quoth_chloe's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book!
I related so much to the main character Caymen and loved reading her sarcasm, I've never read a character who is so sarcastic sometimes people don't get it. That happens to me too and I lived for it in this book!
I loved that there were so many opinions in this that changed, there were still people who were stereotypical and problematic characters but the main characters all became so much more understanding in this!
I loved the ending so much and I would love another book to find out what happens with everyone after this!
I related so much to the main character Caymen and loved reading her sarcasm, I've never read a character who is so sarcastic sometimes people don't get it. That happens to me too and I lived for it in this book!
I loved that there were so many opinions in this that changed, there were still people who were stereotypical and problematic characters but the main characters all became so much more understanding in this!
I loved the ending so much and I would love another book to find out what happens with everyone after this!
bookswrotemystory's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Very cute, quick read. But I didn't love it quite as much as her other books. Which doesn't mean that I didn't still enjoy it a whole lot!
Very cute, quick read. But I didn't love it quite as much as her other books. Which doesn't mean that I didn't still enjoy it a whole lot!
pamelina's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5
this was fine but not good. the MC has some serious issues she needs to sort out.
this was fine but not good. the MC has some serious issues she needs to sort out.
a_novel_ty's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating 4.5 stars
I was having some serious issues getting in the mood to read anything for about five days. You know how you sometimes get in those reading ruts where you haven’t finished anything in a while and you can’t seem to finish what you’re actually reading and it feels like you’re just stuck? That’s the situation I was in. I needed something fast and easy to read that would help me restart my momentum and get back in the mood to read and The Distance Between Us was perfect for that.
Caymen is a sarcastic 17 year old who lives with her mom on top of the doll shop they both run, selling creepy dolls to the rich to make ends meet. Xander is a teenage boy whose family owns a huge chain of hotels which puts him in the category with the rich people Caymen sells dolls to. They’re decidedly very different people living different lives but of course opposites attract. The only thing is, Caymen’s mother has been burned by the “have’s” before and would never approve of Caymen and Xander’s relationship. And on the other side of the coin, Xander lives the high life…what would his family think of him fraternizing with “the help?” It’s the typical “wrong side of the tracks” love story but Kasie West just has this way of writing characters that makes all of her stories extremely entertaining and unique.
I really just love how easy it is to get into her stories and to like her characters. Caymen has this really dry humor and is extremely sarcastic. She says everything with a straight face and serious tone of voice so you never know if she’s kidding or not unless you know her. I feel like characters like that have of course been done before, but I usually don’t like them and more often than not they end up annoying me. But I just found it fun and entertaining in Caymen’s case. I laughed out loud at her multiple times while reading.
There was a nice balance of side characters thrown into this story which I really appreciated. I loved reading the interactions between Caymen and her best friend Skye. The light-hearted and endearing scenes with Skye’s boyfriend Henry and his band mate Mason. The interactions between Caymen and Xander were super cute and fun to read. Their career days were probably my favorite parts of the entire novel. I also really enjoyed the underlying story-line with Caymen’s mom. The secrets they were both keeping from one another added that extra sense of urgency and desire for me to keep reading which is why I think I finished it in two sittings. It was all just very well done.
One thing I will say I could have done without in this story was the unnecessary angst caused by a lack of communication between Caymen and Xander. At some point, while reading YA, you have to accept the trope as just a normal part of the genre, but it’s still frustrating to read. So much confusion and hurt could be avoided with a simple conversation or from not making assumptions and just asking questions! It wasn’t too bad in The Distance Between Us though, so I wasn’t too bothered by it.
The ending was a little too contrived for me. It was kind of like, oh yea hey, here’s this thing that’s going to solve all of the problems, make everything okay, wrap it all up in a bow and serve it with a side of Cannoli Gelato. I could’ve done with a bit more drama or pain in end but…As The Rolling Stones said. YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT!
Also…what’s up with these covers. I know these are supposed to be cute contemporary love stories and the covers definitely convey that. The thing is, they’re either completely contrary to what the story is about. IE: “On the Fence.” Or with this particular book, whats depicted on the cover kind of shows the characters in reverse. On this cover it looks like the girl, Caymen would be the rich one while Xander, with those Nike Dunks, would be the “poor” kid. It’s just confusing! lol
Overall, I really loved this story and I think I’m just going to go ahead and read all of what Kasie West has to offer…including the Pivot Point duology.
I was having some serious issues getting in the mood to read anything for about five days. You know how you sometimes get in those reading ruts where you haven’t finished anything in a while and you can’t seem to finish what you’re actually reading and it feels like you’re just stuck? That’s the situation I was in. I needed something fast and easy to read that would help me restart my momentum and get back in the mood to read and The Distance Between Us was perfect for that.
Caymen is a sarcastic 17 year old who lives with her mom on top of the doll shop they both run, selling creepy dolls to the rich to make ends meet. Xander is a teenage boy whose family owns a huge chain of hotels which puts him in the category with the rich people Caymen sells dolls to. They’re decidedly very different people living different lives but of course opposites attract. The only thing is, Caymen’s mother has been burned by the “have’s” before and would never approve of Caymen and Xander’s relationship. And on the other side of the coin, Xander lives the high life…what would his family think of him fraternizing with “the help?” It’s the typical “wrong side of the tracks” love story but Kasie West just has this way of writing characters that makes all of her stories extremely entertaining and unique.
I really just love how easy it is to get into her stories and to like her characters. Caymen has this really dry humor and is extremely sarcastic. She says everything with a straight face and serious tone of voice so you never know if she’s kidding or not unless you know her. I feel like characters like that have of course been done before, but I usually don’t like them and more often than not they end up annoying me. But I just found it fun and entertaining in Caymen’s case. I laughed out loud at her multiple times while reading.
There was a nice balance of side characters thrown into this story which I really appreciated. I loved reading the interactions between Caymen and her best friend Skye. The light-hearted and endearing scenes with Skye’s boyfriend Henry and his band mate Mason. The interactions between Caymen and Xander were super cute and fun to read. Their career days were probably my favorite parts of the entire novel. I also really enjoyed the underlying story-line with Caymen’s mom. The secrets they were both keeping from one another added that extra sense of urgency and desire for me to keep reading which is why I think I finished it in two sittings. It was all just very well done.
One thing I will say I could have done without in this story was the unnecessary angst caused by a lack of communication between Caymen and Xander. At some point, while reading YA, you have to accept the trope as just a normal part of the genre, but it’s still frustrating to read. So much confusion and hurt could be avoided with a simple conversation or from not making assumptions and just asking questions! It wasn’t too bad in The Distance Between Us though, so I wasn’t too bothered by it.
The ending was a little too contrived for me. It was kind of like, oh yea hey, here’s this thing that’s going to solve all of the problems, make everything okay, wrap it all up in a bow and serve it with a side of Cannoli Gelato. I could’ve done with a bit more drama or pain in end but…As The Rolling Stones said. YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT!
Also…what’s up with these covers. I know these are supposed to be cute contemporary love stories and the covers definitely convey that. The thing is, they’re either completely contrary to what the story is about. IE: “On the Fence.” Or with this particular book, whats depicted on the cover kind of shows the characters in reverse. On this cover it looks like the girl, Caymen would be the rich one while Xander, with those Nike Dunks, would be the “poor” kid. It’s just confusing! lol
Overall, I really loved this story and I think I’m just going to go ahead and read all of what Kasie West has to offer…including the Pivot Point duology.
clarian's review against another edition
5.0
Debo confesar que empecé esta novela esperando encontrarme la típica historia trágica de verano que sirve para desconectar y entretener. Nada más alejado de la realidad.
No niego que tenga clichés de la literatura juvenil romántica, porque los tiene, pero solo son un par y totalmente irrelevantes.
En primer lugar hablaré de Caymen, la protagonista femenina. ME ENCANTÓ. Debó decir que el rasgo principal de su personalidad es su humor seco; cada vez que ella interactuaba con alguien no podía evitar soltar una carcajada ante sus contestaciones.
Además, su sentido del sacrifició es palpable y admirable, y amé su relación con su madre.
Hablemos de Xander. Es un amor. Le sigue perfectamente el ritmo a Caymen y no se deja amendrentar por su humor, es más, lo encuentra divertido. Además, me ganaron esas "citas" tan preparadas que organizaba para la protagonista.
Asimismo, creo que la madre de Caymen también es un personaje importante en la novela, su afán por proteger a su hija, su preocupación por ella y, en la parte negativa tomar decesiciones por Caymen que no debía y esconderle secretos. Me pareció que todo ello contribuyó a crear un personaje muy completo.
A continuación he de mencionar los malentendidos que se daban entre la parrja protagonista. Algunos de ellos eran fruto del miedo de Caymen a que todos los prejuicios no quería creer sobre Xander se hicieran realidad y, por ello, prefería huir antes que enfrentar la dolorosa verdad. En adición, cuando se hacía burla a ciertos personajes por su nivel adquisitivo, Xander debería haber intervenido. Es obvio que estos problemas son, como dije, malentendidos y que predeciblemente se solucionarán, mas ello no evitó que entendiera cómo se sentían ambos, pues empaticé y me identifiqué con ellos en muchas ocasiones (sobre todo con Caymen).
Por otro lado, me encantó el hecho de que la protagonista trabajara en una tienda de muñecas de porcelana, un componente ciertamente original.
Además, si bien es cierto que ya me veía venir el pequeño plot twist del final, me gustó que Caymen tuviera la oportunidad que su madre le había negado y, que de paso, solucione la situación financiera en la que ambas se encontraban.
Por último, el final de desarrolla rápido (en apenas 30 pags), pero a diferencia de en otras novelas, a pesar de que lo fue, no me pareció innadecuado, aunque no negaré que me quedé con ganas de saber más sobre los personajes y cómo continuarán sus vidas.
Una novela fresca y enternecedora que superó mis expectativas.
No niego que tenga clichés de la literatura juvenil romántica, porque los tiene, pero solo son un par y totalmente irrelevantes.
En primer lugar hablaré de Caymen, la protagonista femenina. ME ENCANTÓ. Debó decir que el rasgo principal de su personalidad es su humor seco; cada vez que ella interactuaba con alguien no podía evitar soltar una carcajada ante sus contestaciones.
Además, su sentido del sacrifició es palpable y admirable, y amé su relación con su madre.
Hablemos de Xander. Es un amor. Le sigue perfectamente el ritmo a Caymen y no se deja amendrentar por su humor, es más, lo encuentra divertido. Además, me ganaron esas "citas" tan preparadas que organizaba para la protagonista.
Asimismo, creo que la madre de Caymen también es un personaje importante en la novela, su afán por proteger a su hija, su preocupación por ella y, en la parte negativa tomar decesiciones por Caymen que no debía y esconderle secretos. Me pareció que todo ello contribuyó a crear un personaje muy completo.
A continuación he de mencionar los malentendidos que se daban entre la parrja protagonista. Algunos de ellos eran fruto del miedo de Caymen a que todos los prejuicios no quería creer sobre Xander se hicieran realidad y, por ello, prefería huir antes que enfrentar la dolorosa verdad. En adición, cuando se hacía burla a ciertos personajes por su nivel adquisitivo, Xander debería haber intervenido. Es obvio que estos problemas son, como dije, malentendidos y que predeciblemente se solucionarán, mas ello no evitó que entendiera cómo se sentían ambos, pues empaticé y me identifiqué con ellos en muchas ocasiones (sobre todo con Caymen).
Por otro lado, me encantó el hecho de que la protagonista trabajara en una tienda de muñecas de porcelana, un componente ciertamente original.
Además, si bien es cierto que ya me veía venir el pequeño plot twist del final, me gustó que Caymen tuviera la oportunidad que su madre le había negado y, que de paso, solucione la situación financiera en la que ambas se encontraban.
Por último, el final de desarrolla rápido (en apenas 30 pags), pero a diferencia de en otras novelas, a pesar de que lo fue, no me pareció innadecuado, aunque no negaré que me quedé con ganas de saber más sobre los personajes y cómo continuarán sus vidas.
Una novela fresca y enternecedora que superó mis expectativas.
vidz2000's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Good overall, a light read and really cute but I thought the end undermined the entire book. I mean it was all about how Xander was rich and Caymen poor. By making her grandparents rich etc could've done without and it seemed like that was just thrown in to have a plot twist. And like all chick flicks, there were little arguments which made the 2 main characters stop talking for a while but they would obviously start talking and get together again. I mean, the whole thing about Xander having a girlfriend was great but Caymen should know better than to trust the media and just jump to conclusions and BAM-stop talking to him without really thinking about it properly.
Then again, that's just a personal disagreement with most of the contemporary(/chick flick?) genre.
However, overall it was a light and fun read- good to read in long car journeys or when bored but personally, not worth the effort if there are other books you want to read.
Good overall, a light read and really cute but I thought the end undermined the entire book. I mean it was all about how Xander was rich and Caymen poor. By making her grandparents rich etc could've done without and it seemed like that was just thrown in to have a plot twist. And like all chick flicks, there were little arguments which made the 2 main characters stop talking for a while but they would obviously start talking and get together again. I mean, the whole thing about Xander having a girlfriend was great but Caymen should know better than to trust the media and just jump to conclusions and BAM-stop talking to him without really thinking about it properly.
Then again, that's just a personal disagreement with most of the contemporary(/chick flick?) genre.
However, overall it was a light and fun read- good to read in long car journeys or when bored but personally, not worth the effort if there are other books you want to read.
kaeliesreads's review against another edition
5.0
This book starts off very slow that then get better as you read the book.
lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
govmarley's review against another edition
2.0
Do you remember the movie Pretty in Pink? Rich boy falls for the poor girl. She makes assumptions, his friends don't approve, single parent trying to make a better life for the daughter. Yeah, that's pretty much this book.
While I liked Xander (Alex, Alexander, whichever you prefer), I felt Caymen was trying too hard to be aloof and shitty to everyone. She was pretty unlikeable. Repeatedly telling us about her "dry humor" was way too on the nose. If the author has to justify and explain all of her comments, it isn't working for the character. I get that it was setting it up for a callback later in the book, but it didn't land for me.
And the ending? Seriously, it just ended. All the mysterious build up about her mom, her dad, and the shop, and it ends there? No. Just no. I could have given it three stars if the author had written a proper ending. I thought I was missing chapters in the ebook, it was so sudden.
Overall, underwhelming. 2 1/2 stars.
While I liked Xander (Alex, Alexander, whichever you prefer), I felt Caymen was trying too hard to be aloof and shitty to everyone. She was pretty unlikeable. Repeatedly telling us about her "dry humor" was way too on the nose. If the author has to justify and explain all of her comments, it isn't working for the character. I get that it was setting it up for a callback later in the book, but it didn't land for me.
And the ending? Seriously, it just ended. All the mysterious build up about her mom, her dad, and the shop, and it ends there? No. Just no. I could have given it three stars if the author had written a proper ending. I thought I was missing chapters in the ebook, it was so sudden.
Overall, underwhelming. 2 1/2 stars.
iffles's review against another edition
3.0
This is really more of a 3.5 star rating for me.
Caymen works in her mother's porcelain doll store. It's her senior year of high school, but she's not looking forward to jetting off to college because she can't imagine leaving her mom and the store struggling to make ends meet without her, so she plans to forego her dreams to help her mom the best she can to catch up on bills. It's also been just her and her mom, she doesn't even know her father, all she knows is that he was rich, and his parents paid her mom off so that his slate could be wiped clean and never be a part of Caymen's life - it's how her mom was even able to open her store in the first place. So now, they struggle. The two of them against the world, as it should be.
And then a rich boy walks into the store - the type of boy her father was. The type of boy Caymen's mom would want her to stay away from in order to avoid being hurt. But when Caymen manages to make that boy smile, it's like a whole new world opening up for her. Does she try to discover this new world? Would she ever fit into it? Or should know her place, know she'll never be expected, and keep supporting her mother?
This is a typical cute YA book. I really like YA books, but I like ones with a bit more depth than this one? I guess I like ones that deal with mental illnesses and self identity and stuff like that, than just a typical cute love story. But, I still enjoyed this quick read.
Caymen works in her mother's porcelain doll store. It's her senior year of high school, but she's not looking forward to jetting off to college because she can't imagine leaving her mom and the store struggling to make ends meet without her, so she plans to forego her dreams to help her mom the best she can to catch up on bills. It's also been just her and her mom, she doesn't even know her father, all she knows is that he was rich, and his parents paid her mom off so that his slate could be wiped clean and never be a part of Caymen's life - it's how her mom was even able to open her store in the first place. So now, they struggle. The two of them against the world, as it should be.
And then a rich boy walks into the store - the type of boy her father was. The type of boy Caymen's mom would want her to stay away from in order to avoid being hurt. But when Caymen manages to make that boy smile, it's like a whole new world opening up for her. Does she try to discover this new world? Would she ever fit into it? Or should know her place, know she'll never be expected, and keep supporting her mother?
This is a typical cute YA book. I really like YA books, but I like ones with a bit more depth than this one? I guess I like ones that deal with mental illnesses and self identity and stuff like that, than just a typical cute love story. But, I still enjoyed this quick read.