First Impressions 3/13/14: Eeeeeeee this really was I cute. I think I connected more with it in the second half (hellooooo all the flirty kissy cuteness) and was so touched by the connections in the end (no spoiling!) so this is why I need HALF STARS. 
 4.5 stars and that is my final answer, Regis. 
 (I think Caymen's sarcasm & dry humor is rubbing off on me.) 
 Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide 4/7/14: I have been meaning to read The Distance Between Us ever since I finally picked up a copy over the summer and I finally made it around to reading it! I really never should have waited that long because I adored the romances that Kasie West incorporated into PIVOT POINT and I was SO up for a book all about a super cute romance in THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US! Guys, you were right. Your squees were so on point. 
 THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US was straight up adorable. Right off the bat, I knew I was going to love the main character Caymen. She's responsible, helping her mother run their self-owned doll shop, but she's also incredibly quick-witted and I just loved her sarcasm. I love sarcastic characters and dry humor and she was such a blast to read about! Caymen was a great mix of things for me. I felt like she had a very level head and growing up with her mother running the doll shop, she not only learned responsibility quickly but also took on a lot of that responsibility herself. From the doll shop, she also learned that the rich just weren't her kind of people and they lived very different lifestyles as Caymen and her mother constantly struggle to makes ends meet. 
 Enter Xander. Handsome. Funny. Caring. And rich -- a big red flag for Caymen. Of course they hit it off (how can you not?). The romance was effortless and yet riddled with complications. Caymen and Xander just shared that sense of humor and fortunately for them both, Xander appreciates Caymen's sarcastic nature and let's be honest -- he enjoys letting her tease him. They really just fit together which makes the rest of the story all the more complicated. Caymen begins the struggle of essentially hiding Xander from her mom so she doesn't know she's been spending her time with a rich boy. (Her mom tends to frown upon the extremely wealthy.) It's the classic clash of classes which I don't always connect with, but I absolutely fell in love with the relationship that developed between these two. I felt for Caymen because she has such a close relationship with her mom and having grown up without a father, the two are really all each other has, besides the family business of the doll shop. 
 Caymen also has the incredibly difficult weight on her shoulders of whether or not to take over the doll shop from her mother. The store hasn't exactly been doing great and although her mother tries not to put that financial burden on Caymen, she tends to take it upon herself to try to boost sales and do what she can to help the store be more successful. It's a lot of pressure for her to figure out if taking over the doll shop is exactly what she wants to with her life because it is her life, even though she's not necessarily in love with. I definitely feel for her having to choose between what she wants to do (if she even allows herself to think about what she wants) and trying to keep her mother happy and keep the family business... well, in business. 
 I won't go into details because I certainly don't want to spoil anything, but there are also many more layers to this story that make it such a great book. We learn a lot more history about Caymen and her mom, about Xander and his family, and details on Caymen's father and why he isn't in her life. I absolutely loved the elements of family, the beautiful few but tight friendships that Caymen has, and the adorable and fun-loving romance between Caymen and Xander. If you're looking for a contemporary book that has it all, look no further. Swoon, snark, family, friendship, romance, and obligations. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US has it all.