flailing business. Xander is a very interesting character. We see him through Cayman's eyes so it is hard to always know his intentions though there are things that are much more apparent to the reader than to Cayman. I enjoyed his character a lot. He is not written as a "perfect" boy. He could be quite ignorant of the way other people live due to his life of privilege. I found him to be very realistic to a guy who was raised the way he was. He also is feeling suffocated by his father's expectations to replace him in his family's business and is at the point in his life where he pushes back against this. It was done in a way that a boy of 17 really would do- with all the attitude you'd expect out of a teenager. Especially one that actually was a lot like the dad he was trying to rebel against being like. **warning**- slight spoilers here. Skip to paragraph below if you want to avoid it- Ultimately I fell for Xander right alongside Cayman. He wasn't perfect but he was pretty darn awesome. He wanted to grow. I loved how Cayman would call him on stuff and he'd let her. I don't think anyone else but she could have opened his eyes that way. Xander would also call Cayman out on things which is part of what I think made them work as a couple. Together they were both able to grow as people to became something much more than either was on their own. I also was glad to see the growth in Cayman, including her making her own assessments of people based on who they were rather than what/where they came from. I also enjoyed some of the side characters. Side characters are really hard to write in a way where they have enough presence to feel 3 dimensional while not overtaking the story. The side characters were well done here and there are several I'd enjoy reading more about. There are some issues lightly touched on such as class biases, pride, stubbornness and prejudices. All of this wrapped up with the romantic story that I really enjoyed. All in all it made for a great read. This author is definitely on my radar now and I am looking forward to reading more by her

First off, I just want to say this is my first Kasie West novel--I know! I own PIVOT POINT and need to start it--and I was pleasantly surprised! I'm a big plot lover but the characterization of Caymen is what truly impressed me. Caymen is your typical high school senior who is working way too hard to keep her little family afloat, never wanting to let her mom down. She works long shifts in her mother's doll shop, willing to risk her education and her own dreams. In walks Xander, the heir to a 500 hotel chain franchise. Caymen has had it drilled into her that people like Xander would never want someone poor like her. In this worlds colliding novel, the two characters start a quest to find a future for each other that does not involve their predestined ones. Filled with highs, lows, and witty, sarcastic humor, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a great contemporary YA novel you can't help but devour. I'll start off with Caymen. I loved her attitude. You can immediately tell how much she hates working in that creepy doll shop. You can tell that she'd much rather be doing other things but is willing to sacrifice her own fun for her single mother who is just trying to make ends meet. I loved the devotion she had to her mom. Even though her life wasn't glamorous or her ideal version of fun, she still appreciated everything her mother did for her and never seemed to take anything for granted. But that certainly doesn't mean she doesn't have some of that teenage rebellion in her. Caymen is probably the most sarcastic person I have ever "met" in my life. She's so quick to make a comment, she doesn't miss a beat. I loved every remark that came out of her mouth. I'm very sarcastic and have the dry humor like she has but man, that girl is good. She comes up with the perfect thing to say at exactly the right moment. I usually think of good things, after the fact. (Fun fact: this is called "L'esprit de l'escalier"). Sometimes I did think that she got a bit whiny and jumped to conclusions way too soon but overall, she had a great head on her shoulders. This brings me to Xander. Xander is the kind of guy you wish would walk into your place of work and fall in love with you. I mean really. Caymen gives him all these rich boy stereotypes that he just completely shoots down. He's sweet, he's super thoughtful--I wish I had a guy to bring me coffee on my way to school everyday!--he fires away sarcastic comments right back at Caymen, and he's just the all around good guy you can't help but love. I love how he never once looked down at Caymen for being someone not in his social class. Besides beckoning at her when they first met, he treats her with the same sort of respect he would treat his mother. He takes her on all these elaborate "career days" and when she takes him to a graveyard, he doesn't even bat an eye. He enjoys spending time with her and could care less about the money issue. I do wish he would've stated his feelings for Caymen sooner. Although he did all the gestures that point exactly to that, girls can be silly and don't believe anything until they hear it come from your mouth. If he had said something sooner, I feel like a bunch of the drama that took place could have been avoided--see above mentioned jumping to conclusions part. As Jess said in her review of this book, we miss out on a lot of the relationship building between these two characters. She says it more eloquently than I could. Here's the gist: we know they have feelings for each other, it's super obvious, but we don't get to see those feelings evolve into something more. Again, check Jess' review for better explanation! I did love the plot of the story, though. I loved the idea of these two perfect strangers planning fun "career days" for each other. These showed just how much they paid attention to each other. Each day was unique and let their personalities shine. I think this is a great way to truly get to know someone! Aside from the great characters and plot, West teaches the readers a very important lesson. Firstly, don't judge a book by its cover. Always take the time to get to know somebody, they may surprise you. Next, take time for yourself. While it's nice to make others happy, you have to make yourself happy too. Do what you love and take some risks. And lastly, learn forgiveness. One of my all time favorite things about YA novels are the moral lessons that are in embedded in them. I adore authors who take the time to show true character growth and learning. It's what life is all about. Although I did have some slight issues with it, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US was a highly enjoyable read that I would recommend to any YA contemporary fan!

Oh my goodness, I need to start off by saying that I absolutely adored this book. I mean I am full on, madly in love with this book and I want to marry it.Yes, I know that sounds weird and borderline creepy but holy crap Kasie West has done it again. Although I have not finished Split Second yet, Kasie West has been firmly placed on my author auto-buy list. With The Distance Between Us,she managed to capture my heart completely. This book made me laugh but also cry. Caymen is pretty sheltered and she lives with her mom above a doll shop that her mom owns and runs. Her mom is very against anyone who is rich because Caymen's father's family was rich and they basically gave hush money in order to keep Caymen's mom & Caymen away from their son who "was going places" So when Caymen starts spending a lot of time with the grandson of a customer, she keeps it to herself for the longest time, while also realizing that maybe her mom is keeping secrets of her own. Caymen's not used to that as she and her mom have a very open relationship where they talk about everything. I related to that because that is exactly how I have been with my own mom. I know it's weird to think of your mom as your best friend, but that's how close my mom and I are. From the beginning, I sensed that Xander was different. Yes he oozed money, but he didn't wave it around obnoxiously. That would have driven me crazy. He's nothing like the stereotypical rich teenager which I loved. He wasn't rude or arrogant about it at all and I have a feeling that Caymen hadn't expected that.All she had been taught from her mother was that rich = bad and poor = good. Caymen had given up a lot of her dreams in deference to her mother. Instead of going straight to college, she was going to work at her mother's doll store for awhile. Her dream was to major in science. There is a specific scene in the book where you just know that science is something she is very interested in. Xander is definitely supportive of that. Contrary to what people think, money doesn't solve everything. While having money can help, it can also create a heavy burden. Xander's family owns a lot of hotels and he is expected to go right into that business but his real passion seems to be photography. Watching him come to terms with where he needed to be was a great story arc. The end had me full on bawling like a newborn. It was beautiful and kind and full of love and forgiveness and honesty. All things that were important to the story. They tied together perfectly and neatly like a little bow.This book was beyond fantastic, it was amazing and definitely Kasie West's best book. 5 stars to this beautifully written book. Everyone needs to read this book right now.

La trama può sembrare la classica storia tra un ragazzo ricco e una ragazza povera e in realtà è così ma allo stesso tempo la relazione tra questi due ragazzi è trattata in modo diverso dal solito, è originale. Caymen e Xander sono due adolescenti che stanno cercando di capire cosa fare in futuro, quale strada intraprendere e grazie a un'idea davvero carina di Xander si aiutano a vicenda. Ecco come inizia la loro amicizia...

Caymen Meyers (17) lebt in einer Stadt, in der Reich und Arm klar voneinander getrennt sind. Es gibt diejenigen, die hart Arbeiten um sich über Wasser zu halten und diejenigen, denen alles zu Füßen liegt. Caymen gehört zu den Ersteren. Ihren Vater hat sie nie kennen gelernt, denn dieser hat ihre Mutter in dem Augenblick verlassen, indem er von ihrer Schwangerschaft erfahren hat. Nun lebt sie über dem Porzellan-Puppen-Laden ihrer Mutter und hilft ihr, wo sie nur kann. Sie hat sich mehr oder weniger damit abgefunden, ständig im Laden auszuhelfen, damit dieser nicht den Bach runter geht. Natürlich ist sie dann überaus genervt, als ein junger (und deutlich reicher) Mann hereinspaziert und sie zu sich winkt, ohne sie eines Blickes zu würdigen. Mit trockenem Humor und einer Menge Sarkasmus macht sie sich über ihn lustig, so wie ihre Mutter und sie es immer tun, wenn die Reichen ihren Laden betreten. Doch dieser Junge ist anders. Xander Spence strahlt von Kopf bis Fuß Reichtum und Selbstbewusstsein aus. Er geht mit Schauspielern aus und sein Bild wird in Zeitschriften gedruckt. Gerade als Caymen Xander in eine Schublade stecken will, beweist er ihr, dass Vorurteile nicht immer wahr sein müssen... Caymen mochte ich von Anfang an unglaublich gerne. Sie ist sarkastisch bis zum geht nicht mehr (so sarkastisch, das die Menschen ihren Witz oft nicht verstehen und sie beim Wort nehmen) und mit ihrem trockenen Humor hat sie mir sehr oft ein Grinsen entlockt. Von der ersten Seite an, kann man gar nicht anders, als sie zu mögen. Caymen ist unabhängig und lässt nicht gerne Menschen an sich heran, denn sie weiß, wie leicht es ist verletzt zu werden. Sie ist unzufrieden mit ihrem Leben. Einerseits möchte sie ihrer Mutter helfen so gut es geht, aber andererseits möchte sie auch aufs College und Chemie studieren. Sie möchte frei sein und sich nicht älter fühlen, als sie eigentlich ist. Auch Xander mochte ich vom ersten Augenblick an, denn er ist zwar ab und zu etwas überheblich, aber dennoch der charmante Kerl, dem man im Laufe des Buches immer mehr verfällt. Er soll in die Fußstapfen seines Vaters treten und irgendwann die Hotelkette leiten, die der Familie gehört. Doch Xander ist sich nicht sicher, was er möchte und so beginnen beide sich anzufreunden. Morgendlicher Kaffee wird zu "Karriereausflügen", in denen beide neue Berufsfelder kennen lernen und sich somit auch näher kommen. Dieses Buch ist wirklich etwas Besonderes. Müsste ich es mit einem Wort beschreiben, würde ich sagen es ist "süß". Denn das ist es. Es ist traumhaft schön, die Freundschaft von Caymen und Xander zu verfolgen, obwohl Caymen es ihm wirklich nicht leicht macht und es schwer hat, ihre Vorurteile über die Reichen über Bord zu werfen. Doch nach und nach fühlt sie sich zu ihm hingezogen. Natürlich entstehen noch einige Missverständnisse zwischen den beiden, was ihre Beziehung nicht vereinfacht, aber das macht meiner Meinung nach den Charme dieses Buches aus. Der Schreibstil von Kasie West ist locker und flüssig. Und obwohl dieses Buch nicht sehr spannend ist (natürlich gibt es da einige Szenen, die sehr wohl spannend sind :)) schafft es die Autorin, den Leser in seinen Bann zu ziehen. Die Seiten fliegen nur so dahin und am Ende wundert man sich, wie schnell die Zeit verging. Ich werde definitiv noch weitere Bücher der Autorin lesen! Fazit: Eine unterhaltende und wunderschöne "Cinderella-Story" mit viel Humor und Sarkasmus. Ich kann dieses Buch wirklich nur empfehlen. Es ist DAS perfekte Sommer-Buch und hat alles, was ein gutes (Sommer-)Buch meiner Meinung nach braucht. Großartige Charaktere, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten (= Traumhaftes Paar) , interessante Wendungen und viel Humor, sodass man aus dem Grinsen gar nicht mehr heraus kommt!

Well made and tough enough to carry around. Covers are thicker then the pages. Should last a long time.

I really love this book! Kasie has a unique way of describing and delighting the reader, with the perfect touch of reality. Of six books I read by her, four became my favorites, I'll leave the names here in case anyone is interested: The fill in Boyfriend, By your side, P.S. I like you, and of course, The distance Between us ❤️ About the edition, it's light and smells great, I already have the Brazilian editions of her books, but I like it so much that I had to have the originals too!

Protagonist Caymen expresses her feelings about the wealthy from the very beginning of the book. She also states that her father was from a wealthy family who abandoned her and her mother after paying them off. Obviously, she has issues because of this event and so I couldn't really blame her for her preconceptions. Caymen could be bitter but she isn't. She makes the most of what she has, even if she hates living above and working in her mother's doll shop. Dolls are bloody creepy so no wonder Caymen doesn't enjoy her job. As a character, I absolutely loved Caymen. She was funny and sweet although snarky and sarcastic at the same time. She gave as good as she could get and was so fun to read about. Then comes Xander aka Alex or Alexander. To begin with I had a bit of a problem with him because of his name. Now, Alexander is a normal name but I hate names being shortened. My fiancé and I have had a big thing over this particular name as an option for our own children because I would refuse to have it shortened to anything. So, because Alexander has two alternatives, this really bugged me. Name aside, I did like him. He comes from a world so completely different to Caymen's and the banter between the two was fantastic. Caymen has ideas about Xander from the very start whereas he doesn't judge her at all. He is from a very well off and successful family but he isn't what Caymen expects him to be at all. What I really enjoyed about this book was the relationship building between Caymen and Xander. There isn't any of this instantly falling in love stuff that we get in a lot of young adult books. Instead, the two form a friendship and build from there slowly. At the same time, West gives us a really fun plot about finding yourself and trying new things. Neither Caymen or Xander know what they want to do with their lives and a large part of the book is spent trying to figure that out together. As the characters spend quite a bit of time together, we get to know each of them individually and together which was a great thing. Throughout the book, we get to realise that even though their families have different incomes, Caymen and Xander really aren't that different in the end. So, not only is the plot great and the main characters fantastic, but there are other awesome things about this book too. The Distance Between Us is really funny. Caymen has this dry sense of humour which had me laughing out loud at times. Add her sarcasm into that and she's a definite winner. There are also some great twists in the plot which were quite exciting and they also broke up the romance between Caymen and Xander. Secondary characters were also great and all (especially Caymen's mum) brought something different to this book. Overall, I loved this book. Kasie West's writing is addictive, as is her plot. She writes great characters who are easy to relate to and also who I liked very much. I can't wait to read more from this author.