The Distance Between Us - Kasie West

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.

Judul : The Distance Between Us

Penulis : Kasie West

Penerbit : Harper Teen

Jumlah Halaman : 320 halaman

Bahasa : Inggris 

Tahun terbit : 2013

Ratings : 3/5 stars

Caymen Meyers is the girl who helps her mom work in a doll store, Dolls and More. She is sarcastic, has dry humor, and wise. Caymen has issues with rich people (stemming from the fact that her Dad left her Mom when he learned she's pregnant with Caymen and her Dad's parents gave her Mom money to leave their son alone), she hates them. She meets Alexander Spence while she's looking after the shop one day and automatically she assumes the guy's just your typical arrogant, wasting-his-money-on-useless-stuff rich kid. They were being friends and this turns out to be the start of the relationship, especially after Caymen finds out that Xander is really Alex, the grandson of one of the stores best customers. This leads them to starting what they call career days, where they try and find jobs that the other would like to do, once they bond over the fact that Xander doesn’t want his family business, nor does Caymen want hers. 

The biggest misunderstanding comes from the night of the Gala that Caymen accompanies Xander to, where we find out that Xander thought Caymen had money, just didn’t live as such, and Caymen finds her grandparents. This causes angst between Caymen and Xander as well as Caymen and her mother, who we find out, is sick. But we do get a little bit of resolution on the grandparents front when they come to the hospital to visit their sick daughter. 

This book maybe a little cliche with rich-guy-falls-in-love-with-the-poor-girl kind of thing but,hey, this book isn't a disappointment, after all.The characters were really very good. I like Caymen’s character. She's funny and very, very  sarcastic that you really won't get the hint that she was using a sarcasm. Caymen had a distinct voice and personality, she was a decently complex character without being annoying or angsty. I really did love the low level of angst in this book. The relationship between Xander and Caymen develops slowly and has many false starts, but instead of being irritating, this felt real. None of the road blocks they faced felt forced for the continuation of the story. Xander is sweet and wonderful, but he feels real as well, as he is not perfect and makes his own mistakes. I also enjoyed the refreshing take on his family interactions. This was not an instance overdone spoiled rich boy arguing with his parents or rich parents who don’t listen to their children and try to force them into a mold. 

Sadly, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and some questions were left unanswered. Overall, this was a sweet romantic read. If you’re in the mood for some light heartwarming reading, this is definitely and excellent choice.