Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

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

What a pleasant surprise!! I finished this book in one short sitting. There was so much that kept me hooked on this novel, but I have to say how much I absolutely loved the dialog between the characters! Great YA Contemporary novel that introduced me to an author I’ll be sure to read more of.

In The Distance Between Us, Caymen Meyer is no stranger to living within limited means. She is finishing our her senior year in high school and has a work release, so she can head over to her mother’s doll shop to help out with the struggling family business. Living in a plush small town, she knows that the rich inhabitants are necessary for their business to survive, but not a group you get to mingle with.

When Xander Spence enters the shop on an errand for his grandmother, he “beckons” Caymen over for help and is quickly caught off guard by her sharp witted ways. They eventually strike up a friendship that exposes Caymen to his wealthy world and unfolds secrets that leave her wondering how much she really knows about her mother’s past.

Caymen Meyer was an easy character to fall for from the very beginning, and I have to attribute it to her voice, which is both sharp and witty. Her sarcasm is my brand of entertainment. Xander Spence was a surprisingly loveable rich boy that has both charm and depth that had me rooting for him from the beginning. Together Caymen and Xander shared a worthy story about friendship and trust. This steady story had a low-level of drama that made the adventure enjoyable and interesting.

The Distance Between Us is my first novel by Kasie West, and I'll definitely check out her other novels. Fans of Sarah Dessen, Jessie Kirby and Huntley Fitzpatrick who enjoy YA Contemporary that includes a light romance, great family dynamics and awesome friendships will surely enjoy this novel.

4 Snowflakes

Early Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West

Publisher- Harper Teen

Released- July 1st 2014

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

My Thoughts:

I know this review is super early, but I simply couldn't wait to gush about my new favorite book! To say that I loved On the Fence by Kasie West would be a huge understatement. This book is my definition of the perfect escape. It's filled with the best.characters.evah. 

I freaken loved Charlie's family. Her brothers are her best friends and her dad is just this wonderful warm man raising a daughter without her mother and hoping that he's doing it right. Then we have a fantastic friends-turned-romance love story that plastered a smiles to my face the whole way through and melted my insides into goo. From start to finish, I totally fell in love with everything this book has to offer, so much so that I actually had to read it again once I hit the last page. Such a blast! 

It feels like I've only just discovered Kasie West's books and yet I'm already a screaming fan girl. She's rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors evah!

I've recently read The Distance Between Us and loved the sweet-feels and sarcastically charged humor, but I've always been a sucker for sports themed tomboys who dares to wonder what it would be like to be a real girl. West delivers a flawed but likeable protagonist with a realistic story and relatable connections. I was instantly consumed from minute one and devoured this in one sitting.

In some books, it may be the setting or plot that makes the story, but for this book the characters totally own it. Hands down, this book has the best characters ever.

Charlie is a very conflicting character and not your typically tomboy, she's definitely extreme. Her mother died when she was a little girl so she grew up without a women's touch, but I still think she was born with a competitor's edge and I envied her athletic drive and dedication. She may not have had a mother around growing up, but she still had a cop for a father who is fair, kind and loving and a bunch of boisterous brothers and a next door neighbour who are fiercely protective, supportive and aren't afraid to treat her like one of the guys. Charlie may come off a little too strong at times and I found her to be pretty stubborn, insensitive and defensive, but she also has this sweet and vulnerable side that I couldn't help love. Everyone has versions of themselves that they share with the people in their lives, but in Charlie's case, she didn't realize that she can have the best of both worlds and her journey of self discovering her inner-girl was just to adorable for words.

I simple adored Jerom, Nathan, Gage and Braden. They really are such a force in this book. My favourite part of the story was when all of these guys come together playing sports, goofing around and messing with Charlie's universe. Hilarious stuff!

Then we have Braden, who totally owned my heart. He may not have always handled things the best way, but he's always had Charlie's best interest at heart. Funny enough the romance in this is actually pretty light, but still just as powerful. It has the perfect blend of tension and chemistry. I absolutely adored the late night fence-chats and 'I know you better' games between Charlie and Braden. These two have an easy friendship with complicated emotions, but it was so easy to get lost in their 'alternate reality' and I found myself  living in their moments a little longer with each new scene.

The Distance Between Us fans will be pleased to see Skye again in this book, but we only get a second with Caymen and no Xander in sight, but it was still great to see them in this book. There is some heavy hearted issues that Charlie deals with concerning her mother, it was touching but not overly dramatic.

Bottom line, I couldn't love a book more. On the Fence, has it all my friends. The writing is fantastic and flows at an even pace. The story is absorbing and fun filled and these characters are rambunctious and full of life. Wonderful family togetherness, meaningful friendships and self-discovery journey that reminds us that we don't have to change for anyone and it's okay to be who you really are. Fans who like their contemporary with a little edge and a lot of heart will love this book. It's  my new favourite thing and  I can't wait to devour West's next book. Love, love love!!!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                               5 Snowflakes

Teaser Tuesday, #60 On the Fence by Kasie West

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...

On The Fence by Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Publication Date: July 1, 2014
*Teasers are from an advanced readers copy.






Teasers from ebook page 168
"So what, then? What were you going to tell me today?"
"The timing is wrong now. I'll tell you later."
"No. Please. I want to know now. I'm tired of secrets."
He stared at me for a long time, as if trying to read my sincerity. His breath touched my lips. It took everything in me not to close the distance between us. When his lips brushed against mine, I let out an involuntary gasp. Had I done that?
"Am I reading you wrong?" he asked.
I shook my head no. I couldn't find my voice, couldn't dare to believe this meant what I thought it meant.
He let out a slow breath of air that smelled so familiar. "I was going to tell you that."
"You were going to tell me that you wanted to kiss me?"
He nodded. "Is this going to change everything?"
"I sure hope so."


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point by Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Pre order: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

 
My thoughts:
Oh my where do I even begin!  Pivot Point is such a head spin!  I can honestly say that I have never read anything like it before!  I am in awe over this book, it has murder, mystery, romance, and a very intricate storyline twist that I never saw coming.

What would you do if you could search your future and see which paths are the best for you to take?  Addie has this ability.  If given a choice she can look into her own future and see how things will play out for both paths.  Everyone at her school has some kind of ability and this is all kept under wraps by the community they live in.  When she is faced with her parents decision to divorce Addie searches to see which parent she should live with and neither choice will be easy.

This story is told in alternating chapters with Addie choosing to live with her mother in one and then her father in the other.  If both of her parents had decided to stay inside the community Addie's life wouldn't have been turned that upside down, but her father chose to leave and live in the "norm" world.  I have to say that I loved seeing both sides of her life play out.  It was so much fun seeing things overlap, like for instance in one chapter we get to see Addie going to eat at a local restaurant with her friends  and then in the other since she lives outside the community we see that just her friends went to eat.  So things still happened just with a twist.  I have to give the author major credit for keeping it all straight. 

I'm still in shock over the story.  Both paths are filled with heartache in one way or another and I am so proud of Addie for being selfless when it came down to it in the end.  Every character played an important part as well.  Addie was strong and didn't back down from the impossible.  Duke and Trevor each were there and played their part well.  I can't say much more than that but just remember you don't know everything until you finish the last chapter.  There is a lot going on in this story and it has more than one actual storyline but it all fit perfectly together.  I am very excited to see where the sequel will take us!

4 Snowflakes

*ARC provided by publisher*