The Distance Between Us - Kaisie 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.

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

✼

Waiting to fly back from my holiday, I'd made my way through all the books I'd previously singled out to read. I just needed something to last me the duration of the plane journey. The Distance Between Us caught my eye as something that promised to be easy to read, and very feel-good. 

I was right.

I loved how cute this story was. It was very lighthearted, very fluffy, and very sweet. It's not the most outstanding piece of literature I've ever read, but it meets the requirements of a cute young adult novel very well. Our protagonist, Caymen, is sassy and unique, and the whole story makes for a quick read. Just long enough for a plane journey home, actually. I loved the message inside the story; let go of what you think you should be doing, and follow your heart. It might surprise you.

"But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk."

Rating: ✫✫✫

SPOILER ALERT

The Story

"He laughs a little, and I find myself wishing I could see his face so I could witness how his eyes light up when he smiles."

What an adorable little story. It's not particularly original, and it's definitely predictable, but that doesn't take away from its charm.

Let's start with Caymen; our sassy, vulnerable protagonist. I loved her instantly! Some of the little quotes that come from her are dripping with sass and sarcasm, and I thought she was hilarious. The further you get into the story, the more you realise that this sarcasm is really a defence mechanism, and that just made me love her even more! She's used to living life in her safe little bubble; the world she knows. The world she can control. When Xander comes into her life, she's put outside of her comfort zone. This is a guy who expresses an interest in her, but it's somebody she never expected to like. And the worst part is, she can't help but like him. It's interesting watching her struggle, but it's a really good message that you shouldn't judge somebody based off their appearance. Never judge a book by its cover.

It was very sweet seeing their little relationship develop. Caymen and Xander are total opposites, and I think that's what made it so interesting. You're rooting for them to work out, exactly because it's unlikely to work out in usual circumstances. He was the token trust fund kid, and she was the poor, nerdy girl. But they clearly liked each other. She was very naive about whether or not he liked her. Girl, he brings you hot chocolate every day. Duh. The story is a little too sickly sweet sometimes, and doesn't have a massive amount of depth, but it is definitely charming, and that made it super easy to read. I started it on a 3 hour plane journey and finished it in plenty of time before landing. 

My problem with it was that the ending was a little bit rushed. This seems to be a theme for books I've been reading recently. Everything is written well, and then things conclude too suddenly, and it spoils the build up that has been established throughout the rest of the story. All that work, and carefully crafted detail, and everything is over in a flash. It's not particularly satisfying when you've invested a lot of time and the ending is too sudden. Out of nowhere, Caymen's grandparents were back and that's that. That's a huge plot twist to throw in right at the end of the book, and it needed a little more care in order to properly integrate that twist fully into the existing story. It was a little unrealistic how straightforward the whole sequence of events was, and how few problems there were. It would have been nice to see a little more development in the story towards the end of the book.

Nonetheless, I loved the characters of Caymen and Xander, as well as Skye and Henry. They provided a really solid foundation on which to base a romantic, sweet story, and it was a really lovely read.

The Verdict

"Sometimes it's hard for me to start something because I'd rather not try at all than fail at it."

This book wasn't outstanding, and it had the strange balance of being utterly predictable whilst still somehow managing to surprise me with a slightly disappointing ending. I wouldn't have minded the predictability (what else can you possibly expect from a young adult love story?), but it was so rushed at the end that it felt like I'd invested a lot of time in a story that came to an abrupt conclusion. Not as satisfying as I would have liked.

That being said, I really enjoyed the plot. It's fluffy and sweet, and sometimes just what you need. Caymen and Xander were perfect protagonists for such a cute story, and they carried it well. They could have used a little more substance, as could the plot, but I wasn't at all disappointed by the story itself. It was just what I needed on the flight home from a summer holiday, and I happily read it in one.