Annaberry Reads: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Title: The Distance Between Us

Published: July 2, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

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.

My Thoughts:

Recently I took part in a readalong of The Distance Between Us, hosted by Fic Fare, The Fictionators, and Swoony Boys Podcast. I had not heard much about this book beforehand, but I decided to give it a try, since I've enjoyed the other books we've read as a group. I am SO glad that I did! I ended up loving it.

The story is told from Caymen Meyers point of view. She is a seventeen year old girl who works for her mother, who owns a porcelain doll store. Porcelain dolls. Right off the bat, I had to sympathize with Caymen, because personally, porcelain dolls scare me a little. My grandmother used to collect them, and I was always afraid to go into the room where she kept them in (I watched a lot of old episodes of The Twilight Zone as a kid, and sometimes they featured dolls that came to life).

Back to Caymen. She has been raised by a single mother, and works tirelessly in the store. It is to the point where she has sacrificed her social life to help her mother, who is barely making ends meet. Caymen's father had come from a wealthy home, but walked away from Caymen's mother when she was still pregnant, so she has never met him. Her mother often uses the fact that he was rich as the scapegoat for his actions.

The doll store takes place in a wealthy neighborhood, and Caymen and her mother often secretly make fun of the rich customers who shop at their store. That is until Xander walks in. He changes many of Caymen's preconceived notions and makes her think about things differently.

I really like Caymen's character. She is funny, witty, and sarcastic. At first, I was worried that the author would take that too far or to the extreme, but thankfully she did not, and I often found myself chuckling at some of the things Caymen had to say. Xander was such sweetheart, and I really admired how he seemed to see past her tough exterior. This book was so touching, and I am so glad that it did not slip under my radar.

I was kind of sad when the book ended, because I wanted to hear more of their story and find out if Caymen ever decided to seek out her dad. The author leaves it open for the reader to interpret, and in my mind she does. I borrowed The Distance Between Us from my library, but I plan to buy a hard copy because it has now become one of my favorites.

Rating: 5 Stars