The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us

by Kasie West

Read: June 2013 

Published: July 2nd 2013 by Harper Teen

Source: Around the World Arc Tours

Category: Contemporary YA

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. (From Goodreads)

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The Distance Between Us has a cute cover and a cute concept. But I'm going to be honest and say that it wasn't for me, despite how much I really wanted to like the story. 

Caymen Meyers is 17 and poor. Her lack of money is her most defining characteristic. She lives above her mother's struggling porcelain doll shop and has resigned herself to a life of mediocrity. Caymen has decided that it's better to be content about the life that she has than have any ambition at all. Because Caymen's wealthy father ran out on her mother when he got her pregnant, Caymen's mother has ingrained in her that rich people are untrustworthy and have short attention spans. The only thing they're good for is buying the expensive dolls in her shop. Then Xander Spence comes into the doll shop to buy something for his grandmother. He is clearly very rich, so Caymen can't figure out why he seems to be interested in her. And though Caymen enjoys spending time with Xander, she won't let herself get too close, because she knows he won't be around for long. Except that, the more Caymen gets to know Xander, the harder it is for her to stay away. 

Caymen and Xander connect over the fact that they are stuck in similar situations, under parental expectations. Well, Xander connects to Caymen that way. Caymen never buys that she has anything in common with Xander. But despite Caymen's negativity and their extreme differences in wealth, both Caymen and Xander feel like they have no control over their futures. Because neither knows what they want out of life, except that it's definitely different from where they're headed, the two of them embarked on a series of career dates to determine what each other should do. I liked this set-up for the book and their initial connection. I also enjoyed watching Caymen slowly learn that not all rich are like her father, as well as seeing Caymen introduce Xander to her side of life. The salvation army scene was particularly fun for that.  However, I didn't really appreciate Caymen's constant contrasting her life with Xander's. A few times were plenty to get the point across. Yet, anytime they were together, and often when they weren't, she was thinking about how much wealthier he was than her. It was exhausting. 

I also wasn't all that excited about the characters in this story. I never really warmed up to Caymen. I found her dry sarcastic humor to be irritating (I know many people have enjoyed her wit), and was frustrated with her inability to believe that she could do anything with her life, because she was raised without a lot of money. I also think the villain in this story, if there was one, would be her mother. Despite how much Caymen told the reader how great her relationship with her mom was, her mom came across as a selfish, irresponsible, bitter person who heaped too much pressure on her daughter. Even before we found out that Caymen's mom was hiding something, I didn't care for her. Caymen's relationship with her read as uncomfortably co-dependent, instead of a fun single-mother/daughter bond. 

Then there was Mason, who was supposed to present an alternative choice to Xander, because he came from her side of the tracks. Unfortunately, Mason had not one compelling quality besides his singing voice. I just wanted him expunged from the book all together. I did like Xander, as well as Caymen's one quirky friend Skye, however, neither of them made a lasting impression on me.  

The best scene in the book was the one involving Skye and toilet paper. I laughed out loud at it, but also thought it signaled a positive turning point in Caymen's life. The scene after was equally good. I wish there'd been more moments like those in this story, and that the book hadn't ended as conveniently as it did. 

My major problem with this book is that I disagree with its message. I wanted to see Caymen allow herself to want things, and believe that she could make something out of her life, despite her lack of money. I also wish that Caymen's mother had encouraged her to live her own life, or that Caymen had figured that out for herself, despite her mother's feelings. I don't like that Caymen seemed to have no joy or future prospects just because she had no money. Then the ending was way too perfect, and actually made this message even worse.

In her review, my friend Heather @ The Flyleaf Review talks about how The Distance Between Us reminded her of Pretty in Pink, which I can definitely see. (She liked this book much better than I did, so you should check out her thoughts for a different opinion). However, I kept thinking about Gilmore Girls when I read The Distance Between Us. Although some of the themes are similar - a single mother and her daughter and a missing/wealthy father, this book isn't like that TV show, especially in the characterizations. But with Caymen and her mom living over a creepy doll shop, and having a rich dad not in the picture, I thought this story could have been fun and quirky, with a strong mother-daughter relationship. But I didn't get those things out of this story. 

I'm sorry this review is so negative. I know a lot of people liked The Distance Between Us, and I hope you do too. However this book didn't work for me character or message wise. Also, as cute as that cover is, it doesn't fit Caymen at all. No way could she afford to dress like that. 

Love Triangle Factor: Mild
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone