Rachel Rambles About The Distance Between Us

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
From Goodreads:
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.

It's no secret that I'm a total sucker for a good contemporary romance. So I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn that I absolutely adored this book.

My favorite thing about this book is definitely the main character. Caymen is the second most sarcastic person I've ever experienced. (The first being me. :D) She had something witty to say about every situation she was in, and she never missed a chance to make other people uncomfortable with her incredibly dry (and hilarious) sense of humor. I'm sure there are plenty of people who won't appreciate Caymen's personality, but I'm not one of them. I can relate to Caymen so well, and I see so much of myself in her. Of course, this is a personal thing, so not everyone will love Caymen as a main character as much as I do, but for me, Caymen was an amazing narrator. She has to be one of my favorite protagonists ever. I feel like Kasie West captured my personality and stuck it into Caymen.

Next, I have to talk about the boy. Because duh. You know how I am with cute fictional boys. :) I have found a new boy to love, and his name is Xander and he is super rich but super sweet and funny and HIS SMILE gaocfioakshdiuywifhowihfowaygoiawggg. !!!!!!!

I love him so much. He's a fascinating character, and the first impression he makes on Caymen is not a true indicator of who he really is. As Caymen gets to know him throughout the novel, she gets to see different sides to Xander, and guess what? HE JUST GETS EVEN MORE ADORABLE AS THE BOOK GOES ON.

Xander and Caymen's relationship is so great. They are totally comfortable with each other from the very beginning and they're always bantering and flirting and I JUST WANT TO HUG THEM BOTH THEY'RE SO CUTE.

It was really interesting to see how Caymen's prejudice toward Xander because he's rich played out throughout the book. Caymen learns a lot about herself and Xander, as well as her mother and her family. By the end of the book, she is forced to see things differently from the way she used to, and the journey she went on throughout the novel opened her mind to a lot of possibilities she'd never considered before. The contrast between what Caymen perceives as rich and poor is handled really well, and it provided a fascinating dynamic to base Caymen's and Xander's relationship around.

The Distance Between Us is simply brilliant. It's fun and romantic and I read it all in one sitting. I think it's right up there with Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, as far as contemporary romances go. (Which is obviously saying a lot because who doesn't love Anna and Lola?!) I was really impressed with Kasie West's Pivot Point, but The Distance Between Us has officially made me fall in love with her writing. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.