The Distance Between Us
Gr 8 Up–Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers works in her mother's shop selling porcelain dolls to wealthy patrons. Even though she and her mom know that the rich can't be trusted, they rely on them to keep the store afloat. Then charismatic Xander walks into the store and seems to understand cynical and sarcastic Caymen better than anyone else, and she begins to wonder if maybe she and her mother were wrong. That is, until she's mistreated by Xander's friends and, after reading a tabloid, discovers that he may already have a girlfriend. Ultimately, however, Caymen realizes that she has a love worth fighting for, and the star-crossed lovers end up together. Despite the predictable ending, the charming story is beautifully written, and the characters are well developed. Similar in feel to books by Susane Colasanti, West‘s novel is sweet and captivating.–Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Hartford Public Library, CTα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.